America – An Epic Rhapsody: Ernst Bloch’s 1926 Tribute to the United States
The CSULB Jewish Studies Program is delighted to bring renowned musicologist Brian Wilson to Long Beach on Monday, October 28th, at 7 pm, to walk us through the musical journey of Ernst Bloch’s epic love letter to his adopted home country. His talk, “America – An Epic Rhapsody: Ernst Bloch’s 1926 Tribute to the United States,” will be at the Alpert JCC (3801 E. Willow St.) and will blend history, music, and performance.
Here’s how Wilson describes his talk:
The B is for Beshert!
Often referred to as the fourth “B” after Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, the Swiss-born composer Ernest Bloch is considered to be the father of modern Jewish music. In 1925 Bloch, having attained United States citizenship, was appointed Artistic Director of the newly formed San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Bloch loved the West Coast. It was meant to be — it was bashert! During his time in the Bay Area, Bloch wrote some of his most significant and enduring works. They include: American, An Epic Rhapsody and his Sacred Service. We will take a listening journey through these works. We will discover that these seemingly disparate compositions have a through-line, the "Jewish Tear." For instead of copying the folk idioms of Eastern European Jewry using a classical vocabulary, Bloch sought for his purely expressive music a spiritual affinity with the traditional Hebrew liturgy. Bloch was convinced that if a composition were to be honest and organic, the Jewish element must be integrated subconsciously into the creative process. He said "It is the Jewish soul that interests me.”
Brian Wilson is Professor of Music and the Director of Jewish Studies at Sonoma State University. In addition to teach music and music theory, he has been a composer, arranger, and conductor, with his own music performed in nearly two dozen countries around the world.
Like all Jewish Studies talks, this is free and open to the public.
