essay

The language of the heart: music in Lubavitcher life

New world Hasidim : ethnographic studies of Hasidic Jews in America • Albany, N.y. • Published In 1995 • Pages: 87-106

By: Koskoff, Ellen.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document

This article examines the traditional music of the Lubavitcher Hasidim in the form of the NIGUN (song), analyzing its meaning and use in the everyday life of its people and its role '…in the ongoing negotiation between traditional Lubavitcher values and those of the U.S. urban mainstream' (p. 87). Koskoff discusses the music in its contemporary setting, its historical background, its relationship to the social structure, and its use as an emissary to attract new adherents to the group. Several examples of musical texts are presented in this document.

SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF

Music

cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)

North American Hasidic Jews

HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document

1996

RegionThe area the document pertains to

North America

Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs

essay

Evaluation

Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.

Anthropologist

Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.

5: Excellent Primary Data

AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection

John Beierle ; 1995

Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document

no date

Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to

variable

Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)

Lubavitch; Crown Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y., United States

NotesAdditional notes

Ellen Koskoff

Includes bibliographical references (p. 106)

LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number

94000300

LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings

Jews