Purpose
The purpose of the Jewish Music WebCenter is to provide an online forum for academic, organizational, and individual activities in Jewish music. Information is provided to encourage and support scholarship, enjoyment, creation and general knowledge of Jewish music.
History
The Jewish Music WebCenter went live in February, 1998. At that time, there were over 75 websites about Jewish Music and over 40 selected print reference sources. Today there are over 350 websites and many more print sources of Jewish music interest linked through this site. Several key institutions, including the International Association of Jewish Music Institutes and the Museum of the Diaspora in Israel (Beth Hatfusoth) have linked to this site. Recent Google searches consistently ranked The Jewish Music WebCenter near or at the top,(most linked-to), non-sponsored site on Jewish music.
Structure
The JMWC website list is cross-indexed and available by subject or alphabetically by title. There are two major bibliographies. The primary research guide is Starting Research in Jewish Music. The Bibliography of Biographies contains a guide to general biographical resources and a list of books on Jewish musicians.
Websites were chosen for a variety of practical interests in Jewish music: such as "Getting to the Music" which includes sites that lead to, "Obtaining Recordings", "Publishers" for obtaining scores, "Online Music" for digitized sound or score, websites of "Performing Groups" and "Radio Programs" and sites that include "Concert Schedules". Other sections of the JMWC include: "Reviews": both recording and performance reviews of Jewish music; sites for "Conferences", "Libraries", "Organizations", "Festivals" and "Places to Study". There are also links to some Israeli popular music sites and a few Israeli academic sites.
Annotations
While I strive to find as much information as possible, The JMWC cannot be all inclusive. Listings are annotated, described or reviewed. Where quote marks appear in an annotation, the material was taken directly from that book or website and is intended to indicate a direct attribution. Every attempt is made to be as accurate as possible in description and attribution as of the date it was added to the JMWC. However, websites do change frequently.If you have information regarding a Jewish music site not listed on the JMWC, please feel free to contact me by email.
Comments and Recommendations
"Digital Librarian's Award" from Argus Clearinghouse, June, 2000.
"Here's a site that not only brings together a huge mass of links and turns them into a well-organized, easy-to-use, fast-loading, and comprehensive resource directory, but also helps you learn how to use all this information to do formal research. Whether you have a casual interest in this topic, or wish to plunge deep into scholarly waters, the Jewish Music WebCenter is all you'll need."
**********************************************
**********************************************
"Web Sighting,"Hadassah Magazine,January, 2000, p. 32.
"For all you Jewish music-makers and listeners out there, here's a truly inclusive one-stop-address for your entertainment and informational needs. Klezmer lovers, chazonos fanatics, jewish rock-o-files and dabblers will benefit from the Jewish Music WebCenter--compiled by Judith Shira Pinnolis, research librarian at Brandeis University. The calendar of concerts and festivals, national and international, an extensive bibliography for research and Web listings of useful sites will help satisfy the deepest of musical yearnings. At www.jmwc.org---Leah Finkelshteyn"
**********************************************
**********************************************
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000
Subject: RE: Jewish Music Bibliography
To: Judy Pinnolis
Thank you it is amazing
Julia
Julia Bock Ph.D
Librarian
Museum of Jewish Heritage
One Battery Park Plaza
New York, NY 10004
**********************************************
**********************************************
Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998
From: Eliott Kahn
Subject: your music web site
Dear Judy:
I have just received a note from Joel Roth re: your jewish music center
web site and I will pass it on to my supervisor Naomi Steinberger.
I have already visited your web site twice over the past few weeks and
want to congratulate you. It's a real "metunah" -- a gift to folks
involved with Jewish music worldwide. You've done just a terrific job!
.......
Best wishes,
Eliott Kahn
Music Archivist
JTS Library
**********************************************
**********************************************
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998
From: Mark H. David
Subject: Thanks for your site!
Wow, that's a great web page...I
enjoyed it and your post to the Jewish-Music list.
Thanks for doing it!
....
Mark David
Yiddish Voice Radio, http://www.yv.org/
**********************************************
**********************************************
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998
From: Jewish Music Heritage Trust (London)JMHT
.....
In the meantime, you at Brandeis seem to have heard our prayers and set up, precisely what is needed to serve the international thirst for reliable knowledge and information with your Jewish Music Web Centre with its appropriate headings....
Best Wishes,
Geraldine Auerbach, Trust and Festival Director
**********************************************
**********************************************
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998
From: Marsha Edelman
Subject: Jewish Music Resources
Dear Judith,
Kudos to you for your very impressive website on Jewish music. It appears to cover quite a lot of ground, and is certainly a wonderful "first stop" for people looking for further information in the field.
.....
Thanks again for your very impressive site.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marsha Bryan Edelman
Gratz College
I hope you enjoy this website as much as I enjoy being at the beach!
Best wishes from Boston, Massachusetts
Judy