The Society for Jewish Folk Music

The Society for Jewish Folk Music was an ambitious group of composers, musicians, and scholars affiliated with Russia’s St. Petersburg Conservatory in the early 20th century. Inspired by the folklore collection project undertaken by Sha’ul Ginsburg and Peysekh Marek and encouraged by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, this cadre of young Russian Jewish musicians sought to redefine Jewish music on “national” terms–drawing on folk and sacred musical traditions to create compositions and arrangements that could be presented in the formal context of a concert hall. Through meetings and publications, they exchanged ideas about the history and content of Jewish music and debated about its future development. 

While the combined forces of the Russian revolution and the sea changes affecting traditional Jewish life ultimately led to the Society's dissolution within a decade or so of its founding, its impact remains. Several members of the Society emigrated to America—most prominently Joseph Achron, Lazare Saminsky, and Jacob Weinberg—where their ideas and creative output helped shape the field of Jewish music for decades to come.

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WATCH: Art Songs from the St. Petersburg Society
Sunday, Feb. 25, 4PM PST Live and Streaming

A free concert program presented by the UCLA Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience curated by Neal Stulberg.

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