JEWISH MUSIC

Jewish music has played an essential role in Gershon Kingsley's life and his development as a composer. Born in Germany, he lived on a kibbutz in Palestine from 1938 to 1941 and later attended the Jerusalem Conservatory. After moving to the United States in 1946, he played organ for several synagogues in California and New York, and later became the Musical Director for Temple Sinai (Los Angeles), Temple Emmanuel (Beverly Hills), Temple Israel (New Rochelle, NY) and Temple B'nai Abraham (Livingston, NJ). During this time, he also worked with the well-known Jewish composer Max Helfman.

Gershon Kingsley conducting for Jan Peerce.

 

 

 

 

Audio clip of "Bar'chu" from "Shabbat for Today"

Audio clip of "Yism'chu" from "Three Hebrew Prayers in a Jazz Idiom"

Audio clip of "Spätnachmittag" from "Selma" (Karen Longwell, soprano)

Audio clip of "Spaziergang" from "Selma" (Karen Longwell, soprano)
Over the past four decades, he has been commissioned to create compositions for various synagogues and Jewish institutions, such as the Milken Archive. Just as Kingsley has been pioneer in electronic music, many of his Jewish works are unusual and ground-breaking. "Shabbat For Today" for example is a contemporary rock service that uses synthesizers, bass, drums, piano and percussion along with a full choir to provide a modern approach to the traditional Shabbat ceremony. Kingsley's Jewish music is published by Transcontinental Music and Bourne Music.

 

Kingsley's Jewish music:

CANTOR BENJAMIN MAISSNER -- THE SONG OF MY LIFE
CHASSID SUITE #1
THE FIFTH CUP: A DRAMATIC SEDER
GATES OF PRAYER
GOD AND ABRAHAM
HEAR OUR VOICES - CANTORIAL MUSIC THROUGH THE AGES
HINEY MAH TOV
JAN PEERCE - ON SECOND AVENUE
PRAISE YE THE LORD
A PROPHET'S SONG OF LOVE
SABBATH OF THANKSGIVING
SELMA (Karen Longwell, soprano)
SHABBAT FOR TODAY
SHEPHERD ME, LORD
SHIRU L'ADONAI
SHTETLSUITE
TAPESTRY OF SCRIPTURES
THREE HEBREW PRAYERS IN A JAZZ IDIOM
UNTERMAN SERVICE
VAANACHNU ("WE")
THE VOICE OF SOL ZIMEL
VOICES FROM THE SHADOW
THE VOICE OF SOL ZIMEL
WHAT IS MAN?

  
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