"It seems obvious that modern Jerusalem, a city that is central to Jewish, Muslim, and Christian
... religious imaginaries and the political epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, is a highly contested space. More surprising, perhaps, is that its musical landscape not only reflects these rifts but also helped to define them as the ancient city transitioned to modernity during the twentieth century. In City of Song: Music and the Making of Modern Jerusalem, Figueroa argues that musical renderings of Jerusalem have been critical to the formation of Israeli political consciousness. The book demonstrates how Zionist and Israeli songwriters helped to shape their public's territorial imagination-creating images of a city that is at once heavenly and earthly, that dwells in longing, that must not be forgotten, that compels one to bereave the dead, that represents the fulfilment of prophecy, and that is the site of immense cultural diversity. The dynamic history of its representation in lyrics and music helps dispel any notion that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is timeless, intractable, and based on static, essential identities; while there are continuities across historical divides, there is also radical change. The book combines analyses of musical meaning, political discourse, and public performance over the long twentieth century (1880s-2010s), in order to reveal how the Israeli-Palestinian crisis's territorial fixation on Jerusalem has been constructed, historically contingent, and subject to artistic intervention in modernity. Through a musical history of Jerusalem, Figueroa introduces a novel, humanities-centered approach to one of the world's most contested cities"-- Provided by publisher. Read More
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