“Ethos And Melos of a Folk Liturgy”
by
Hanoch Avenary

The Hasid is taught that he should sing “not in order to affect others, but in order to affect himself.” Thus the tunes of this secluded microcosm are not aimed at any audience, do not strive for external beauty, and cannot be measured by purely artistic standards.

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Originally published in Journal of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 16 (1964), pp. 60-63. Republished here with thanks.