Authors Posts by Rebecca Cypess

Rebecca Cypess

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Musicologist and harpsichordist Rebecca Cypess is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Music at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She holds a PhD in music from Yale, an MMus from the Royal College of Music (London), and a BA from Cornell, as well as an MA in Bible from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University. Her recent publications include Women and Musical Salons in the Enlightenment and the edited collection Music and Jewish Culture in Early Modern Italy, which received the Ruth A. Solie Award from the American Musicological Society for an outstanding collection of musicological essays.

“Lu Yehi”: Between Fragility and Hope

In this thoughtful essay, Cypess reflects on the melody that is carrying Israel in the wake of October 7th.

Reclaiming the Musical Past: Leon Modena and Salamone Rossi in Context

Rebecca Cypess considers the life and work of the Italian Jewish Renaissance composer Salamone Rossi, his rabbinic supporter Leon Modena, and the controversies over 17th century polyphonic music in the synagogue.

Miriam’s Song and the Persistence of Music in Dark Times

Why did the women bring musical instruments out of Egypt? In her first Lehrhaus article, musicologist Rebecca Cypess draws a fascinating historical analogy between biblical and African-American slavery to shed light on the Exodus in Jewish tradition.