![]() Later, Cahn partnered with another Jewish composer in Hollywood, Jule Styne, with whom he wrote holiday hit “Let it Snow” (as well as the Broadway musical High Button Shoes). ![]() Cahn kickstarted his fruitful songwriting career by adapting a Yiddish musical theater song “ Bei Mir Bist Du Shon,” into English for the Andrews Sisters. The child of Galician Jewish immigrants, he grew up New York City’s Lower East Side. Lyricist, songwriter, and musician Sammy Cahn was born Samuel Cohen in 1913. “Let it Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (Children of the ’80s may best know Torme as the obsession of the sitcom Night Court’s main character, Judge Harry Stone.) Torme collaborated with another Jewish lyricist, Robert Wells, to write his most famous composition: “The Christmas Song,” better known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” The song was popularized in 1946 by the iconic singer Nat King Cole.Ģ. A musical prodigy who started singing professionally at age 4, Torme performed alongside Frank Sinatra and spent most of his storied career singing jazz. This classic, jazzy tune, was written by pop-jazz singer Mel Torme, a Jewish singer nicknamed the “Velvet Fog.” Born in 1925 as Melvin Howard Torme, Mel grew up in the South Side of Chicago in a working class Jewish family. “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” by Mel Torme From sentimental tales to comical near-misses, read on to learn the Jewish backstories of some of the most popular Christmas tunes you hear today.ġ. Whatever the reason, there’s no doubt that these Jewish masters brought a whole lot of neshama- Hebrew for “soul” - to their compositions, ensuring themselves an enduring legacy in American music history. “These songs made Christmas a kind of national celebration, almost a patriotic celebration,” he said. Rabbi Kenneth Kanter, an expert in Jews and pop culture at Hebrew Union College, added that this embrace of Christmas music was a type of assimilation to America’s dominant Christian culture as well as a form of patriotism for Jewish composers. As singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, known as the “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” told Religion News Service, Jews flocked to the music industry early in the 20th century - when most of the American Christmas classics were written - because it was one of the rare industries in which Jews didn’t face rampant antisemitism. Wait - but, why? Well, there are a few theories about why Jews threw their weight behind Christmas songs. Here’s something you may not realize about these ear worms: Many of the most iconic Christmas songs of all time were written by Jewish composers. It’s the most wonderful time of the year - you know, the one where we’re completely inundated by Christmas songs and carols at every turn? While some of us may cringe at just how dominant this Christian holiday seems to be each and every December - and that’s true whether or not there’s a pandemic going on - it is hard to deny how catchy and joyful some Christmas music can be.
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