POPULARIZING
ISRAELI FOLK MUSIC
Israeli folk
music was created with the intention of raising awareness and unity among the
people of Israel. To emphasize the importance of folk music, the songs were
introduced to Israeli’s early in life. Lyrics were printed in pamphlets and
given out to music teachers in schools, youth groups and kibbutz’. The same
songs were played all over Israel’s radio stations and used as entertainment at
army gatherings. Advances in media such as the printing press, radio and television made embracing
this new culture all the more convenient. Shira Betzbur, communal sing-alongs,
were also used as a way to make popular the music of Israel and uniting
Israeli's around the world.
Israeli Song Festivals
The first of seventeen, extremely successful, Israeli Song Festivals took place in 1960 as a way of sharing and celebrating the addition of original music to Israeli culture. The Festivals took place from 1960 to 1980 and 189 songs were entered into this competition. The Festivals were sponsored by local radio station, Kol Yisrael (The Voice of Israel) and were held at Binyanei ha-Umma. The festival took place each year on Israel Independence Day and was broadcasted on public radios and later, television.