Mosaic Voices is now working on a landmark and historic new musical and educational project, The Jews of Britain, telling the story through music of the UK’s oldest immigrant community, the Jewish community. At a time of resurgence of antisemitism as well as the delegitimisation of the Jewish community, creative and educational work like this is crucial way of opening a window onto Jewish life and exploring Jewish roots in Britain, which are almost 1,000 years old.
In this ambitious, nine-movement work, Mosaic Voices' Resident Composer Benjamin Till will chart British Jewry from the arrival of Jewish immigrants with the Normans in 1066 to their expulsion in 1290, and the re-emergence of the community in the mid-17th Century through to the present day.
This 50-minute composition will run chronologically, with each movement detailing a different period in Anglo-Jewish history. The multi-lingual texts featured in the piece will include liturgical poems, folk songs, newspaper articles, diaries, art works, historical archive as well as interviews with living people. The Jews of Britain will be scored for string orchestra, keyboards and five voices (the four singers of Mosaic Voices and female alto.). The music will blend ancient Jewish modes and motifs with British folk song in a soaring, educational, moving, spiritual and, above-all, an eye-opening work.
The major musical work will be premiered at a live performance at a prestigious central London venue and a high-end album of the work will be recorded and released on all major platforms. Mosaic Voices will also be commissioning emerging filmmakers to make films of some of the movements. We anticipate national radio broadcast of parts or all of this work.
The Jews of Britain: Movement by Movement
Movement One (1066-1190): The Golden Age. Jews are encouraged to come to England by William I and prosper under Henry II, with significant communities established in London, Oxford, Northampton, York, Norwich, Bristol and Lincoln.
Movement Two (1190-1290): Banishment. Crusades in the Middle East and resentment of English Jews in position as money lenders to the royal court leads to wide-spread antisemitism. The entire Jewish community in the City of York is murdered or commits suicide, 18 Jews from Lincoln are hanged for the “murder” of a young Christian boy who actually died in an accident, and Edward I forces English Jews to wear yellow patches. In 1290, Edward I expels all Jews from England allowing them to leave only with what they could carry.
In this ambitious, nine-movement work, Mosaic Voices' Resident Composer Benjamin Till will chart British Jewry from the arrival of Jewish immigrants with the Normans in 1066 to their expulsion in 1290, and the re-emergence of the community in the mid-17th Century through to the present day.
This 50-minute composition will run chronologically, with each movement detailing a different period in Anglo-Jewish history. The multi-lingual texts featured in the piece will include liturgical poems, folk songs, newspaper articles, diaries, art works, historical archive as well as interviews with living people. The Jews of Britain will be scored for string orchestra, keyboards and five voices (the four singers of Mosaic Voices and female alto.). The music will blend ancient Jewish modes and motifs with British folk song in a soaring, educational, moving, spiritual and, above-all, an eye-opening work.
The major musical work will be premiered at a live performance at a prestigious central London venue and a high-end album of the work will be recorded and released on all major platforms. Mosaic Voices will also be commissioning emerging filmmakers to make films of some of the movements. We anticipate national radio broadcast of parts or all of this work.
The Jews of Britain: Movement by Movement
Movement One (1066-1190): The Golden Age. Jews are encouraged to come to England by William I and prosper under Henry II, with significant communities established in London, Oxford, Northampton, York, Norwich, Bristol and Lincoln.
Movement Two (1190-1290): Banishment. Crusades in the Middle East and resentment of English Jews in position as money lenders to the royal court leads to wide-spread antisemitism. The entire Jewish community in the City of York is murdered or commits suicide, 18 Jews from Lincoln are hanged for the “murder” of a young Christian boy who actually died in an accident, and Edward I forces English Jews to wear yellow patches. In 1290, Edward I expels all Jews from England allowing them to leave only with what they could carry.
Movement Three (1655-1890): Readmission. Cromwell permits the readmission of Jews. Sephardi Jews from Holland begin to arrive. Samuel Pepys visits London’s first synagogue in 1663: “But Lord! to see the disorder, laughing, sporting and no attention, but confusion in all their service, more like brutes than people knowing the true God, would make a man forswear ever seeing them more and indeed I never did see so much, or could have imagined there had been any religion in the whole world so absurdly performed as this.” British Jews begin to integrate and become part of the British establishment. Emancipation and the emergence of the new Reform movement of Judaism in 1840. The construction of the West London Synagogue in 1870 and the New West End Synagogue in 1876. Antisemitism in Eastern European leads to a huge wave of immigration of largely Ashkenazi Jews.
Movement Four (1890-1918): Restlessness. The widescale immigration of Jews sparks rioting in places such as Tredegar, South Wales. Meanwhile more integrated Jews are joining the struggle for universal suffrage and signing up to fight in the First World War.
Movement Five (1918-1936): Jewish East End. Jewish people settle in the East End of London, which becomes a thriving hub of Yiddish language and Jewish culture. The beautiful text for this movement is almost entirely written by Sir Arnold Wesker. “The streets were full of characters. Mendel pushing his pram in which was a gramophone playing cracked Yiddish records for pennies. Yeta selling bagels from a basket on the pavement in front of Blooms kosher restaurant - an ill-tempered lady wrapped in shawls.” The Jewish community successfully defend themselves against Oswald Mosely in 1936.
Movement Six (1936-1945): A Train Journey. Memories from Jewish evacuees and Kindertransportees. “Then we had a long railway journey to the Isle of Anglesey. All a little bit bewildering, but I was very tired. We travelled by train and some Welsh sailors sang lullabies to me and they carried me at Crewe from the London train to the local Holyhead train.”
Movement Seven (1956-1970): Immigration from Arabic Countries. Approx. 800,000 Jewish people are forced to leave their ancient homes with nothing but a suitcase in North African and Middle Eastern countries. Many come to the UK. “When I first came here they called me Egyptian, they said ‘ You’re Egyptian.’ I said “ Yes, but I’m not wanted there. They don’t want me.’”
Movement Eight (1970-2024): Integration. After the horrors of the Second World War, Jewish people begin to look to the future, proudly British, yet maintaining a sense of their Jewishness. “I am a Jew of the English persuasion”
Movement Nine: Hineini. Jewish people are everywhere, living lives which are as much affected by their Britishness as they are by their Jewishness. Jewish people fight to be recognised as a cultural minority and for their stories to be heard, and to combat the new resurgence of antisemitism. We are here. And we are proud to call ourselves both British and Jewish.
If you are interested in sponsoring a movement of The Jews of Britain or supporting this work please write to our Musical Director for more information: [email protected]