Presentation Schedule
Byron’s Hebrew Melodies and British Jewish Culture in the Early Nineteenth Century (91542)
Session Chair: Jerry Chia-Je Weng
Thursday, 15 May 2025 10:15
Session: Session 1
Room: Room 604 (6F)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
This paper examines George Gordon Byron’s 1815 volume of poetry Hebrew Melodies in connection with British Jewish culture in the early nineteenth century. The volume consists of poems Byron provided for the English Jewish composer Isaac Nathan (1791-1864), who set Byron’s lyrics to melodies ostensibly dating back to the Temple of Jerusalem prior to its destruction. The volume gained popularity in the nineteenth century and was published in several editions with and without the musical score. The miscellany of lyrics that Byron provided include proto-Zionist themes such as the lamentation for a lost nation, the tragic condition of exile, and the longing for victory of the Jewish people. While critics have read the Hebrew Melodies as a metaphoric expression of Byron’s personal concerns, this paper seeks to restore the specifically Jewish context of the lyrics in its particular historical moment. The volume will be analyzed in conjunction with tendencies in early nineteenth-century Britain: 1) the gradual assimilation of Jews into British society; 2) early British support for the establishment of a Jewish state; 3) the use of the lyric mode in writing/singing the nation. Finally, the paper speaks to the larger context of appropriating Hebrew literary and cultural traditions both to consolidate and complicate British national identity.
Authors:
Jerry Chia-Je Weng, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Jerry Chia-Je Weng is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at National Taiwan University in Taiwan
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