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Joseph A. Levine papers
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Joseph A. Levine was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Levine studied fine arts at Cooper Union and received his BA and Hebrew teachers diploma at Yeshiva University in 1955. He received his Ph.D. in sacred music at the Jewish Theological Seminary's Cantors' Institute in 1981. Joseph Levine spoke and understood many languages including English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish and Yiddish. Levine taught Jewish music and liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Academy for Jewish Religion, and the University of London. Throughout his 35-year career as a cantor, Levine worked at Congregation Emanu-El (New York), Chizuk Amuno Congregation (Baltimore), Beth Tfiloh Congregation (Baltimore), Beth Sholom Center of Amityville and Massapequas, Congregation B'nai Jacob (Woodbridge), Congregation B'nai Amoona (St. Louis), Congregation Emanu-El (Philadelphia), and Congregation Ramat El (Philadelphia). In the late 20th century, Levine took leave of his job as a cantor to take over work for his father-in-law's company Gruen Apron for about thirty years.
In the early 2000s, Levine returned to the cantorial world by joining the executive council of the Cantor's Assembly and working as the editor of their Journal of Synagogue Music for sixteen years starting in 2004. During his lifetime, he published two books, titled Synagogue Song in America (1989) and Rise and Be Seated: The Ups and Downs of Jewish Worship (2001), as well as published works such as Ba'avur Dovid—the Sabbath Morning Service as Sung by David Kusevitsky—A Transcription and Appreciation (1992) and Emunat Abba—the Sacred Chant of Abba Yosef Weisgal (2009). His journal articles appeared in a variety of publications including: "CCAR Journal, Encyclopedia of Jewish/American History and Culture, Gratz College Centennial, Maryland Jewish Historical Society Journal, Midstream, JUDAISM, Musica Judaica, National Jewish Post and the University of Victoria's Encyclopedia of Religion and Music." Joseph Levine passed away on December 30, 2021 in Philadelphia.
Works consulted:
"Doris K. Gruenstein Engaged to Cantor." New York Times, 12 February 1961, p. 96.
Joseph A. Levine papers, 1918-2021, Ms. Coll. 1643, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Maissner, Beny. "Remembering Dr. Cantor Joe Levine z"l." Holy Blossom Temple, 7 January 2022, https://holyblossom.org/remembering-dr-cantor-joe-levine-zl/. Accessed 24 January 2025.
Saffren, Jarrad. "Cantor, Scholar Joseph Levine Dies at 88." Jewish Exponent, 20 January 2022, www.jewishexponent.com/cantor-scholar-joseph-levine-dies-at-88/. Accessed 24 February 2025.
Sislen, David B.. "Joseph A. Levine (1933-2022)." Journal of Synagogue Music, vol. 47, no. 1, 2022, pp. 122-123.
The Joseph A. Levine papers contain musical works from over five hundred composers of Jewish music from the 19th to 21st centuries, ranging from rare to popular pieces of music. This collection contains extensive research files on topics related to Jewish music, Judaism and Levine's personal interests. The papers also include over a hundred CDs and cassette tapes, issues of the Journal of Synagogue Music, Levine's writings and personal materials.
The Joseph A. Levine papers are arranged into ten series: I. Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR) materials, II. Books with annotations and laid in materials, III. Cassettes, IV. Compact discs (CDs), V. Journal of Synagogue Music (JSM) materials, VI. Levine's collected materials, VII. Levine's writings, VIII. Personal material, IX. Research/Subject files, and X. Sheet music
Additional descriptions of each series can be found on their corresponding pages in the finding aid.
Items that were originally in binders were taken out due to conservation concerns, and the documents were kept in the original order that Levine organized them in.
Gift of Doris Levine, 2025.
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Hope Jones
- Finding Aid Date
- 2025 May 28
- Access Restrictions
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The bulk of this collection is open for research use; however, use of the original audio cassettes in Series III are restricted. If the original does not already have a copy, it may be sent to an outside vendor for copying. Patrons are financially responsible for the cost. The turnaround time from the time of request to delivery of digital items will depend on the nature of the material and is subject to review for condition. Please contact the Kislak Center (kislak@upenn.edu) for cost estimates and ordering. Researchers should be aware of specifics of copyright law and act accordingly.
The use of compact discs (CDs) in sub-series A of series IV and in box 12, folder 9 are restricted. The CDs have been processed and are available for research use (see items described as "Digital Content (Reading Room Access Only)" along the right-hand side in the Collection Inventory). These CDs are reading-room access only on a dedicated computer in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.
Additionally, certain materials in box 28, folder 13 and box 5, folder 4 are restricted because they contain personally identifiable information.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.