Text: Between East and West – The Concert Halls

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Starting in the mid-19th century, many Jewish musicians and composers integrated into the world of Western classical music and the world of Arabic and Andalusian music, leaving their mark on both of them. Jewish composers such as Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein are regarded as pioneers of classical and popular music in the 20th century. In Muslim countries, composers such as Samy Al Maghribi and the brothers Sahlah and Da’ud Kuwaeiti, in addition to performers such as Zohra Al Fassia and Habiba Msika, contributed greatly to the development of traditional Andalusian and modern Arab music.