Newlin surveys selected Bloch works from 1921 to 1947. Jewish characteristics, such as melodies incorporating the augmented second, appear not only in explicitly Jewish works, but also in works without overt programmatic significance, such as the Violin Concerto. The America symphony, which eschews Jewish characteristics, quotes extensively from various American musics, but "the stringing together of so many unrelated ideas" has interfered with Bloch's inspiration. The Avodath Hakodesh effectively combines "universal with 'racial' traits," including a lengthy quotation from liturgical chant.

Works: Bloch: Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service), America, an Epic Rhapsody in Three Movements.

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: David Lieberman