Z Żydami i bez Żydów : o ich znaczeniu w kulturze muzycznej Galicji

The article raises a question posed by the title of this volume concerning a place of Jews in the musical culture of Galicia. In order to find common points of comparison between Jews’ and non-Jews’ musical theories, practices and their products, the musical culture of Galician Jews has been compared with the musical culture of Galicia in general. Two general sections of the article present discussion on Galician Jews’ musical culture which was treated as the Galician variant of Jewish musical culture. The section seeks to illustrate the distinctiveness of Jewish musical culture in Galicia as opposed to the rest of the general Jewish musical scene via what the Jewish musical scene has in common with music of the non- Jews in the region. Having made these points of comparison, the article asks a question about the attitude of non-Jews toward Jewish musical culture and the evaluation of Jewish musicians by their non-Jewish neighbors. Such evaluations are necessary for a much fuller appreciation for the Jewish contribution to the musical culture of Galicia understood as part of the common musical culture of the region and its common cultural space. It also opens a complicated and still painful debate on the absence of Jews in Galician musical culture in our time, as well as the lasting legacy of the intercultural relationships between Galicians of different faiths and ethnicities in the common cultural space that once was. Nevertheless, the questions persists and demands greater research particularly into the writing of non-Jewish music critics which has to be conducted yet.