Jewish music has as many different aspects as the Jewish culture itself.
In the Jewish tradition, music not only had a healing effect, it also began very early to play an important role in the religious teachings. For as long as it existed, the Jewish service could not be imagined without the richly embellished chanting of the cantors, who sometimes became celebrities. On the other hand, Jewish music is not only confined to sacramentalism. There is a broad tradition of Jewish folk music which during the course of it's long history has continuously been creative with the music of the respective host country. Furthermore, before and after the civil integration of the Jews after the 18th century, there have been a considerable number of Jewish composers whose work on one hand follows the mold of the european classical music, but on the other hand is obliged to remain faithful to it's Jewish origin.