From the wellspring of Judaism Song has been identified with everything Jewish. The Torah itself is called a song as the verse at the end of the Torah says to write this song. There are special sections that are written as song like the description of the parting of the Red Sea and the HAAZEENU prose near the end of the Torah. These songs are songs within the big song. In other holy texts there are numerous Songs most notable the song of Devorah.
King David took all this to another level when he wrote Psalms or TEHEELEM. The harp playing by midnight of the king of Israel still invokes today feeling of a warrior king who composed song and music. When the holy temple stood in Jerusalem the Levites would be singing on many occasions and in fact this was their main function in the temple.
In more modern times the Chassidic movement started by the BAAL SHEM TOV stressed song and joy in Judaism. This was continued by his students who spread the Chassidic movement all over Eastern Europe and beyond.
One man in our generation defined like no other the renaissance of Jewish Music and seemed to electrify Jews everywhere. The Chassidic Singer of the Jewish world Shlomo Carlebach. This incredible Rabbi who with his song and fervor managed to revolutionize the Jewish world came from a long line Rabbis. His father was a major decision maker in Jewish law and Reb Shlomo himself was a scholar who excelled in intense Jewish studies in different Yeshivas. He was truly a unique personality.
Not only his songs inspired but even more so were his Chassidic stories of simple righteous Jews who through their piety and sincerity reached new levels of sanctity. He was a Chassidic master who attracted adherents with his song and with his inspiring tales.
Most Jewish songs today stem from the tunes that he gathered from all the great masters and reintroduced them to the world. All this attracted unaffiliated Jews in the spirit of social upheaval of the 60s and 70s.
His sudden and tragic passing left a void to deep to fill. Many could not imagine a world without this giant of Jews dancing on his tiptoes to the words of King David.
Many new Jewish musicians have tried to follow in his footsteps using song and story to continue to do what he did. Those who had the privilege to listen to his music felt that they were in the presence of a master of Chassidutt. The dancing that he started seemed to never stop.