In 1841, a pipe organ was installed in the balcony of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Charleston, South Carolina. The presence of this instrument caused a controversy between traditionalists, who opposed instrumental music in the synagogue, and reformers, who accepted or promoted instrumental music in Jewish worship. The traditionalists seceded from the synagogue, and the reformers remained, resulting in the formation of the first Reform Jewish congregation in the United States. This document explores the theological impact of the installation of the organ at KKBE in 1841, the history of the organs installed in the KKBE sanctuary, the construction and design of those instruments, the organists and special events involving organ music at KKBE, and the types of music played on the organ.
","abstract_html":"<p>In 1841, a pipe organ was installed in the balcony of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Charleston, South Carolina. The presence of this instrument caused a controversy between traditionalists, who opposed instrumental music in the synagogue, and reformers, who accepted or promoted instrumental music in Jewish worship. The traditionalists seceded from the synagogue, and the reformers remained, resulting in the formation of the first Reform Jewish congregation in the United States. This document explores the theological impact of the installation of the organ at KKBE in 1841, the history of the organs installed in the KKBE sanctuary, the construction and design of those instruments, the organists and special events involving organ music at KKBE, and the types of music played on the organ.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Marshall, Jennifer Zoellner"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"D.M.A.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["William H Bates"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:34Z","subjects":["Arts and Humanities","Music","Music Performance","Charleston","South Carolina","Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim","organ","Reform Judaism","synagogue"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2011, Jennifer Zoellner Marshall"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1652","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["William H Bates"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Marshall, Jennifer Zoellner"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["D.M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and Humanities","Music","Music Performance","Charleston","South Carolina","Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim","organ","Reform Judaism","synagogue"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2011, Jennifer Zoellner Marshall"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1652"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In 1841, a pipe organ was installed in the balcony of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Charleston, South Carolina. The presence of this instrument caused a controversy between traditionalists, who opposed instrumental music in the synagogue, and reformers, who accepted or promoted instrumental music in Jewish worship. The traditionalists seceded from the synagogue, and the reformers remained, resulting in the formation of the first Reform Jewish congregation in the United States. This document explores the theological impact of the installation of the organ at KKBE in 1841, the history of the organs installed in the KKBE sanctuary, the construction and design of those instruments, the organists and special events involving organ music at KKBE, and the types of music played on the organ.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Organ As Catalyst For Theological Change: The History and Role of the Organ At Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["William H Bates"],"dc:creator":["Marshall, Jennifer Zoellner"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 1841, a pipe organ was installed in the balcony of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE), Charleston, South Carolina. The presence of this instrument caused a controversy between traditionalists, who opposed instrumental music in the synagogue, and reformers, who accepted or promoted instrumental music in Jewish worship. The traditionalists seceded from the synagogue, and the reformers remained, resulting in the formation of the first Reform Jewish congregation in the United States. This document explores the theological impact of the installation of the organ at KKBE in 1841, the history of the organs installed in the KKBE sanctuary, the construction and design of those instruments, the organists and special events involving organ music at KKBE, and the types of music played on the organ.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1652"],"dc:rights":["© 2011, Jennifer Zoellner Marshall"],"dc:subject":["Arts and Humanities","Music","Music Performance","Charleston","South Carolina","Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim","organ","Reform Judaism","synagogue"],"dc:title":["The Organ As Catalyst For Theological Change: The History and Role of the Organ At Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["D.M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:34Z"}