This article provides an overview of the rich musical traditions in the state of Israel. It deals almost entirely with classical music, not popular music, which has its own unique Israeli story. While not covered in this article, many choral ensembles and composers of Jewish choral music had have a profound influence on Israel's musical landscape. Music began to occupy an important place in the cultural life of the Jewish community in the land of Israel after world war 1, with various attempts made by enthusiastic amateurs and a tiny cadre of trained musicians at forming a symphony orchestra, a choral society and even an opera company. Music on a professional level, however, became a major activity only in the 1930s, when hundreds of music teachers and students, composers, instrumentalists and singers, as well as thousands of music lovers, streamed into the country, driven by the threat of Nazism in Europe.