BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: An archive of American Jewish music is now becoming available to consumers. The music takes many different forms. And, prior to this, much of it had never been recorded.

The archive was started in 1990 by the Milken Family Foundation in California. It now includes hundreds of pieces of music, both sacred and secular, and makes up what is called the largest Jewish music project ever undertaken.

Neil Levin is artistic director of the archive and a professor of music at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He spoke to us about "Jewish music."

NEIL LEVIN (Artistic Director, Milken Archive of American Jewish Music): What we mean is music of Jewish experience and, in this case, music of American Jewish experience. Now that experience can be secular, it can be sacred, it can be folk, it can be art, it can be theatrical. But in some way, it is a Jewish, maybe a Judaic -- meaning religious -- experience.

We have synagogue music that is transcendent. Synagogue music, if it was traditional cantorial music, there are very few people who can replicate some of the clichés and stylistic features.