See Also...
Introduction
Vibrant and soulful, Klezmer is the traditional instrumental music of the
Eastern European Jews.
Emerging in post medieval Eastern Europe, professional
folk musicians, the Klezmorim, played at Jewish and gentile celebrations, the
courts of the Hassidic rebbes (religious leaders) and for the non-Jewish aristocracy.
With roots in the vocal music of the synagogue, the Klezmorim adopted techniques
from other European dance and folk music and incorporated melodic ideas from Greco-Turkish
popular music.
In the twentieth century, Klezmorim were among those who
emigrated West, many ending up in America. The music formed part of the Yiddish
culture, captured on record, in film, performed in music halls and still played
at Jewish celebrations up to the fifties. Nearly lost, the music was rediscovered
in the seventies and is now thriving in Europe and America.
Merlin Shepherd
has written an informative article which appears on the Budowitz band's website:
www.budowitz.com/pages/shorthistory.html
If
want to know all about klezmer, we recommend the book "Klezmer!" by
Henry Sapoznik - ISBN: 0825671914 (costs about 20 pounds). You'll find it on www.amazon.co.uk,
but why not support your local bookshop? - if you give them a ring they'll likely
order it for you in a trice (and probably get it quicker than amazon).
Where
does the name "klezmer" come from?
Only recently
has the word klezmer come to represent a style of music. The band The
Klezmorim used it on a 1980's LP cover and the Ukrainian musicologist Moshe
Beregovski used it in his book of 1937.
Originally a klezmer was
a professional musician who played in a small band called a klezmorim,
at Jewish and non-Jewish weddings, and, rarely, at other events.
In early
times, Klezmorim belonged to closed guilds, and membership was passed down from
grandfather to father to son.
So "klezmer" referred to people
and not to a style. Now the style has become known as klezmer it makes it easier
for the record companies to categorise!
Amateurs played Jewish music too
but not generally at weddings. It was said "if you want to know how many
men there are in a house, look at the walls and count the fiddles".
Klezmer
musicians had some similarities with gypsy musicians - Gypsies were the only other
professional folk musicians.
What distinguishes klezmer?
Cantorial Singing
Klezmer is based on cantorial singing from the
synagogue and the ornamentation is similar to the human voice. It was said of
a famous fiddle player that "his fiddle speaks, his fiddle speaks words".
Wedding
Music
Klezmer is mostly music for dancing at weddings.
Improvisation
Generally improvisation is only with the type of ornaments and rhythm played -
improvisation does not go away from the tune as in jazz music.
Musical
Scales and tonality
Klezmer is uses the Natural Minor, Altered Phrygish
and other interesting scales or modes. These scales are used by other folk musics
as well.
Unlike other music, some notes can be different depending on their
position in the scale - eg a high F is played F natural and the low F is played
F sharp - more
Ornamentation
The Krekht is a special ornament derived from singing. Other ornaments include
fast trills (unlike those of classical music); slides up and down; octave glissandi
and changes in rhythm. You really need to listen to these to get an idea of what
they sound like.
Chordal accompaniment
In old recordings, the
chord changes are very simple and chords often don't change for a lot of bars.
I like this style because it gives rise to many strong dissonances which add to
the texture giving tension and enormous relief when they finally resolve.
In the klezmer revival in the late 20th century more chords were often used but
there is a trend amongst some modern musicians to go back to the simpler chords.
Types
of tunes
Not all the music was for dancing. Music was also
played at table, and for the in-laws walk home after the wedding ("street
tunes").
The doina helped people to cry, and there was
a lot of this at Jewish weddings. The doina a long and sad improvised section;
the sadness is reduced somewhat - and then there is a faster freilach (dance tune)
in 2/4. It is similar to a Greco-Turkish Taksim.
I likes this plot of the
doina -
"A shepherd has lost a sheep (or sheep). Weeping,
he goes in search of it. He asks every passerby about the lost sheep, but no-one
can tell him where it is. Finally, he finds the sheep and pours out his joy in
a jolly dance tune."
Dance tunes include Freilachs, Skotshne
(similar to freilachs) - more
Instruments
Traditionally, klezmer was played on the fiddle. The clarinet and accordion
joined in at the end of the 19th century.
Web
Design by Steve Landin
