Klezmer fiddle
Encyclopedia
KlezmerKlezmer (Yiddish: Klezmer (כליזמר or קלעזמער, pl. כליזמר ,כליזמרים, from the Hebrew כלי זמר meaning "vessel of song") is a genre of fiddle music rooted in the medieval shtetl
(villages) of Eastern Europe, where wandering Ashkenazi musicians (Klezmorim) played at bar mitzvahs, weddings and holidays (simkhes). ritual of rabbinic Judaism.
with a "secret language" supported by guilds, starting out in Prague 1558 with the fidl for a logo, and a fiddler leading the band with second or third fiddles for harmony and rhythmic support. Other centres of klezmorim included Odessa, Ukraine, which to this day hosts annual Rosh Hashanah gatherings with tremendous music and dance. In the past there have been clashes with the authorities at these gatherings, regarding vending licenses and similar issues. Haupt notes the history of persecution by the Gentile authorities in medieval Christian Europe, but does not link the much-discussed, long-standing history of anti-Semitism
with perceptions of secretiveness and proximity to criminality, which he reiterates in his version of klezmer historiography. For example, pressure from non-Jewish musicians ensured that in Prague, it was over a century before the Klezmer Guild was given permission for its members to play at non-Jewish functions. One way around these labyrinthine laws was to pretend to be professional Romani musicians.
, dub
or reggae.
, Menuhin
, and so many others. This attitude towards the use of the violin differs from the distinct traditions of Irish fiddle or Old time fiddle
which place less emphasis on technical musical ability. Thus, klezmer is more complex and utilizes more difficult techniques such as playing in the third, fourth and even fifth position - techniques which are basic to violinists but seldom used by fiddle players.
Dissonance is frequently employed harmonically, and accidentals are used quite freely, creating the signature mood and tones of klezmer. This dissonance is created by using complex scales.
Cohen asserts that "Michael Alpert of Brave Old World, Alicia Svigals of the Klezmatics, and Steven Gereenman of Khevrisa" are the most reliable proponents of this tradition.
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
(villages) of Eastern Europe, where wandering Ashkenazi musicians (Klezmorim) played at bar mitzvahs, weddings and holidays (simkhes). ritual of rabbinic Judaism.
Antecedents
Some academic musicologists suggest that ancient Semitic traditions preceded and influenced, along with Tanahk hymns, Greek Pythagorean music. It consisted of a blend of dance tunes, liturgy and meditative chants (nigunim). Richard J. Dumbrill of City University of New York traced the evolution of Jewish harp, balags, lyre, lute and aerophone instrumental music in the ancient Near East. Following the destruction of the second Temple, all rejoicing and use of musical instruments was banned, with the exception of occasional use of the Rams Horn (Shofar).Medieval
Traditions combined in medieval klezmer include Greek, “Gypsy”, Turkish, Slavic and later, Jazz. Some modern bands incorporate gospel, punk, Arab, African, and Balkan rhythms.History
Mel Bay music writer Chris Haigh, who himself performs in Klezmer bands, is one of the more prolific and popular writers on the topic, and he makes numerous assertions regarding the history of klezmer music which he does not corroborate with academic references. He contends that klezmer musicians constituted a hereditary professionProfession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
with a "secret language" supported by guilds, starting out in Prague 1558 with the fidl for a logo, and a fiddler leading the band with second or third fiddles for harmony and rhythmic support. Other centres of klezmorim included Odessa, Ukraine, which to this day hosts annual Rosh Hashanah gatherings with tremendous music and dance. In the past there have been clashes with the authorities at these gatherings, regarding vending licenses and similar issues. Haupt notes the history of persecution by the Gentile authorities in medieval Christian Europe, but does not link the much-discussed, long-standing history of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
with perceptions of secretiveness and proximity to criminality, which he reiterates in his version of klezmer historiography. For example, pressure from non-Jewish musicians ensured that in Prague, it was over a century before the Klezmer Guild was given permission for its members to play at non-Jewish functions. One way around these labyrinthine laws was to pretend to be professional Romani musicians.
Repertoire
Klezmer music incorporates ritualistic aspects of Hebrew culture but also incorporates non-Jewish waltzes, polkas or mazurka. The NIGUN (from the Hebrew lenagen, to play music) is the wordless melody used in liturgy and adopted by klezmer musicians. According to Bob Cohen, "the Jewish fiddle style is one form of east European fiddle which, like Gypsy fiddle styles, served to play several repertoires and styles." He laments, however, the difficulty for music historians in that "by the time of the 'klezmer revival' there were very few Jewish fiddlers left to learn from".Bulgareasca
In the early 19th century, Russia took over Moldava from the Ottomans and increased liberality led to migration and contact between Jews and Bulgarians which led to "shoulder out the sher" and freylechs styles. The end result was the use of triplets to a new extent in klezmer music.Khosidl
This is an Hasidic dance; a derivative of zemerl. The time signature is typically or . This music usually begins at a moderate tempo and accelerates.Klezmer in fusion with other styles
As described above, all klezmer is eclectic, and thus the term fusion, as used with references to combinations of disparate genres, may be redundant, but some klezmer musicians combine the specific eclecticism of klezmer with very specific genres such as rockRock
Rock, rocks, the rock, or the rocks may refer to:-Geology and minerals:* Rock , naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids* Rock salt or halite, mineral form of sodium chloride-People:...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
or reggae.
Style
Klezmer fiddle is melancholy and portrays a wide range of mood, including religious ecstasy. It draws heavily on the tradition of learning in Judaism, and particularly on the long-standing tradition of excellence in violin work as exhibited by HeifetzJascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
, Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
, and so many others. This attitude towards the use of the violin differs from the distinct traditions of Irish fiddle or Old time fiddle
Old time fiddle
Old time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" may be played on fiddle, banjo or other instruments but are nevertheless called "fiddle tunes". The genre has European origins and traces from the colonization of North America by immigrants from England, France, Germany,...
which place less emphasis on technical musical ability. Thus, klezmer is more complex and utilizes more difficult techniques such as playing in the third, fourth and even fifth position - techniques which are basic to violinists but seldom used by fiddle players.
Dissonance is frequently employed harmonically, and accidentals are used quite freely, creating the signature mood and tones of klezmer. This dissonance is created by using complex scales.
Ornaments
Trills (Dreydlakh) are slower and less dense than the trills used in classical or celtic. Cohen contends that "one form of trill is actually a slow sliding back and forth of the finger – primitive wah-wah" and that often the trills are executed on two strings at once.Proponents of the style
- Alicia SvigalsAlicia SvigalsAlicia Svigals is an American violinist and composer, is a founder of the Grammy-winning band The Klezmatics and is considered by many to be the world's foremost living klezmer fiddler.-Life and career:...
, her band is called Klezmatics, and she is considered by many to be the world's foremost living klezmer fiddler. - Leon SchwartzLeon SchwartzLeon Schwartz was a klezmer and classical music violinist who was born in Karapchiv, Ukrainian Bukovina and lived most of his life in New York City...
, (1901–1989) was a klezmer and classical music violinist. - Bob CohenBob CohenBob Cohen was a prolific Iranian film producer in the years prior to the country's Islamic Revolution. From 1954 to 1979, Cohen produced several dozen films, many of which were financed directly by the government, then under the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi...
, also a reviewer. - Kenny KosekKenny KosekKenny Kosek, born in 1949 in The Bronx, New York, is an American fiddler who plays bluegrass, country, klezmer, folk music and roots music. In addition to his solo career, he has performed with many other well-known performers and contributed to film and television soundtrack music. He is also a...
, generalist, also plays bluegrass and country. - Michael AlpertMichael AlpertMichael Alpert is a klezmer singer and multi-instrumentalist and has been called a key figure in the klezmer revival of the 1970s and 1980s....
, klezmer singer and multi-instrumentalist. - The Kharkov Klezmer Band, (Харьков Клезмер Бенд), also known as Kharkiv Klezmer.
- Alan BernAlan BernAlan Bern , born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, is the musical director of Brave Old World, and remains one of the leading lights in the teaching and revival of Yiddish music in the US, Canada, and Europe since the early 1980s.-Life:...
- Yale StromYale StromYale Strom is a pioneer among klezmer revivalists in conducting extensive field research in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans among the Jewish and Rom communities since 1981. Initially, his work focused primarily on the use and performance of klezmer music between these two groups...
- Sophie SolomonSophie SolomonSophie Solomon is a British violinist, songwriter and composer who fuses many different musical influences into her music. In January 2012 she will take up the Directorship of the Jewish Music Institute, SOAS.-Early life:...
- Dave TarrasDave TarrasDave Tarras was possibly the most famous 20th century klezmer musician. He is known for his long career and his very skilled clarinet playing.-Biography:...
highly influential klezmer clarinetist, played with Claude "Fiddler" Williams, who is also well known as a jazz and swing fiddler - Roby LakatosRoby LakatosRoby Lakatos, the “devil’s fiddler”, is a Romani violinist from Hungary. He is renowned for his mix of classical music with Hungarian Romani music and jazz themes....
, billed as "The Devil's Fiddler", credits include "Klezmer Karma with the Franz Liszt Chamber"
See also
- Old time fiddleOld time fiddleOld time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" may be played on fiddle, banjo or other instruments but are nevertheless called "fiddle tunes". The genre has European origins and traces from the colonization of North America by immigrants from England, France, Germany,...
- FiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- American fiddleAmerican fiddleThis page is about fiddle music in the USA. For other North American styles, see Fiddle#Fiddling_styles.American fiddle playing began with the early settlers who found that the small viol family instruments were portable and rugged. According to Ron Yule, "John Utie, a 1620 immigrant, settled in...
- Canadian fiddleCanadian fiddleCanadian fiddle is the aggregate body of tunes, styles and musicians engaging the traditional folk music of Canada on the fiddle. It is an integral extension of the Anglo-Celtic and Québécois Frenchfolk music tradition but has distinct features found only in the Western hemisphere Due to...
- KlezmerKlezmerKlezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
- Festival of Jewish Culture in WarsawFestival of Jewish Culture in WarsawFestival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw - "Singer's Warsaw" is an annual celebration of Jewish culture that has been held in Warsaw since 2004.The Festival includes Jewish theater, music, films, exhibits and expositions. It attempts to recreate Jewish culture from the period of interwar Poland,...
- Chava AlbersteinChava AlbersteinChava Alberstein is an Israeli singer, lyricist, composer, and musical arranger.-Biography:Chava Alberstein, born in Szczecin, Poland, moved to Israel with her family in 1950. She grew up in Kiryat Haim....
External links
- DI NAYE KAPELYE: Old Time Jewish Music From Not So Long Ago
- http://ancientlyre.com/?section=news Michael Levy traces the roots of Hebrew music in the ancient past, which is the "root of the olive tree".
- of the Shtetl Michael Levy
- DI NAYE KAPELYE: Old Time Jewish Music From Not So Long Ago
- Klezmershack.com. History, community and events.
- YIVO Encyclopedia article on Traditional and Instrumental Music of Eastern European Jews