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Abstract: This paper examines the way in which klezmer revival institutions, particularly KlezKanada, contradict many of the notions that are generally held of revival movements. Both historical klezmer music and its revival have long histories of incorporating musical styles both of other minority groups, as well those of the dominant majority culture. This paper shows how the communities created within the klezmer revival are constantly recreating their "tradition," and are responsible for an environment in which musical experimentation is not only accepted, but valued.
Résumé : Cet article examine la manière par laquelle les institutions de renouveau du klezmer, en particulier KlezKanada, contredisent nombre des idées que l'on se fait en général des mouvements de revival. La musique historique klezmer et son renouveau ont tous deux de longues histoires d'incorporation de styles musicaux, tant des autres groupes minoritaires que de ceux de la culture majoritaire dominante. Cet article montre comment les communautés qui se créent au sein du revival du klezmer recréent constamment leur « tradition » et sont responsables d'un environnement dans lequel l'expérimentation musicale est non seulement acceptée, mais valorisée.
In today's international klezmer scene, there has been a wide proliferation of klezmer fusions. These hybrids, which blend an ever-expanding array of musical styles and genres with klezmer, defined here as Eastern-European Jewish instrumental celebratory music, are notable because they are being encouraged by the scene's formal institutions (festivals and workshops). These new interpretations of klezmer exist in a dialectical relationship to the music's own history. My twelve years of research into the klezmer scene has revealed that a new, vibrant Ashkenazic' musical tradition is being instituted in a community created by those with shared interests in the revival and/ or continuation of Yiddish cultural forms. At KlezKanada, a 5-6 day workshop held annually at the end of August at Camp B'nai Brith in Lantier, Quebec, participants seek a community in which Yiddish culture is created anew through the vivification of cultural forms that have relevance to the present day rather than by simply recreating and reviving a nostalgic world that refers only to the past.
This article will focus on how KlezKanada participants are not merely searching for continuity with the old traditions; they are engaging in a dialectical relationship...