Content area
Full text
THE YIDDISH WORD "KLEZMER" IS COMMONLY USED TO
denote professional eastern European Jewish dance musicians, or, more recently, musicians who identify themselves with that tradition. The term combines two Hebrew words: "kle" which means vessel or instrument and "zemer" which means song. In recent years "klezmer music" has gained prominence as the term used to describe the music klezmorim (the plural) perform.
Klezmer music came to the United States in the period of heaviest eastern European Jewish immigration, between 1880 and 1924. Klezmorim migrated from many parts of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires and Rumania, and brought with them musical traditions which, while diverse, also share a great deal in common. Some klezmorim traveled extensively, creating a tune network throughout the Jewish pale of settlement. Gypsy, Greek, and Romanian elements are so predominant in Jewish dance music traditions that some scholars have dismissed klezmer as a separate genre altogether. Nevertheless, there are important characteristics and influences that distinguish klezmer from other related styles. Jewish performers often use the word krekhts (Yiddish for "groan") to differentiate their interpretation of a dance tune from that of their non-Jewish counterparts. This word refers to a wailing sound reminiscent of weeping. In addition the term tshok might be used to refer to a laugh-like instrumental sound and a kneytshis a sob-like "catch." These and other typical klezmer ornaments are also found in other forms of Jewish musical expression including cantorial music and folksong. The cantorial parallel is evident in the shape and phrasing of instrumental improvisations.
The Hasidic movement, which emerged in the latter half of the 1700s, exerted a significant influence on the klezmer tradition. This populist sect made religion more accessible to the masses by emphasizing dancing and the chanting of wordless melodies known in Yiddish (and Hebrew) as nigunim. Hasidim sang these melodies with an intense urgency, hoping to "ascend" to higher realms through their music.1 Klezmorim were frequently employed by Hasidim to enliven their gatherings, and the spirit of this movement greatly influenced their performance.
Klezmorim brought their skills and repertoire with them and re-created the sounds of eastern Europe's cities and towns on this side of the ocean. At first virtually all of the leaders were violinists (many of whom doubled on trumpet so...