Stylistic origins Klezmer developed in Southeastern Europe influenced mostly by Romanian music (predominately from Moldavia, particulary Bessarabia and the Romanian part of Bucovina). Ukrainian music, Turkish and Greek influences are also present.
Cultural origins Jewish celebrations, especially weddings, in Eastern Europe
Typical instruments Violin, Cymbalom, Clarinet, Accordion, Trombone, Trumpet, Piano, Poyk
Mainstream popularity Rare among non-Jews, well-followed by Jews in US, especially following 1980s revival
Regional scenes
Germany - Israel - United States
Other topics
KlezKamp - Klezmer-loshn - KlezKanada
Israeli music
Religious
Historical · Contemporary
Piyyut · Zemirot · Nigun
Pizmonim · Baqashot
Secular
Israeli · Klezmer
Sephardic · Mizrahi
Dance
Israeli folk dancing · Ballet
Horah · Hava Nagila
Yemenite
Israel
Hatikvah · Jerusalem of Gold
Piyyutim
Adon Olam · Geshem · Lekhah Dodi
Ma'oz Tzur · Yedid Nefesh · Yigdal
Music for Holidays
Shabbat
Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, kley — instrument and zemer — song; etymologically from Hebrew k'li zemer כְּלִי זֶמֶר, literally "vessels of song" = "musical instrument") is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. Around the 15th century, a tradition of secular (non-liturgical) Jewish music was developed by musicians called klezmorim or kleyzmurim. They draw on devotional traditions extending back into Biblical times, and their musical legacy of klezmer continues to evolve today. The repertoire is largely dance songs for weddings and other celebrations. Due to the Ashkenazi lineage of this music, the lyrics, terminology and song titles are typically in Yiddish.
Originally, klezmer (plural klezmorim) referred to musical instruments, and was later extended to refer to musicians themselves. It was not until the mid-to-late 20th Century that the word was used to identify a musical genre. Early 20th Century recordings and writings most often refer to the style as "Yiddish" music, although it is also sometimes called Freilech music. Compared to most other European folk music styles, very little is known about the history of klezmer music, and much of what is said about it must be seen as conjecture.
Style
Klezmer is easily identifiable by its characteristic expressive melodies, reminiscent of the human voice, complete with laughing and weeping. This is not a coincidence; the style is meant to imitate khazone and paraliturgical singing. Several techniques are used to accomplish this. There are krekhts, 'sobs', and dreydlekh which are a form of musical ornament similar to a turn or trill.
Above all the musical styles which influenced the traditional Klezmer musicians, the Romanian influence seems to be the strongest and most enduring. Traditional Romanian music was heard, adopted and adapted by Klezmer musicians .This fact is reflected in the dance forms found throughout the entire surviving Klezmer music repertoire (e.g. Horas, Doinas, Sirbas and Bulgars etc.).[1]
History
The Bible has several descriptions of orchestras and Levites making music. But after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, many Rabbis discouraged musical instruments. But the importance of merrymaking at weddings was not diminished, and musicians came forth to fill that niche, klezmorim. The first klezmer known by name was Yakobius ben Yakobius, a player of the aulos in Samaria in the 2nd century CE. The earliest written record of the klezmorim is in the 15th century. It should be noted that it is unlikely that they played music recognizable as klezmer today since the style and structure of klezmer as we know it today is thought to have come largely from 19th century Bessarabia, where the bulk of today's traditional repertoire was written.
Klezmorim based their secular instrumental music upon the devotional vocal music of the synagogue, in particular cantorial music. Even so, klezmorim — along with other entertainers — were typically looked down on by Rabbis because of their secular traveling lifestyle. Klezmorim often travelled and played with Roma musicians ("lăutari"), since they occupied similar social positions. They had a great influence on each other musically and linguistically (the extensive klezmer argot in Yiddish includes some Roma borrowings).
Klezmorim were respected for their musical abilities and diverse repertoire but they were by no means restricted to playing klezmer. Christian churches would sometimes ask for their services, and some Italian classical violin virtuosos received their instruction. Local aristocracy held the best klezmer in high regard and often used their services.
Like other professional musicians, klezmorim were often limited by authorities. Ukrainian restrictions lasting into the 19th century banned them from playing loud instruments. Hence musicians took up the violin, tsimbl (or cymbalom), and other string instruments. The first musician to bring klezmer to European concert audiences, Josef Gusikov, played a type of xylophone of his own invention, which he called a 'wood and straw instrument', laid out like a cymbalom, and attracted comments from Felix Mendelssohn (highly favourable) and Liszt (condemnatory). Later, around 1855 under the reign of Alexander II of Russia, Ukraine permitted loud instruments. The clarinet started to replace the violin as the instrument of choice. Also, a shift towards brass and percussion happened when klezmorim were conscripted into military bands.
As Jews left Eastern Europe and the shtetls, klezmer has spread throughout the globe, especially to the United States. Initially, not much of the klezmer tradition was maintained by U.S. Jews, there were only a few Yiddish folk singers. In the 1920s the clarinetists Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein caused a brief, influential revival, although it has been noted by Hankus Netsky that "few of the performers of this era actually referred to themselves as klezmorim, and the term is found nowhere in any Jewish instrumental recording of the time."[2] But as U.S. Jews began to adopt mainstream culture, the popularity of klezmer slowly waned, and Jewish celebrations were increasingly accompanied by non-Jewish music.
While traditional performances may have been on the decline, many Jewish composers who had secured mainstream success, such as Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, continued to be influenced by the klezmeric idioms heard during their youth (as Gustav Mahler had been). Many believe that Gershwin was influenced by the Yiddish of his youth, and that the opening of "Rhapsody in Blue" was a nod to klezmer clarinetting.[3] And, much of Benny Goodman's clarinet style can be interpreted as having been derived from klezmer.
At the same time, non-Jewish composers were also turning to klezmer for a prolific source of fascinating thematic material. Dmitri Shostakovich, in particular, admired klezmer music for embracing both the ecstasy and the despair of human life and quoted several melodies in his chamber masterpieces, the Piano Quintet in G minor, op. 57 (1940), the Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67 (1944), and the String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, op. 110 (1960).
In the 1970s there was a klezmer revival in the United States and Europe, led by Giora Feidman, Zev Feldman, Andy Statman, The Klezmorim, and the Klezmer Conservatory Band. They drew their repertoire from recordings and surviving musicians of U.S. klezmer. In 1985 Henry Sapoznik founded KlezKamp to teach klezmer and other Yiddish music.
Shortly thereafter, in the 1980s, there was a second revival as interest grew in more traditionally-inspired performances with string instruments, largely in non-Jews of the United States and Germany. Musicians began to track down older European klezmer, by listening to recordings, finding transcriptions, and making field recordings of the few klezmorim left in Eastern Europe. Key performers in this style are Joel Rubin, Budowitz, Khevrisa, Di Naye Kapelye, The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble, the violinists Alicia Svigals, Steven Greenman[2] and Cookie Segelstein, the flutist Adrianne Greenbaum, and the tsimbl player Pete Rushefsky. The New York City-based Klezmatics also emerged during this period.
In the 1990s, musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area also helped revive interest in Klezmer music by taking it into new territory. Clarinetist Ben Goldberg played in Bay Area-based Klezmorim, and formed the critically-acclaimed New Klezmer Trio with drummer Kenny Wollesen. The New Klezmer trio kicked open the door for radical experiments with Ashkenazi music and paved the way for John Zorn's Masada, Don Byron's Mickey Katz project and violinist Daniel Hoffman's intrepid band Davka. The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars[3] also formed in 1991 with a mixture of New Orleans Funk, Jazz, and Klezmer styles.
Interest in klezmer was sustained and supported by well-known avant-garde jazz musicians like John Zorn and Don Byron, who sometimes blend klezmer with jazz. Klezmer melodies have also more recently been incorporated into songs by 3rd-wave ska band Streetlight Manifesto. Singer/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky frequently slips in horn licks with Russian and Jewish origins.
Repertoire
Much of the traditional klezmer repertoire was written by professional klezmer musicians in the style of their region or tradition, and a lot of co-territorial music such as non-Jewish folksongs, especially Romanian music (mainly from Moldavia), as well as Ukrainian music and Ottoman music, and the musics of other minorities living in the same areas as Jews in Southeastern Europe such as Crimean Tatars.
Historically, young klezmorim learned songs from their family and their elders in bands. However, there were several breaks in history where this transmission broke down, including mass emigration but especially the Holocaust which destroyed most of Jewish life and culture in Europe.
Undoubtedly, a lot has been lost of whatever repertoire they played in different regions, especially wedding repertoire, since Jewish weddings would last several days, but technology of the time could only record a few minutes at a time. As well, some recordings may have been made from one area which did not at all represent the klezmer repertoire from other parts of the region. Fortunately, there remained a few older klezmorim, such as Leon Schwartz, Dave Tarras and German Goldenshtayn, who were able to recall some of this repertoire. Also, some transcriptions were done in the 19th century.