Re: music sharing and intellectual property

[Jeff Klepper <klepper...>]

>Just fyi, the Shalom Aleichem in question is not the I. Goldfarb version, but
>a new one taught by Debbie Friedman at Hava Nashira earlier this month. I'm
>not sure she attributed it to a particular composer (it's definitely not her
>own composition), but she said that carloads of Borough Park residents drive
>around singing this very lively, infectious, foot-stomping, table thumping
>rendition out their car windows.

What a great melody - I think Debbie said it was by a group called
"Reygish" though I am probably far off on the name.  "Table-thumping" says
it all.

Re: Goldfarb's melody, when Andy Statman and David Grisman's album Songs of
Our Fathers came out, they listed the song as "traditional".  I and some
others tried to pass the word around re: Goldfarb's authorship.  When
Statman redid the song on Itzhak Perlman's Live Klezmer album, the Goldfarb
credit was there, (though I'd be surprised if they paid a penny in
royalties for it.)

Folk songs are 'songs of unknown authorship'.  I think it's great to have
modern-day folk songs - sure, somebody composed it and we should sluth
around and find out, but until we do, it's anonymous.  I kind of like that.
And believe me, it cuts both ways.  In  1976 (I was 22) I met Velvel
Pasternak for the first time and proudly told him that I had written some
songs, among which I mentioned "Lo Alecha".  He exclaimed: YOU WROTE THAT?
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT FOR MONTHS - I'M ABOUT TO PUBLISH IT IN MY NEW
BOOK!

The title of the book?  Hassidic Hits.

Shalom,
Jeff Klepper