re: Kammen tunes

[Solidarity Foundation <svzandt...>]

On Tuesday, 16 April, Linda Littleton wrote:
> What does "Kolomeika" mean?  Is that
> the name of the tune, or is it a dance form, or something else?

On Wednesday, 17 April, Fred Jacobowitz replied:
A Kolomeike is a Ukrainian couple dance from the mountainous Hutzul 
region. It is characterized by very fast, small steps and by the couples 
whirling around quite fast (a la czardas). The tempo of most kolomeikes 
SHOULD be about 150 to the quarter note! Good luck.

Here are a few additional thoughts. The Kolomeika is very popular with
Ukrainian folk musicians, especially fiddlers. It takes its name from the town
of Kolomey, which is in the Hutzul region of western Ukraine, and which also
had a big Jewish community (culturally within Jewish Galicia). Fred Jakobowitz
is right, the Ukrainians play the kolomeika very fast. However Jewish tempos
may be a little slower. Abe Schwartz orchestra (at least two variant releases)
does it a lot slower, as is the closely related solo trumpet version by Alex
Fiedel (reissued on "Yikhes," Trikont US 0179). Frankly, I think these are too
slow, they don't sound like kolomeikas at that tempo. The violinist Leon
Schwartz ("Like in a Different World" - Global Village) plays a group of
kolomeikas at a good clip, but still sub-Ukrainian tempos. Even so, the
kolomeika is perhaps the fastest genre in the klezmer repertoire, but still if
you're not trying to sound like a Hutzul I think you could get away with 130 to
the quarter note.

Among the Ukrainians there are innumerable different tunes, but they tend to
have the same form, symmetrical four-bar phrases in two-four meter. The Jewish
kolomeika repertory appears to be much more limited (thus far). More often than
not, for a kolomeika it will be some variant of the tune played by Abe Schwartz
(in "Ukrainian Dorian" mode - minor third, raised fourth, major sixth and
lowered seventh). In fact, one of the tunes played by Leon Schwartz is a
variant of it. I presume this is the tune in Kammen.
However it has been argued (and I agree) that the supposedly ultra-Jewish tune
variously known as "Ma Yofis," "Reb Duvidl" or "Tantzt, tantzt Yidelakh" is
actually a kolomeika.

Linda also wrote:
> Anyone know of names to these tunes?  The first tune I think I've heard
> of as "Mazel Tov," but am not sure.
I don't have the Kammen, but it may be the "Mazel Tov" reissued on Abe Scwartz
vol. I (Global Village). If so, this is certainly worth listening to, a really
classic performance with flying rhythm driven by magnificent trombone and
percussion work.

Itzik-Leyb