Re: Klezmer

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

On Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 20:52:34 -0700 Irving Goldfein wrote:


>On Mon, 20 May 1996 17:56:07 -0400 (EDT)
>>From: Sherry Mayrent <oyfpro (at) cris(dot)com>
>>"...Klezmer, which is the Yiddish term for the wandering..."
>
>With all due respect, "Klezmer" is derived directly from the Hebrew "Kley
>Zemer," which means "musical instruments."
>
>Irving D. Goldfein, M.Ed., Ph.D.,
>Media Judaica, Inc.
>Voice: 810-354-6415   Fax: 810-352-2665
>E-mail: goldfein (at) ix(dot)netcom(dot)com [74364(dot)1525 (at) 
>compuserve(dot)com; Irvgo (at) aol(dot)com]

While Irving Goldfine is correct about the literal meaning of the
derivation of Klezmer, the term in Yiddish refers to a person, not an
instrument in the usual sense.  Kley Zemer, is like the term Kley Koydesh,
a holy vessel, in other words one of the people who perform mitzves for the
community.  For example, a shoykhet or ritual slaughterer who provides
kosher meat, a baal tfile, the person who sings the prayers, a baal tkiye,
the person who sounds the shofar.  The kley-zemer is the person who
performs the mitzve of entertaining the bride and groom at a khasene
(wedding).

Thus "klezmer" is, as my colleague Sherry Mayrent writes, the Yiddish term
for a wandering Jewish musician (if not Jewish, then a performer of music
intended specifically for Jewish simkhes (celebrations.))

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204