The meaning of Klezmer (was Re: greetings from oz)

[moshe denburg <denburg...>]

On Fri, 20 Sep 1996 10:44:22 -0400 (EDT) fredj (at) peabody(dot)jhu(dot)edu 
wrote:

>       To start with, of course it goes without saying that 
>experimentation is necessary, and that all life is a series of 
>developments. However, let's be clear about what we are doing. I demanded 
>that we have some truth in advertising. If you're going to experiment, 
>don't try to claim that you are playing Klezmer, any more than calling 
>yourself a Dixieland player if you are experimenting with fusing Jazz and 
>Rock. I, too, feel it is the responsibility of the artist to state his 
>principles. I am not shy about telling audiences and stores 
>that Klezmer is a specific part of the large panoply of JEWISH 
>MUSIC. 

Are you assuming that by dint of artists stating their principles we will
have truth in advertising? This is idyllic, imo.

There are two issues here: 
1, Truth in advertising - this is mainly the domain of non-artists. Most
artists are constantly under the gun to produce something that people ask
for. If they cannot respond to this request, they may lose the gig. Now
let's face it, most people who come to the musician for a simkha or a
concert, do not have specialized training in the art. The term Klezmer is
bandied about as a key to open up a conversation, a negotiation. Of course,
if what someone wants is a Clarinet, then they're not gonna have my group
(we don't presently utilize a Clarinet), but that doesn't mean we cannot
play enough Klezmer to satisfy the customer. 

I also commend the tendency, among the reviewers and Jewish Radio presenters
on this list for taking a broad view of the term Klezmer. After all, as
Alana Suskin pointed out recently, the Jewish Musician who works for and
within the Jewish community is in fact a Klezmer. The term is appropriate.
Perhaps the philological meaning of the term is what allows many to call
Jewish Music making in general, Klezmer.

2. Artists must state their principles - and they do. But keep this apart
from 'truth in advertising' please. What we could all benefit from is a
discussion of specific aspects of Jewish Music, rather than endless diatribe
over who has the right to use what term, where, when, and to whom. If you
have expertise in Klezmer, then why not tell us something about your
specific ideas of what it is. I believe we could have a rewarding discussion
about origins - we may find that there are two views regarding musical
development: the revolutionary (experiment till you drop), and the
evolutionary (change is only good in tiny increments). We may find that some
of the salient features of our music has parallels in, if not actual
borrowings from, the musics of other cultures. We might find the common
thread running through Jewish Music of all geographical areas.

This would be a far cry better than the present thread, which has already
begun to ossify beyond repair, imho.

Moshe Denburg