Re: Budowitz, Klezmania, and Purim

[Ruth Rose <rose678...>]

After reading a few of the answers, here goes my opinion, or non-definition
-- whatever: I tend to go for a broader concept of what "Jewish" music is.
Here's why:

>Without recordings of King David playing and singing his original songs, we
>are on very shaky grounds as to what is authentic.
>Klezmer derives from non-Jewish folk music in many cases. Why do you think
>they are Sirbas, and Bulgars? And Hatikvah comes from the Czech composer
>Smetena's Moldau.

I quite agree, Eric. So why are we wasting our time trying to define Jewish
music by style, as if it's a tangible musical form? All we're talking about
here is what our ears "recognize" as "Jewish", which is often not even an
aural but an emotional response. This "authenticity" debate reminds me of
the meshugaz around current ancient music "authentic" practice.

>Perhaps the definition of Jewish music should include that which, written by
>Jewish composers, containing Jewish content, touches the hearts of those who
>listen to it.

Whatever you like or touches your heart is fine, Alice -- but it doesn't cut
it as a "definition". That has to do with taste, so let's not mix two
totally different issues. Just like Schoenberg isn't everyone's cup of tea,
same applies for Debbie Freedman -- there are different kinds of Jewish
music, therefore also room for various kinds of audiences and abstraction
levels. And if you can't please the whole world simultaneously, that's ok
too. That doesn't make the music any less Jewish. As an educator or a
performer, you present material according to the situation or audience.
And by the way, I have performed a few excellent Jewish pieces by non-Jewish
composers.

Which brings me to the issue of Jewish content:
As a classical musician, the repertoire I deal with has brought me to the
conclusion that what is Jewish music has as much to do with styles used,
which in most cases are not "purely" Jewish styles (is there such a thing
anyway?) but dances, rhythms, melodies, etc. incorporated from whatever
cultures Jews were living in (thanks again, Eric) as with background and
motivation of the piece.
In this sense, a piece like "On the Verge of Time" by Tzvi Avni conveys a
very Jewish experience through it's contemporary musical language, having
been written as a catharsis for the composer's emotional ordeal caused by
the meshugaz of the Lebanon war, and this despair and intensity can be
really heard and felt in the piece (even by so-called "lay" audiences,
believe me).
Same can be said for the quasi-minimalistic "Supplication of Thanking to the
Divinity" by Ido Shirom, a celebration of creation.
Or for Jonathan Leshnoff's "Two Scenes for Piano", depicting in mellow,
romantic style the Tzfat landcape and the Jerusalem wind.
On the other hand (to illustrate with an example from another art form), I
believe that listening to Hamlet in Hebrew in order to have a more "Jewish"
experience is just plain tacky.

So, deciding on whether certain music is "Jewish" depends on a number of
factors, not all of which have to be simultaneously present: composer,
performer, style, content, motivation, context, etc. (even emotional
response I guess)

>To some people (myself included) I "abhor" Klez in large doses! As a Jewish
>educator seeking to reach teens meaningfully, "klez" just doesn't make it,
>but Debbie, Craig Taubman, Doug Cotler, Safam, Jeff Klepper, Sam Glazer, et
>I think there is room for us to respect all the music out there and keep
>attitudes out of it!!

Alice, you may not realize YOU have an attitude too (which is just fine).
Just like you feel free to abhor klezmer or consider that it doesn't reach
teens "meaningfully", others have all the right to dislike Debbie Friedman
or whatever -- and to say it without being apologetic, you guys. 

And for the record (for those who can't take the heat): having a different
opinion doesn't mean you have to be labeled as "having an attitude" in the
negative sense ... after all, this is a healthy discussion forum, isn't it?

Ruth Rose