Re[2]: Cartoon music klezmer?

[richard_wolpoe <richard_wolpoe...>]

     Dear Ari,
        I agree with the sentiment of crossover.  In my humble opinion,
     there is no such thing as pure anything music.  Mozart adapted folk
     music, and Lewandowski (and others) incorporated all sorts of
     classical music into cantorial repertoire.
                E.g.:  the popular v'ne'emar used in many synagogues can be
easily construed as a medley of Three Blind Mice and the Farmer in the Dell!
And if Dvorak can incorporate American Negro Spirituals into symphonic music,
then crossover between klezmer, gypsy, cartoon music, tin pan alley, etc. is
"poshut".
        The less radical explanation is: musical compositions often draw from
common sources.  Therefore, melody "x" can be jazzicised, klezmorized,
cantorialized,  or symphonised.  Similarly, style "x" can be borrowed from, both
due to shtick, and also due to "zeitgeist".  E.g., the crossover between cartoon
music, vaudeville, and 2nd Avenue theater is probably a lot more prevalent than
widely believed, albeit it was most done subconsciously.

Shono Tova to all lovers of "Jewish" music.

Richard Wolpoe


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Cartoon music klezmer?
Author:  <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org> at TCPGATE
Date:    9/14/97 11:57 PM

...
     >
I dunno, Dan. I neither see that as having been established
in this discussion, nor understand the vehemence behind the
insistence that only those awful "Klezmorim" would be so
gauche as to see a connection between klez of that age
and the wonderful stuff that was happening behind the
scenes in cartoon soundtracks.

I would still maintain that I hear cartoon effects in
Harvey Kandel's recordings, and I'm not sure why no
klezmer would have written or been involved with cartoon
music. I'm not even sure why it matters given what we
know about criss-crossing influences, then as now. To
me, this begins to sound like the argument about Jews
playing gypsy music and vice versa and how could that
possibly be? But we know that it was, and I'm not sure
what that knowledge changes.

There are many reasons to criticize what the Klezmorim
were doing, and criticizing them for =focusing= on this
style might be one, but I don't know that there are
grounds for anything harsher.

ari


Ari Davidow
ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
http://www.ivritype.com/