Re: Àorigins of klezmer tonality?

[moshe denburg <denburg...>]

Dear Stan,

You wrote:

>Is the minor chord tonality and unique clarinet voicing that runs through
>klezmer
>related to Jewish religious (cantor) music in a way comparable to the way
>Dixieland jazz often relates to Southern spiritual music?  Or is it "an
>Eastern
>European thing," and as common in EU secular as in religious music?
>
>Thanks, 
>Stan T. 


Though I cannot speak of the *equivalency* between Klezmer/Cantorial and
Dixieland/Spiritual, it is undoubtedly true that traditional Cantorial
Music, in the West, utilizes all the same modes that Klezmer does. One
salient difference between the two musical styles is that, traditionally,
Cantorial Music is a Vocal music not accompanied by instruments, whereas
Klezmer is primarily an instrumental genre. Your characterization of the
music as a 'minor chord tonality' may be somewhat incomplete, as there are
several modes in common usage that do not fit this description. The
inflections of the Klezmer Clarinetist and the Cantor in the Synagogue have
much in common, perhaps one could call it a 'crying' voice.

Where the modes come from is another question - my view is that, with
variations, these modes have been shared across a variety of Eastern
cultures for many many centuries, thus they are by now a shared heritage.

I hope this goes a little way in answering your question.

Yours,

Moshe Denburg