Re: Cantors really Folklorists

[elliott <enr01...>]

To Itztik-Leyb, Alex, Reyzl, and everyone else involved in this
discussion:
    This has been really interesting to me. I can hardly believe that I
started all this with one simple sentence. I doubt if this will be the
last word on this subject, but hope that it will.
I say that here is enought room in this world for Folklorists like
Reyzl, and folklorists like the rest of us.
                    Elllll

Solidarity Foundation wrote:

> Alex,
>
> I should have caught up on the beginning of this thread before
> sticking my
> two cents in. This is certainly a reasonable and thought-provoking
> position.
> I suppose when you said "all Jews are folklorists" you were just
> rhetorically
> extending your argument against professionalism. (Which, incidentally,
> kind
> of reminds me of the ideas of Ivan Illich -- see for example his book
> _Disabling Professions_ and many others.
>
> I think these ideas are very important. We are losing our vernacular
> (non-professional) knowledge -- about running a home, raising a
> family,
> entertaining ourselves... and connecting spiritually. But... it's
> precisely because these things are being lost that people like
> folklorists
> are important. A folklorist is by no means a substitute for a
> culture-bearer.
> But there's no reason why one can't be both. (Reyzl IS both, by the
> way.)
> There was a time not so long ago when Eastern European Jews didn't
> NEED any
> folklorists. As a historical fact, folklore studies of our culture
> didn't
> really get under way until about 1900, more than a hundred years later
> than,
> say, German folklore. Until well into this century, the majority of
> our
> people had a great deal of vernacular knowledge. But when you say "all
> Jews
> are folklorists," unfortunately today large numbers of Jews are not
> only
> not folklorists, but have little vernacular Jewish knowledge.
>
> I know a lot of people will disagree with this. They'll say that I am
> clinging to some antiquated idea of culture. But what people don't
> take
> into account is the difference that is due to the times that we live
> in --
> a time of mass media, mass consumerism, and, yes, mind-numbing
> professional-
> ism -- when it takes some real effort to keep vernacular knowledge
> going.
> And that's why we need people who are specially trained in this.
>
> Still, I find something too black and white, either/or, and perhaps
> puritanical,
> in your position. Where there is a cantor who might as well be singing
> an
> Italian opera with Hebrew words, I would agree. But a cantor davening
> with
> real _kavone_ (intention)...? But yes, you have a point, and I'm still
>
> thinking about it...
>
> Itzik-Leyb