Shmaltz

[Paul M. Gifford <PGIFFORD...>]

Would anyone care to define "shmaltz" in musical terms?  My parents
were musicians, and I learned the term in its musical sense before
I realized it was Yiddish for chicken fat (which I learned from 
Jewish friends at age 12 or so).  My understanding of "shmaltz" is
overly sentimental music (usually violin music), typified by Fritz
Kreisler's pieces or playing, and used in a disparaging way.  I 
would guess that the term may have been popularized by Auer school 
violinists.  Was it klezmer slang?  Is it in use in Europe?  Is it 
still in general use among violinists in the U.S., or should it now 
be regarded as old-fashioned or dated?  Can it be defined better?

Paul Gifford