Re: Shmaltz

[richard_wolpoe <richard_wolpoe...>]

OK, the linguists will get this better, here's a try.

Shmaltz means "fat" not necessarily chicken fat unless shmaltz herring is 
considered yam chikcen and that is a whole 'nother thread!

The German for fat is Dick sort of like Thick in English.

So here it goes:

Shmaltz is  the Yiddish equivalent of "laying it on thick".  musically it 
usually refers to sentimemtality as already noted below.  I notice that a 
lot of Jewish musicians would tend to do a VERY legato run, and then spice 
it with a some formattas (sp?) etc.

I hope this helps!

Good Shabbos
Rich Wolpoe
!





______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Shmaltz 
Author:  <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org> at Tcpgate
Date:    6/5/98 9:00 AM


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