Patinkin pilpl

[Jack Falk <jackfalk...>]

Did anyone here catch Aretha Franklin on TV a few months back, 
belting out a magnificent, albeit idiosyncratic, "Nessun Dorma"? 
Did you spend your time kvetching about her pronunciation, or 
were you swept away by the emotion in her performance?

I grew up singing Yiddish with my grandfather, which makes 
me kinda authentic, I guess.  It doesn't necessarily mean 
that I sing well.  Nor does it imply that I speak Yiddish 
grammatically and consistently.  It is what it is, and Dots-All.

I also enjoyed listening to my parents' Connie Francis albums, 
maybe because it was such a novelty to hear a popular Talyenerke
singing in mame-loshn.  And I took a certain pleasure in hearing 
the late Paul Robeson tackling the Bardichever Kaddish ("Git MORGN
dir, Riboyno shel Olom!").  I don't think that either Connie or 
Paul was a native speaker - but it made me happy that they, and 
other non-Jews, chose to sing for my family rather than for some
Albanians.  (Now that I've fessed up to these awful sins, I'm 
waiting for the Vaad HaKlezmer to show up in the middle of the 
night and haul me off for Good Taste violations.)

I haven't heard the Patinkin album.  I don't plan to buy a copy.  
There's already too much good music out there right now, and not 
nearly enough time to listen to everything I want to hear.  But 
if we're gonna pillory Patinkin, or his recording, let's keep 
our focus.  Either Mandy sings this material well, or he doesn't.
(Not having heard it, I can't say.)  But it is specious of anyone
to suggest that Mandy's faults, whatever they might be, have to 
do with whether he is a native speaker.  (Molly Picon, anyone?) 

There are a lot of good Yiddish singers out there today who grew 
up speaking English, or Spanish, or Hebrew, or ....  Yes, it takes
a lot more work for a non-native speaker to master both the text 
and context of a song, but it can be done.  The opera is full of
great singers who have learned French, or Italian, or German, in
order that they might sing -- and personalize -- great repertoire.
It has nothing to do with authenticity, and everything to do with 
artistry. 

You want authenticity?  Go to the local moyshev-z'keynim, find
a 90-year-old from Odessa who still remembers some of the tunes
of her youth, and turn on your tapedeck.  The record companies
won't release it, but you'll have an Authentic listening experience,
plus you might make an old person happy.  

Jack (Yankl) Falk


503-452-3882/voice
503-452-7652/fax
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