RE: Re[2]: why Jews became fiddlers

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

Cute.


Gmar tov.


Reyzl




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From:  richard_wolpoe (at) ibi(dot)com[SMTP:richard_wolpoe (at) ibi(dot)com]
Sent:  Friday, September 25, 1998 10:50 AM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant.
Subject:  Re[2]: why Jews became fiddlers 

     One irony,
        How did Jews - who opposed violence (violins) - become Fiddlers???
     
     
     Shono Tova!
     Rich Wolpoe


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: why Jews became fiddlers 
Author:  <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org> at Tcpgate
Date:    9/25/98 9:00 AM


>>> Our parents, I think , live in a constant
>>>  "paranoid" state, which really is justified due to the circumstances they 
>>>  experienced.    Anybody else have thoughts about this?      LINDA
>>>  
>>A friend, Dr. John Krug, once interpreted it this way:
>>Why were Jews Fidlers (as in Fidler on the Roof)?  Because it is portable! 
>>That was the emphasis on education (? And medicine)- because it can be taken 
>>with you- just in case....
>
>>Just found this comment on a mailing of children of Holocaust survivors.   Do 
hers here think that this is why Jews chose to become fiddlers?    I don't think
o, but am curious about other people's opinions.
     
I have always assumed that Jewish love of the violin is at least 
partly related to the fact that they were permitted to =play= the 
violin. Someone with better memory for history (and better grasp of 
reference books at hand) can provide more details, but at least in 
Russia, and possibly Austria-Hungary, Jews weren't allowed to play 
"loud" instruments until the last century. That kept us away from 
pianos and brass instruments, and is probably one reason why the 
tsimbl was also popular (although I am a tsimbl fan, regardless, and 
hope that it's on its way back as a popular instrument).
     
Others have already written about how sweet the violin can be, which 
must also matter.
     
ari
     
Ari Davidow
The klezmer shack: http://www.well.com/user/ari/klez/ 
owner: jewish-music mailing list
e-mail: ari (at) ivritype(dot)com