Re: singer/wiener

[elkahn <elkahn...>]

Tim:

That's about it. As far as I know until the Russian/Eastern European
migration, American popular music was in a Major key. (i.e. parlor songs of
the late 19th century Victorian era). If the minor key were used it would
usually be a natural minor (i.e. WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME AGAIN),
indicative of its Celtic influence.

Some would call Berlin's music Russian or Eastern European but some would
call all Yiddish folk song Russian or Eastern European. I don't believe
that's true. 

I certainly can't point out specific religious motives in Berlin's music
-- and I'm probably not the person to venture. However, since his father
was a cantor and his music has -- for me, anyway -- such a lyrical strain,
it strikes me as having Jewish influences. 

Although all folk music is scalar, BErlin's use of an ascending and
descending minor scale in the B section of PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ just
strikes me as similar to Yiddish folk song. I suppose you could make the
case that it was Russian folk song but that would deny that there's any
authenticity in Eastern European Jewish folk song -- an argument I'll
never buy.

I've got to get to work but in closing let me recommend a fantastic book
to all who are interested in this polemical argument about what is Jewish
music, the authenticity of Jewish melos, etc.

It's called MUSIC OF THE GHETTO AND THE BIBLE (NY: Bloch, 1934) written by
Lazare
Saminsky. Saminsky was one of the founders of the Society for Jewish Music
in St. Petersburg in 1908. He was  one of the ethnomusicologists who
served on the Guinsbourg Expedition in 1913-14 to record the authentic
Jewish folk music in the Pale and Caucusus. He discusses many of these
arguments that have gone round this list-serv. It's really an important
book for anyone interested in "Jewish music."

Eliott Kahn

On Fri, 18 Dec 1998, Tim Meyen wrote:

> elkahn (at) JTSA(dot)EDU wrote:
> 
> > FOR THE RECORD:
> >
> > Israel Baline or Irving Berlin emigrated to America where he grew up on
> > the Lower East Side of New York. While one cannot call his music "Jewish,"
> > it is most certainly influenced by the song of Russian/Eastern European
> > Jews. I believe you can hear it in the following examples (all in a
> > melodic minor key): The B-section of BLUE SKIES ("Never saw the sun
> > shining so bright..."), the A-section of LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE
> > ("There may be trouble ahead.."), the lovely modulation in ALWAYS
> > ("That's when I'll be there, Always...") and the entire minor key PUTTIN'
> > ON THE RITZ.
> > ...
> 
> Could you please explain further why you feel these examples show the 
> influence of E. European Jewish song? Use of the melodic minor isn't
> limited to Jews or that geographic area... In what other ways do you feel 
> Berlin's music shows these influences?
> 
>