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Re: Re : sexual rhythms in Jewish music? (Was: What is Jewish Music (and m ..)




Lori Cahan-Simon wrote:

> What made the music sexy is difficult to put into words.  It's a physical
> reaction to an auditory stimulus, perhaps from the primitive Limbic section
> of the brain.  The pieces I found thus stimulating tended to be the slower,
> more meditative pieces, with meandering melody lines over a droning bass,
> long enough to develop and sustain a mood.  How's that?

Not bad; thanks.

The "slower, more meditative pieces", however, were certainly not <klezmer >
<simkhe>  tunes -- but most likely <doinas> or <doina>-inspired.
This corresponds to private mail I received, too, where the <doinas> were
incorrectly labelled <klezmer>, which they are not.  No <shtetl> <klezmorim>
ever played a <doina> at a <yidishe simkhe>.

A <doina> is a lullabye for sheep.

Many so-called <klezmer> bands pad out their repertoires with <doinas>.
(That, and the Jewish "Stairway to Heaven", "Bay Mir Bist Du Sheyn").
This has led to a misunderstanding among the public (and even arts programmers
for major Jewish cultural institutions) that <doinas> are <klezmer> music.
They are not.  My original comments referred to the absense of propulsive
sexual rhythms in <klezmer> music.  I never spoke of <doinas> or any other
music that may be in the repertoires of contemporary <klezmer> bands.

A <doina> played on a stage is  audio valium to me, personally,
though I could see how the sheep could enjoy it in a pastoral setting.

> And the comment about my husband?  I was lucky enough to be sitting with
> him, and not alone, so that I felt happy, rather than lonely for him.

That wasn't clear in your original posting, which could have been interepreted
in other ways.

Wolf

> He's
> a chef and works most nights, so any day off he has is a celebration for me
> and our 4-year-old angel.
>
> Lori
>
> At 08:59 AM 7/19/99 -0400, you wrote:
> >
> >
> >Lori Cahan-Simon wrote:
> >
> >> Dear folks,
> >>
> >> I can't find the original listing, however, I just wanted to let you know
> >> that I just came home from the annual Yiddish Concert in the Park in
> >> Cleveland, this year featuring the Klezmatics, and found it pretty sexy!
> >
> >Care to elaborate?  Could you articulate what was "sexy" about it?
> >(Let's say, for arguments sake, that "sexual" (my original post) and "sexy"
> >are synonymous).
> >
> >After posting my thoughts, I received private mail from persons who
> >felt others on the list would be offended by such a discussion!
> >So, thanks, Lori for continuing the thread.
> >
> >> I
> >> was sitting next to my husband, too!!
> >
> >Meaning ?
> >
> >Wolf
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>



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