Re: Glossary of Klezmer Improvisation Genres

[Paul M. Gifford <PGIFFORD...>]

Joshua Horowitz <horowitz (at) styria(dot)com> wrote:

> Also, it
> was used in Smyrniac Rembetiko (Last I talked to Marty Schwartz, he
> thought this was because some of the instrumentalists who played
> Rembetiko may have been Jewish) I think it's simply another case of
> pan-Balkan motive sharing, though.

I don't know, Josh----how did Greeks near Smyrna end up playing the 
santouri, held up by a neck strap, in wedding processions, and why was
the violin/santouri/cello ensemble sort of standard in Smyrna in the 
1910s (for example, on early recordings of Marika Papagika). This 
probably didn't come from Ottoman influence. What about the 400 
Jewish refugees from Romania who settled in Smyrna in 1892 (see Avram 
Galante's history)? They seem like the logical source for things like 
that. It could be that some klezmorim in that group influenced local 
style.
> 
> DOINA:
> The simplest definition of the JEWISH doina would be to make a
> comparison with the blues as a form. Blues has thousands of different
> forms, including 12 bars, 16 bars, 24 bars, etc. and may not necessarily
> follow the I-IV-I-V-I form though this is it's prototype. Jewish doinas
> never seemed to progress past the 
> *prototype model*, if you look at the diversity of doinas found
> throughout Romania and Moldavia. Though within a smaller range of
> possibilities there is still a lot of diversity between each players'
> personal types in Klezmer music. This prototype, in it's reduced  basic
> form is:
> 
Can't we look at the Jewish doina as basically the same as Doina 
Oltului, which Romanian Gypsy musicians think of as a particular tune,
like Ciocirlia, Fusul, etc., but with characteristics of its own, 
such as ornamentation, etc.?  The Doina Oltului presumably was 
derived from a peasant vocal doina sung in Oltenia, or at least with 
words about the Olt River (Ca pe Olt). Naturally there 
is improvisation in its performance----for example, when Nicolae 
Feraru plays the melody, the accompaniment might be unmetered, or it 
might be a fast hora, and he might put in a section in a major key 
(if the tune is in A minor, the major key section would be in A major 
or C major), or leave it out. But that's just typical of a lot of 
tunes. Also, the tune, as I've heard it played by different Romanians, 
usually stands alone, rather than being followed by another tune. 
Maybe there might be a pause, for audience clapping, and then going 
right into another tune, which probably would be a hora of some sort, 
but could be anything.  The Banat doinas I've heard at weddings 
(mostly played by Pavel Cebzan in Chicago on the taragot) also stand 
alone, whether sung or played instrumentally, though in a 
restaurant or concert situation, they are apt to be followed by dance 
tunes.

But it's true, Josh; your recording of the duo in Moldavia playing 
Doina Oltului sounds just like the old 78s of Jewish doinas. Thanks 
for the great posts.

Paul Gifford

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+