Re: klezmer music in Israel

[Joshua Horowitz <horowitz...>]

Thanks for the comments Ari,

I think I can take it over from here. As the people on this list know, I
like to present my materials and ideas as openly as possible to this
forum, because I am convinced that in order to keep alive our efforts as
musicians, researchers and enthusiasts there needs to be dialogue. Ari's
creation of this list is the virtual answer to this need, and I find the
list to be exemplary in its efforts to promote it. I, for one, am
extremely grateful for its existence. I also applaud Ari's allowing the
use of the list for occasional adverts, as this is a necessary aspect of
promoting the music and ideas through which some of us hope to create a
sense of community. 
Also, as most people familiar with my writings will attest, giving
source credit is an issue which I take seriously. 
        In 1993 Joel Rubin and I were invited to Sfad to give 3 concerts, a
workshop and do several weeks of field work and archival work in Israel.
I remember sitting together with the Zylberzweig's Leksikon fun yidishn
teater at the Hebrew University, working on the Moskowitz biography,
scribbling by hand while Joel deciphered the Yiddish. We worked on many
projects together. If he wants credit for translating a thumbnail
biography, he can certainly have it. 
        When Joel's new DAT machine proved too sensitive for field work, I
ended up making copies of many of my own field recordings and giving
them to him. As far as I know, some of these recordings were used for
klezmer radio programs used by Joel and his wife. I was never given
credit for my recordings nor did I require it.
        The years of work which I have performed, however, on the life
of Joseph Guzikov is a different story: During the period that Joel and
I worked together, I gave him copies of many of the documents which I
had hand-copied from archives from all around Europe on Guzikov. I had
made trips to Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Konstantin, Vienna, Berlin,
Leipzig, Cologne and Aachen trying to put together the life of this most
enigmatic figure in klezmer music. Many of my conclusions were passed on
to Joel on the basis of my in-depth analysis of the contradictory
documents. These ideas and conclusions, as well as reference to sources
I gathered found their way into the Ottens/Rubin book without a single
mention of my name anywhere in the book. My own publication of the
annotated Guzikov biography will come out for the first time in a
publication by the Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna in 2002 (as the
extension of a project which Idelsohn began at the same academy decades
ago). 
        Because this is such a long time to wait, when Henry Sapoznik
asked me for help on his new book, I agreed to let him use my writings,
material and even results, which appear in the first chapter of Henry's
book. I never agreed to anything of the kind for Ottens/Rubin. Whereas
there is a list of acknowledgements at the end of their book, I have not
been able to find references to the people who at some point found
themselves in the middle of the crossfire of Rita Ottens and Joel Rubin.
Even seminal figures in the scene, like  Michael Alpert, Alan Bern,
Henry Sapoznik, etc, etc.  as well as people who helped them immensely,
such as Professor Alfons Dauer do not get so much as mention in the
register nor in the acknowledgements. Yet I do recognize the research
and accomplishments of these people running throughout the book. Such a
history of klezmer music reads like a Harlequin romance with the verbs
taken out. And anyone familiar with or involved in klezmer research is
certainly bound to notice their own work between the covers of the
Ottens/Rubin book - providing they can read German.
        Furthermore, one need only look at the Rubin & Horowitz track of the CD
booklet Doyres track to see how Joel Rubin deals with "crediting" other
musicians: There is no duo picture presented, but rather only Joel with
his clarinet, although it was part of our agreement that we appear in
every publication as a duo, using one of the many photos which were made
for our promotion. Nor was I even informed that such a production was
taking place, and found out only when the label sent me 10 free copies
of the finished CD. It was our agreement that decisions regarding public
presentation be made together, an agreement which extends beyond the
dissolution of the duo, but which was not honored by Mr. Rubin. 
        The methods of Ottens/Rubin are known to many, and I assume that these
are responsible for their being outcast from the nucleus of the klezmer
scene. I'm not interested in getting into a sandbox peefight here and
won't sink to the level which Joel and Rita have, though there is much
there - also in the realm of name-calling - to discredit them on many
counts. 
        As to my name: It is no secret to my close friends and colleagues that
my family name was changed from Horowitz to Harrow. This change was not
an easy decision for my father, as those who have anglicized their names
will know. Nor has it been an easy decision to reinstate the name
Horowitz. Both are in my passport and I'm proud to be able to use the
name Horowitz, as is my family.
        My main aim in this posting is to protect the presentation of my
materials to the public, unhindered by people who themselves use
questionable methods in their work, and then camouflage them by
attacking others. In contrast to the comment made by Joel Rubin, my
research IS meant for public consumption and I intend to keep it that
way. I'm sure many of you feel the same way. Josh Horowitz

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