Re: Reply to Isabelle: re Clarinet

[Daniel A. Singer <dasinger...>]

Dear Friends,

Please let me begin by apologizing if I've sounded arrogant or conceited in
my email.  I have just been perturbed by the closed mindedness of the
American music world.  Any references to pop, rock, klezmer, or other
styles weren't meant to be negative towards those styles.  It was negative
towards the closed mindedness of the average American listener.  Like I've
said in other words, the world is becoming smaller and our tastes should be
getting broader.


I was making a comparison between orchestral clarinetists and klezmer
clarinetists in the same way someone earlier was comparing operatic singers
to klezmer singers.  I was NOT trying to tout one over the other or
demonstrate any "western european, classically trained, ethnocentricity
about [my] comments vis a vis what to consider the standards for
excellence."  I never made any judgments against either style of playing
and I am always listening to rock, pop, rap, country, opera, and klezmer,
especially the older recordings.  I listen to a broad spectrum of music and
never hesitate to learn different styles from different cultures.  I play
Sephardic music on my guitar and sing using my real voice, operatic in
quality, which I happened to have been born with.  I've composed Latin
music, I play jazz, rock, and blues guitar as well as classical, accompany
our Kids Klezmer band at the synagogue on the piano, teach music to Head
Start children, and sing broadway repertoire even while I'm paid to sing
with various local opera companies.  It really saddens me to hear comments
like yours coming from someone who doesn't know who their talking to.  I've
never been called ethnocentric, and anyone who knows me well would think
otherwise.  It's true I'm classically trained, but at least I'm open minded
enough to realize that excellence is not based on what style you are
playing or where the music is from, but rather on how much potential it has
to move it's audience.

Please allow me to point out an obvious contradiction among klezmer
clarinetists:

"I think you need to listen to a little more klezmer clarinet, pal. We only 
crack and kvetch if someone is getting on our nerves." -- Margot

"But guess what - he said that it took him a long time to develop
the proper tone for klezmer on the clarinet. As for kvetches, krechts etc.
there is quite an art to these, and room for a great deal of subtle variation"
-- Matt

You two can discuss your own klezmer clarinet techniques and get back to me
once you decide what it is exactly that you do.  From the performances I've
heard, I would agree with Matt.  

However, I believe it takes UNtraining for a classically influenced
musician to get the klezmer style.  That's why Perlman had the problems he
had (I believe you were referring to the tv special on him where he was
learning from a klezmer violinist.)  A person who is born into the klezmer
culture probably doesn't need to do extensive training to get the kvetches,
krechts, etc.  For the European klezmer musicians it was probably as
natural as their singing, lamenting, or laughing.  They didn't attend
klezmer school, did they?  I could be making assumptions.  I'm definitely
not a klezmer expert and I've never claimed to be one.  I just love the music.

When it comes down to it, no matter who is singing or playing the music,
whether the musician is well trained or not, whether the music kvetches or
not, if it is felt from the heart, the audience should enjoy it.  Perhaps
we should try listening to the honesty or intention of the interpretation
rather than its authenticity.  Neshama moves me, no matter whether it's
coming from a blues singer, opera singer, klezmer singer, violinist,
clarinetist, or whatever.

Let's get over what is authentic in style and start listening to the
authenticity of spirit in every form of music.

Dan

P.S.  If anyone remember's Peter Shickele's (P.D.Q. Bach) quote from his
national radio program, he says something that summarizes what I feel.  I
just can't remember what he said.

At 03:04 PM 2/18/00, you wrote:
>To Dan Singer,
>
>Since you are a singer, and I'm not, I will assume that you know what you
>are talking about with respect to vocal tone production. However, I don't
>agree with what you said about clarinet playing:
>
><<Comparing the untrained voice to an operatic singer is like comparing the
>tone of the clarinet in klezmer to the clarinet in a symphony>> etc. etc.
>
>I'm a violinist, but I study with Kurt Bjorling, a fairly well known
>klezmer clarinetist. Kurt not only has the professional training to play in
>a symphony, he continues to take lessons from a member of the Chicago
>symphony. But guess what - he said that it took him a long time to develop
>the proper tone for klezmer on the clarinet. As for kvetches, krechts etc.
>there is quite an art to these, and room for a great deal of subtle
variation.
>
>I have experienced the same thing on the violin. Having spent the better
>part of my life cultivating methods of classical tone production and
>ornamentation, I found it quite a challenge, to develop an idiomatic
>klezmer violin sound. Actually, I think that most violinists who play
>klezmer have difficulty with this, because there are not many who have
>mastered it - one outstanding example that comes to mind of someone who
>can't do it very well is Itzhak Perlman.
>
>Now back to song - I once saw on public television a recording session with
>John Denver and a well known operatic tenor doing a duet with one of John's
>popular songs. It sounded so out of place for the tenor to be using his
>cultivated operatic voice ("natural" to him of course) in that context. It
>didn't fit with the music, and it didn't fit with the ensemble. There is a
>place for every vocal style, and some styles can be misplaced as well. I
>haven't listened to Moni Ovadia, but the word "overwrought" could very well
>indicate a valid style not suitable for the context. Do I detect a little
>western european, classically trained, ethnocentricity about your comments
>vis a vis what to consider the standards for excellence?
>
>Matt Jaffey
>
>


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Daniel A. Singer        H: (734) 397-1950  W: (810) 238-1350 ext. 4253
1713 Glenshire Dr.      Flint Institute of Music, Temple Beth El
Canton, MI 48188        Bass Voice, Guitar
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"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
         If I am for myself alone, who am I?
                           If not now, when?"
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