Re: Germans and Klezmer

[Trudi Goodman <goobietheg...>]

     Dear Monika:
     Glad to hear that.  I understand Lee's comments quite well...I'd also 
like to hear what you have to say as well. Don't worry about how good or bad 
your English is. Just write.
     Trudi the G


>From: Monika Feil <monika(dot)feil (at) stud(dot)uni-erlangen(dot)de>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Re: Germans and Klezmer
>Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2000 02:39:27 +0100
>
>Joshua Horowitz wrote:
>
> > The first question I want to ask is: Do we want dialogue on this list
> > with this particular theme?
> >
> > We had the embryo of a dialogue happening with some of the German
> > members of this list a few days ago. Yet, when the discussion got hot,
> > they became silent, which I can totally understand, given the nature of
> > the anger which was expressed. This is a delicate situation. I would not
> > like to change ANYTHING in its contents, except to invite the Germans to
> > give their side. Even if this ellicits a furious response from some on
> > the list, we could learn an incredible amount if we could let the
> > confrontation run its course.
> >
>
>Dear list members,
>
>I think this dialogue is most important. I just want to tell you that I 
>didn´t stop
>writing for the reason that I felt attacked. I didn´t feel scared off. I´s 
>really a
>time problem for me:
>-> My English is at a level that I need much help from my dictionary to 
>understand
>the subtleties of all your statements which requires much time considering 
>the
>amount of your statements.
>-> Because of the same reason it takes even more time to express my 
>thoughts in
>English. It took half a night to translate the part of the article and to 
>add some
>thoughts in the last letter that I have sent.
>-> I have a one year old son with teething troubles - if you can imagine 
>what that
>means.
>
>I am trying to follow the discussion and I am listening with great interest 
>and
>respect for the different positions. I think this dialogue is most 
>important since
>there is not one "right postion" or "solution".
>
>I think Josh is mostly right in his descriptions of the motivational 
>background of
>the first Klezmer musicians (or more exactly: Yiddish singers, I think 
>Klezmer came
>later) in Germany in the 70s and 80s. Since then there has been a 
>diversification
>in the motivs. There is still a group that wants to solve problems of the 
>past by
>playing Klezmer music. My impression is that these are often people who 
>come from
>an explicit christian or an explicit political left position (My experiance 
>is that
>today they are more numerous under the organizers of Klezmer concerts than 
>under
>the musicians). But the more Klezmer has become an accepted music genre in 
>Germany
>musicians are discovering it as a music they like and they want to play. 
>And the
>less they don´t care about the Jewish background - language, culture, 
>history,
>spirituality, musical stylistics ... And the less they don´t care about 
>their
>motivation. Or the feelings of Jewish listeners. The world music market is 
>like a
>supermarket where everybody can take a little bit of everything. This isn´t 
>a
>German phenomen only. The mixture mustn´t be bad, but it is the question if 
>it
>still deserves the label "Klezmer" (or whatever). And in the result you 
>hardly find
>anything of "Yidishkeyt". If you can find something of it when non-Jewish 
>Germans
>do their best in understanding the musical and cultural roots? I am not the 
>right
>one to give an answer to this question.
>
>I must admit that I think a lot about Leopold´s statements. I really can 
>understand
>his position. It touches me and makes me again reflecting my own 
>motivations.
>
>Let me add one point: You hardly can make your parnose by only playing 
>traditional
>Klezmer music in Germany. Ask Josh.
>
>Monika
>
>
>
>

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