Re: "authentic" American music

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

At one of this past weekend's BAM seminars in re Kurt Weill (and THE ETERNAL 
ROAD), Leon Botstein, I think, remarked that Brooklyn Jewish boy Copland 
wrote the quintessential open-spaces Americana (I actually can't remember 
which piece he's referring to) that became (sadly) the Marboro Man music.  
He definitely saw it as specifically growing out of his marginality, or 
sense of marginality. -- Robert Cohen


>From: "robert wiener" <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
>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: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 13:53:59 -0500
>
>We might also have posed the question of Jews playing German music,
>for example, German classical music.
>The most common example in such discussions has been Wagner.
>
>While I believe that the issue of Germans and klezmer is more complex,
>I'd like to open the discussion up a bit.
>I believe that one steeped in a cultural/musical tradition is likely
>to make better music coming from that tradition.  Yet being born of a
>Jewish mother doesn't mean that one is steeped in the Jewish
>cultural/musical tradition.  I am grateful for the discussions of that
>tradition that we have on (and off) this list that enables all of us,
>especially those of us who are musicians, to reflect on that
>tradition.
>
>Yet, despite the possible musical inter-marriages, I am loathe to
>encourage only provincial music-making (e.g., to discourage Asians
>violinists from playing European classical music).  We might note that
>some of what we consider the most "authentic" American music was
>written by relative newcomers to the United States (e.g., Irving
>Berlin and Aaron Copland).  And that much of what we see as
>traditional to Judaism comes from other cultures (e.g., blintzes).
>(How about hamantaschen?)
>
>Perhaps we all have much to learn from each other.
>
>Bob
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sapoznik (at) aol(dot)com <Sapoznik (at) aol(dot)com>
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Date: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 12:45 PM
>Subject: Re: Germans and klezmer
>
>
> >More two cents:
> >I think the issue of Germans playing Jewish  music can be put into
>context by
> >remebering that historically European Jewish and Gentile musicians
>did play
> >music together (think of Gypsies and peasants sitting in in Jewish
>bands and
> >Jews augmenting Rom orchestras...) The fact that Germans play klezmer
>music
> >is not such a big deal, after all they are no better or worse at it
>than
> >bands from the U.S. or anywhere else.
> >It is what happens when that performance extends outward from klezmer
>music
> >where deeper problems occur. What did send a chill down my spine on
>my
> >numerous tours in Germany with Kapelye  (and also caused me to grit
>my teeth)
> >was hearing German babyboomers performing songs like "Zog Nit
>Keynmol" and
> >"Shtil di Nakht" Holocaust songs written in direct response to the
>policies
> >of the performers grandparents, uncles and fathers. I will never
>forget
> >hearing one, no doubt well meaning singer rendering the Partisans
>Hymn as if
> >it were "Strangers in the Night" replete with offbeat finegr
>snapping! It was
> >blood chilling.
> >It is this more troubling performance of repertoire which raises for
>me the
> >ticklish issue of what, in my book, I call  "Cultural Ownership". Who
>has a
> >"right" to sing this material? After all, when a German singer
>performs a
> >song about "di soyne" (The enemy) might'n't he be talking about his
>Uncle
> >Helmut or his beloved old Granddad?
> >I don;t have a ready answer. Just a feeling....
> >
> >Henry Sapoznik
> >Author
> >"Klezmer! Jewish Music
> >>From Old World to Our World"
> >
> >----------------------
>jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+
> >