FW: In defense of the musicians

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

Marvin,

>Dear Reyzl,

>can you accept that not only scholars are on this list? I understood that
>it's open to everybody involved/interested in Jewish music (should I start
>doubting it?).

We can certainly all accept that non-scholars are on this list, but that 
means that each person should stick to what he or she knows about.  If you 
don't know the history, you shouldn't write about it.   This doesn't meant 
that one needs to know only primary sources in order to speak about music 
on this list, but it does mean that you should make sure to present 
secondary and tertiary sources responsibly and correctly.  This list is 
open to everyone, including opinions, but most opinions should be informed 
or else they are not only unproductive, but they are destructive.   I don't 
think you realize how open this list is.   Since this is a list sitting on 
an open archive, many hundreds of people read it any time of the year, 
besides the 400+ people who officially subscribe.  This list is a very 
important source of information about Jewish music.  Furthermore, we don't 
want people who will be reading this archive in the future get false ideas 
about was and what wasn't.   As a scholar, I never forget about the people 
who are just listening in and trying to learn whatever they can.   Many 
knowledgeable people on this list don't bother to comment on many things 
that are said because who has time for everything and who has patience to 
deal with defensiveness uninformed people unleash on you when you do 
correct them.  Some real scholars have unfortunately retreated, because who 
wants to bother with even the small amount that has existed on this list. 
 I can understand that and I myself wind participating on this list mostly 
in spurts.   I also write up many more things than I send off.

>Personally, I think it's just our different backgrounds which make this
>list interesting, and enjoyable. We can all learn from each other, music
>lovers from musicians from musicologists, and vice versa. Let's just
>correct each other's errors, and not get angry and offending that fast...
><snip>
>I second the emotion.  We can disagree without being disagreeable.  We can
>say "I don't like what you wrote" and not say "I don't like you."

This is an unfair statement.   There is nothing in what I wrote to Matt or 
Josh that was a personal attack.   (Henry is a different story.)  There is 
also nothing that I wrote that is a matter of my personal disagreement, 
opinion, or interpretation about something. There is nothing in that thread 
that would allow me to write "I disagree" or "I don't like what you wrote", 
as you suggest.   Saying that I wrote "I don't like you" to Matt clearly 
means that you don't understand this exercise.   I wrote to correct 
historical facts.  One either has them or one doesn't.   One either writes 
responsibly about historical facts or one doesn't.  We haven't even touched 
a historical subject in this thread that is open to interpretation.  Since 
none of the people in this thread know each other, the personal doesn't 
even begin to enter here.   Some people are here for fun and enjoyment. 
 That's great.   As a scholar of Eastern European Jewish language and as a 
product of that world, my job in the world is to make sure that correct 
information in that domain comes across and I work relentlessly at that. 
 That makes it very personal for me.   I also have fun until someone writes 
false information.   Background alone should make no difference.  There are 
many people who have learned a lot in a few years but are careful about the 
statements they make.  They also make sure to ask many questions to 
ascertain that they understand everything correctly.  Then there are those 
who think that if they play klezmer music they are experts of the field.  A 
few even write books reviews about supposed scholarly books as if they have 
firm information about the past, college students yet too.  It's the latter 
that ruin it for the rest of us.

Itsik-Leyb/Jeff Wollock, please come back to this list.


Reyzl


-----Original Message-----
From:   Marvin [SMTP:physchem (at) earthlink(dot)net]
Sent:   Sunday, March 26, 2000 4:32 PM
To:     World music from a Jewish slant
Subject:        Re: In defense of the musicians

----- Original Message -----
From: <Khupenikes (at) aol(dot)com>
To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2000 6:01 AM
Subject: In defense of the musicians


> Dear Reyzl,
>
> can you accept that not only scholars are on this list? I understood that
> it's open to everybody involved/interested in Jewish music (should I 
start
> doubting it?).
> Personally, I think it's just our different backgrounds which make this
list
> interesting, and enjoyable. We can all learn from each other, music 
lovers
> from musicians from musicologists, and vice versa. Let's just correct 
each
> other's errors, and not get angry and offending that fast...
<snip>
I second the emotion.  We can disagree without being disagreeable.  We can
say "I don't like what you wrote" and not say "I don't like you."



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