Re: Do we need printed klezmer music?

[Heiko Lehmann <hklehmann...>]

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Joshua Horowitz <horowitz (at) styria(dot)com>
An: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. Juni 2000 13:39
Betreff: Do we need printed klezmer music?


>
> -- Budowitz Home Page: http://www.merlinms.dircon.co.uk/budowitz/
>
> Just wanted to relate a situation report from the Klezmer front lines:
>
> I have been trying for some time to find a publisher who would take on one
> of the largest main out-of-print collections of klezmer music which I have
> in my collection. While I have no problems with receiving rejections for
> projects (95% of all of my proposals are rejected, that's nothing new)
this
> one stood out in particular. A letter from a major German publisher, in
> translation, went as follows:

Unfortunately 95% appears to be realistic.

> "After careful consideration of your proposal to publish a collection of
> klezmer tunes with our house, we have come to the following conclusion:
> Basically we have observed that klezmer music has shown an incalculable
> upward trend, which is brought to our ears on a worldwide scale by
excellent
> ensembles such as your own. This means that the professional offering of
> klezmer is taken on by routined musicians and has the effect of being
> authentic only when played by these. For this reason, a large printed
> edition of klezmer music would only be intended for this target group of
> specialists, who play either by memory, or they already have these tunes
in
> their repertoire from long ago and won't need a collection of such pieces
in
> any great amount....We also think that those interested in klezmer music
> will not look for it in "our publishing house" but will go to a publisher
> who specializes in folklore music in a wide sense...we therefore must
reject
> your proposal and ask for your understanding for our decision."
>
> Any comments? Josh Horowitz

It´s interesting to have a publisher joining the discussions on authenticity
and purity from his/her point of view. Definately a very creative rejection,
but still a rejection. It questions the publication of any written music.
Yes, it elite thinking, but from a classical point. It takes a certain
arrogance to claim that most of klezmer musicians can´t read music anyway,
and the klezmer audience, according to this publisher, seems to be a bunch
of idiots, or why wouldn´t they buy it? Good luck with finding a decent
publisher.

Heiko.


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