Re: romancing the shtetl, another long reply

[Seth Austen <seth...>]

on 1/6/01 8:15 PM, yakov (koby) at kchodosh (at) suffolk(dot)lib(dot)ny(dot)us 
wrote:

> so how does one play a song that
> romanticizes (not romances -- that means something diff'rent :) the shtetl?
> how does one play a song that doesn't romanticize?
> 
> in short: could you restate what you just said in practical terms?

Yakov,

What a great question, the answers to which could easily reach talmudic
proportions.

I would have to say that the simple answer to this is going to be different
for each performer, we all need to do some soul searching and find where the
line is drawn between authenticity of expression, and romanticization. We
all draw our own lines for, say, how progressive can we go in fusion with
other styles, without losing sight of the tradition? Or, how much
ornementation is the 'correct' amount? There is no 'right' answer.

I'm not sure I can answer the question easily without saying things that
might sound like I'm dissing some or another performer as being guilty of
romanticization. I could easily perceive this to be the case, and the
performer not intend it, and vice versa. What smacks of too much schtick to
me, won't seem that way to someone else. And this informs each of our likes
and dislikes. There are klezmer (and other music styles as well) CDs that I
won't purchase, because, for whatever reason, that artists' music doesn't
speak to me, and there are artists' whose recordings I anxiously await upon
first hearing of their potential releases.

I think finding the place where the line is drawn is a lifelong musical
quest to which the artist should commit to explore, and it's wonderful that
we all have the opportunity to discuss this with each other on this list, to
inform our own decisions on this issue.

I look forward to meeting you in person at some klez event or another in the
future, both to discuss this further, and to play some music.

Seth

BTW, you are quite correct that romancing has a different meaning than
romanticization. What can I say?, other than I liked the way it looked as a
headline... :-)

-- 
Seth Austen

http://www.sethausten.com
email; seth (at) sethausten(dot)com

"I believe in Spinoza's God, who revealed himself in the harmony of all
being, not in the God who concerns himself with the fate and actions of
men." --Albert Einstein when asked by a New York rabbi, "Do you believe in
God?"

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