Re: Margot & kol isha

[wiener <wiener...>]

"And the Angels Sing"

Do you play it, Margot?

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Rushefsky <rushefsky_p (at) univerahealthcare(dot)org>
To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 11:24 AM
Subject: Margot & kol isha


>>From my experience listening to Margot play I think kol isha should
be applied
>to her clarinet-- it's one of the most heavenly voices I've heard.
>
>Complying with Negiya in Buffalo despite all his efforts,
>Pete Rushefsky
>
>
>>>> TROMBAEDU (at) aol(dot)com 02/28 10:41 AM >>>
>In a message dated 2/27/01 3:12:24 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>rlcm17 (at) hotmail(dot)com writes:
>
>
>
>
>The reason I would think Margot's posting is "a digression from kol
>isha"--and bringing up relevant economic issues is *not* a halakhic
>digression, by the way--is that kol isha applies (for better or for
worse,
>etc., etc.) to women's *voices* and hence to women *singers,* not--so
far
>as
>I know--women instrumentalists like Margot.
>
>
>
>
>
>At the risk of starting a new war here, I would point out that the
reason for
>not having women in the band is that the idea of Women performers in
public
>is considered objectifying, and therefore, not in keeping with
traditional
>concepts of modesty.
>This appears to be less prevalent in Chasidic and Orthodox thinking
today, as
>Orthodox people are more accustomed to seeing Women in roles that
were not
>part of the social structure in Europe before the war.
>But Margot and others also have to realize that in general, Klezmer
has not
>really made it in the Orthodox and Chasidic community. It is only now
>beginning to attract attention. So an artist like Margot is suffering
under
>the double whammy of performing music not generally used to any great
extent,
>yet. If she was interested in performing as a side musician, all she
needs to
>do is contact one of the big commercial offices like Neginah or
Neshoma, and
>while I am not sure she would get much play there, for other reasons,
she
>would be able to get a truer test of the motivation not to use her.
Women are
>playing violin, harp, and keyboards on Orthodox bands, although I
have not
>yet seen woman horn players. I don't know why those instruments are
seen as
>less problematic, but there it is. Personally, I would love to have
Margot in
>the band, but she has to bring her sax and flute as well. Nowadays,
Clarinet
>is still struggling to make a comeback.
>
>Jordan
>
>----------------------
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>