RE: kol isha

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

I agree with what you say about modesty, but how is it that 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.

What do you think they play at Jewish weddings if not klezmer, which is
Jewish wedding music.  Yes the repertoire is a bit different from what most 
stage performing klezmer bands play.  These like to play the repertoire 
from the old recordings
or what the founding bands established as standard.  But if someone like 
Margot were to add to her repertoire some wedding standards, such as Od 
Yeshama when the bride and groom enter, Jewish nigunim, a few modern Hebrew 
songs, the line dancing repertoire, etc., she could play at those hasidic 
weddings.

> 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.

Yes, it's those other reasons that you are not expressing.  Like make sure 
their stable of men make a nice living, while a woman shouldn't have to.  I 
don't think they would tell her the real reason either.  They are polite 
guys.

>Women are playing violin, harp, and keyboards on Orthodox bands,

Harp is a special instrument and it seems that it is highly populated with 
women musicians.  If you want a harp, your choices are more limited.  But 
Jewish women fiddlers and keyboard players in Orthodox bands?  Which bands 
have women musicians?  How often have you seen them?

I don't know I seem to answering all my mail as it comes today.


Reyzl




----------
From:  TROMBAEDU (at) aol(dot)com [SMTP:TROMBAEDU (at) aol(dot)com]
Sent:  Wednesday, February 28, 2001 3:41 PM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant
Subject:  Re: kol isha

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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