Re: Max Bruch/Kol Nidrei: Redux nokhamol!

[Sylvie Braitman <curlySylvie...>]

Thanks to all for a fascinating conversation!I agree with Albert that
anybody , Jewish or not, can write music on a Jewish theme. There is no
ownership over music. Although I want to relate a story about that:
I was asked to perform a concert of music from the Gold Rush, here in San
Francisco. My accompanist told me we should include music by Native
Americans. After all, they certainly were part of the picture, and we would
tell about the massive killings of tribes that occured as a result of the
Gold Rush. After finding some good music, I was told by a friend that I
should ask the local tribe for permission to perform their music. I was
surprised, but I complied. After all, I could benefit from being told how to
sing it, at least hear it the way they sing it (duh!). They asked me not to
perform it. "We have been robbed of everything, we do not want to be robbed
of our music".
Here I was, A French Jew of Polish origins with a new American citizenship
in my pocket. I was asked to keep out.
I understand the tribe's point of view. And certainly, I can't compare
American/Natives relationships with German/Jews ones.
For me music is like air, it circulates, you can't contain it. But it
obviously is also something that belongs to a people.
So Bruch took the Kol Nidrei and made it into chamber music piece. And I am
glad he did. I am just still upset that the Germans did not appreciate the
immense cultural influence Jews had in German culture (and vice versa). That
instead, they got scared, and wanted to get cleansed of it. Hence the Bruch
family going long distance to prove they were not Jewish (I would have done
the same, so much was at stake, but what a shame...)
And thanks to Irwin for the quote which, indeed, makes it very clear on the
intentions of Bruch.
 For Judy: As for my "fantasies" about Bruch's names and origins, I am well
aware I am wrong. But it has been right for many! (Carl Off). It would look
OK in a novel, wouldn't it?
(I feel like my parents who would always think my boyfriends were Jewish...e
ven when they were not!)

Sylvie


----- Original Message -----
From: "I. Oppenheim" <i(dot)oppenheim (at) xs4all(dot)nl>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 9:02 AM
Subject: Re: Max Bruch/Kol Nidrei: Redux nokhamol!


> I would like to draw your attention to a letter
> that Max Bruch wrote to cantor and musicologist
> Eduard Birnbaum on 4 December 1889:
>
> "... Kol Nidre und einige andere Lieder (u. A. >>Arabiens Kamele<<)
> habe ich in Berlin durch die mir befreundete Familie Lichtenstein
> kennen gelernt. Obgleich ich Protestant bin habe ich doch als
> Kuenstler die ausserordentliche Schoenheit dieser Gesaenge tief
> empfunden und sie deshalb durch meine Bearbeitungen gerne
> verbreitet.
>
> ...Ich habe schon als junger Mann ...Volkslieder aller Nationen
> mit grosser Vorliebe studiert, weil das Volkslied die Quelle
> aller wahren Melodik ist---ein Jungbrunnen, an dem man sich
> wieder erfrischen und erlaben muss---wenn man sich nicht zu
> dem absurden Glauben einer gewissen Partei bekennt:
> >>Die Melodie sei ein ueberwundener Standpunkt.<< So lag denn
> auch das Studium Hebraeischer Nationalgesaenge auf meinem
> Wege."
>
> I would like to conclude, quoting Idelsohn's remarks on Bruchs
> Kol Nidre (JM in its Hist. Dev, 1929):
>
> "[Bruch's] melody was an interesting theme for a brilliant
> secular concerto. In his presentation, the melody entirely
> lost its original character. Bruch displayed a fine art,
> masterly technique and fantasy, but not Jewish sentiments.
> It is not a Jewish Kol-Nidre which Bruch composed."
>
> As Bruch indicated in his letter, he himself did not consider
> his Kol Nidre to be a Jewish composition, but just an artful
> arrangement of ...a folk tune! So, to Bruch, his Kol Nidre
> was just one of the many arrangements he made of European folk
> songs.
>
> Accidentally, the Lichtenstein mentioned in his letter
> was the cantor-in-chief of Berlin, who was known to have
> friendly relations with many Christian musicians of that time.
> Another friend of Lichtenstein was Carl Loewe, who composed
> "Das Hohe Lied Salomonis," based on tunes that Lichtenstein
> sang for Loewe.
>
> It is also interesting to mention that the conductor of
> Lichtenstein's choir was nobody less than Louis Lewandowski.
> Idelsohn proved that many of the compositions of Lewandowski
> were based on the chazzanut of Lichtenstein.
>
>
> All this information is taken from the following
> interesting paper:
>
> Auteur      : Sabine Lichtenstein
> Titel       : Abraham Jacob Lichtensein: eine juedische Quelle fuer Carl
>               Loewe und Max Bruch
> In          : Die Musikforschung, ISSN 0027-4801,
>               Vol. 49  (Issue 4), 1996, 349-367 (19)
>
>
> I would advice everybody interested in this topic
> to go to the library and read this paper.
>
> If anybody else knows of other scientific studies
> of either Bruch's Kol Nidre or Lichtenstein
> I'd like to get your references.
>
> Irwin Oppenheim
>
> Ps: what does the word 'Redux' mean?
>
>
>

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