Re: Does klezmer have a place in academia?

[Alex Lubet <lubet001...>]

At 01:51 PM 4/25/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = 
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word">
>Yes, the request came for Firn De Mek. for a ceremony. No dancing , 
>unfortunately. Again this week, the request, if they dance, I'll file a 
>report in triplicate. AW
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:lkoenick (at) erols(dot)com>Leonard Koenick
>To: <mailto:jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>World music from a Jewish slant
>Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2002 12:18 PM
>Subject: RE: Does klezmer have a place in academia?
>
>Or better yet, why not just contact some Yiddish speakers in Pittsburgh 
>and organize your own class.  You don't need the university to study.

I hate to say it, but at least at the University of Minnesota things would 
be unlikely to work that way, except perhaps in extension or non-credit 
courses.  There's also always the problem of finding a Yiddish teacher with 
the appropriate academic credentials.  (I'm not necessarily claiming that 
advanced degrees make or break an instructor, but in reality that's the way 
we do things around here.)

I also hate to be in naysayer, but as one who is definitely an academic 
insider and, I might note, as a teacher of the persons were originally 
raised this question and one of the first people she interviewed, I'm not 
entirely positive about the prospects of klezmer on-campus.

I think I need to make myself clear on this.  There have been any number of 
scholars, among them Mark Slobin, Jeffrey Summit, and Judit Fregyesi, who 
have made terrific contributions to our knowledge of Jewish music.  I'd 
like to think I'm doing that as well.  My concern, however, is for what 
happens when an art form that is at least in part of a sacred nature gets 
into the hands of those who do not treasure it in the same manner as those 
who hold it sacred.  I don't mean to overstate the case, but an analogy to 
be drawn with those American Indians who appreciate the presence of their 
culture in academic curricula and research, but hold their performance 
traditions sacred and do not wish to have them performed by those whom they 
regard as outside those traditions.  I'm in no way suggesting that Gentiles 
are either incapable of learning and performing Jewish music nor should 
they be prevented from doing so.  Indeed, there have been a number of 
prominent non-Jewish musicians who have done wonderful things for this 
repertoire.  Still, it's been my experience and that on those occasions 
when I've shared what I know of Jewish music with students who do not hold 
it as dear as do I, I've often seen results that I have found hurtful in a 
variety of ways.  In a public university like the one I teach in, all the 
knowledge we disseminate is by definition public and must be shared with 
whoever seeks it.  In the course of my career, many or most of the 
composition students with whom I've shared my Jewish music knowledge at 
their request have transformed it into projects that I did not feel 
displayed appropriate sensitivity to Jewish traditions and history.  I'm 
not saying that's inevitable, but you open yourself up to it every time you 
share sacred knowledge in public spaces.

Needless to say, others have had better experiences than have I and I'd 
love to hear more about them, as well as those whose fortunes in this 
respect have resembled mine.

Shabbat Shalom,




>
>Leonard Koenick
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: 
><mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>owner-jewish-music (at) 
>shamash(dot)org 
>[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Lori Cahan-Simon
>Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2002 7:50 AM
>To: World music from a Jewish slant
>Subject: Re: Does klezmer have a place in academia?
>
>Nu, Yakov, why don't you go to the people in charge of schedulling classes 
>and tell them what you want?  If you can get, say, ten people together who 
>want to learn something specific, perhaps they'll hire a prof for 
>you.  Maybe...
>
>Yakov Chodosh wrote:
>
>
>Oh yeah, hell yeah klezmer has a place in academia. Klezmer has a place 
>everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Um... particularly the University of Pittsburgh. 
>They just don't know it yet. Seriously though, or more seriously -- the 
>history and theory and musicologicalogicalology of klezmer is real and 
>interesting and very cool. Why shouldn't it be taught in school? I mean, 
>Sure the quality of the class would be directly proportional to the 
>quality of the instructor, just like always. My friend Daniela is taking 
>the class at Yale and she says it rocks. Gee whiz. I wish they had a class 
>here. At least a Yiddish class. Is that too much to ask?
>
>
>
>
>And Al:
>A bride requests Firn De Mekhutonim, thats a success for the music, if  the
>
>
>Mekhutonim dance, now thats victory.
>
>
>Did that happen someplace??
>
>
>
>
>-Brave Mother-in-Law
>
>
><http://www.pitt.edu/~ync8>http://www.pitt.edu/~ync8
>
>
>"Chow Yun-Fat should have won best actor, but it wasn't in English, so no 
>one could tell." -roomate.
>
>
>
>
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><mailto:jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org 
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