Laughter Through Tears

[Ethan Minovitz <eminovitz...>]

I obtained this from several sources on the Internet.  The wording 
between these sometimes varies very slightly, but the message is much 
the same. Quoting Shostakovich (as said to Solomon Volkov, author of 
Dmitri's memoir, "Testimony"): 

"Jewish folk music has made a most powerful impression on me. I never 
tire of delighting in it; it's multifaceted and can appear to be 
quite happy while it is tragic. It's almost always laughter through 
tears. This quality of Jewish folk music is close to my ideas of what 
music should be. There should always be two layers in music. Jews 
were tormented for so long that they learned to hide their despair. 
They express despair in dance music."


Ethan Minovitz
Vancouver, British Columbia

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