Re: One klezmer's experience

[MaxwellSt <MaxwellSt...>]

In a message dated 9/3/2003 11:12:12 PM Central Daylight Time, 
rokhl (at) mindspring(dot)com writes:

> I'm gonna go out on a limb here. Part of what bugs me about klezmer 
> becoming a fad or just another musical heritage for everyone to choose from 
> is that, 
> in a sense, klezmer is religious music. Its modes are derived from the 
> synagogue. It developed largely for ceremonial purposes (like weddings). And 
> while, of course, it was profoundly influenced by the areas in which it was 
> developed, it was nonetheless developed by Jews for Jews. Yes, I said it! 
> There is 
> a depth of meaning and connection there, for me, as a Jew, that cannot be 
> duplicated by any other music. That connection can, however, be easily 
> destroyed 
> by commodification. Call me crazy, call me racist, but I'm pretty protective 
> of my cultural heritage.

Oooh, you started a good one!  This should yield some nice sparks.  

There are lots of ways one could go with that.  I'll put them out there 
(without endorsing any) because the ramifications of your comments seem 
far-reaching. (But this is not intended as a rebuttal of your feelings!):
  
1) That people who don't play klezmer with Chassidic soul are divorcing it 
from its source (but what if non-Jews were playing it with that 
inspiration--would that be OK?)

2) That people who play Chassidic music but don't keep Jewish law are not 
doing any service to the Chassidim who inspire them.  Women shouldn't sing, we 
shouldn't play on Shabbos, we should devote our lives to mitzvos, and then the 
music all makes sense in context.

3) That non-Jewish klezmorim (I am thinking now of the European group called 
The Gojim, who are in the mold of the original Klezmorim or of Shirim; I am 
thinking of the gypsies that moved around with klezmorim in the old country) 
are 
missing something. But that would make me think of analogies like  "white 
musicians can't really play the blues" (play that funky klezmer, gentile boy?), 
and other places I wouldn't want to go.

4) That music traditionally played by klezmorim for non-Jews--and there is a 
large body of that--should somehow be put into a separate category  Remember, 
the klezmer was the original jobbing musician, picking up work where he could, 
playing for princes and peasants.  I recall reading that Russians like them 
because they had a reputation for being good musicians and not drinking up the 
client's booze.  Like (what was his name, the Jewish trumpet player in New 
York) who commented to someone who observed him walking out of church on a 
Sunday 
morning, "You can't make a living from just one God!"  But I digress.

I think there is probably an exception to every rule, including the one that 
you have to have a Jewish soul to play Jewish soul music.  We all make our 
observations, we all have our preferred interpreters of klezmer, and they may 
be 
Jewish or gentile, fervently religiously or defiantly agnostic, trad or edgy, 
or some combination of the above.  I am glad that this listserv is free of 
sweeping generalizations about who should and shouldn't be playing klezmer, but 
at the same time it gives a safe space for you to say how you feel about the 
subject without fear of censure.  So thanks for sharing.

Lori @ MAX