+shers

[Steve Weintraub <dancinsteve...>]

Adrienne et al:

Deb Strauss and I this past summer collected a version of the sher that was 
done by staff in the 40's at what is now KinderRing/Circle Lodge.  According to 
our source, this version most certainly coordinated with the music- she said 
the same tune (one of the Kalmen shers) came back everytime they circled at the 
beginning of each time through the dance.  Also, after all the figures had been 
completed, the drummer cued the group to beging "threading the needle" with 4 
drum beats, and another 4 beats was the cue to unwind.
According to her, no one taught this sher, it was simply done every night after 
work and one learned by watching and participating.  The ubiquitous Shalom 
Secunda was in the band, as well as other 2nd Avenue musicians.
>From what I gather, they played the same tune over and over (probably not 
>accetptable anymore)

This confirms something that I've suspected- different sher versions were 
probably married to a specific tune or set of tunes, from which they in time 
became disconncted. Most set dances (dances with partners performing a sequence 
of figures) are allied with a specific tune, since the time of Playford in the 
Elizebethan era at least.  The Patch tanz tune clearly had a dance to go with 
it, the Israelis had to reinvent one to a truncated version of the tune. 
Korobushka is always done to the Korobushka tune. Many contemporary musicians 
have learned the sher from books, independant of any version of the dance, or 
learned from sher suites like the Abe Schwartz versions, which must be 
considered concert shers- none of the recordings are identical in phrasing.  
Only not- set dances (lines, circles, solo) tend to operate independantly of 
the tune, the variation of the tune gives the repetativeness of the dance some 
variety.

So- what are we to do?  I'm going to teach the "Workman's Circle" sher at 
Klezkamp, and insist that the musicians follow the dance. (Its not very hard to 
figure out- 6 x 16 bars). For any other version, I think its important for the 
teacher to work with the musicians on tunes that will fit that version.

Steve W.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: AGREENBA (at) aol(dot)com 
  To: World music from a Jewish slant 
  Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 12:02 PM
  Subject: Re: Milken conference/+shers



  In a message dated 11/13/03 11:07:56 AM, ari (at) ivritype(dot)com writes:



    As Elliot has already written, that concert was a short  piece by Yehudi 
    Weiner, preceded by a short talk, and some examples of some songs by his 
    father. It was stunning.



  Although I was not at this conference I just wanted to add a little snippet 
about Yehudi (Wyner - he spells it this way, unless he changed it back?). This 
is one helluva composer and mench. I reentered a connection with him after a 
long hiatus and ended up getting to hear some amazing compositions that he had 
recently written. He shared with me classical works that infuse klezmer in 
truly unique, haunting, brilliant ways, as well as other works that evoque a 
deep feeling for the Jewish sound yet uniquely display his own solid classical 
commitment. I know that he is well received in the Boston scene but I'm not so 
sure he is as known as he should be throughout the world.

  Also, your comment about Deborah mentioning how shers need to be 
"coordinated" struck me as a "problem" I've been trying to solve as I select 
shers for dancing....the sher. I hope to straighten out some of this this 
December with Steve W. at Kamp but, at least for now, the sher that Michael A. 
taught at KlezKanada is simple for sure, yet phrase-wise is not so easy to find 
the right length sher to play! Any more comments??? (I'm one who is terribly 
stuck when dancing doesn't fit the music/music doesn't fit the dancing, i.e, it 
upsets me, upsets my sense of, well, fun and connection to the music and the 
dance.) I have a feeling that I need to learn many more shers (the many ways to 
dance it) in order to find the right sher to fit??  Example: The exchange of 
bows is sometimes either too quick or not finished when a section of music is 
going. When doing the final swing with the first partner and then moving on to 
the others can be stretched or quickened but is this the responsibility of the 
musicians to choose the phrases they'll play?! I can't imagine that the dancers 
really care if the music has finished or not and is starting over. (And maybe 
this isn't at all what Ari was referring to in Deborah's statement about 
fitting music in the sher!!!)
  Adrianne

  _____________________________________
  Adrianne Greenbaum
  www.klezmerflute.com & www.klezband.com
  Associate Professor of Flute, Mount Holyoke College
  Klezmer flutist: “FleytMuzik” and “Family Portrait”
  Classical: "Sounds of America"
  fluteworld or cdbaby