RE: Very first klezmer recordings

[Julian Futter <futter...>]

The 1901 Seiden recordings I have are certainly not klezmer. They are a sort
of music hall Yiddish and really very disappointing.
Kol Nidrei is a parody and the nearest we get to anything "ethnic" is the
piano accompaniment to "Hamavdel"
Paul Gifford is correct in his comments about the brass band sound of early
eastern European recordings. My copy of 7.40 which was recorded in Russia
c1910 is by a brass band. My other early european orchestral records by
Jewish bands are also basically brass bands. Of course the recording process
favoured brass bands as subtle sounds were not easily captured by the
primitive recording horns and domestic talking machines were very limited in
what they could reproduce from those grooves.
Hope this helps
Julian Futter
futter (at) btinternet(dot)com

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of klezmer (at) 
yiddishmusic(dot)com
Sent: 02 February 2004 16:36
To: World music from a Jewish slant
Subject: Re: Very first klezmer recordings

I'm not an historian and this is Yiddish song, by "A Weib" was recorded in
NY, 1901 by Frank Seiden (Columbia 177)

Dena

>As the KI dissertation seems over (for a moment), I ask my question again:
>
>At a lecture on klezmer history I gave recently at a Talmud Tora in Geneva,
>a boy asked me about the very first klezmer tunes ever recorded.
>
>I wasn't able to answer precisely. Was it Mihal Viteazul' Doina & Sirba
>(1905)? H.Steiner's Potpourri of Jewish Melodies (1908)? some Belf's (ca
>1912)?
>
>Thanks for helping.
>
>Michal


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