Klez-tory: background bits
Klezmer, a portmanteau of the Hebrew words kli and zemer, roughly translates as 'vessels of song' in English.
Originally “klezmer” refered to the musical instruments themselves. By the 18th Century, “klezmer” became a (derogatory) name for the travelling musicians playing this music. Eventually the term settled to represent the musical style in the 20th Century during the revival period.
Nowadays, Klezmorim is the go-to word for a collective of musicians who play klezmer music, in ensembles known as kapelye.
Musical Style
The musical style of klezmer that we know today originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces (rhapsodies and doynas). These were played at weddings and other celebrations. They had names such as:
Freylechs (happy)
Nign (song without words)
Hora (dance - of Greek/Romanian origin)
Tanz (dance - of Teutonic origins)
Rhythm: Many of the meanings of the words have been fixed as a result of various revivals of klezmer in America that relied on limited numbers of early sound recordings (by notable klezmer musicians such as Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein). The associated types of dances have their own idiosyncrasies, in both melody, accompaniment and dancing:
*different from the Iraseli circle dances common to Jewish weddings
Tonality: Klezmer is a modal music.
Modes are flexible systems that are constructed through the intervallic differences between notes (how one note gets to another), rather than a fixed set of notes themselves. You could think of modes as a way of constructing melodies, but, they also dictate the kinds of chords you are likely to hear.
It is a common truism (and joke) among klezmorim that all tunes are in "D".
Without going into the reasons why, let's unpack this slightly...this means that the note D is the home note and forms the tonic/root of the song. It could be described as "chord I" [one], and gives the song its settledness and finality. In this instance, "D" would be the root of the chosen mode for a tune; each of these modes thus have their own distinctive melodic, harmonic and cadential quirks, yet leading back to "D" in different ways.
The most common modes in the klezmer repertoire are as follows:
These modes look like this (represented on the starting note of D):
Originally “klezmer” refered to the musical instruments themselves. By the 18th Century, “klezmer” became a (derogatory) name for the travelling musicians playing this music. Eventually the term settled to represent the musical style in the 20th Century during the revival period.
Nowadays, Klezmorim is the go-to word for a collective of musicians who play klezmer music, in ensembles known as kapelye.
Musical Style
The musical style of klezmer that we know today originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces (rhapsodies and doynas). These were played at weddings and other celebrations. They had names such as:
Freylechs (happy)
Nign (song without words)
Hora (dance - of Greek/Romanian origin)
Tanz (dance - of Teutonic origins)
Rhythm: Many of the meanings of the words have been fixed as a result of various revivals of klezmer in America that relied on limited numbers of early sound recordings (by notable klezmer musicians such as Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein). The associated types of dances have their own idiosyncrasies, in both melody, accompaniment and dancing:
- Freylechs - 4/4 - upbeat um-pah
- Sher/Sherele- 4/4 - upbeat square dance
- Hora*/Zhok - 3/4 - limping waltz
- Khosidl - 2/4 - slow stately stomp
- Bulgar - 4/4 - syncopated American
- Terkisher - 4/4 - like a Turkish tango
- Honga - 2/4 - a Moldavian line dance
*different from the Iraseli circle dances common to Jewish weddings
Tonality: Klezmer is a modal music.
Modes are flexible systems that are constructed through the intervallic differences between notes (how one note gets to another), rather than a fixed set of notes themselves. You could think of modes as a way of constructing melodies, but, they also dictate the kinds of chords you are likely to hear.
It is a common truism (and joke) among klezmorim that all tunes are in "D".
Without going into the reasons why, let's unpack this slightly...this means that the note D is the home note and forms the tonic/root of the song. It could be described as "chord I" [one], and gives the song its settledness and finality. In this instance, "D" would be the root of the chosen mode for a tune; each of these modes thus have their own distinctive melodic, harmonic and cadential quirks, yet leading back to "D" in different ways.
The most common modes in the klezmer repertoire are as follows:
- Mi Sheberakh /Av Harakhamim [e.g Khasen Kale Mazltov]
- Freygish/ Ahava Raba [e.g. Hava Nagila]
- Adonai Molokh/Romanian Minor
These modes look like this (represented on the starting note of D):
Audio examples can be found on the Klearning page.
In some senses all 'tonal' music is modal, it's just major and minor have become the most common modes to our ears. To new ears, it can take a while to get used to two of these modes in particular, Freygish and Adonai Molokh. Without getting too technical, this is due to 1) the way we get to these notes at cadence points and 2) which chords are the key, powerful chords in the tonality; these structural quirks are different to those of the tonalities of major and minor.
In major/minor tonality the most powerful chords are I (do) and V (so), closely followed by II (re) and/or IV (fa).
For example, in jazz II-V-I is the most common, and in pop music IV-V-I is the most notorious (think Status Quo and their three chord songs).
For tunes in the Freygish mode, chords I (do) and VII (si) are the most powerful chords at cadence points. In Mi Sheberakh, I (do), III (mi), IV (fa) and V (so) are the most powerful.
What is interesting is that klezmer modes are closely related to each other in the intervals that are used between notes, with a semitone-augmented 2nd interval being the most idiosyncratic. As you can see below, Freygish on D is almost identical to Mi Sheberakh on C, with the only difference being the tonic/root note, and by implication, the key chords.
In some senses all 'tonal' music is modal, it's just major and minor have become the most common modes to our ears. To new ears, it can take a while to get used to two of these modes in particular, Freygish and Adonai Molokh. Without getting too technical, this is due to 1) the way we get to these notes at cadence points and 2) which chords are the key, powerful chords in the tonality; these structural quirks are different to those of the tonalities of major and minor.
In major/minor tonality the most powerful chords are I (do) and V (so), closely followed by II (re) and/or IV (fa).
For example, in jazz II-V-I is the most common, and in pop music IV-V-I is the most notorious (think Status Quo and their three chord songs).
For tunes in the Freygish mode, chords I (do) and VII (si) are the most powerful chords at cadence points. In Mi Sheberakh, I (do), III (mi), IV (fa) and V (so) are the most powerful.
What is interesting is that klezmer modes are closely related to each other in the intervals that are used between notes, with a semitone-augmented 2nd interval being the most idiosyncratic. As you can see below, Freygish on D is almost identical to Mi Sheberakh on C, with the only difference being the tonic/root note, and by implication, the key chords.
Those versed in Western scales, the key klezmer modes most closely resemble the harmonic minor scale (G harmonic minor is the closest relation to D Freygish/C mi Sheberakh)
Repertoire: Klezmer is an aural tradition.
This means that many of the tunes in the repertoire have been transcribed, meaning there are many variations of the same tunes. Many of these tunes were transcribed from early 20th century recordings during various revivals of klezmer.
History & Style
Klezmer music contains a vast history of 19th and 20th century histories in its melodies.
Klezmer tonality and feel is rooted in the singing style and modal melodies of sacred canotorial singing. Yet it has grown and adapted a lot since then; it’s a music that has undergone various transformations, reinventions and cultural migrations, which tells a lot about the cultural history of the music and people involved:
Gypsy: There is much shared repertoire with roma/gypsy traditions (polkas), usually with different names. This is thought to be due to the fact klezmorim were travelling, wedding musicians who played at Jewish and Non-Jewish weddings; basically, just making their living.
Jazz: All you need to do is listen to any Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw solo to hear the impact of Klezmer on the development of jazz. This tells the story of the many talented Jewish musicians who emigrated to the states around the time of the 3rd Reich. This strong Jewish presence (mainly the US east coast) helped revive klezmer and broadly gives it its form today.
Songs: Yiddish songs equally provide a historical context of class and inequality, persecution (e.g pogroms - antisemitic riots which killed and displaced and many Jews, especially during the Russian empire), poverty and destitution. The lyrics are full of themes of nostalgia for a long gone home, family, and spirituality.
Repertoire: Klezmer is an aural tradition.
This means that many of the tunes in the repertoire have been transcribed, meaning there are many variations of the same tunes. Many of these tunes were transcribed from early 20th century recordings during various revivals of klezmer.
History & Style
Klezmer music contains a vast history of 19th and 20th century histories in its melodies.
Klezmer tonality and feel is rooted in the singing style and modal melodies of sacred canotorial singing. Yet it has grown and adapted a lot since then; it’s a music that has undergone various transformations, reinventions and cultural migrations, which tells a lot about the cultural history of the music and people involved:
Gypsy: There is much shared repertoire with roma/gypsy traditions (polkas), usually with different names. This is thought to be due to the fact klezmorim were travelling, wedding musicians who played at Jewish and Non-Jewish weddings; basically, just making their living.
Jazz: All you need to do is listen to any Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw solo to hear the impact of Klezmer on the development of jazz. This tells the story of the many talented Jewish musicians who emigrated to the states around the time of the 3rd Reich. This strong Jewish presence (mainly the US east coast) helped revive klezmer and broadly gives it its form today.
Songs: Yiddish songs equally provide a historical context of class and inequality, persecution (e.g pogroms - antisemitic riots which killed and displaced and many Jews, especially during the Russian empire), poverty and destitution. The lyrics are full of themes of nostalgia for a long gone home, family, and spirituality.
Klezmer in Manchester: People and Passion [Documentary]
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A short documentary about the growth of secular Jewish wedding music (klezmer) in Manchester, and the relationships that people from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities have with it.
Co-Directors/Producers/Writers: Ellie Sherwood and Robert Foot Editor: Robert Foot Interviewer: Ellie Sherwood Narrators: Richard Fay and Robert Foot |