Klezmer!: Jewish Music from Old World to Our World - Hardcover

Sapoznik, Henry

9780756788599: Klezmer!: Jewish Music from Old World to Our World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0756788595 ISBN 13: 9780756788599

Publisher: Diane Pub Co

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Klezmer originated during the 16th century as accompaniment to Jewish celebrations...Henry Sapoznik presents the complete history of this vital musical tradition, from its Eastern European roots to its current rebirth.

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From the Author

"Klezmer! Jewish Music From Old World to Our World" has been issued as companion CD by Yazoo Records (7017). The 22 tracks offer a chronological overview (1912-1997) which documents the diversity, audacity and enthusiasm which was Yiddish popular culture at its height, its decline and its current revitalization. Amazon ASIN:B0004NHA1

From the Inside Flap

"Somewhere behind Marc Chagall's flying fiddlers exists the true image of the klezmer. In contrast to Chagall's delicately muted colors are the simple monochromes popularly associated with Eastern European Jewish musicians, unschooled players whose 'soul music' moved listeners from laughter to tears, Wandering Jews of the Wandering Jews."

Among the immigrants who came to America in search of a better life were Jewish musicians from Eastern Europe. Known as klezmorim in their hometowns, these musicians eked out a living by providing music for rituals, ceremonies, dancing, and celebrations. But on these shores, the chance for survival of their centuries-old tradition seemed grim.

The forces of assimilation led many musicians to work in classical, jazz, and pop, turning their backs on the music of their childhood. Others blended the Yiddish stylings and sounds with more contemporary music to form a new distinctly American music. Still others lay down their instruments and forgot the traditions they had cherished at home. And no one seemed to care, least of all the klezmorim's children and grandchildren, who, becoming more Americanized by the moment, adopted the music of their adopted country.

In 1976, ethnomusicology student Henry Sapoznik, the son of a cantor and Holocaust survivors, was hot on the trail of American old-time music, playing banjo tunes from Appalachia. While visiting a well-known traditional fiddler in North Carolina, Sapoznik was rendered speechless when asked, "Don't your people got none of your own music?" He decided to find out.

In his quest to trace the roots of klezmer, the traditional instrumental music of Yiddish-speaking Jews, Sapoznik unearthed antique 78s, sheet music, and newspaper clippings; found rare discs of long-forgotten radio programs; and, most important of all, rediscovered and championed the last generation of old-time klezmer musicians, bringing their musical styles to a new audience.

Klezmer! is a fascinating story of survival against all odds, of a musical legacy so potent it can still be heard, despite assimilation and near annihilation. The scratchy, distant sound of early recordings bursts forth with such power that they have formed the basis for an entirely new generation of performers, Jew and non-Jew alike, who have embraced and expanded the klezmer tradition. Through stories, pictures, and a companion CD, Klezmer! reintroduces this most vital musical form to new and old fans alike.

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