Klarinet Archive - Posting 000135.txt from 2004/09

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fbjacobo@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Klezmer info
Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2004 21:51:14 -0400

Ormond,
I believe you have missed the point. Klezmer style refers to a
PERFORMANCE PRACTICE, not to a compositional style. One can play music
from the Baroque and call it a Baroque music concert but one cannot say
that they are playing it in the Baroque Style (a performance practice)
unless one adheres to what we know are the corrrect performance
practices from that era.
By the same reasoning, one can play Jewish melodies which were
written originally to be played in the Klezmer style but one cannot be
said to be playing Klezmer unless one uses the requisite performance
practice, i.e. ornaments, tempi, etc. When you go to a concert
advertising "The Beatles' Music" you have the right to be told that it
will be played on, e.g. steel drum with a Reggae beat. I know that I
would be angry and feel deceived if I was not told that the performance
practice used deviated markedly from that which one would expect, given
the musical content. You wouldn't call such a performance Rock, would
you? I mean, by definition, the Beatles' music is Rock. So why call
stuff Klezmer when all it has in common with the real thing is musical
pitches?
And noone says you have to specialize in the Klezmer style in order
to like the melodies and play them. Just don't go around advertising a
Klezmer performance. That is dishonest.
Don't forget, this all started when a person wanted to learn how to
play Klezmer. Substitute "Rock 'n Roll" for "Klezmer" and tell me that
any old way of playing the melodies is correct. I dare ya...

Fred Jacobowitz

Ormondtoby Montoya wrote

>
>
>
>However, there is a larger issue involved (imo).
>
>Lelia's statement implies that playing (say) Baroque music in a
>different style than what they played back then is not a sin either ---
>unless one's goal is precisely to play it the way that they did back
>then.
>
>The usual statement is that we should play in the manner that the music
>demands. Serve the music, etc. The issue is that humans are not a
>constant, neither geographically nor culturally nor over history nor
>religiously nor <whatever>. Thus music "demands" different things from
>different individuals, different cultures, etc.
>
>Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's what I perceived Lelia to be saying,
>although she was addressing a subset of all music.
>
>
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