New Yale Strom book: "Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer"
From Yale Strom:
Edited by Yale Strom
Published by Scarecrow Press
Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer is both a history of this popular form of traditional Jewish music and an instructional book for professional and amateur musicians.
Shpil offers an expansive history of klezmer, from its medieval origins to the present era, and its contributors encompass a cast of world-renowned musicians who have recorded, performed, and studied klezmer for years. Individual chapters concentrate on the most common instruments found in a klezmer ensemble—violin (Yale Strom), clarinet (Norbert Stachel), accordion (Peter Stan), bass (Jeff Pekarek), percussion (David Licht), and voice (Elizabeth Schwartz) — and conclude with a selection of three songs that illustrate and exemplify the history and techniques of that instrument. Shpil includes a glossary and a discography of both classic and new klezmer and Yiddish recordings, all designed to guide readers in an appreciation of this remarkable musical genre and the art of playing and singing klezmer tunes.
Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer is ideal for amateur enthusiasts, musical scholars, beginning artists, and professional musicians, both solo and ensemble—indeed, anyone who wants to experience the joy of listening to and playing this thousand-year-old folk music. Original art work for the cover by Emil Fur.