In Europe Jewish weddings took place over several days and featured many musical forms, from the meditative melodies of the first days and the morning of the wedding, to the carnivalesque dances of the wedding feast. Traditionally the music was performed by the klezmorim under the supervision of the badkhn, a combination clown and master of ceremonies. Khevrisa is the only ensemble in America to perform these klezmer wedding melodies, taken from manuscripts and from the last European masters of the tradition, using the original instrumentation.

European Klezmer: Under the Canopy of Heaven, NYC, Sun, Oct 6, 2002

Khevrisa will appear on:

Sunday, October 6, 7pm
Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th Street, NYC
$21; seniors $16; students $15
Box office (212) 864-5400
Info/charges (212) 545-7536
www.WorldMusicInstitute.org

Khevrisa, which was described in Dirty Linen as the new klezmer "supergroup," will provide the New York audience with the opportunity to hear Eastern European wedding music that is rarely heard today. Comprised of some of the most respected exponents of Jewish traditional music, Khevrisa features Steven Greenman (violin), Zev Feldman (cimbal -hammer dulcimer), Michael Alpert (badkhn, violin) and Stuart Brotman (contrabass).

In Europe Jewish weddings took place over several days and featured many musical forms, from the meditative melodies of the first days and the morning of the wedding, to the carnivalesque dances of the wedding feast. Traditionally the music was performed by the klezmorim under the supervision of the badkhn, a combination clown and master of ceremonies. Khevrisa is the only ensemble in America to perform these klezmer wedding melodies, taken from manuscripts and from the last European masters of the tradition, using the original instrumentation.

Steven Greenman is one of the few practioners of traditional Eastern European klezmer violin. He is the first American-born klezmer musician to create a program and performance style based entirely on the repertoire of European klezmer violin music. In 1998 he and Zev Feldman founded Khevrisa, an ensemble dedicated to preserving and reconstructing Eastern European klezmer music through research, concerts, workshops and lectures. He has also performed internationally with such notable klezmer ensembles as Budowitz, the Klezmatics, the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, and Kapelye.

Zev Feldman, a leading researcher in both Ottoman Turkish and Jewish music, developed a passion for klezmer from his Moldavian-born father. He and Andy Statman studied with Dave Tarras during the 1970s and were two of the creators of the klezmer revival. Their recording, Jewish Klezmer Music (Shanachie), became a classic of the revival. Feldman was responsible for reintroducing the cimbal into klezmer music.

Michael Alpert has performed with Brave Old World, one of the leading international ensembles performing traditional and modern Yiddish music. He is a leading performer of Yiddish song. An important link between Old World Jewish musicians and the klezmer revival, Alpert had studied the fiddle repertoire of the late Leon Schwartz of Bucovina. He is a former researcher at New York's YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and has conducted extensive research of traditional Jewish music and dance.

Stuart Brotman is the leading bassist of the klezmer revival. He performs with Brave Old World, and has toured and recorded with Canned Heat, Kaleidsocope, Geoff and Maria Muldaur, and Ry Cooder. Leader of the groundbreaking Bay Area klezmer string ensemble Finef and a founding member of Los Angeles's Ellis Island Band, he also toured with the NEA-funded Yiddisher Caravan.

This program is made possible in part with public support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support is provided by the Howard Bayne Fund.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Paris Yiddish Center opens October 14, 2002 at 18, passage Saint-Pierre Amelot in the 11th district of Paris (Subway station : Oberkampf) You can download its program (language courses, lectures, cultural workshops,...) on our website

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Sephardic Songbook (2001 ISBN 3-87626-222-4) released 10 months ago by Aron Saltiel and Josh Horowitz is just entering the second edition (the first sold out).

Sephardic Songbook edited by Aron Saltiel, intro by Josh Horowitz

The Sephardic Songbook, Edition Peters, 2001 ISBN 3-87626-222-4
edited by Aron Saltiel, intro by Josh Horowitz.

Update: The Sephardic Songbook (2001 ISBN 3-87626-222-4) released 10 months ago by Aron Saltiel and Josh Horowitz is just entering the second edition (the first sold out).

Dealers wishing to order the book can do so in the US at:

sales@cfpeters-ny.com

or in Europe write to Mr. Grosspersky at:

Grosspersky@edition-peters.de

The Sephardic Songbook has just been released by the classical music publisher, Peters Edition, Frankfurt. It is a collection of 51 Judeo-Spanish tunes from Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece and Bosnia, collected and edited by Aron Saltiel, one of the leading exponents of the Sephardic music community and a native speaker of Ladino, with transcriptions and an extensive introduction by Josh Horowitz.

The book contains the complete texts and music of all songs in Judeo-Spanish, English and German, complete with annotations, linguistic details and information about the informants. This book has been 10 years in the making and was put together meticulously from field recordings which were made over the past 30 years.

Introduction

The transcriptions in this collection are based directly upon versions sung by usually one, but sometimes more than one informant. The songs have been gathered from the Ottoman Judeo-Spanish vocal tradition and were performed without instrumental accompaniment. In spite of the obvious contradictions and notational shortcomings which have become apparent to us in preparing this book and which we discuss below, we have tried to remain true to our original intention: to present a songbook which conveys as closely as possible the performance and style of 51 Sephardic songs with their complete texts and a representative melody. For this reason, we have been careful to leave out any suggestions which would obscure the original impression of the song and thereby make it impossible for the reader to separate our interpretation of it from that of our informants....

In some places we have had to do some reconstruction work on the songs, especially where it was not possible to glean a complete version from the first verse alone. At times our informants would stumble, forget a word or two, skip parts that weren't known or modulate their voice unintentionally. In such cases we have drawn the missing or unintelligible melody fragments from one or more of the other verses and carefully spliced them into place. Although we have tried to draft transcriptions notating as closely as possible the original version(s) of the songs, to assert that there is such a thing as an 'authentic' edition would be misleading for the following reasons....

[Note: Some of these songs are apparently covered by Ruth Yaakov, as mentioned in my review of her album, back in 1999. ari]

The Sephardic Songbook can be ordered directly in the US. E-mail Josh Horowitz. For orders inside the US, the book costs 25.00 (book rate) or 27.00 sent first class. Checks can be made out to Joshua Horowitz and sent to:

Joshua Horowitz
1914 C Haste St.
Berkeley, CA.
USA 94704

In Europe, the book may be purchased from Aaron Saltiel, a_saltiel@mail.styria.com. Contact Mr. Saltiel for payment and shipping info.

For further information, consult the Budowitz website, www.budowitz.com/pages/WhatsNew.html.

From: allen watsky, awatsky@nj.rr.com
To: Jewish-Music Mailing list (reproduced with author's permission)
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2002
Subject: Sephardic Songbook

Josh,

Edition Peters editions are always elegant, well laid out, good paper stock etc. I'm sort of a paper fetishist, I need no encouragement to pick up another book or edition of music. This one stands out, very well presented. I have other Peters items.

The contents of the book, are really great. I actually love this music. I read through about 20 or so pages of it last night. by the time I had sight read to about page 13 page 2 of Canto de boda II, I was electrified. This material is a gift to the musical community.

The only slight problem for me is that they have a number of spots where half measures are continued on the next line. I always find that mildly annoying. Its no big deal. I am going to use this music. I especially enjoy the compound meters. Very refreshing. It would be fascinating to hear the field recordings, is that possible ?

Have I been too effusive ? Naaaaaaah... This is great stuff. Congratulations.... AW

From: "Joshua Horowitz"

To: Jewish-Music Mailing list (reproduced with author's permission)

Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002

Subject: Re: Sephardic Songbook

Thanks for the kind words about the Sephardic Songbook Allen.

Regarding the layout solution of half measures which continue on the next
line: The publisher wanted to give the text precedence when faced with the
problem of splitting up the music line or the text line. I disagreed at
first, but eventually saw the logic in this. If you are a singer, it is
more difficult to locate the beginning of the text lines when you have
several verses and the beginnings of the lines appear in the middle of the
music line somewhere. As an instrumental musician, I also want to see
measures kept intact, but as a singer, you want to be able to locate the
verse beginnings easily, especially when there are many strophes, which is
often the case in the ballads. The problems of orthography and layout
presentation were thought out quite thoroughly in this edition, and the work
with Peters Edition was the highest level I have yet experienced. That's why
the release took so long (3 years). The enormous amount of details which
need to be dealt with easily escape the reader's attention (and should!)
when the finished product is presented in a simple fashion.

You may also notice the solutions to unusual forms, such as the Passover counting song, Quen Supiese y entendiense, whereby each verse increases in length - no easy problem to solve when you want to be clear in presentation and use as few explanatory notes as possible. There are also forms which have assymetrically constructed strophes, making an intelligible solution quite difficult to come by (see for instance Bre Sarica) I hope that the result pleases those who use the book and invite comments and suggestions.

Thanks again for your warm comments...Josh

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Find out the most excruciating details of klezmer accordion history in this scathing and exhaustive article, written by Josh Horowitz and just released IN ENGLISH, in the mammoth issue of: 'The Accordion in all its guises - an issue of Musical Performance' (Harwood Academic Press, imprint of Gordon and Breach Publishers, Taylor and Francis, UK)

Kloset Klezmer Akkordeonists

From: Joshua Horowitz

First, a short note to set the record straight: NO, accordions were never used to torture prisoners of war in the Gulag through the incessant repetition of "We're off to see the Wizard." So, to the best of my knowledge your sources on that are flawed, John.

Do you know why the great klezmer and classical accordionist, Grigori Matusevitch did not want his music to be broadcast on the radio in the early years of its existence?...

Because he did not want his music to be degraded, as many people listened to the radio in their bathroom.

Find out the most excruciating details of klezmer accordion history in this scathing and exhaustive article, written by Josh Horowitz and just released IN ENGLISH, in the mammoth issue of:

"The Accordion in all its guises - an issue of Musical Performance (Harwood Academic Press, imprint of Gordon and Breach Publishers, Taylor and Francis, UK)

MALCOLM MILLER was the man who did a most amazing job with an almost impossible and thankless task in front of him - to edit tomes of senseless drivel into an intelligible and eminently readable book on many aspects of the accordion. Kudos to Malcolm. All litigation should be directed to him as well. Thank you Malcolm!

Order the book at: journal.orders@tandf.co.uk

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:27 PM | Permalink

The workshop will be held at Neskaya (a wonderful space built for dance) on Rt. 18 in Franconia, October 11-13, 2002. Portions of the workshop will be accompanied by live music from Mooseltov (Seth Austen, Beverly Woods, Jim Dalton, Sam Moffatt.)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jewish Folklore & Ethnology Review, Vol. 20, No. 1-2, Spring 2001. This issue, edited by Judith Brin Ingber, features richly illustrated articles about Israeli folk dance and dance in Israel; the first Israeli folk dance tour to European Displaced Persons camps in 1947; contemporary choreography in Israel and the U.S.; Jewish dance in Renaissance Italy and under Stalin; dance rituals of the Hasidim, Yemenites and Ethiopian Jews. The authors are expert European, Israeli and American dance scholars.

Special Jewish Dance Publication

Jewish Folklore & Ethnology Review
Vol. 20, No. 1-2, Spring 2001.

This issue, edited by Judith Brin Ingber, features richly illustrated articles about Israeli folk dance and dance in Israel; the first Israeli folk dance tour to European Displaced Persons camps in 1947; contemporary choreography in Israel and the U.S.; Jewish dance in Renaissance Italy and under Stalin; dance rituals of the Hasidim, Yemenites and Ethiopian Jews. The authors are expert European, Israeli and American dance scholars.

This publication has been listed in the top 20 best dance writings for 2001 and is being considered for the de la Torre Bueno Prize for the most distinguished original book of dance scholarship. This prize is the only adjudicated recognition in the field of dance publication.

Price: $20. Foreign purchases add $5 per order. Checks should be payable to Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review. Mail to JFER, 4350 Fairfax Dr., Suite 640, Arlington, VA 22203.

For information contact:
Judith Brin Ingber, Guest Editor
Ph: 952-920-1712; JbrinIngber@cs.com

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Special Issue on Jewish Dance
Judith Brin Ingber

History

Jewish Dancing-Masters and 'Jewish Dance' in Renaissance Italy (Guglielmo Ebreo and Beyond)
Barbara Sparti

Cultural Formation in Eretz-Israel: The National Dance Competition of 1937
Nina Spiegel

Israeli Folk Dance

Vilified or Glorified? Nazi and Zionist Views of the Jewish Body
Judith Brin Ingber

Beyond the Nation in Israeli Folk Dancing? Performing Community in New York Under the Impact of Globalization
Elke Kaschl

Jewish Dance Artists

Felix Fibich, Selections from an Oral History
Interview by Judith Brin Ingber

The Yemenite Dance Materials of Sara Levi-Tanai (with listing of choreographic works)
Giora Manor

A Personal Testimony
Sara Levi-Tanai. Translated by Rob Rees

Dance in Jewish Communities and Religious Groups

Ethiopian Dance in Israel and An Interview with Ruth Eshel
Dawn Lille Horwitz

Simcha Bais Hasha'eva in Crown Heights: Rehearsing for the Ultimate Simcha Among the Lubavitcher Hasidim
Jill Gellerman

Do You Bow? Dancing to the Image of the Sabbath Queen
Judith Neulander

Jewish Theater Dance

Jewish Culture and Identity in the Russian Ballet: The Case of Leonid Jacobson
Janice Ross

Searching for Moving Metaphors: Jewishness in American Dance and Postmodern Dance
Naomi Jackson

Name Calling: The Dichotomy Between Jewish and Israeli Dance
Gaby Aldor

Bibliography on Jewish Sources

Introduction to Bibliography
Judith Brin Ingber

Bibliography of Jewish Dance Sources
Lillian Stillwell

Bibliography on Jerome Robbins
Judith Brin Ingber with Joelle Worm

Jewish Dance

Issue Editor
Judith Brin Ingber

General Editor
Guy H. Haskell

Review Editors
Steve Siporin
Judith Cohen

Corresponding Editors
Haya Bar-Itzhak
Venetia Newell

Associate Editors
Simon Bronner
Shifra Epstein

Editorial Advisory Committee
Barbara Kirsheblatt-Gimblett
Shlom Staub
Yael Zerubavel

The Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review is issued by the Jewish Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society and the Committee for the Anthropology of Jews and Judaism of the American Anthropological Association. ISSN 0890-9113 C 2000 Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Section of the American Folklore Society.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:21 PM | Permalink