Klezmer

Ph.D. dissertation (location at the Music Dept. of the Israeli National Library: JMB 2843)

Outline of the article:
Klezmer music
Classification of the Klezmer Genres
Bulgareasca, Bulgarish, Bulgar
The Bulgareasca/ Bulgarish in Eastern Europe
The Bulgarish in America
Conclusion
Notes

Klezmer music has experienced changing musical content and social function since the late 19th. c. In the immigrant period, mostly Eastern European dance tunes were performed by fairly large groups (12-15 performers). As more klezmer music was recorded, it took on the role of a cultural buffer. From the 1940s to the 1960s, however, it shifted back to a live performance context (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.) and was associated especially with the Jewish resort milieu of the Catskills.

"Klezmer" is a Yiddish word for professional folk instrumentalist-the flutist, fiddler, and bass player that made brides weep and guests dance at weddings throughout Jewish eastern Europe before the culture was destroyed in the Holocaust, silenced under Stalin, and lost out to assimilation in America. Klezmer music is now experiencing a tremendous new spurt of interest worldwide with both Jews and non-Jews recreating this restless volatile, and vibrant musical culture.