22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Klezmer: An Introduction to a Jewish folk genre
Ken R. Goss♦
Dr. Jesse D. Krebs, Faculty Mentor
Klezmer developed in what was essentially a cultural vacuum for the Jews of Eastern Europe. They had fled their homeland in waves after the Babylonian, Assyrian, and finally Roman occupation of Jerusalem that climaxed in the destruction of the Temple. Against the rabbinate and through a series of sacred, secular, Jewish, and Gentile borrowings of influence, Klezmer developed in Eastern Europe to become a great icon of Jewish culture and life. I will present various performance aspects of Klezmer such as accompaniment styles and ornamentation, and I will demonstrate examples of how these concepts are applied in a practical sense within the context of ensemble performance. Excerpts will be performed by an ensemble of Truman student musicians to demonstrate the techniques. Also, influences, common practices, and tonalities will be explored and explained, all of which a student of Klezmer is likely to encounter.
Keywords: Klezmer, Folk Music, Jewish, Clarinet, Band, Ornamentation, Musicology, World Music
Topic(s):Music
Folklore
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: 16-1
Location: OP Performance Hall
Time: 9:45