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A style of music that is intrinsically Jewish, the name “Klezmer” comes from the combination of the Hebrew words clay and zimmer. Put together the words mean “vessel of music or song.” The idea of Klezmer music is that the instruments (such as the violin and clarinet) would be personified through emotions, such as soulful wailing or joyous laughter.

Well known Klezmer musicians include “the King of Klezmer” Giora Feidman, the Epstein Brothers’ Band, and Naftule Brandwein. Contemporary artists include the Klezmer Conservatory Band, the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, Brave Old World, and Klezmatics. Alicia Svigals is a popular Klezmer violinist.

Klezmer music is a product of the Yiddish culture of Eastern European Jews, who immigrated to the United States in the 1880’s. A typical Klezmer group contains around three to six performers. Klezmer musicians are known as “Klezmorim.” Generally, the Klezmer bands were informal groups of self-taught musicians who played traditional Yiddish music. They played folk songs, folk dances and solemn hymns before prayers. Although many of them did not understand how to read music, the Klezmer musicians were generally very skilled and talented.

Klezmer groups would travel from village to village seeking paid events to play, such as weddings, Purim festivals and synagogue dedications. The Klezmer musicians were so gifted that Polish nobles would often ask them to play for them.

Traditional Klezmer music is played on the violin, cello, trumpets, clarinet, flute, bugle, trumpet and drums. In some ways, Klezmer groups can be viewed as similar to Jazz groups in that they developed from group improvisation, ingenious harmonizations and solo innovations.

In the late seventies there was a revival in interest in traditional Jewish music, including Klezmer. Young Jewish musicians decided to explore their heritage. Many of these young men and women also explored traditional Jewish dances, including Russian kozatskis, Ukrainian kolomeikes, and Rumanian horas.

The Klezmorim were inspired by both the expressive, evocative melodies of the synagogue, but also the lively dances of the Russians, Rumanians, and other surrounding cultures, to create a unique style of their own. Unfortunately, the destruction of the last synagogues of Eastern Europe and disappearance of the “shtetl” (Jewish ghetto) the soulful sound of Klezmer was seemingly lost and forgotten.

Traditional Yiddish music has been kept alive through Klezmer music. Through the performance of intellectual and literate Jewish music to the highly comical Yiddish theatre, and various other styles — including instrumental dance music, folk songs, theater songs, and jazzy Yiddish pop music — a complex snapshot of immigrant life in America as seen through the eyes of Eastern European Jewish immigrants can be viewed.

Whether one is a newcomer to Klezmer music or intimate with Jewish culture, Klezmer opens the door to a world rich with energy and emotion that can be understood by all.

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|| Bluegrass Music || Blues Music || Bossa Nova Music || Classical Music ||
|| Dance Music || Fiddle Music || Funk Music || Gypsy Music || Irish / Celtic Music ||
|| Italian Music || Jazz Music || Jewish / Klezmer Music || Latin Music ||
|| Rock & Roll Music || Ska Music || Swing Music || Tango Music || Violin Music ||