קולטור

Klezmer: Instruments of Song

Klezmer is a genre of instrumental music that developed in Eastern Europe and other regions where Yiddish speakers lived. The word "klezmer", like many Yiddish words, has Hebrew roots: in Hebrew the phrase means “vessels of song” or musical instruments. The title came about to make a distinction between the artists who were only instrumental musicians—klezmorim in the plural—and those artists who included other kinds of entertainment with music: singers, clowns, and dancers.

Klezmorim traditionally played at weddings and other celebrations. Early klezmer bands used instruments like the violin, bass, cello, wooden flute, and the dulcimer: a box with metal strings over an opening, which are struck with wooden hammers. Over time, clarinets were added to klezmer ensembles, and then brass instruments. In the last century, klezmer music has traveled with Jews wherever they settled, combining with music styles from other cultures in America and elsewhere.

In this movie, we introduced klezmorim as well as another group of musicians: muziker. Originally, the difference between them was that klezmorim played music that was considered from the folk or popular tradition, while muziker played music from the classical tradition. It was implicitly understood then that klezmorim were not of the same high artistic caliber as muziker. Nowadays klezmer is a genre of music that is widely and artistically appreciated, and a klezmer musician could be considered a muziker as well!