The roots
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The respect towards their roots and the great efforts they have made to maintain their habits throughout the centuries make Jewish people probably the most authentic persons amongst the world’s cultures. It is not a coincidence that ‘tradition’ is the most frequently repeated word in the main theme of the movie Fiddler on the Roof; an extremely popular story in the Jewish culture. Not only does the film present a great story, it is also a very influential cultural piece because of its music. The famous story of Tevye, the Milkman, is accompanied by a form of traditional Jewish music genre, an interesting, diverse style that blends several kinds of musical characteristics: klezmer.
Klezmer is very easily recognizable as it has numerous representative features. Even people who are most ignorant about the genre may realize that the melody they are listening to is an example of Jewish folk music. One of the distinctive attributes is that many klezmer songs tend to be heterophonic, which means that there is a central melody played by all the instruments, but in the form of a certain variation. Similar to jazz, the very same melody is not usually repeated; the composer or the performer changes it by, for instance, altering the register, a few notes, or the rhythm. The word ‘klezmer’ originates from two Hebrew terms: ‘klay’ means ‘instrument’ and ‘zemer’ stands for ‘music’. Thus, the interpretation of the expression might be “instrumental music” or “instrument of music” (Weitzman). This is significant, because the genre was among the first ones that laid a great emphasis on the instrument itself and not necessarily the performer.
Singing was only partially present in the original klezmer songs, and is not an essential element these days, even if a few bands do include singers. Klezmer’s history dates back to the 16th century period of Eastern Europe, where the so-called “klezmorim”, meaning ‘klezmer musicians’, played it at different gatherings like weddings, meals, meditations, and even in non-Jewish occasions and ceremonies (borzykowski.users.ch). In the middle-ages, the klezmorim had to face many difficulties: their activity was regulated as instrumental music was not tolerated after the destruction of the Second Temple; a nadir in Jewish history.
With the Jewish people moving across Central and Eastern Europe, their music was influenced by several cultures: Balcan and Gipsy characteristics, to mention two vital elements, contributed to the formation of the genre’s image. A huge step in the history of klezmer came with the Nazi and Stalinist prosecutions that resulted in millions of Jews leaving Europe looking for a better life overseas.