Even people who are unfamiliar with the history of klezmer, or are not enthusiastic about the genre at all, might be able to mention a few of its representative instruments. Even though it was an instrument standing in a low position in the hierarchy, the violin, or in its Yiddish name “fiddle” has always been an indispensable instrument in a klezmer ensemble, regardless of the type of song performed. Another significant contributor to today’s sound of klezmer is the clarinet. A person who played the clarinet represented a much more respectable social layer than the “fiddler”, even if clarinets became popular only in the nineteenth century.
Mountain fiddler
The accordion, the flute and the percussions, just to mention a few authentic instruments, can also be used by klezmer bands. Due to the restrictive conditions mentioned above, some instruments were not allowed at the beginnings in certain periods, for instance, in Ukraine. Louder tools were prohibited, so the musicians had to exclude brass instruments and drums from their performances. With the fusion of jazz and klezmer in the United States, brasses became of very high importance: saxophones, trombones and trumpets were just as common instruments of the genre as violins and clarinets, and can be heard in dozens of today’s klezmer ensembles.
trumpet player Frank London
When it comes to klezmer in the United States, there are basically two periods to look at: the roots of American klezmer date back to the 1880’s, lasting until the beginning of the 19th century and the “offshoots”deal with the characteristics developed in the great revival of the seventies (Freedman 445). In order for this revival to be successful, Jewish musicians who immigrated to America must have assimilated to the society and, besides respecting the authentic elements of their music, they had to be open towards new kinds of music branches and elements that they would embed into the genre.