Klezmer Style Guide
Klezmer Style Links
by Jim Rebhan
This resource is for instrumentalists who wish to learn how to perform klezmer music in a traditional style includes links to instrument-specific materials and related audio and video files.
General
- Amanda (Miryem-Khaye) Seigel, Online Research in Yiddish Music: Preliminary Issues
This article, published in the Revue de musicology in 2021, is a comprehensive inventory and discussion of significant internet digital resources for Yiddish music. It includes sources for recorded music, for digital sheet music, for oral histories and for other general information. The contents of each archive are described in detail, including the suggested access method. There is also an overview of the current state of Yiddish music research and a discussion about the complexities of searching via Yiddish language text. - Sherry Mayrent, KlezmerAcademy.com
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jewish Music Research Centre, Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that include or refer to the term in question. It also indicates whether musical notation or sound recordings are included in the source. By clicking on the bibliographic hyperlink at the end of each citation, you get the full reference.
- General Klezmer Guide, a comprehensive cross-reference of klezmer tune names, recordings, and sheet music sources. www.KlezmerGuide.com
- Classic Klezmer YouTube Videos. This is an extensive collection of mostly pre-WWII klezmer recordings. youtube.com/user/classicklezmer/videos
General Publications with Stylistic Information
- Henry Sapoznik & Pete Sokolow, The Compleat Klezmer, book with CD amazon.com
- Stacy Phillips, Mel Bay’s Klezmer Collection, book amazon.com C amazon.com Bb other sources
- Josh Horowitz, ed., The Ultimate Klezmer, modern edition of Nat Kostowsky, International Hebrew Wedding Music (1916), book. Out of print – limited availability. amazon.com
- Kurt Bjorling, ed., Jewish Instrumental Folk Music – the Collections and Writings of Moshe Beregovski (2nd ed.), book muziker.org
- Kammen International Dance Folio No. 1 & 9, books that include klezmer tunes. Out of print, amazon.com
- Velvel Pasternak, The Big Klezmer Fake Book, amazon.com
- Pete Sokolow, Klezmer Guide, book, Link to book
- Andy Statman, Learn to Play Klezmer, DVD link (search for “statman”)
- Yale Strom, ed., Shpil – The Art of Playing Klezmer, amazon.com
- Joel E. Rubin, New York Klezmer in the Early Twentieth Century: The Music of Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras (466 pages). This authoritative book places these two essential klezmer clarinetist in their social, historical cultural and musical context. It also provides a microscopically detailed taxonomy of their scales, ornamentation, modulations and articulation. The book was released in August, 2020. A fair amount of the material was discussed in Rubin’s 2001 doctoral thesis, listed below under Clarinet.
- Publications from the Klezmer Institute: https://klezmerinstitute.org/ publications/
- The Hoffman Book https://www.susanwattsmusic.com/performances This is a collection of 160 melodies assembled in 1927 by Jewish musician Joseph Hoffman (1869-1939) for his children.
- Musical Treasures from Sofia Magid’s Jewish Collection by Zisl Slepovitch, Magid’s Book
- Edit
- Belf’s Roumanian Orchestra transcriptions from Alan Fendler and Rivke L. Reid.
- Belf’s Roumanian Orchestra MP3s, archive.org/details/RumynskiOrkestrBelfa
- Simon Carlyle Collection of Klezmer Transcriptions, lutins.org/music/scores/carlyle
- KlezCalifornia Tune Archive, Link to Archive. The transcriptions in the archive were provided by workshop leaders and should not be reposted or shared with others without the express permission of the provider.
Violin/Fiddle
- Cookie Segelstein, The Klezmer Viola
- Alicia Svigals, klezmer fiddle, six master classes: Running Semiquavers, Playing the Zhok, Krekhts, Slides, Bends, Trills, youtu.be/muvjcMTX9Xw
- Jake Shulman-Ment, Krekhts on fiddle, youtu.be/wDZHO3ip2ac
- Jacob Gegna, Taksim, youtu.be/w8kOt4Tn6F4
- Ilana Kravitz, Klezmer Fiddle: A How-To Guide, book with CD, amazon.com
- Lisa Gutkin, Klezmer Fiddle: Learn the Melodies, Techniques and Styles of a Great Tradition, DVD https://www.elderly.com/products/dvd-how-to-play-klezmer-fiddle-learn-the-melodies-techniques-and-styles-of-a-great-tradition
- Steven Greenman, Klezmer School for Strings: Klezmer Music Tunes and Exercises for Student String Performers – Violin Part Volume 1 This volume includes seventeen klezmer tunes plus technical exercises, as well as information on the segund accompaniment style. For the beginning classical student Also includes play-along mp3 files: https://stevengreenman.com
See this blog entry for notated examples of Klezmer Violin Ornamentation - Gitl Eisner, New Ashkenazic Klezmer Music for String Instruments. Sheet music scores for 20 original pieces. Five are for solo violin. Fourteen are for first and second violins plus cello. One is for tsimbl, first and second violins and cello. We appreciate Gitl giving KlezCalifornia the opportunity to make her music available, free of charge.
- A very nice one hour, 25 minute YouTube video of a Klezmer Workshop by Alicia Svigals that she did in 2020 for the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at UCLA.
Accordion
- Miskha Tsiganoff, Bessarabian Hora, youtu.be/R-0GpRTXY24
- Max Yankowitz, Shulem’s Bulgar, youtu.be/i0mmi3aBl-o
- Alan Bern, duets with clarinet, youtu.be/_Ivz4TEuGlk
- Alan Bern, Introduction to Klezmer – 14 Intermediate-Level Pieces for Accordion amazon.com
Banjo
- Pete Rushevsky, The Essentials of Klezmer 5-String Banjo, The_Essentials_of_Klezmer_5-String_Banjo-Pete_Rushefsky.pdf
- Judy Muldawer, klezmer banjo website, banjojudy.com/klezmer-music
- Henry Sapoznik Interview with Yiddish Book Center youtu.be/KPii3xgKB_c
Clarinet
- Dave Tarras, one-hour concert (in 1978 at age 81), youtu.be/V6zKleJSYi4
- Joel Rubin, The art of the klezmer: improvisation and ornamentation in the commercial recordings of New York clarinetists Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras, 1922-1929, unpublished doctoral thesis (2001), PDF, openaccess.city.ac.uk/8393/
- Robin Seletsky, Klezmer Clarinet Tutorials, in eight parts:
- Charlie Berg, Klezmer Drumming, well.com/~ari/klez/articles/klezdrumming
- Elaine Hoffman Watts Documentary, Concert
- Alan Jacobowitz, Klezmer Marimba Lesson with Alan Bern, in three parts:
Flute
- Adrianne Greenbaum https://klezmerflute.com/
In addition to the resources on Adrianne’s website, including how to obtain lessons, there is a concert in four segments at the following links:
- Roumanian Shepherd’s Flute, youtu.be/tUl-k-cpnOo
- Josh Horowitz, article, klezmershack.com/articles/horowitz/horowitz.tsimbl
- Joseph Moskowitz, Chasen Senem, youtu.be/kvxSjPHq0bI
Cantorial Models
- Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt, Acheinu Kol Beis Yisroel, youtu.be/tS_hBRNSQlU
- Moisea (Moisha) Oysher, Sheyibone Beit Hamikdash https://youtu.be/nG2n2pQaIyw
- Video series with the Lubovitcher Rebbe, youtu.be/nDC19tNy8nA
- YIVO Ruth Rubin Yiddish Song Archives, Tapes 07 to 11
Miscellaneous Links
- Jim Rebhan, Simplified Practice Scales for Klezmer Modes
- Josh Horowitz, The Main Klezmer Modes
- Josh Horowitz, The Klezmer Freygish Shteyger: Mode, Sub-mode, and Modal Progression
- Jeff Warschauer and Alan Bern on klezmer accompaniment, youtu.be/Qr3phAsDN0A
- “Klezmer!” BBC documentary, in five parts:
- Seattle Klezmer Website. The Klezmer Resources page has links to useful audio recordings of training sessions with Kurt Bjorling and Andy Statman.