Klezmer Music: Instrumentation and Tone Colour

Without any formal education, one can most likely recognise and identify the typical Eastern-European Klezmer music as Jewish music. The word Klezmer stems from the Hebrew words “Klei Zemer” meaning “vessel of song” and has since evolved to define the entire genre and musician as being influenced from a higher power. Klezmer music is essentially a folk genre and the music is believed to be in direct contact with the soul of the performer. It is versatile as it is used to accompany a wide variety of religious and secular festivals and celebrations. Through popular demand, the genre has evolved into a language that is accessible to everyone yet is still grounded in its Jewish roots.

Instrumentation

Klezmer bands generally consist of four to eight musicians known as Klezmorim. To be a Klezmorim was not a lucrative profession, and these Ashkenazi Jews were generally considered to live the gypsy life. Two Klezmorim generally lead the band on two fiddles. The accompanying ensemble consisted of two second fiddles that played chordal lines; flute, double bass and a hammered dulcimer, which is stringed instrument played with mallets as seen adjacent (photo: http://people.delphiforums.com/SIGN 543/Dulcimer.html).

Over the centuries, the ensemble expanded to include various other instruments including brass, woodwind and percussion. These additional instruments include the French Cornet, the German Trumpet, the snare drum, the bass drum, the accordion, woodblocks, guitar, cymbal and baraban. Today, a main instrument featured in Klezmer music includes the Clarinet. The violin and clarinet dominate Klezmer music because the instruments possess the tone and capacity to emulate the human voice. It is believed that through the musician’s aptitude to manipulate the intonation of the instrument, a sound of the intimate sobs and cries can be expressed through Yiddish folksong and so the instrument speaks to its listeners. This is one of the reasons that Klezmer music is believed to stem from the soul of the performer.

The typical structure of a Klezmer ensemble does not include a vocal line, however, at major events such as weddings, Bar-Mitzvas, Bat-Mitzvas and Communal Celebrations, vocalists feature as the lead.

Since the 20^th century, many secular Klezmer bands have evolved to include the saxophone, trombone and other instruments that are typically featured in jazz and Dixieland orchestration. This jazz inspired revival commenced in the 1970s in America and as it grew increasingly more popular, it gave Klezmorim a new identity as professional musicians.

Giora Feidman is a beautiful example of a musician using his instrument to imitate the human voice. Born in 1936, Feidman is an Israeli clarinetist known for his contribution and performance of Klezmer repertoire. His famous words include “I pickup the clarinet to share a message with mankind,” and that he “sings through (his) clarinet,” as “…it is the human voice.” The following audio example is a recording of Feidman’s. Feidman successfully combines the typical warm and sonorous sound of the clarinet with his own embellishments. He screams through his instrument, he overblows to generate a rough and unrefined tone. He produces a piercing sound soon followed by wavering tone that is once again, followed by a bright tone of resonate quality. All of these transitions are completed with such ease and natural ability. Feidman uses his clarinet as his voice as it speaks more universally than his own; which is one of the main objectives of Klezmer music.