Ashkenazic music
Encyclopedia
This article is about the music of the Ashkenazi Jews
.
The music
that originated in Eastern Europe
(the Balkans
, Romania
, Bulgaria
, among others) and moved westward and northward throughout Europe
and later into North America
, belongs to the Ashkenazi tradition
. It includes Klezmer
music. 'Klezmer' means 'instruments of song', from the Hebrew words 'klei zemer'. It has come to denote the musician himself, thus incorporating a point of view that regards the musician as the vehicle or instrument of a higher source. 'Ashkenazi' refers to Jews who in the 9th century began to settle along the banks of the Rhine. Since these Jews are the forebears of much of European and Western Jewry, 'Ashkenazi' today refers to Jewish people of the Western World
, or even more to the point, Jews of a Western cultural orientation.
Other than Hebrew - the tongue of the Bible
- the language of speech and song is mainly Yiddish (Judeo-German); nowadays, English
and other local languages have come to play a large role in Jewish Music
of the Ashkenazi stream.
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
.
The music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
that originated in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
(the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, among others) and moved westward and northward throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and later into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, belongs to the Ashkenazi tradition
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
. It includes Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music. 'Klezmer' means 'instruments of song', from the Hebrew words 'klei zemer'. It has come to denote the musician himself, thus incorporating a point of view that regards the musician as the vehicle or instrument of a higher source. 'Ashkenazi' refers to Jews who in the 9th century began to settle along the banks of the Rhine. Since these Jews are the forebears of much of European and Western Jewry, 'Ashkenazi' today refers to Jewish people of the Western World
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, or even more to the point, Jews of a Western cultural orientation.
Other than Hebrew - the tongue of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
- the language of speech and song is mainly Yiddish (Judeo-German); nowadays, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and other local languages have come to play a large role in Jewish Music
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish People which have evolved over time throughout the long course of Jewish History. In some instances Jewish Music is of a religious nature, spiritual songs and refrains are common in Jewish Services throughout the world, while other times, it is...
of the Ashkenazi stream.