Klezmer in America: Background Music takes Center Stage

What started out as instrumental music to be played at Jewish events has become an art form so closely associated with Jewish tradition that it’s often the first music that comes to mind when we think of a Jewish celebration. And while klezmer is still, perhaps, the most popular choice for weddings, it has found expression in just about every musical genre one can think of – from classical, jazz, and rock, to hip-hop, funk, and more.

In this episode of American Jewish Music from the Milken Archive, Leonard Nimoy, Neil Levin, and Gerard Schwarz guide us through the history of klezmer and its influence on the classical music landscape in America.

One shining example of klezmer’s move from the wedding hall to the concert hall is Klezmer Rondos by Paul Schoenfield. The Milken Archive recorded the work with flutist Scott Goff, and cantor Alberto Mizrahi, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Schwarz describes it as an “extraordinary masterpiece of technical brilliance,” and lauds Schoenfield’s ability to combine the disparate folk, cantorial, and orchestra elements into a unified work.

Robert Starer’s concerto, K’li zemer is uniquely American in that he was only exposed to the Eastern-European Jewish sound after arriving in the U.S. from his native Vienna. “It’s this mix of cultures, this openness on the American scene that was never quite present to this extent anywhere else,” said Neil Levin of the piece’s origin. The concerto was recorded by clarinetist extraordinaire David Krakauer, with the Barcelona Symphony/National Orchestra of Catalonia conducted by Gerard Schwarz.

Listen now to: American Jewish Music from the Milken Archive with Leonard Nimoy Episode 12: Klezmer

Krakauer remains a feature in part two of the program, which begins with Celestial Dialogues by Israeli-born composer Ofer Ben-Amots. Ben-Amots refers to the work as a “stylistic confrontation” between klezmer and cantorial music, “a dichotomy between song and dance, which at the conclusion become one and the same expression: a prayer.”

Krakauer is also featured (with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gerard Schwarz) on “The Maypole” and “Canzonetta.” These two encore pieces were originally by Simeon Bellison, a Russian-born clarinetist who championed and propagated the traditions of the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music, and were later orchestrated for him by fellow St. Petersburg Society member Jacob Weinberg.

Our episode concludes with a return to klezmer’s “background” role with Yehudi Wyner’s incidental music for a play based on Isaac Beshevis Singer’s The Mirror. As Neil Levin explains, unlike his father (Lazar Weiner), Wyner is, “first and foremost an American composer.” His use of traditional elements is sparing but sophisticated as it’s interwoven into the greater work.

Related Content from the Milken Archive and Beyond

Recording A behind-the-scenes look at our klezmer recordings with David Krakauer, Gerard Schwarz and others.

Reliving Bruce Adolphe elucidates Mikhoels the Wise, and recalls how David Krakauer discovered klezmer.

Reimagining Ofer Ben-Amots and Karl Rickenbacher discuss the inspiration behind "Celestial Dialouges."