Klezmer enchants- and most of all it enchants violinists. It is one of many traditional music styles that was developed through and with the violin. The sonic ideal, phrasing, ornamentation and tonalities of the entire genre are very much determined by the violin, which means that this music fits the fiddlers’ fingers very well.
Klezmer is often described as both melancholic and happy at the same time. With particular slides and thrills, in combination with a particular bowing technique, we can make the violin “sob”, “sigh”, “complain”, but we can also make it “rejoice” and “warble”, allowing it to convey a broad spectrum of emotions.
If Klezmer music thrilled you as it did me, I am happy to share my knowledge of style, repertoire and background. Because there is a lot more to discover than the game of melancholy and joy.