Klezmer Culture – Yiddish Music, History, Rhythm and Modes

Illustrations of Yiddish culture and origins of Klezmer music. Participate in eastern European rhythms and melodies through live demonstrations, looking at Klezmer music from historical, cultural, language and musical perspectives. You will learn about world music and musical expressions of cultures, along with how to clap and sing along with Klezmer tunes.

Klezmer music originated with the Ashkenazi Jews of central and eastern Europe from about the 1500s. It will include some slides of ‘old country’ shtetl life, audio recordings of old and more modern klezmer artists, as well as a live performance by the Wellington band Klezmer Rebs, demonstrating klezmer rhythmic patterns, song forms, melodies and music modes.