Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Abstract: ABSTRACT \nThis study delves into the notion of klezmer as both a link in the chain of Jewish \ncontinuity and a mirror to the multifarious variations of Jewish identification. It explores \nthe music in relation to various events within the last century of Jewish history, such as \nthe Jewish enlightenment movement, migration from Eastern Europe and the Holocaust, \nand draws on various discourses of memory and identity to frame and elucidate the \nmusic. It also proposes the theory that klezmer could indeed be an archetype, comprised \nof mnemonic and archetypal musical devices, that resides deep within the Jewish \ncollective unconscious and rouses nostalgic yearnings to reclaim a cherished yet \nimperilled heritage. Embracing this notion of klezmer as archetype sheds light on the \ncontemporary klezmer scene, particularly in Germany, Poland and the United States of \nAmerica, and the many social, cultural and moral sensibilities that define it. Paving the \nway for the various avenues of Jewish, and often non-Jewish, memory work and \nidentification klezmer not only sounds the synthesis of cultural, social and religious \nboundaries, but also emerges as a bastion of Jewish continuity.
Author: Nicolette Richard
Language: English
Subfield: Music
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2237121432