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Klezzified and Hora Mare: Eastern European Dance Music for String Quartet
Klezzified and Hora Mare: Eastern European Dance Music for String Quartet
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Get your audience up and dancing. They’ll be unable to resist clapping along to these two festive compositions. “Klezzfied” is an original medley of two klezmer-style tunes, one a Romanian-style hora, and the second an upbeat “freylach.” “Hora Mare” is a dramatic and lively traditional Romanian dance tune.
By Mimi Rabson.
Published by String Letter Publishing
$14.99
Sheet Music
ABOUT THE MUSIC (Excerpted from the Performance Notes)
Klezmer music, popularized as a genre in the 20th century but with roots that go back 500 years, is the celebratory music of the Eastern European Jews. “Klezzified” is an original composition, a medley of two klezmer-style tunes, one a Romanian-style hora, and the second an upbeat “freylach.”
Stylistically the hora has come to mean many things in different cultures. The Romanians play several dance styles in 5/8 and 7/8. The klezmer musicians adapted this feel into their own unique style. While it does have a meter that is more familiar to Western ears (3/4), it has a certain loping feeling that suggests its roots in the odd meters from that part of the world.
The second part, a “freylach,” is an upbeat, happy dance. It is inspired by the klezmer sirba, which is associated with Serbian music. In the Klezmer repertoire, sirba is one of the faster dance rhythms and it often is a showpiece for the players.
Click here to listen to a sample of "Klezzified."
“Hora Mare” is a set of traditional Romanian dance tunes—the title means “Big Dance.” Traditionally, this set of dances is performed with a number of violinists playing the melody, each in their own particular style. This added chaotic energy makes a very dramatic sound.
This tune should be played with a strong, steady rhythm. It can be very effective to begin at a slightly slower tempo and then slowly speed up throughout the tune so that during the last time through the tempo is as fast as possible. This accelerated tempo helps add excitement and energy to the tune. The dynamics should be mostly forte.
Both pieces should be played as if a room full of people is dancing to it. Encourage your audience to clap along or dance in the aisles to both these tunes if the acoustics permit.
Click here to listen to a sample of "Hora Mare."
ABOUT THE ARRANGER
MIMI RABSON—violinist, violist, composer—has been dubbed a “. . . dazzling, violin phenom” by the Boston Globe. She has distinguished herself as one of Boston’s most creative and versatile musicians. She appears regularly in classical, jazz, klezmer, and other eclectic performances and frequently leads her own ensembles. She is the first-prize winner of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in composition for 2003. She was a founding member of the Klezmer Conservatory Band and worked with that organization for many years touring, recording, and composing, and acting as musical director. She has appeared with Itzhak Perlman on The Late Show with David Letterman and was featured in the klezmer documentary A Jumpin’ Night in the Garden of Eden. She also has served as musical director to Academy Award–winner Joel Grey in his production of Borschtcapades ’94. Her composition “Klezzified” was featured on Saturday Night Live. She is on the faculty at the Berklee College of Music.
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