Cherry Orchard Music
Jules Levin
ameliede at EARTHLINK.NET
Sun Sep 10 05:42:33 UTC 2006
At 07:39 PM 9/8/2006, you wrote:
Although Chekhov did specify "evreiskii orkestr," it's highly
unlikely that they played Jewish music for a Russian ball. Chekhov was not
describing a Jewish wedding, so what we nowadays call klezmer music would
not be appropriate. And on the other hand the standard Kammen music folios
that were used by Jewish musicians in the United States included numerous
Russian and Ukrainian melodies (including "Korobushka,", ""Svetit mesiats,"
"Chubchik," "Na sopkakh Mandzhurii," "Toska po rodine," 'I shumyt', i hude,"
"Stoit' hora vysokaia" etc.).
Maybe you are right Bob, but according to my admittedly skimpy research (for
a paper on why The Cherry Orchard is a comedy) via the web and emails to
history of klezmer people, there were three types of ethnic groups, and 3
types of music played in provincial landowners' parties--Jewish, Gypsy, and
Russian. The best orchestras--remember Gaev praises this particular group,
were able to play all three types of music on demand. Sophisticated gentry
would not have hired a good Jewish orchestra unless they expected to hear
all three types. The "enlightened" gentry were not adverse to asking for a
Jewish tune, if only to prove how liberal they were. And after all, WHY did
Chekhov make a point of it being a Jewish orchestra, both in the stage
directions and in Gaev's lines?
Jules Levin
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