Klezmer Songbook from Transcontinetal Pubilcations
Contact: Zachary Kolstein 212.650.4125 Donald Cohen-Cutler 212.650.4213
Klezmer Songbook Breathes New Life into Traditional Jewish Music
September 20, 2006 – NEW YORK – The upbeat music of the clarinet and strings once filed the halls of every Jewish celebration. But time and the loss of many of the older generation's finest klezmer musicians has meant the loss of much of that music.
A monumental work by Yale Strom, The Absolutely Complete Klezmer Songbook, is a major collection of 313 full length klezmer songs, including out of print and previously unpublished melodies, many with Yiddish lyrics. Strom collected much of the material from Jewish and Rom (Gypsy) Holocaust survivors who recalled those melodies from childhood. The songbook includes archival photos, cultural and historic background, and a CD with 36 klezmer songs as recorded by Strom's Klezmer band, Hot Pstromi.
Strom noted, " Until the mid-1970s klezmer was virtually unknown to the non-Jewish public and only nostalgically remembered by many Jews. Today is the way klezmer bands throughout the world celebrate the resurgence of Yiddish culture."
The Absolutely Complete Klezmer Songbook, by Yale Strom, is available at many major music sellers for $49.95. You can also order directly from Transcontinental Music Publications by calling 212-650-4125.
Transcontinental Music Publications is the music-publishing arm of the Union for Reform Judaism, formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The Union serves as the central body to the Reform Movement in North America, uniting over 1.5 million Reform Jews across the United States and Canada. The Union supports programs and services including music and book publishing, adult education, and the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC.
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