BA RBA RA FRIED MAN
music began to die out in the United States.
Recordings of some of the foremost klez-
morim of the late-1890s to the mid-1930s sur-
vived. Young people who wanted to hear the
music their grandparents heard discovered
those recordings and fueled a klezmer revival
almost 20 years ago.
Contemporary klezmer bands, like the Seat-
tle-based Mazeltones, have recorded music
specifically for wedding ceremonies. Their
"Der Gansn Nign," for escorting the bride and
groom to the chuppah, is on their album
"Odessa, Washington" (Global Village). An-
other album, "Seattle/Rumania" (Global Vil-
lage), includes "Freylakhs fun der Khupe,"
("dances for leaving the wedding canopy").
Recorded wedding re-enactments, which
give some of the old-time flavor and ritual of
klezmer-accompanied weddings, appear on
"Klezmer Music" (Flying Fish), by Brave Old
World, and "Chicken" (Shanachie), by Kape-
lye. Other klezmer recordings appropriate for
weddings include "The Maxwell Street Wed-
ding" (Global Village) by the Maxwell Street
Klezmer Band; "The Flying Bulgar Klezmer
Band" (Dorian Discovery) by the Flying Bul-
gar Klezmer Band; "Freylekhs 21" (Global Vil-
lage) by the West End Klezmorim; and 'Me
Compleat Klezmer" (Tara Publications/Glob-
al ) a book and cassette by Henry Sapoznik.
Ask your cantor or organist if they (or some-
one they know) compose or arrange wedding
music. You might be able to commission
something.
To locate recordings or sheet music, comb
local music stores, Judaic a stores and libraries.
Ask the music director at your synagogue,
and try the following New York City resources.
• TRANSCOMINENTAL MUSIC PUBIICATIONS
(212) 249-0100 publishes Jewish music for
Reform congregations, and offers a $49 "wed-
ding package" of works in their catalogue com-
posed for, or suitable for, marriage services.
The package includes the booklet, "Music for
the Jewish Wedding," two cassettes with rep-
ti 11(11-: • JAN 1. JARY/ FEHR 11. JARY 1 D04
• 65