Fabrangen Fiddlers
Encyclopedia
The Fabrangen Fiddlers are an American Jewish
folk music
band. Founded in 1971, the Washington, DC-area group was the first music collective devoted to the rediscovery of Jewish folk music and the development of new Jewish liturgical folk music.
s to form in the United States, as cited in The Jewish Catalog. The movement formed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as an alternative to traditional Jewish synagogue
s and temples. The desire was to discover a more authentic Jewish experience. The early chavurah movement was characterized by experimentation and reforging of ritual. It was in this environment in 1971 that David Shneyer, Alan Oresky and Frank Sparber formed a trio that was to become the Fabrangen Fiddlers. The group started by creating original liturgical music for traditional Hebrew prayers for the Fabrangen community in Washington, DC. Rabbi Arthur Waskow
has written extensively about the formation of the Fabrangen community.
The initial line-up of the group featured David Shneyer on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Alan Oresky on violin and mandolin; and Frank Sparber on clarinet. Sue Roemer joined the group in 1973 and was featured on vocals, piano and guitar. In 1975, Theo Stone joined and was featured on stand-up bass, electric bass guitar, and sitar. Larry Robinson joined in 1978 and was featured on banjo, guitar and bousouki.
By 1975 the Fabrangen Fiddlers had become independent from the Fabrangen Chavurah.
, and klezmer
music. In a 1979 review in Jewish Living Magazine, music critic Nat Hentoff
wrote that the Fiddlers "create an astonishing blend. Their lyrics are in Hebrew
and Yiddish
, and the spirited backgrounds include elements of bluegrass
-- a 'purer' country
idiom than the Nashville sound
-- jazz
, hillbilly
, blues
, and, of course, the swirling 'cry' of Yiddish swing."
The album featured psalms; Hasidic tunes; even a poem by the Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore
translated into Yiddish, and a hasidic "raga
" in which Theo Stone plays sitar
. Hentoff wrote, "much of the music is deeply lyrical, and all of it is performed with such joy and respect that American Chai! is both a pleasure in itself and also, I believe, a historic document, for this is not mere ecumenicism. The music here, is unmistakably, freshly Jewish and opens new avenues in the art of listening."
In a 1985 interview with the Baltimore Jewish Times
, the Fabrangen Fiddlers explained that throughout history, Jews have always borrowed from the surrounding culture while retaining their own ethnic identity. Wherever Jews were in the diaspora, they picked up musical styles: Spanish, Russian, Eastern European, North African Arabic. It was a natural transition for American klezmer performers to experiment with American music styles for Jewish liturgical and celebratory music.
In The New Jewish Yellow Pages, Mae Shafter Rockland wrote that the Fabrangen Fiddlers, vaguely annoyed with the extent to which Israeli music dominated Jewish music in America, felt the time was ripe for a flowering of a hyphenated Jewish-American culture. Rockland quotes musicologist Ruth Rubin as saying that the Fabrangen Fiddlers "…are the best there is… [violinist] Alan [Oresky] is absolutely remarkable, the fiddle is part of his arm."
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band. Founded in 1971, the Washington, DC-area group was the first music collective devoted to the rediscovery of Jewish folk music and the development of new Jewish liturgical folk music.
Origin
The Fabrangen Fiddlers formed in 1971 as part of the Fabrangen Chavurah, one of the original chavurahChavurah
A chavurah or havurah is a small group of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of facilitating Shabbat and holiday prayer services, sharing communal experiences such as lifecycle events, and Jewish learning...
s to form in the United States, as cited in The Jewish Catalog. The movement formed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as an alternative to traditional Jewish synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and temples. The desire was to discover a more authentic Jewish experience. The early chavurah movement was characterized by experimentation and reforging of ritual. It was in this environment in 1971 that David Shneyer, Alan Oresky and Frank Sparber formed a trio that was to become the Fabrangen Fiddlers. The group started by creating original liturgical music for traditional Hebrew prayers for the Fabrangen community in Washington, DC. Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Arthur Waskow
Arthur Ocean Waskow, born Arthur I. Waskow, is an American author, political activist, and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement.-Education and early career:...
has written extensively about the formation of the Fabrangen community.
The initial line-up of the group featured David Shneyer on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Alan Oresky on violin and mandolin; and Frank Sparber on clarinet. Sue Roemer joined the group in 1973 and was featured on vocals, piano and guitar. In 1975, Theo Stone joined and was featured on stand-up bass, electric bass guitar, and sitar. Larry Robinson joined in 1978 and was featured on banjo, guitar and bousouki.
By 1975 the Fabrangen Fiddlers had become independent from the Fabrangen Chavurah.
American Chai!
Their second album American Chai! (1976 ) blended American, Jewish liturgicalLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
, and klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
music. In a 1979 review in Jewish Living Magazine, music critic Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff is an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media and writes regularly on jazz and country music for The Wall Street Journal....
wrote that the Fiddlers "create an astonishing blend. Their lyrics are in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, and the spirited backgrounds include elements of bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
-- a 'purer' country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
idiom than the Nashville sound
Nashville sound
The Nashville sound originated during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of honky tonk music which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s...
-- jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, hillbilly
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and, of course, the swirling 'cry' of Yiddish swing."
The album featured psalms; Hasidic tunes; even a poem by the Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
translated into Yiddish, and a hasidic "raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
" in which Theo Stone plays sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
. Hentoff wrote, "much of the music is deeply lyrical, and all of it is performed with such joy and respect that American Chai! is both a pleasure in itself and also, I believe, a historic document, for this is not mere ecumenicism. The music here, is unmistakably, freshly Jewish and opens new avenues in the art of listening."
In a 1985 interview with the Baltimore Jewish Times
Baltimore Jewish Times
The Baltimore Jewish Times is a subscription-based weekly community publication serving the Jewish community of Baltimore.-History:Baltimore's oldest and largest Jewish publication, it has been described as "the largest weekly in Maryland and one of the most respected independent Jewish...
, the Fabrangen Fiddlers explained that throughout history, Jews have always borrowed from the surrounding culture while retaining their own ethnic identity. Wherever Jews were in the diaspora, they picked up musical styles: Spanish, Russian, Eastern European, North African Arabic. It was a natural transition for American klezmer performers to experiment with American music styles for Jewish liturgical and celebratory music.
In The New Jewish Yellow Pages, Mae Shafter Rockland wrote that the Fabrangen Fiddlers, vaguely annoyed with the extent to which Israeli music dominated Jewish music in America, felt the time was ripe for a flowering of a hyphenated Jewish-American culture. Rockland quotes musicologist Ruth Rubin as saying that the Fabrangen Fiddlers "…are the best there is… [violinist] Alan [Oresky] is absolutely remarkable, the fiddle is part of his arm."