Klezzified and Hora Mare: Eastern European Dance Music for String Quartet

• Price $14.99
  
• By Mimi Rabson
• Sheet Music
• Published by String Letter Publishing

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.

(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.

Listen to a sample of the original composition "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.

Listen to a sample of this arrangement of "Hora Mare."

—Mimi Rabson