Klezmer Tunes and Hasidic Niguns: Taxonomy of Genres

Klezmer music and Hasidic niguns are two areas of traditional music of the Ashkenasic Jews. We speak about instrumental music in the first case, and about the vocal one — in the second. Niguns and klezmer melodies were composed for different purposes, they sounded in different situations (it was different types of rites in different localities and with different focus). Their creators had differed by social status. But these two music spheres are often confused with each other in contemporary performance practice. Niguns are sung at weddings, niguns are also a significant part of the repertoire of modern klezmer ensembles.

According to the Kiselgof’s classification both tunes are “songs without words.” Abraham-Zevi Idelsohn and Moisey Beregovski have divided these genres. Idelsohn did not record klezmer melodies, and he has published niguns in the X volume of his Thesaurus of Hebrew Oriental Melodies. However most folklorists collectung Jewish music are guided by external signs. If the informant plays the violin ore the clarinet, the melody will be assigned to the klezmer music. If he sings (and we have not information, that it was plaid by klezmors), — the melody will be assigned to the niguns.

Klezmer tunes and Hasidic niguns have many similarities. But there are features, which help us to make them out. They are the nature of the intonation (it can be instrumental or vocal), the ambitus of the melody, the rhythm, changing of the musical harmony and the gesture transmitted by the melody.