Klezmer music at Jewish weddings

Klezmer is the instrumental musical tradition of Eastern European Jews. The term originally referred to a musician. It comes from the Hebrew expression klei zemer, meaning ‘musical instruments’. 1

Weddings as musical occasions

Weddings were the main setting in which klezmer ensembles worked. Restrained melodies might be played before the ceremony, followed by dancing afterwards. Music accompanied different parts of the celebrations, which lasted several days. 1

Ensemble line-ups

Klezmer ensembles included violins, tsimbls (hammered dulcimers), bass instruments and others. The clarinet appeared in Prussian Poland and Moldavia in the early nineteenth century. Other regions used different line-ups, so there was no single standard klezmer orchestra. 1