Klezmermusik aus Berlin

Klezmer tov !
The word 'Klezmer' evolved from the two Hebrew words kli and zemer and means, literally translated,: instrument of song. Not only the human voice can sing. When the Klezmer musician - besides his body, his spitit and his entire soul - uses other instruments like the clarinet which is so similar to the human voice, he remains to be a singer - a singer of "songs without words".

Particularly the Chassidic East European Jews have developed a holy-intensive relationship to songs that they call "nigunim". This is shown by the following well-known story. It tells of the founder of Chassidism, Israel ben Elieser of Mesbiz (1700-1760), who was called the Baal-schem-tov: Lord of the Good Name.

On an evening of the "Rejoicing of the Law" the Baalschem himself was dancing with his community-members. He picked up a scroll and began to dance with it. After a while he gave it away and danced without it. At this moment one of his pupils who was well acquainted with his movements said to his companion: " Now the master hat given away the material instruction and has taken the spiritual one."

The dance without the scroll, the melody without words: That was a problem for the traditional judaism that defines itself by the written word. The East European Chassidim have solved this problem by a new evaluation of "pure" emotionality and expressivity which are shaped by ecstatic dances and wordless songs. In their stories and celebrations they have developed something like a theory and practice of wordless inspiration and unselfish devotion. These are the spiritual roots of the especially high intensity, with which even today music that is engaged in the Nigunim of the travelling Klezmorim, developed from Chassidic songs and dances, can suprise and enthuse musicians and listeners.

Freilach comes from yiddish " freylekh" (joyous); as a noun it indicates a rather wild klezmer rhythm. This ist one part of the group's name Harry's Freilach. The other part is taken from the founder and leader of the band, the clarinetist Harry Timmermann.

HARRY'S FREILACH plays Klezmer Music.This music originates amoung Eastern Jewry and was influenced by East European and oriental harmonies and rhythms. The melodies are gay and dancing, pensive melancholic or expressively tragic, sometimes festive, sometimes crudely wild, but always with a special intensity.

The expression Klezmer is taken from the Hebrew kli zemer (instrument of song) and doesn's only mean the musical instrument, but rather more the musician himself. As it is said by the well-known composer, poet and director of the International Center for Klezmer Studies in New York, Ora bat Chaim:

"THE INSTRUMENT OF THE MUSICIAN IS THE EXTENSION OF HIS SOUL."


The musicians:

Harry Timmermann was born near Guestrow (Mecklenburg), grew up in Wuppertal and has lived in Berlin since 1971. He studied German literature and philosophy and was a teacher at the Technical University in Berlin before he discovered Klezmer music. He picked up his childhood instrument, the clarinet, again and founded the group Harry's Freilach in 1992.

Alexandr Danko comes from Rostow on the River Don and studied Bajan, a russian accordeon, at the local music school. He has travelled much and gives concerts in classical and folk music. He became a member of Harry's Freilach in 1992 and has since then contributed through his outstanding virtuosity ans intensity to the group's sound.

Sophie Timmermann: is from Maubeuge, North France, and run a music school. At the beginning of 2000 she went to Paris for to work with the children's choir of Notre-Dame and to sing in the choir of the Orchestre de Paris. She moved to Berlin in October 2001 and joined Harry's Freilach as a singer and guitarrist.



Harry'sFreilach plays for your party, too!





Email HFreilach@aol.com..... phone 0049(0)33762-821487.....mobile 0173-4766654



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