A New Cd Of Mallorcan/spanish Music By Juliette

[squeezora]

Hi everybody,

 

I’ve just recorded a new CD using a Wheatstone Bass Baritone Aeola. I believe this the first and only recording using this range of concertina in such a way. I really hope that you enjoy it.

 

At the same time I also recorded the same music on a Tenor Treble Wheatstone Aeola from 1925. There is a lot of difference in the feel and sound of the two instruments and so the two CDs will each give a different musical experience as well as allowing aficionados to compare the two sounds of the instruments. The higher pitched recording I call Picante and the bass recording I call Dulce (or Hot and Sweet). I’m sure that you will understand why when you hear them played.

 

I really had a wonderful time recording this music as I’ve heard it played by my father since I was a baby.

 

The Cds are all Spanish music. Details are at my website.

 

I’m happy to announce that I’ve updated my website at <www.juliettedaum.com > with more downloads available and in the next few weeks I hope to have a lot more of these.

 

Thanks to everyone who has helped and encouraged me to keep playing.

 

Juliette

 

I very much appreciate every bit of feedback that I get from people on the forum, thanks again.

[tamborileru]

I'm Spanish but I must say that I know nothing about Mallorca's music (I only know a group called S'Albaida). I know music from Galicia, Asturias, Kingdom of León, Extremadura, Castilla,... but from Mallorca even in Spain is difficult to get something.

 

How do you get Spanish music? Because I think that out of Spain the only Spanish music that sounds is "flamenco", when Spanish music is more rich than this, and there are a lot of traditional instruments, not only "Spanish guitar and castañuelas".

[m3838]

I'm Spanish but I must say that I know nothing about Mallorca's music (I only know a group called S'Albaida). I know music from Galicia, Asturias, Kingdom of León, Extremadura, Castilla,... but from Mallorca even in Spain is difficult to get something.

 

How do you get Spanish music? Because I think that out of Spain the only Spanish music that sounds is "flamenco", when Spanish music is more rich than this, and there are a lot of traditional instruments, not only "Spanish guitar and castañuelas".

 

Somewhat known is Trikitixa music from Basque Contry, esp. among 2 row diatonic Accordion players, of which many are here.

Only Ladino by Spanish Jews and Spanish Gipsies' Flamenco made it into the mainstream.

I guess all folk traditions have difficult time appealing to people from the outside. There's so much that is lost in translation, introduction, explanation. I observe that even native folk traditions have tough time touching the hearts of locals. I recall complains from English folks about English folk traditions been a bit obscured. Certainly Russian folk is performed by few affecionados and generally is a museum piece. Klezmer is basically dead as living tradition since nobody speaks Yiddish anymore.

But hey, don't we have Michael Jackson and Madonna?

[JimLucas]

I'm Spanish but I must say that I know nothing about Mallorca's music (I only know a group called S'Albaida). I know music from Galicia, Asturias, Kingdom of León, Extremadura, Castilla,... but from Mallorca even in Spain is difficult to get something.

 

How do you get Spanish music?

Well, Juliette wrote,

I really had a wonderful time recording this music as I’ve heard it played by my father since I was a baby.

For more detail, read her commentary on this web page It seems that what she has recorded derives from a particular musician; I don't know whether it's representative of a wider tradition.

 

Because I think that out of Spain the only Spanish music that sounds is "flamenco",...

I'd say that's half true, in two different ways.

1. I think that most people (at least in "Western" cultures), have heard of Flamenco and many have even heard "Flamenco-style" guitar playing and seen "Flamenco" dance in a movie or two. But very few would be able to tell the real thing from a performance by someone who taught him/herself from a book. Nor are many aware that there are different Flamenco styles, much less what the differences might be.
    
   So even Flamenco isn't really well known.
    
    
   
2. As Michael (m3838) noted, the music of the Basques -- particularly the accordion playing -- has become better known in recent years. I don't think that public awareness in other countries has reached the level of Irish -- or even Swedish or Breton -- music, but those who have heard it know it's distinct from other "Spanish" music. Galician music has also been getting a reputation of its own recently, since some people have been labelling it "Celtic", rather than "Spanish". I saw Carlos Núñez with his own group at Denmark's Tønder Folk Festival a few years back, and he joined The Chieftains on stage for one concert. He has also toured both with and without The Chieftains.
    
   So I would say that various regional forms Spanish traditional music are gradually gaining recognition even outside Spain. We may regret it if they ever become as popular as Irish. They would almost certainly be changed.
   

The internet and internet search engines make it possible for those who might be interested in such things to find information and connect with others who have similar interests. E.g., I just Googled "Spanish provinces", since I realized that I didn't know even the names of a more than a couple (Asturia, Catalonia, Galicia... I've forgotten the local name for the Basque country, though I once visited a friend there). Wow! Wikipedia lists 52 provinces, though some "autonomous communities" cover more than one "province". Going one step further, I gave Wikipedia's Search facility "Asturian music", and it gave me this page. A Google search on "Asturian music" gave me 1760 hits, while a search on "music of Mallorca" gave only seven. Discouraging? Seven is more than none, and contacting the authors of those pages should lead you to more information. Your interest might even stimulate others. Maybe someone will eventually start a Mallorca.net forum?

 

Only Ladino by Spanish Jews and Spanish Gipsies' Flamenco made it into the mainstream.

Ladino music made it into the mainstream? I've been aware of it since the 1980's, but I haven't yet noticed it in "the mainstream". I don't think that even most non-Jews who know about the Yiddish language or even are into klezmer music are aware that there's a separate Iberian-derived Jewish tradition, with its own language and music.

 

I guess all folk traditions have difficult time appealing to people from the outside.

And often to people "from the inside". How many ballad singers, fiddlers, or even sheep farmers find their children and neighbors rejecting "the old ways"? But then there are those -- from inside or outside -- that the tradition "speaks to", and if there are enough, the tradition will grow and flourish, though hardly without change. I'm told that the old Northumbrian traditional music nearly died out, and I know that that nearly happened to the traditional dance and music of New England (northeast United States). But both have experienced a new blossoming, and I think the numbers of people playing those musics today would have been unbelievable to the carriers of those traditions only 40 years ago. Meanwhile, both "Irish" music and the contra dance culture have spread far beyond their original populations, and been radically transformed in the process. In both cases there are those who enjoy both the "new" and the "old" forms... and still know the difference.

 

But getting back on Topic, Juliette's recording is clearly carrying on a tradition -- one passed from Bartolome Calatayud to her father to herself, -- while undoubtedly adding her own personal "stamp" to the music. Who knows, maybe her recordings will stimulate wider interest in both the concertina and Mallorcan music. One can hope.

 

This is sort of a P.S.

Klezmer is basically dead as living tradition since nobody speaks Yiddish anymore.

Eh? I guess you've never been to New York City, or not paid much attention if you were there.

 

Meanwhile, from Wikipedia I get this:

In June 1999, the Swedish Parliament enacted legislation giving Yiddish legal status as one of the country's official minority languages (entering into effect in April 2000). The rights thereby conferred are not detailed, but additional legislation was enacted in June 2006 establishing a new governmental agency,

[m3838]

This is sort of a P.S.

Klezmer is basically dead as living tradition since nobody speaks Yiddish anymore.

Eh? I guess you've never been to New York City, or not paid much attention if you were there.

 

Meanwhile, from Wikipedia I get this:

In June 1999, the Swedish Parliament enacted legislation giving Yiddish legal status as one of the country's official minority languages (entering into effect in April 2000). The rights thereby conferred are not detailed, but additional legislation was enacted in June 2006 establishing a new governmental agency,

I have been to New York only twice for a few days, however my friends' parents and grandparents could be the people, whose Yiddish you heard, while there. Unfortunately, most of them are not participating in any form of Yiddish culture, and most educated of them, including musically educated, only play/sing Klezmer on rare ocasion. Most don't even know the word "Klezmer". The young (and not so young anymore) folks, who may have recieved the tradition are not into it.

Yiddish is not their language. What happens is the vast recorded body of Yiddish cultural past is still performed and popular enough to be recognized and somewhat survive. But I'm sure it's at the end of jorney. As Yiddish words fall into the emptiness of oblivion, the music itself will make less and less sense. But nothing passes in vain. It had it's time - it' s gone.

I think Ladino "made it into mainstream" because it's not unusual, you can buy Ladino in chain record stores. After all Rostropovich is pretty obscure, but mainstream classical.

[JimLucas]

This is sort of a P.S.

Klezmer is basically dead as living tradition since nobody speaks Yiddish anymore.

Eh? I guess you've never been to New York City, or not paid much attention if you were there....

I have been to New York only twice for a few days, however my friends' parents and grandparents could be the people, whose Yiddish you heard, while there.

That same Wikipedia article which I quoted above also says:

"In the 2000 census, 178,945 people in the United States reported speaking Yiddish at home. Of these speakers, 113,515 lived in New York...."

I'm sure I spent at least 500 (maybe 1000 or more) times as many days there as you, and I'm sure the Yiddish speakers I encountered weren't limited to your friends' few ancestors.

 

Unfortunately, most of them are not participating in any form of Yiddish culture, and most educated of them, including musically educated, only play/sing Klezmer on rare ocasion.

Yet those "rare occasions" are still part of their culture, not some museum artifact trotted out for tourists. I've also seen quite a few younger people of various ethnic backgrounds develop a strong interest in the cultures which their parents have tried to forget, giving new life to those cultures.

 

Most don't even know the word "Klezmer".

No surprise. As a term identifying the musical tradition, it was invented in my lifetime, by "young" people I knew personally, enthusiastically reviving their own ethnic roots.

 

The young (and not so young anymore) folks, who may have recieved the tradition are not into it.

No, Michael, just because you personally haven't observed something, that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

 

And I wonder whether one factor in your saying these things might be that you want them to be true. You speak occasionally of your Russian heritage, but you don't seem to be embracing it. You used to call yourself Misha, but lately it's been Michael. Not so?

 

I think Ladino "made it into mainstream" because it's not unusual,...

It's not? My experience in America is that it's no more "usual" than classical Persian music or unaccompanied Scottish ballads. I've known personally a father-son duo of classical Ladino singers, and I wouldn't class what they do as "usual" or "mainstream". But maybe I've lived beside a different stream than you.

 

...you can buy Ladino in chain record stores.

And not "Klezmer", or "Yiddish"? Oy, veh!

 

After all Rostropovich is pretty obscure, but mainstream classical.

Is he obscure? I hadn't noticed. I guess I'm lucky to have seen/heard him perform. (Actually, I know I'm lucky. It was a wonderful performance!)

[m3838]

That same Wikipedia article[/url] which I quoted above also says:

"In the 2000 census, 178,945 people in the United States reported speaking Yiddish at home. Of these speakers, 113,515 lived in New York...."

I'm sure I spent at least 500 (maybe 1000 or more) times as many days there as you, and I'm sure the Yiddish speakers I encountered weren't limited to your friends' few ancestors.

 

And I wonder whether one factor in your saying these things might be that you want them to be true. You speak occasionally of your Russian heritage, but you don't seem to be embracing it. You used to call yourself Misha, but lately it's been Michael. Not so?

 

But maybe I've lived beside a different stream than you.

 

Today New York Jews are 1750000 strong. Of which only 113000+ speak Yiddish at home. Guess most of them are old. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

My name in Russia was Michael (as american nicknames were(are) very popular). Here I'm called variously depending on my email and login at the company I'm working. Nowadays I'm Mber (prononced "Amber", which incidentally how my second name is translated into English). I don't specifically embrace Russian culture because it's part of me, I don't notice it - it's just there.

I'd say, if chain stores offer something - it's pretty much a mainstream. Amount of sails doesn't matter. After all, most "rocabilly" CDs don't sell, but contain nothing but banal echoing of the mainstream cliches.

 

My main point though is that Yiddish songs must reflect Yiddish life. If only 100000 people speak it, and their number diminishes - what do you do?

Coming back to topic - what appears Spanish to us, may not be so to people in Spain, right? So we can only claim to be familiar with something like "From Spain with Love". One Klezmer band, "The Klezmatics" has a true Jewish tune in their repertore - "Roosky Kazak" (Russian Cossak). It's not even funny.

So I would whole-heartedly embrace such Spanish performance as Ladino song, with Flamenco dancing, accompanied by Trikitixa.

It's Spanish version of Yiddish song "Roosky Kazak".

BTW, Spanish music is very popular in Russia and is staple repertore of any classical guitarist. And don't write off Maya Plisetskaya directing Ballet Carmen in Madrid. I would say that Spanish music is more familiar to Russians than Irish.

[squeezora]

I'm Spanish but I must say that I know nothing about Mallorca's music (I only know a group called S'Albaida). I know music from Galicia, Asturias, Kingdom of León, Extremadura, Castilla,... but from Mallorca even in Spain is difficult to get something.

 

How do you get Spanish music? Because I think that out of Spain the only Spanish music that sounds is "flamenco", when Spanish music is more rich than this, and there are a lot of traditional instruments, not only "Spanish guitar and castañuelas".

 

I am confused by this statement of yours [How do you get Spanish music?] I think that Mallorca is a part of Spain. Bartolome Calatayud was, I believe, a Spaniard and so how can the music he wrote not be Spanish? I think to most of the world, the sound of his music will be associated with Spain.

 

However, please listen to the music first and then if it sounds Irish, I'll be glad to change my description of it and acknowledge my mistake.

 

Juliette

[squeezora]

I'm Spanish but I must say that I know nothing about Mallorca's music (I only know a group called S'Albaida). I know music from Galicia, Asturias, Kingdom of León, Extremadura, Castilla,... but from Mallorca even in Spain is difficult to get something.

 

How do you get Spanish music? Because I think that out of Spain the only Spanish music that sounds is "flamenco", when Spanish music is more rich than this, and there are a lot of traditional instruments, not only "Spanish guitar and castañuelas".

 

I am confused by this statement of yours [How do you get Spanish music?] I think that Mallorca is a part of Spain. Bartolome Calatayud was, I believe, a Spaniard and so how can the music he wrote not be Spanish? I think to most of the world, the sound of his music will be associated with Spain.

 

However, please listen to the music first and then if it sounds Irish, I'll be glad to change my description of it and acknowledge my mistake.

 

Juliette

 

hoping to correct a possible misunderstanding,

 

Hi tamborileru,

 

I must apologize for my answer to your post. i think that I misunderstood it.

 

If you mean by "Where do you get Spanish music?", where did I actually find the sheet music, I had some of it from my Father and some of it we found in music shops. I play a lot from classical guitar scores. For the most part, I can play all the notes that can be played on the guitar and sometimes more. Some of the music I find on the internet. I bought a CD of guitar scores from Italy that had lots of different composers from the Renaissance to the present. I print it out from my computer and then edit it to work on the concertina. I do the same thing with music written for other instruments that I adapt to the concertina. Otherwise the repertoire that exists for the concertina in music by various composers is very small. So this way I can play what ever I want. Learning how to read and write music was a really big help to me. I wouldn't have wanted to try to learn this music by ear, though I do play some by ear, for example, I learned to play "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven by ear, but this is not a very complicated piece when compared to many others.

 

I would be happy to share some of my arrangements, but most of the details are in my head when I play, so when I have time, I'll have to sit down and write out some arrangements if anyone is interested. Please let me know.

 

Juliette

[tamborileru]

Hello!

 

I just read juliette biography and her explanation abbout her new disc, and I have understood better the reasons that why she knows Spanish music.

 

Certainly, Mallorca is part of Spain (and what a pretty part!). My question about your disc was made because I didn't read your web (I'm sorry), but after I post my message in this forum I read the website and... BINGO! I found the answer to my question. Now I understand why.

 

Don't worry, I'm going to listen your disc (but first of all, I must get it). I'm going to write you (but not today, it's midnight!). But I promise you listen your disc and then tell you my opinion.

 

The problem of traditional musics from Spain (and I supoose than it happens with tradicional musics from other countries) is that the people of his own country ignores than this tipes of musics exist. In Spain, even in the news programs, always speak about flamenco festivals, or flamenco dancers, and flamenco singers. Always flamenco. But flamenco is a small part of tradicional music from Spain, and I think than it has less importance that seems. But flamenco has all the publicity of the world and that is the reason of his importance.

 

However, other musics in Spain so good like flamenco, are ignored by new, newpapers, radio,... They do not exists! By example, the instrument I play (three hole flute and tabor) is almost ignore out of Salamanca, or Cáceres, or Basque Country. Out of this three places, the peple think that this instrument is played only in the Basque Country, and call it whith the Basque name: "txistu" (in Spanish, "chistu" or "Chisto"). But this instrument is played in the Basque Country, León (called "chifla"), Zamora, Salamanca (called "gaita"), Cáceres,... and Huelva (where is called "flauta rociera"). But the people of Spain ignore all this because, we don't appear on TV!

 

And the same thing happens with the Basque "trikitixa", "txalaparta" and "alboka", or other instrumentes like "pipes" from Galicia, Asturias, Aragón, Zamora, Mallorca,... Or with the "dulzaina" from Valencia, or from Castilla, or from other places in Spain,... Or hundred and hundred of instruments. They are seriously in danger because Spain is "bulls, sun, paella and flamenco".

 

Well, I'd like write more, but it's very late! And I spend many time to write English, because I don't use to write it.

 

Well, Juliette, I promise ask you for your disc, and listen it (and enjoy it, I am sure).

 

José Benito

[MitfordRI]

Klezmer is basically dead as living tradition since nobody speaks Yiddish anymore.

 

Bays di tsung!

 

Klezmer veln biz hundert azoi ve tsvantsik!!

 

 

Lucy