Customer Reviews

Compleat Klezmer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Compleat Klezmer is the classic book in its field. Many of the tunes in this book represent the standard core repertoire with which any klezmer band should be familiar. The explanatory first chapter is a rich source of information about the music. When I was starting out, this book was my bible and it is still the one I would recommend to any beginner. Musicians should make sure to obtain the spiral bound edition. Those who are not primarily musicians will find the explanatory text and accompanying photographs and notes interesting, though the book is mainly geared toward players.

I'm a pro player, and I've used many of these tunes in performances on stage and at functions for many years.

If you want to get a nice background on the Klezmer tradition, get the book and also the cassette or CD with the same title.

Listen to these priceless original recordings which have been cleaned up from the original scratchy 78s, and study the style, with lead sheets which are accurately transcribed.

Enjoy. And thank you, Henry Sapoznik.

This is a wonderful book. The musical notation is clear and easy to read, which is important since the music is fast and complex. This book gives me great respect for Sapoznik's musical taste, since there is not a single song that I do not like. It has interesting historical information for most of the songs and also briefly covers the history of Klezmer. It is a wonderful addition to any music library.

This is a well-compiled, approachable and fun collection of Klezmer songs. If you're looking to get into Klezmer music this is great place to start. Be sure to get the recordings as well, as they provide some great musical insights that can't be reflected on the page.

I had checked this book out of my local public library and had to get myself a copy. This is a great compilation of klezmer tunes, lots of variety. But more, the lengthy introduction gives a context for the various types of tunes, the scale that they're in, and hints on rhythm and instrumentation. I'm a non-performing dabbling accordion player who grew up playing piano. This is a great book for me and probably for a much more sophisticated player.

This is a very impressive book. The book is filled with hign quality music. I've been frustrated for years trying to find a certain sound, and here I've found the sound I've been looking for.

I don't like to think of this music as "Jewish" music because I think it has universal appeal. The music of eastern europe and especially the balkans has been largely ignored by music publishers. I hope this book starts a trend toward acknowledgement of the richness of the many cultures of this part of the world.