The ‘Musical Tapestry’ of Klezmer: A Computational Approach to Beregovski’s JEWISH INSTRUMENTAL FOLK MUSIC

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Abstract

In an article published in 1986, Mark Slobin celebrates Moshe Beregovski’s ethnographic work, the majority of which took place in the 1930s under the auspices of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Slobin observes that while the technical fixing of the material (i.e., recording and precise transcription) were important, “Beregovski’s originality lies in the questions of who are the creators and users, and what are the contexts, of Jewish folk music” (1986, 255). In the present paper, I argue that there are also significant insights in technical aspects of Beregovski’s work, and especially in his identification and analysis of musical modes. The paper uses a broad corpus studies approach and computational methods (see Shanahan, Bergoyne, and Quinn 2022) to explore and further develop Beregovski’s modal analysis. The research was conducted jointly by the presenter and Daniel Shanahan (Northwestern University).



We focus on Beregovksi’s seminal volume JEWISH INSTRUMENTAL FOLK MUSIC, published posthumously in Russian (1987) and then in English (2001 and 2015). In an introductory essay, Beregovski outlines four common modes, which he identifies as “altered Phrygian,” “altered Dorian,” “natural minor,” and “major.” He then arranges the 254 tunes in the volume (aside from four concert pieces at the end) by genre and mode. Beregovski thus conceived of the modal element as an important organizing principle.



We first identify the overall mode of each tune and internal changes of mode, where they occur. We then document common modal pathways (i.e., if the tune is in mode X, it is most likely to go to mode Y). With the material separated by mode, we use computational methods to identify pitch profiles and melodic tendencies. The paper outlines these technical features and relates them to musical experience accessible to non-specialists. Results of the research form the basis for comparison with other corpora such as Beregovski’s NIGUN collection and repertoires from the Kiselgof-Makenovetsky Digital Manuscript Project. Our research documents threads that combine in the “musical tapestry” and “shared aesthetic” of Eastern Ashkenazi musical culture (Slobin 2000, 7–8).

Author

• Yonatan Malin, University of Colorado Boulder