AoS3 Israeli Folk Music

Question 1

Israeli Folk Music

Answer 1

Influences from Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. Often for Dancing.

• Horah. Folk dance from Romania often danced in a circle and popular at weddings - Hava Nagila.
• Klezmer. Syncopated Rhythms with Clarinet, Violin and Accordion. Popular at celebrations.
• A mixture of European Instruments (Strings, Woodwind, Brass & Percussion) and Middle Eastern Instruments (Kanun, Oud, Doumbek).

Question 2

Klezmer

Answer 2

Israeli folk music with strong influences from Eastern Europe (Romania)

The typical instruments include Clarinet, Violin, Double Bass, Guitar, Accordian and Percussion.

Question 3

Hora / Horah

Answer 3

Israeli dance originating from Romania. Dancers form a circle. The music often accelerates. eg. Hava Nagila.

Question 4

Irregular Metre

Answer 4

When the number of beats in each bar is an odd number. The beats can be grouped with different accents. Examples are 5/8 and 7/8.

Note that a lot of Israeli music is in regular 2/4 and 4/4 time.

Question 5

Mode / Modal

Answer 5

A type of scale often used in Greek, Palestinian and Israeli music.

Question 6

Microtone

Answer 6

Very small variations in pitch. These are used frequently in Greek, Palestinian and Israeli music.

Question 7

Melisma/Melismatic

Answer 7

When one syllable is sung over many notes. Typical feature of Arabic singing.

Question 8

Zither

Answer 8

Flat bodied string instrument which has no neck. Used in Middle Eastern music. Played on lap.

Question 9

Homophonic/Melody and accompaniment

Answer 9

This type of texture is where the main tune of the song is played/sung whilst other instrument(s) play the chords. Very common in Greek and Israeli music.

Question 10

Effi Netzer

Answer 10

A famous Israeli composer.

Question 11

1 / This musical extract is taken from a piece of Israeli Music. From your knowledge of this style of music, identify five features which are typical of this style.

2/ What is the name of the main solo instrument?

Answer 11

Typical Musical Features:

i/ Clarinet main melody instrument (notice the instrument imitating laughter).

ii/ Strong emphasis on the off-beat

iii/ Melody and accompaniment texture.

iv/ Accordion playing off-beat chords.

v/ Regular time signature and four bar phrases.

This is an example of Klezmer music.