performed by Di Naye Kapelye (0:00-2:58)
key: A freygish
mode: A Bb C# D E F G
melody: T (DI) R m f si l t d r m'
form: dance, AABBCC
meter: duple
English function names: tonic subtonic
Tagg (modified): home counterpoise (away)
Riemann: T ???
Scale degrees: I vii
Chords: A Gm
A
|:/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
A Gm A
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / :|
A
|:/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
A Gm GmA
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / :|
A
|:/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
Gm A
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / :|
Yismekhu or Yismechu is a prayer. Often there is a particular pitch set associated with particular Jewish prayers, and the name of the prayer is transferred to the name of the scale/mode/pitch set/melodic tropes associated with it, or, in this case, the name of the dance tune. Freygish has another life as Ahavah Raba, a different prayer with this pitch set.1 You can hear the Yismechu prayer here.
This piece, however, is neither the prayer Yismechu nor Ahavah Raba, but a dance piece that just happens to use the same pitch set. The leader of a band of klezmorim simply plays the opening phrase of a piece and the rest of the band figures out what is going on from there, instead of using song titles and talking about it. This way the party continues, according to the energy of the attendees.
Close listeners will notice this melody begins much like Shimke Khazer. Many klezmer melodies in freygish do.
other recordings:
Brave Old World, Beyond the Pale, Pinorrekk Records. D freygish.
The Klez Dispensers, New Jersey Freylekhs, self-released. A freygish.
Shetl Band Amsterdam, The Bride's Waltz, Chamsa. A freygish.