9. CARPATHIANS II: POLES AND ASHKENAZIM

In the Polish part of the Carpathians, folkmusic is characterized by the use of small string ensembles featuring a lead violinist, one or two accompanying fiddles and a small bass (the use of undersized or three-stringed basses is typical in the region as a whole). In Hungary the two accompanying violas would have flattened bridges like that of a guitar, allowing the player to easily produce chords of three or four notes. In Poland, the music of this type of ensemble is typically in Lydian mode. The Lydian tonality is also a strong characteristic of Moravian (Czech) folkmusic, and is thought by musicologists to be an ancient Slavic trait. The Ashkenazim (Yiddish-speaking Jews) were an integral part of life in the Carpathians for most of the past millenium. Established in Poland since medieval times, they settled in lands undesired by others, such as the marshes of Belorus. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, fleeing persecution in Silesia (a mining region populated by Germans, Poles, and Czechs), many migrated to Transylvania. The Jewish population of the Carpathian region was virtually destroyed by the genocidal efforts of the Third Reich- efforts supported by the fascist regimes established in Hungary and Romania. The folkmusic of the Ashkenazim is a hybrid of styles. Perhaps because of the liturgy, its Semitic roots have been preserved. Slavic and Rom elements are prominent in Klezmer (instrumental) music.