GRE Reading Comprehension: JiJing 352-GRE阅读机经352篇 - G7W3GB8W195408O7K

Although Klezmer – a style of traditional Jewish folk music from Eastern Europe – grew from very diverse musical traditions, Roma(Gypsy), Greek, and Romanian elements eventually became so predominant that some scholars refused to recognized klezmer as a separate genre. If one listens closely, however, one can learn to distinguish the sound of a Klezmer interpretation from other related performance styles. Yiddish-speaking Jews routinely use several uniquely descriptive words to identify the sounds found in the Jewish approach to music. Krekht (Yiddish for "groan") refers to a wailing sound reminiscent of weeping, tshok refers to a laugh-like instrumental sound; and a kneytsh is a sob-like "catch". These and other elements typical of klezmer are also found in other forms of Jewish musical expression, including cantorial music.