Yiddish – “Heart Language” and “Corrupted German.” A concert lecture with Stian Hårstad and the Shira Etana Klezmerensemble

The Jewish immigrants who came to Norway in the decades around 1900 were a diverse group, including linguistically. However, there is one language that stands out as the most distinctive for the Jewish cultural community, namely Yiddish. In this lecture, Stian Hårstad explains what was once among the largest Germanic languages in Europe and was also the common language among most of the Jews who settled in Norway. We will also hear about the further fate of Yiddish throughout the 20th century, both in areas where Yiddish quickly succumbed to Norwegian, and in arenas where it lived on until World War II.

Stian Hårstad is a professor of Nordic linguistics at NTNU and has, among other things, explored the linguistic interactions between Norwegian and various minority languages. In collaboration with the Shira Etana Klezmer Ensemble, the history of klezmer music and its role in Jewish life will also be presented.

Klezmer is Eastern European Jewish folk music. Before the pogroms ravaged Eastern Europe at the beginning of the last century, this musical tradition was an integral part of life in Jewish communities, especially in connection with weddings and other festive occasions. The practice in its authentic form almost died out in connection with the Holocaust, but in recent decades it has experienced a renaissance and is increasingly found on music stages around Europe and the USA. Klezmer music is known for its musical extremes; from the festive and danceable to the poignant and lamenting. Today, klezmer exists in many forms. Some strive for authenticity, while others mix klezmer music with jazz, pop, and rock expressions. What can be stated with certainty is that the genre is more alive today than it has been since the Holocaust.