HEIDI SMITH HYDE

illustrations by
JOHANNA VAN DER STERRE
 For Martin, Andrew and Steven –H.S.H.
To my father, Kees van der Sterre, who loves music –J.v.d.S.

Text copyright © 2007 by Heidi Smith Hyde

Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Johanna van der Sterre

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hyde, Heidi Smith.

Mendel’s accordion : the story of the klezmorim / by Heidi Smith Hyde ;
illustrations by Johanna van der Sterre.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978–1–58013–212–1 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1–58013–212–X (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. Klezmer music—History and criticism—Juvenile literature.
2. Accordion—Juvenile literature. I. Sterre, Johanna van der. II. Title.
ML3528.8.H93 2007
781.62'924—dc22 2005036002

Manufactured in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 – DP – 12 11 10 09 08 07

eISBN-13: 978-0-8225-8796-5
 endel lived in a small village called
Melnitze. He didn’t have much. A hut . . . a
cow . . . a rooster . . . some hens . . . and
an accordion.
It wasn’t a fancy accordion. Nothing about Mendel was
fancy. It had worn, black buttons up and down the sides for
Mendel’s busy fingers, and big folds in the middle like a
lady’s fan. Mendel pumped those folds with his strong arms,
pushing the air in and out, in and out, turning it into music.

Mendel made beautiful music with that accordion.

Everywhere he went, people said, “Play for us, Mendel!”
And Mendel did.
 e went from town to town, village to village.
Others joined him along the way. Soon, Mendel found
himself in a band. Yankele played the fiddle. Herschel
played the clarinet. Hymie played the drums. Zalman
played the flute. And Shmelke played the cello.
Together, they were known as the “klezmorim.”
The klezmorim never stayed in one place for too long. They
went from town to town, village to village. Everywhere they
went, people said, “Play for us, klezmorim!” And they did.
They played at weddings and festivals and fairs.
They played happy music. They played sad music.
People laughed. People cried. The village was
alive with the sounds of the klezmorim.
 hen one day, people stopped laughing.
Life was hard in the village, and there was
never enough food. It was so hard that
Mendel decided to leave Melnitze.

He sold his hut. He sold his cow. He sold

his rooster. He sold his hens.
Mendel boarded a boat for America, taking only his
accordion with him.

On the boat, Mendel met other klezmorim. There

was Mottel from Moscow, Itzik from Odessa, and
Pinchus from Pinsk. Mottel played the clarinet, Itzik
played the violin, and Pinchus played the flute. “Soon
we will be in America,” they said. “Soon we will be in
the Golden Land!”
But the boat ride seemed to last forever, and two weeks
seemed like two years as the boat rose and fell and the
cold winds blew.
“Come, let us do something,” said Mendel as the
passengers groaned and grumbled along with the boat.
He couldn’t bear to see everyone so unhappy.

And so Mendel from Melnitze played his accordion.

Mottel from Moscow played his clarinet.
Itzik from Odessa played his violin.
And Pinchus from Pinsk played his flute.

Though their stomachs churned, they played and played

and played some more. They played happy music. They
played sad music. People laughed. People cried. The boat
was alive with the sounds of the klezmorim.

It was like being back home in Melnitze.

 inally, they reached America and Mendel and his
new friends boarded a ferry for New York. They were tired
and cold, and their bodies ached from the long journey.
“It’s crowded here,” remarked Pinchus when they
arrived in New York. “I’ve never seen so many people!”
Clutching his accordion, Mendel had to agree.
There were no rolling hills or peaceful farmhouses
or wandering chickens. Just rows and rows of brick
buildings, and lots and lots of people who spoke a
different language.
“Don’t worry,” said Mendel.
“We will all find jobs and a
place to live. America will be
good to us, you’ll see!”

“Mendel is right,” agreed

Itzik. “We will all find good
jobs and a place to live.”
And so they did.

Mendel found a job mending shoes.

Mottel and Pinchus worked in a rope factory, and Itzik
played his violin in a minstrel show.

They all lived together on the Lower East Side of

New York.

Mendel worked long hours.

The city was big. The apartment was small.
But Mendel was happy.
He had good friends and a good job and a place to live.
Soon he had a wife, too! Her name was Reizel, and
like Mendel, she was from the old country.

Reizel loved listening to Mendel’s accordion.

Sometimes after a long day at work, he would
serenade her in the kitchen.

He played happy music. He played sad music.

Reizel laughed. Reizel cried. The little apartment
was alive with the sounds of the klezmorim.
 s the years passed, Mendel’s accordion
continued to delight his growing family. His son
Isaac loved singing along with the music. His son
Aaron loved to dance wildly in the middle of the
room. And baby Rose just sat on her mother’s lap
and listened quietly to the funny Yiddish words.

During the day, there was work but at night there

was music. Always music! Sometimes Mottel, Itzik,
and Pinchus came over and played together just like the
old days.

It was like being back home in Melnitze.

 ears passed, and before Mendel knew it, his children
had grown up. Just like Mendel, they loved music, only a
different kind of music. Mendel’s son Isaac liked jazz. His
granddaughter Rachel played swing, and his great-grandson
Samuel loved rock-and-roll.

Nobody listened to Mendel’s accordion anymore.

Melnitze was but a distant memory.

 hen one day, Samuel was rummaging around in
the attic when he made a wonderful discovery: a dusty,
old accordion with worn, black buttons up and down
the sides and big folds in the middle like a lady’s fan.

It was so dusty and old that it needed to be repaired.

The man at the music shop said it probably hadn’t been
played in more than 50 years. It was a wonder he got
it to work at all.

Samuel had heard stories of his great-grandfather

Mendel and his remarkable klezmorim.

“I’m going to learn to play this accordion,” he told his

family. “I’m going to learn to play just like Mendel!”

And so Samuel practiced and practiced and practiced

some more. Soon he found himself in a band.
Leon played the fiddle.
Barry played the clarinet.
Steven played the drums.
Ellen played the flute.
And Andrew played the cello.

Together they were known as the “New Klezmorim.”

Everywhere they went, people said, “Play for us, klezmorim!”
And they did.

They played at weddings and anniversaries. They played

happy music. They played sad music. People laughed.
People cried. But mostly they smiled.

The New World was alive with the sounds of the klezmorim.
About Klezmer Music
Klezmer music originated in Eastern
Europe in the 16th century. The term
comes from the Hebrew words “klei
zemer” (vessels of song). A typical
klezmer band of three to six musicians
played instruments such as violin, flute,
bass, drum, and clarinet. Most had little
formal training and could not read
music. As they wandered from town to
town playing at Jewish and non-Jewish
weddings, town fairs, and dance parties,
klezmorim developed a wide repertoire
of songs inspired by ethnic folk and sec-
ular melodies, as well as cantorial music.
There are no recordings and very little
written music from that period.
As a result of pogroms and economic
oppression in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, many klezmorim fled
Eastern Europe and joined the massive
immigration to America. Some of the
musicians found work in Yiddish
musical theater and vaudeville. As time
passed, however, klezmer music was
forgotten as young Jews turned to popu-
lar American music genres. The current
klezmer revival began in the 1970’s.
This new generation of musicians has
incorporated elements of rock and jazz
to create a new sound.
About the Accordion
Over 2000 years ago, the Chinese scholar
Ling Lun was sent by Emperor Hwang
Di to the western mountain regions to
capture the sound of the Phoenix Bird.
He returned with the sheng, a bamboo
mouth organ shaped like a phoenix.
Music was created when air entered the
wooden mouthpiece and passed over a
number of bamboo pipes. Over time, the
sheng evolved into the accordion, when
expandable bellows and a small portable
keyboard were introduced. Shoulder
straps allowed the player freedom of
movement.
Today, accordion music can be heard on
the classical stage and is also the heart
and soul of klezmer and Cajun music.
You can hear the sound of the accordion
in the music of Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, the
Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.