Band from Boston to play Eastern European music

The music is said to be a little bit Polish, a little Russian and a little Near Eastern. It’s the music of the Eastern European Jews.

These wandering musicians traveled between the shtetls, or villages, of Eastern Europe, playing at weddings and concerts, bringing the latest news and gossip from surrounding towns.

The word klezmer is a contraction of two Hebrew words meaning “instrument of song.” It stands for both the music and the musician. The sound came ashore in America during the great immigration period between 1890 and 1910, where it collided with the syncopation of American city life, the excitement of jazz, blues and ragtime and even the exuberance of big bands.

As the Americanization continued, new sounds were created to describe Jewish life, poverty and romance in both the old and new worlds. But the Great Depression forced many of the small record companies that had reproduced the sound to go out of business. The Klezmer sound survived in a much reduced role at Jewish weddings and Bar Mitvahs.

Until the 1970s, the music was largely forgotten and/or neglected. But it’s been revived by the six members of Shirim. The sextet is made up of award-winning musicians who have played with a variety of orchestras and symphonies.

The band has performed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe in many concert halls and cultural centers.

Reservations may be made through the Memorial Hall box office at 432-6360. The tickets, if obtained in advance, are $10 for adults, $9 for senior citizens and $6 for youths 18 and under. All tickets at the door will be $11.