My piece, “Freilech Fantasy,” takes inspiration from traditional Klezmer music, which is derived from the Ashekenazi Jews in Eastern European culture. Traditionally, there are many different kinds of musical forms in Klezmer style, however this piece only focuses on three: the Doina, the Sher, and the Bulgar. A Doina is an improvised solo, usually played by the main instrument in a group of Klezmorim, sometimes performed over a droid, or sometimes solo. It’s a very important part of Hebrew weddings as it can be very dramatic in its representation of a Romanian shepherd’s lament. Doinas are incredibly unique in how the soloist will represent certain prayers with their music. The written solo is specifically in reference to the Mi Sheberach (translated to “the one who blessed…”) which is a Hebrew prayer for the sick: "May the one who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless and heal those who are ill…" In further relation, the written Doina, as well as the rest of the piece, is composed in traditional Jewish modes. The Doina is in the altered dorian mode, or similarly named the “Mi Sheberach” mode. The second part of the piece is a moderately slow, two-step dance called a Sher. It’s simple in form, with just two contrasting sections (A-B-A), but it allows for the soloist to be virtuosic in their playing. Just like the Doina, the Sher is written in a traditional Jewish mode, this one being the phrygian dominant mode, or the “Freygish” (trans: “Abounding Love”) mode, which is built off of the fifth degree in the harmonic minor scale. The third, and last section of the piece is in the dance form known as the Bulgar. This part uses the traditional Klezmer tune known as the “Odessa Bulgar” which comprises the sectional pattern A-B-C-A. Just like the Doina, it’s written in the traditional Jewish mode “Mi Sheberach.” One of the main characteristics of a Bulgar is its meter. Bulgar, and in turn freylekhs, are written in 4/4, but technically it’s played in 8/8. It consists of the constant pulse of 3+3+2 (oom-oom-pah), with changes to 4/4 every once in a while. Overall, the piece utilizes a traditional Klezmer suite form: a Doina followed by moderate dance (Sher) and ending with a fast dance (Bulgar). Premiered graciously at Herring Garden at the University of North Carolina Greensboro on April 11, 2021.