Ilan and Ilanit - Kumbaya

Topic: Seminal Influences - Innovation
The difficulty with innovation within a seminal version of a song is an artist needs to introduce something idiosyncratic without destroying the integrity of the original. With "Kumbaya," Ilan and Ilanit reproduced The Seekers vocal arrangement. Ilanit sang the lines like Judith Durham, while Ilan joined her like the men in The Seekers. A larger group repeated the last line as an interverse continuum, just as The Seekers had done.

They made changes in the instrumentation: instead of two acoustic guitars and a string bass, they used one guitar and a wooden block for rhythm. The major change was the staccato ending of "yah" in the third lines, followed by a cessation of all sound before line four.

Performers
Vocal Soloist: Ilanit
Vocal Group: not identified
Instrumental Accompaniment: acoustic guitar
Rhythm Accompaniment: block

Credits
1971: Folk

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: koom bye YAH
Verses: kumbaya, crying, praying, hears you, needs you

Vocabulary
Pronoun: one
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none

Basic Form: three-verse song framed by "kumbaya" with a repeat of line four

Verse Repetition Pattern: AxxxA
Ending: repeated last line an additional time
Unique Features: none

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Tempo: moderate

Basic Structure: strophic repetition. Ilanit tended to sing the second syllable of the gerunds on a lower note, rather than the same one.

Singing Style: one syllable to one note, except for Lord in some third lines. The Lord in the fourth line was only one tone.

Solo-Group Dynamics: Ilanit sang each statement alone; Ilan joined her on the refrain. A group repeated the last line interlude as Ilanit began the next verse.

Vocal-Orchestral Dynamics: the instrumental pattern was set in the introduction and did not change.

Notes on Performers
Ilanit was born Hanna Dresner-Tzakh to Polish Jews who migrated to Palestine. [1] "Kumbaya" was recorded in 1970 by a Germany company. She asked her mother whether she should go there, and was told "‘You know what, you should go. I’m sure Germany has changed, and you should think about your future and not think about the past." [2] However, she remembered

"it was strange because every time I saw an old man with one leg or one arm I thought, ‘He was probably a soldier in the Wehrmacht.’ It was a strange feeling" [3]

Despite her holocaust heritage - both her parents lost relatives - she was closer to Judith Durham than Joan Baez in her views of politics and music. "‘Music is supposed to make people happy and make people forget about troubles and politics,’" she said. "‘I don’t like to interfere - I want to bring happiness to people’." [4]

Ilan was born Shlomo Zach. He began as an Israeli singer, but later became a manager and producer. [5]

Availability
Album: Folksongs Der Welt. SR International 92 480. Germany, 1970. [6]

Album: Shuv Itchem. RR 30600. Israel, 1971. [7]

Reissue CD: Ilan and Ilanit. Hataklit, 1 April 2013. [8]

End Notes
1. Wikipedia. "Ilanit."
2. Josh Hamerman. "Ilanit Looks Back." Ynetnews website. 11 December 2006.
3. Hamerman.
4. Hamerman.
5. Wikipedia.
6. "Ilan & Ilanit - Folksongs Der Welt." Discogs website.
7. "A Ilan & Ilanit - Shuv Itchem." Discogs website.
8. Amazon website for the album.