Zlata and Yefim Tkach: A Composer and an Ethnomusicologist in Search of Their Jewish and Moldovan Musical Roots, Under the Soviet Regime

Abstract

 The names of Jewish-Soviet-Moldovan composer Zlata Tkach (1928-2006) and her husband musicologist Yefim Tkach (1926-2003) are not commonly mentioned today among the academic and artistic communities—neither in Moldova nor in the West—despite their significant joint interdisciplinary contribution to the notion of Moldovan and Jewish folklore. The output of Yefim Tkach consists of several monographs and various articles on different subjects concerning the musical life in the Soviet Union, with special focus on the music, history, and culturology of Moldova. The musical oeuvre of Zlata Tkach includes numerous compositions in a sheer variety of styles and orchestrations, with a deep and sophisticated essence, yet highly communicative and idiosyncratic. Her works from the 1970’s extensively incorporate materials from the Moldovan folklore, transforming the linguistic, musicological, and culturological study of Moldova conducted by her husband to musical creations. Since the 1980’s both Zlata and Yefim channeled their exploration towards Jewish music and the Yiddish language, as well as the documentation of art and history related to the Holocaust. My paper aims to mark several key moments and accomplishments in their individual and collective journeys and stress out the brave enthusiasm to explore their cultural ethnic roots in times when the collective ethos (and pathos) towards those cultures was declining under the Communist regime. The paper calls to revive the recognition Zlata and Yefim Tkach deserve for their musical and academic achievements, which might inspire current studies on cultural identity in the ex-Soviet Republics and Eastern Europe.