This entry is part of the Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that include or refers to the term in question. It also indicates whether musical notation or sound recordings are included in the source. By clicking on the bibliographic hyperlink at the end of each citation, you get the full reference.
“In addition, is there some connection between ‘shemele--tshemelen--shamper’ and ‘tseperl-tants’ from one period, and the ‘semene--semele-tants’ from another period? At present this cannot be established, it remains still for a precise investigation... What was the song of the tseperl-tants like? Was a [dance] description such as this made--as a song to be sung-beforehand? Or is this a completely unintentional, spontaneous creation which suddenly springs up in the dance, under the influence of the rhythmic dance-melody? The answer is -- a spontaneous creation...” Cahan 1952b, p. 92.