Today's Badchanim: From the Old Marshelik to the Mitzvah Tantz די בדחנים פון היינט: פון דעם אלטן מארשעליק ביז דער מצוה טאנץ אין וויליאמסבורג

From Marshelik to Keyboard

A wedding without a badchen? Try it. Doesn't work.

The badchen is nothing new. According to Wikipedia, the tradition goes back at least to the 16th or 17th century in Eastern Europe ^[1]. He was a poet, a comedian and the master of ceremonies, all rolled into one. He guided the chosson and kallah through each stage of the wedding and sang to them and the in-laws, with the klezmer band behind him ^[1]. On Chanukah and Purim he had work too.

Earlier, a guy like that was called a "marshelik" or a "lets". The marshelik was more serious. The badchen turned it into comedy with mussar, a joke with a point ^[1]. The peak came in the 1800s. Then, with the Haskalah, it went downhill, and some writers really looked down on the badchen ^[1].

But who laughs last? After World War II, the Chasidish communities in America rebuilt the whole thing ^[1]. Today there's often just one keyboard player next to the badchen, not a full band. In Satmar, Rav Shlomo Yaakov Gelbman (1953–2015) was known as a badchen and historian ^[1].

The Mitzvah Tantz and the Grammen

Here everybody already knows who's who. Motty Ilowitz is a badchen, singer and composer. Ami Magazine wrote about his lyrics and melodies ^[2]. He's even done a Mitzvah Tantz in English.

Leiby Moskowitz put out a "Corona Mitzvah Tantz" during the pandemic, for couples who had to make a small wedding ^[3]. He also has songs like "Reb Levi" and "Tatenyu".

Yoel Brown writes grammen on just about any topic. With Lev Choir he made "A Bar Mitzvah Gift", lyrics and grammen by Yoel himself ^[4]. Meilech Fisher shows up in plenty of videos with his Mitzvah Tantz introduction. And Chaim Meir Erps, "CME", is known for his piece "Dus Lechtele".

And When You Want to Laugh

Not every badchen makes you cry. Shmaya Klein is known for his "Nobel Prize" and made videos with Wonder Boy Chaim Nuchem Mermelstein. Hillel Hill, son of Steven Hill, does roasts at Melave Malkas and Hatzolah events. And Velvel Goldstein, the "Chatzatzka Rebbe", an askan for Beis Lepleites, is the life of the Sheva Brachos in Williamsburg.