To the Memory of Rachel Cytryn née Rozencwajg
hy"d
We Remember The Jewish Musicians!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wincenti Smokowski (1797-1876): A Jewish Wedding (paragraph)
The Book | Conference | Table of Contents | Szmuel Fater | Issakhar Fater | Marysia Eisenstadt | Biographies 1 | Biographies 2 | Lexicon
2004-1912 נולד
בדרובין ב-1912.
למד ב"חדר"
ואחרי כן
בישיבה. לאחר
שהמשפחה
עברה
לזאקרוצ'ים
(על יד וארשה), למד
5 שנים בסמינר
בממלכתי
למורים בוארשה. את
ידיעותיו
הראשונות
במוסירה קבל
מאביו החזן,
עמו כן למד
בקונסרבטריון
הממלכתי
בוורשה. באוניבסיטת
תל אביב
הוסמך
בהיסטוריה
כללית ויהודית. משנת
1935 היה פעיל
בשטח
המוסיקה
המעשית
כפדגוג, מנצח
וחוקר
מוסיקה
יהודית. . עד
פרוץ מלחמת-
העולם
השנייה עבד
כמורה למקצועות
היהדות
ולמוסיקה
בגימנסיה
היהודית במלאבה.
בשנת 1940, כפליט
בבארנוביץ
הסובייטית,
עבד כמפקח
להוראת
המוסיקה
במוסדות
החינוך והתרבות
בעיר זו. לאחר
שחרורו
ממחנה עבודה
בסיביר, מונה
למנהל
אומנותי של
"הלהקה
הפולנית לזמר
ולמילה" והיה
מנהלה של
הפילהרמונית
הממלכתית
בלנינאבאד
אשר
בטאדז'יקיסטן. לאחר
המלחמה שב
לפולין
ובמשך שנה
ניהל את מחלקת
התרבות של
הוועד
המרכזי של
יהודי פולין
בוורשה. בשנת 1947
עבר לפריס,
משם
לאנטוורפן
ובשנים 1962-1952 גר
בריו-דה-ז'אנירו
(ברזיל). בכל
המקומות עבד
בבתי-ספר
ובעיקר ניצח
על מקהלות,
בברזיל הקים
מקהלה
יהודית
מפורסמת אשר
בימים אלה
חוגגת
חמישים שנה
להיווסדה. ב-1962
עלה ארצה,
השתקע
בתל-אביב
והתמסר
לפעילות מוסיקלית,
פדגוגית
וספרותית. יששכר
פאטר פירסם
את הספרים
הבאים: 1)
"געדענק",
לזכר מרד גטו
וורשה (1953). 2)
"מוסיקה
יהודית
בפולין בין
שתי מלחמות
העולם" (1970),
פורסם
באידיש,
עברית
ופולנית. 3)
"מוסיקה
יהודית
ובעיותיה" (1985)
באידיש. 4) "קודש
וחול
במוסיקה
היהודית" (1988)
באידיש. 5)
"בעולם המוסיקה
והמוסיקאים"
(1998) באידיש. 6)
"נוסח אשכנז
באומר ובזמר"
(2002) באידיש. פרופ'
דוב סדן כרזב
עליו: "הוא לא
רק נאה דורש
אלא גס בעל
מעשים נאים
בשטח
המוסיקה,
ביצירה,
בהפקה
ובפדגוגיה,
הוא בעל זכויות
רבות
וחשובות
בטיפוח
המוסיקה
הווקאלית
והאינסטרומנטאלית
היהודית
ובהפצתה. הוא
גם
מוסיקולוג
בעל בקיאות
ומומחיות
ופרסומיו
המדעיים
חיזקו
ומחזקים את
הידע
במוסיקה בכל
ענפיה". בשנת
1994 זכה בפרס
"איציק
מאנגר" בעד
תרומתו הרבה
למוסיקה
היהודית.
מחקריו
המוסיקולוגיים
דנים
בהתגלות
המוסיקה
היהודית בכל
הזמנים מהעבר
הרחוק ועד
ימינו אנו,
ומוכיחים את
קיומו המיוחד
במלוס
היהודי. על-אף
התמורות
הפנימיות
והשינויים
החיצוניים
אשר עברו על
עמנו במשך
דורות נשארו
המלודיות
נאמנות ליסודותיהן
העתיקים. תמיד
יחסר לנו:
לאמי צ'שיה
ובניי ראובן
ויובל וזכרונו
ילווה אותנו
לעד. הדברים
הובאו ע"י
הבן שמואל
(סמי) פאטר פורסם
בספר המלגות
וההנצחה,
הפדרציה
והתאחדות
יוצאי פולין
בישראל עם
בית לוחמי
הגטאות, תשס"ד
- 2004 |
Issakhar Fater:
"Jewish
Music in
Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House Ltd.
Tel
Aviv, 1992 (Hebrew)
ISBN 965-02-0060-6
Cover: Yosel Berger
The book was written originally and published in Yiddish:
Fater, Issakhar: Yiddishe Muzik in
Poiln: Tzvishn Beide Velt-Milkhamos / Jewish Music in
The Lexicon of Jewish Musicians
Pupils and teachers of the Jewish Gymnasium in Mlawa.
Seated are Dr. Rosenman (second from left), principal Icchak Hirszhorn (third),
and Issakhar Fater (fourth).
(Source: "And I
Still see Their Faces")
The book was also translated to
Polish and published recently in
Issakhar Fater: "Muzyka Zydowska w Polsce w Okresie
Miedzywojennym"
Oficyna Wydawnicza
Warszawa 1997
ISBN 83-86678-51-8
Book is available at the JHI in Warszawa: (among others):
The Jewish Historical Institute in
ul. Tlomackie 3/5
Tel: 22/8279221
Fax: 22/8278372
The Jewish Committee after the War The author; Issakhar
Fater (third to the right), Stefan Garajek to his left side and Haika Grossman
to his right side.
In 2002 Issakhar Fater published a new book (in Yiddish):
Issakhar Fater:
The Ashkenazi Version in Word and in Song, Tel Aviv 2002
Book is Dedicated to Wife Cesia on their 55 Wedding Anniversary
Polish Jewish Music
International
Conference
November 15-16, 1998, Los Angeles
Polish Music Center & School of Music,
University of Southern California
Issakhar Fater: Special
Features of Jewish Music in Interbellum
[Note: Paper translated by Maria Pilatowicz and read by USC graduate student, Eric Smigel.]
During the 19th century, music
was the most neglected branch of art in Jewish cultural and social life. While there
were numerous congresses about literature and theater, and many art exhibits,
the Jewish community still lacked organized musical activities. The great
musical revolution achieved in Russia by Joel Engel and his associates from the
Jewish Music Society in Petersburg was possible thanks to good advice of
non-Jewish musicians, such as Rimsky-Korsakov and his students who were
convinced of the value of the Jewish musical heritage. Jewish contemporary
music developed in three great musical centers:
Jewish musicians in
In the
In contrast to these two
centers, the best conditions for the development of Jewish music existed in
A performance in the Jewish gymnasium in Mlawa.
Teachers Mieczyslaw Golab and Issakhar Fater are standing on the left. (Source:
"And I Still
see Their Faces")
Click to enlarge.
At the time when the first
organizations were created to collect and preserve Jewish song in
This Treasure of Jewish Music in
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) Loneliness, 1933
Issakhar
Fater: "Jewish Music in
Hakibutz Hameuchad,
Tel Aviv, 1992 (Hebrew)
ISBN 965-02-0060-6
Table
of Contents
Translated by
|
Page |
Dov Sadan: in the Gates of Singing |
7 |
10 |
|
The Jewish Music in |
12 |
David Eisenstadt |
21 |
33 |
|
David Bajgelman |
39 |
Abram Mosze Bernsztein |
48 |
59 |
|
76 |
|
Bronislaw Gimpel |
80 |
86 |
|
95 |
|
Jakob Gersztein |
101 |
Abram Cwi Dawidowicz |
108 |
Bronislaw Huberman |
117 |
Jcchak Zaks |
130 |
Rabbi Szaul Jedidia Elazar Taub |
138 |
Gerszon Sirota |
142 |
Abram Slajep |
149 |
|
156 |
Yosef Kaminski |
165 |
Chanoch (Henech) Kon |
173 |
182 |
|
Arturo Rubinsztein |
189 |
197 |
|
Mosze Szneur |
205 |
Pinchas Szerman |
216 |
"We Shall Tear up the Chains, We Shall Break
the Fences" Jewish Music in the Holocaust |
222 |
235 |
FATER
Samuel Icchak - Biography
(1888-1942)
Translated from Hebrew by Vera Golan
Cantor and composer. Born in Makow Mazowiecki, he was raised in a national religious home. He was a yeshiva student and was singing with cantors. Later on, he studied with Eliezer Brochowicz, in Nowy Dwor near Warszawa, and became one of the lyricists of his great choir, in the course of time, most of its scholars becoming reputed cantors. His students learned solfeggio, harmony, prayer scores and Jewish studies. Icchak Samuel Fater was part of a group of scholars who read books and who, from time to time, were traveling to Warszawa in order to attend a beautiful concert of the Philharmonic orchestra. When he felt the place in Nowy Dwor was becoming stifling and limited , he left for the great and open world.
He stayed in
In 1910, Samuel Fater lived in
Ciechanow where he directed the local Youth Zionist Choir.(Rivka
Kahana: "The Jewish Struggle between Children and their Parents" - in
the Memorial Book of the Ciechanow community). Later, he became a cantor in
Drobyn near
Samuel Icchak Fater was a knowledgeable musician and bookworm. He was a gifted lyric baritone, who could reach the highest note in the tenor range. In his prayers, he was blending the classical teaching of Zulczer with the Jewish emotion of Zejdel Rubner. He conducted girl choirs of four voices and encouraged young musical talents. Among his students was the cantor from Wielun, Abraham Hutt. Samuel Icchak Fater's home was a meeting place for musicians and music lovers; there was a continuous stream of music lovers and passers-by coming and going, it was open house for everyone. All day, songs and melodies were bursting from his house windows and under the attentive eye of Samuel Icchak Fater, many youngsters were preparing musical scores for cultural events and theatres.
Samuel Icchak Fater created
religious music as well as musical compositions for Yiddish and Hebrew poets.
His solo recitatives for cantor, for cantor and choir have been copied by many
cantors and his music set to the poem of Y.L. Peretz "Monisz"
became a hit in the whole region. He was sending his compositions to cantors in
the
His pedagogic talents may be illustrated by an unforgettable episode: once while explaining what is a counterpoint , he wrote for me the six beats composing the "toreador" march of Carmen and ordered me to sing it, while he himself sang a number of notes from Wagner's march "Mejster Singer". Our dual singing was fabulous and this is how I learned on the spot what is a counterpoint. Samuel Icchak Fater did implement the modern religious music, influenced by the concept of Pinhas Minkowski. He considered his functions of cantor, composer and music teacher as a holy mission. He felt part of mankind and thanks to his noble character and his love for people, he was respected by all and his position as cantor of his town was rooted on firm ground.
The philharmonic orchestra of
FATER
Issakhar - Biography
(1912-)
Translated from Hebrew by Vera Golan
Pages 309-310
Born
in Drobin, near
He got his basic knowledge of music from his father, a cantor. Issakhar Fater studied also at the state conservatory in Warszawa with professors Tadeusz Meisner and Stanislaw Nazoro.
In 1935, he became active as a pedagogue in the field of practical music, conducting and researching Jewish music. Until the beginning of the Second World War, he worked as a teacher of Judaism and music at the Jewish autarchic gymnasium in Mlawa In this school, he founded a choir that became famous in the whole region and was regularly praised by the Polish Ministry of Education.
In 1940, he was a refugee in the Soviet Baranovice, worked as an inspector for the teaching of music in the education and culture institutions of this town.
After
being freed from a labor camp in
After
the war, he returned to
In
1962, he immigrated to
He
published numerous researches , books like:
"Remember" in memory of the ghetto Warszawa uprising, 1953,
"Jewish Music in
"He is not only practicing what he preaches but is the composer of beautiful works in the world of music, creativeness, production and pedagogy. He is endowed with an artistic talent, developing and spreading Jewish vocal and instrumental music. He is a versed and experienced musician and his scientific articles reinforced and still do our knowledge of music in all its diversities" (Prof. Dov Sadan).
...."Issakhar Fater has always been attentive to tradition when conducting choirs and used extreme cautiousness concerning singing material, musical adaptations and interpretations and, thanks to that, was able to obtain from his choirs not only the purest diction and musicality but soulful Jewish warmth and emotion. His dynamic and creative personality contributed to the development of national aesthetics and brought a new spirit and substance to the cultural life of Jews in the neighboring settlements." (extract from notes presented by judges of committees distributing awards).
In his musical research, Issakhar Fater was searching the revelation of Jewish music from far-away times until today and he revealed the exceptional Jewish melos in spite of the internal exchanges and external changes, which influenced our people throughout generations, the melodies remained faithful to their ancient origins, and even the new elements that pervaded did free themselves from their strangeness and became an integral element of the Jewish melodic popular treasure.
Issakhar Fater accompanies the development of Jewish music through its various courses and phases. He requests from its creators to penetrate all the aspects of Jewish spirituality.
1937: Choir of the Jewish Gymnasium of
MARYSIA (MIRIAM) EISENSTADT
The
Ghetto Nightingale
1921-1942
Translated from Hebrew by
I thank Oron Schwartz
for his help in the translation of this biography.
Pages 33-37
I
believe there is no book about
"Like
a meteor with special light in the sky, the phenomenal singer Marysia (Miriam)
Eisenstadt, daughter of David Eisenstadt, the unforgettable choirmaster of the
choir of the "Great Synagogue" of Warsaw. She was murdered in one of
the Aktions (Aktzia, Akcja) of the liquidation of ghetto
In his book "Destruction and Rising, the Epic of the Jews in Warsaw"(Palestine 1946), Meilech Neustadt writes about Miriam: "In every show of her shows, crowds used to fill the large "Femina" theater on Leszno Street, which contain thousand seats. Also her father with the symphonic band he founded gave concerts there. Miriam used to be the soloist in the permanent symphonic band under the maestro Szymon Folman and Marian Neuteich. The permanent accompanist was Ignacy Rozenbaum, a world famous artist. From time to time Miriam also participated in concerts organized by the underground".
Jonas
Turkow writes about the circumstances of her death in his book:
"Farloshene Shtern" ("Extinguished Stars",
Miriam was known by her nickname "The Ghetto Nightingale" and in her shows she charmed the listeners. Her voice had supernatural force and interpretation with which she electrified the audience. The softness of her voice, her hearty descending portamento's from one note the other, emerged not only from her diligence but also from the many talents she was gifted with, rouse in her listeners indescribable enthusiasm. She was able to embody a typical Jewesses and emphasized in a popular Jewish song the Jewish melos, the Jewish sigh in its utmost expression, and in the same time be magnificent and elegant in performing the most difficult arias from "Madame Butterfly" or "La Traviata".
Miriam was perfect not only in performing material which was well studied and exercised, but she had also initiative, resourcefulness and the talent of creation. She could be trusted upon, that also in free improvisation (ad libitum), she would not disappoint her audience.
In addition to all her talents, Miriam was very beautiful and lovely, amicable, nice to talk with, modest and with pleasant manners. It is no wonder that in her shows she impressed everybody with he shining and noble personality and won always admiration and appreciation.
Miriam
Eisenstadt was born in the year 1921. Already in her early childhood she
distinguished herself with her musical talents but her father did not want her
to become a "wonder kind". She received very serious musical
education, and her piano teacher was a known Polish musician, the pedagogue of the
She
received her general education in the well-known girls' gymnasium "The
Jewess" on
Miriam planned cultural balls and also performed personally in festive parties which parents and guests attended. The gifted musician, the conductor Jakub Glatstein, who was a music teacher in "Yehudia" ("The Jewess") girls school valued a lot the activities of Miriam and not once did he praise her enormous contribution to the Gymnasium.
She studied how to play the piano systematically, but the singing attracted her and she loved it dearly. When she played she accompanied herself by humming and even, singing, even when she played sonnets or more serious compositions, very difficult to perform by human voice. But Marysia never encountered any difficulties at all. Her voice, lyric coloratura soprano with, was deep and high as if emerge from the abyss and rises to the endless skies. In addition to that, her voice was soft and elastic so that she produced the cadences and the more difficult passages clean and smooth. She was also an excellent solfegist. The most difficult intervals and Chromatic and complicated passages came easily to her even when she did not use the piano. She always asked permission from her father, to move from the piano to singing, but he was determined that Miriam would become a piano player virtuoso and not a singer.
When she had a proper mood, she used to sing to herself, or before her closest friends. These were concerts from the Jewish and classical music. Her father used to sit near the organ which was standing in one of the large hall and started accompanying her in his playing. Marysia used t start with the sentimental songs of Shubert, moved to arias and finish in canto's singing. She floated in higher spheres and was happy from the fact she could give the audience things most dear to her heart. We used to be silent then and wonder about the enigma, from where did she get such a fine and rich repertoire. I shall never forget the evening, in such a performance, she sung "the Night" of Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), the elegy of Jules Massenet (1842-1912) and the famous chanson which was heard by the Polish famous tenor Jan Kypora, "Aye, Aye, Aye".
Slowly slowly it became clear to
Eisenstadt that Marisia aspires to be a serious opera singer. Finally he
decided to help her in fulfilling her dream - elaboration of her voice to
perfection - and he himself, whose only very few got he privilege to study from
him and his enlarged knowledge of the profession - started to dedicate himself
to this cause, passionately and with fatherly devotion. When the time would
come, he meant to send her to
Marysia Eisenstadt absorbed the spiritual
atmosphere of her parents' home. It was the atmosphere of the Jewish European
culture. The problems of literature, art, theater and music were her daily
spiritual food, and the national Jewish renaissance filled her whole being. She
can definitely would be considered as the most
beautiful and best young Jewish generation who grew up in
This is how Marysia Eisenstadt had been until the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. Only a few months after she received her matriculation certificate, while she was walking in the streets absorbed in her dreams and plans for the future - and already many German bombs fell and destroyed Jewish Warsaw - and with her young life. Her image, which was all made of poetry, singing and movement, always full of life, was now secluded itself in doubts, mourning and in fear. She felt in advance the terrible tragedy, which was approaching.
One
evening in December 1940, the family members sat together and discussed the
actual problem: to escape or not? Marysia's healthy mind demanded clearly:
leave everything and run to the borders, as did already thousands of Jews. Also
her father was inclined to that direction. It is probably the ancient wandering
instinct, which rouse inside him, and like in his
young period, when he wandered in the willows of
Mother
ruled. The destiny of the family was sealed. Maniusia, as her parents called
their only beloved daughter, was obliged from that moment to assist in winning
bread to the family. She became a professional singer and her reputation
conquered Jewish Warsaw. From the first moment she understood that her vocation
is a mission, as if she was destined by the tragic fate to lament and to cry over
the shocking struggle of the largest Jewish community on earth, to gain another
hour of life. The masses of Jews also saw in her singing a mission, which meant
to sweeten the last minutes of life of the miserable people. Marysia understood
very well that in her singing she brings soul aspiration and hope to the broken
and suffering hearts of the Jews of ghetto
In
her Jewish human education, in her noble manners, in her many various talents
and in her strong deep power of will to study and always progress, in her
lively life and dynamic power of absorbing the cultural values of Europe and
the spiritual treasures of our past - Miriam Eisenstadt was a true mirror of
the young Jewish generation who grew up in the golden era of the Polish Jewry
between the two World Wars. She may be considered as the symbol of the new
Jewish generation which grew and matured in
The
Biographies
Pages 21-221
N0. |
SURNAME |
Name |
MUSICIAN |
YEARS |
TOWN |
Page |
|
1 |
EISENSTADT |
|
Musician, Conductor, Pedagogue, Compositor |
1890-1942 |
Nasielsk / Warszawa |
21 |
|
2 |
Singer, "the Ghetto Nightingale" |
1921-1942 |
Warszawa |
33 |
|||
3 |
BEIGELMAN |
|
Vilonist, Musician, Conductor |
1887-1945 |
Ostrowice / |
39 |
|
4 |
BERNSTEIN |
|
A famous and important Cantor (Khazan) |
1866-1932 |
Szack / Wilna |
48 |
|
5 |
Jewish Folklorist "Troubadour" |
1877-1942 |
|
59 |
|||
6 |
|
A Musician |
1902-1977 |
Warszawa |
76 |
||
7 |
GIMPEL |
|
A Musician, Violinist |
1911-1979 |
Lwow |
80 |
|
8 |
|
A Teacher, Conductor |
1895-1942 |
|
86 |
||
9 |
|
Songs Writer and a Composer |
1894-1942 |
Gostynin |
95 |
||
10 |
GERSTEIN |
|
A Singer, Composer |
1882-1942 |
Wilna |
101 |
|
|
|||||||
11 |
DAWIDOWICZ |
|
A Conductor |
1877-1942 |
? Near |
108 |
|
12 |
HUBERMAN |
|
A Violinist |
1882-1947 |
|
117 |
|
13 |
ZAKS |
|
A Musician, Teacher, Conductor |
1887-1942? |
Radomsk / |
130 |
|
14 |
TAUB |
|
Chassidic Musician |
1886-1947 |
Ozarow / Demblin-Modrzyc /Otowck |
138 |
|
15 |
SIROTA |
|
A famous Cantor |
1877-1943 |
Warszawa |
142 |
|
16 |
SLIEP |
|
A Musician, Teacher, Choirmaster |
1884?-1942 |
Wilna |
149 |
|
17 |
FAJWISZIS |
|
A Musician, Teacher, Conductor / Writer of Zionist Pioneer Songs |
1887-1942 |
? |
156 |
|
|
|||||||
18 |
KAMINSKI |
|
A Violinist |
1903-1972 |
|
165 |
|
19 |
KON |
|
A Musician, Theater Composer |
1890-1972 |
|
173 |
|
20 |
A Folklorist Researcher, Singer |
1878-1942 |
? Wolyn / Warszawa |
182 |
|||
21 |
RUBINSTEIN |
|
A Pianist |
1887-1982 |
|
189 |
|
22 |
A Conductor, Composer |
1877-1930 |
|
197 |
|||
23 |
SZNEUR |
Mosze Szneur |
A Musician, Conductor |
1885-1942 |
Charson / Warszawa |
205 |
|
24 |
SZERMAN |
|
A famous Cantor |
1887-1942 |
Staszow / Warszawa |
216 |
|
Marc Chagall: the Blue Violinist
Lexicon
of Jewish Musicians
A Partial List
Pages 237-346
Translated, Extracted and Compiled by
The original text short biographies of each musician. I shall a copy someone is interested in a certain musician's biography. Ada Holtzman email: ada001 "at" netvision.net.il (replace "at" by @to avoid spam)
The Lexicon of Jewish Musicians
We Remember, We Shall not Forget!
Yosel Berger 1964
The Book | Conference | Table of Contents | Szmuel Fater | Issakhar Fater | Marysia Eisenstadt | Biographies 1 | Biographies 2 | Lexicon
First posted in September 2003.
Last updated April 7th, 2014