Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.085 August 16, 1994 1) "Papirosn" lyrics (Shlomo-Khayem Cohen) 2) Bibliography of Yiddish in English translation? (Larry Rosenwald) 3) Recording Review - Voices of the Ghetto (David Gasser) 4) Bai mir bist du sheyn (Stephen Schneiderman) 5) Kitchen Yiddish (Evelyn Quartin Feins) 6) Zawel Kwartin, redux (Bernard S. Greenberg) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 08:08:01 EDT From: smc5@Lehigh.EDU Subject: "Papirosn" lyrics I am looking for the lyrics and composer for the Yiddish song "Papirosn" ("Cigarettes"). I have two recorded versions, a Barry Sisters' arrangement and a Klezmer Conservatory Band arrangement. They do not agree on many of the words, and neither provides printed lyrics or composer. Does any Mendelnik have this information, or can lead me to a book with this information? Through careful listening I have deciphered about 75% of the Barry Sisters' version, but it's that last 25% I cannot understand. I sing in two Jewish choirs (LaShir of Princeton, NJ; Arbel of Philadelphia) and would like to offer it to them for performance. Shlomo-Khayem Cohen 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 10:09:52 -0500 (EST) From: lrosenwald@wellesley.edu Subject: bibliography of Yiddish in English translation? Often when I look at a good Yiddish story or essay I'm inclined to translate it - but given how much Yiddish literature there is, and how little has been translated, I don't particularly want to retranslate what has been translated already. Is there a bibliography of Yiddish in English translation, or if not are there other ways of finding out whether a given text has been translated? Thanks, Larry Rosenwald 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 11:30:12 EST From: david_gasser@merck.com Subject: Recording Review - Voices of the Ghetto April 19, 1943. Warsaw. An insurrection against the Nazis by the Jews in the Ghetto. April, 1993. Paris. Jacques Grober and Fania Perez, along with a talented group including 7 singers and 3 instrumentalists, publish a CD called Voix du Ghetto, commemorating the insurrection. A collection of 20 Yiddish songs, accompanied simply by an accordion or a piano, a violin and a contrabass. This emotional collection spans the range from profound grief of shattered lives to the strength of resistance and the power of hope. This recording was conceived, in the words of Grober and Perez, to pay collective homage to the victims of the Nazis as well as the brave fighters of the Ghetto This is not a collection of the sentimental old songs one usually associates wi Yiddish recordings. On the contrary; the songs are deeply disturbing. When one considers that some were originally performed in the Ghetto, they become a haunting reminder of a time when civilization was catastrophically derailed. A song about a street vendor named Yisrolke has stayed with me in a particularly poignant way. In this song, a boy sings of his lost parents, his grief, his po and his attempt to greet his customers with a whistle and a song. It seems to take on the voice of all of the children of the Ghetto. The songs are old. The recording, however, is modern and of a very high quality. I am amazed at the influence of the tango on many of the songs. In f one song is called a Yiddish Tango. The accordionist, Eddy Schaff-Szafirowicz, draws wonderfully on Astor Piazzolla for some inspiration. I am curious about this influence, however. Perhaps it reflects the popularity of the tango in 19 Europe. Voices of the Ghetto, Warszawa, 1943 is published by 7 Productions, Item number 242066. It has a total duration of 55:49. The jacket notes includ English transliterations of the Yiddish as well as French and English translations. A chronology of the Warsaw Ghetto is also included. Congratulations and thank you to the group that produced this outstanding recording. David Gasser 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 94 15:03:13 EDT From: steve@logos-usa.com Subject: Bai mir bist du sheyn Does anyone know the Yiddish lyrics of "Bay mir bist du sheyn"? I presume that there was a Yiddish song before the Andrew Sisters. Any information would be welcome. Stephen Schneiderman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 Aug 94 23:38:00 UTC From: e.feins@genie.geis.com Subject: Kitchen Yiddish To add a few more comments to this nostalgic topic... I grew up in a small non-Jewish town in N.J. On our block lived mostly German and Polish families, and at the end of the block (naturally) there was a small apartment house, where the 6 Jewish families lived. I was fortunate to have my maternal grandmother living with us. She made no effort to learn English, so I learned my "kitchen yiddish" from her. She experienced no problems in not speaking English. In fact, one of my oldest memories is of her, and the Italian speaking iceman, working out the size and price of the ice block he had hauled up the stairs, to our kitchen. My young parents however, immediately went to night school to learn English, and become Americanized. It might have been easier for me if they hadn't, because I copied their way of speaking, and they invariably put the accent on the wrong "syl-LAB-le, so I provided much unwanted merriment to my "yankee" classmates when I spoke of vegah-TABELS, and FAN-atics. And since I understood quite a bit of Yiddish, my parents would have to speak in Russian, when they didn't want me to know what was being said. I've only been on Mendele a short while, but I find all the dialects and language usage fascinating, and am learning quite a bit, so a shanem dank tzu allemen. Evelyn Quartin Feins 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 15:54:34 -0400 From: bsg@world.std.com Subject: Zawel Kwartin, redux Will the person who got in touch with me before, who was part of the Kwartin/Quartin family, prompting my post about the late Cantor, please email me again? The Cantor's son and daughter-in-law have gotten in touch with me, and are looking for you. Bernard S. Greenberg ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.085 A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. 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