Abe Ellstein portrait from YIVO collection

Abraham "Abe" Ellstein ( yi, אַבֿרהם עלשטײן, , July 7, 1907 – March 22, 1963) was an American composer for

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

entertainments. Along with Shalom Secunda,

Joseph Rumshinsky Joseph Rumshinsky (1881–1956) was a Jewish composer born near Vilna, Lithuania (then part of Russian Poland). Along with Sholom Secunda, Alexander Olshanetsky and Abraham Ellstein, he is considered one of the "big four" composers and conductors ...

, and

Alexander Olshanetsky Alexander Olshanetsky (1892–1946) was a Jewish-American composer, conductor, and violinist. He was a major figure within the Yiddish theatre scene in New York City from the mid-1920s until his death in 1946. Life and career Was born in Odessa ...

, Ellstein was one of the "big four" composers of his era in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Yiddish Theater District The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, b ...

scene. His musical '' Yidl Mitn Fidl'' became one of the greatest hits of Yiddish-language cinema.

Life and career

He was born on the Lower East Side,

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, at that time an

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish immigrant area. His musical education began at the

Third Street Music School Settlement Third Street Music School Settlement is the longest-running community music school in the United States. Founded in 1894, it is at 235 East 11th Street, New York. Third Street has three main programs: a music & dance school, a music-infused Presc ...

. From the age of nine to thirteen, he studied piano with

Frederick Jacobi Frederick Jacobi (May 4, 1891 – October 24, 1952) was a Jewish-American composer and teacher. His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera. He taught at Juilliard School ...

. He was the conductor of the boy's choir of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production ''Richard III'', at only thirteen years old. He went on to study at the Graduate School of

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

, training as a conductor, with a major in composition. Ellstein's only opera, ''The Golem'', had its world premiere at the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

under the baton of music director

Julius Rudel Julius Rudel (6 March 1921 – 26 June 2014) was an Austrian-born American opera and orchestra conductor. He was born in Vienna and was a student at the city's Academy of Music. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 17 in 1938 after ...

on March 23, 1962. The libretto was created by the composer and his wife, Sylvia Regan, based on the mythical Golem tale of the Central European Jews.

Works

* '' Der berditshever khosn'' (The Bridegroom from Berditchev: by

Israel Rosenberg Israel (also Yisroel or Yisrol) Rosenberg (c. 1850 – 1903 or 1904; Yiddish/Hebrew: ישראל ראָזענבערג) founded the first Yiddish theater troupe in Imperial Russia. Life Having been a "hole-and-corner lawyer" (without a diplom ...

, 1930, operetta) ** '' Zog Es Mir Nokh Amol'' (Tell Me Again); lyrics: Jacob Jacobs * '' Eyns un a rekhts'' (One in a Million: by Anschel Schorr, 1934: musical comedy) ** '' Oygn'' (Eyes); lyrics:

Molly Picon Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yidd ...

* '' Yidl Mitn Fidl'' ( Joseph Green or Josef Grünberg, 1936, romantic musical comedy film) ** '' Oy Mame, Bin Ikh Farlibt'' (Oh, Mama, I am in Love) * ''

Mamele ''Mamele'' ( yi, מאמאלע pl, Mateczka) is a Yiddish Language Polish musical film made in 1938. Synopsis Set in Łódź, the film revolves around Khavtshi Samet ( Picon), a Cinderella figure, who has taken on maternal responsibility for her ...

: Kid Mother'' (by Edmund Zayenda, 1938,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

: Yiddish film) ** '' Abi Gezunt'' (So Long As You're Healthy); lyrics:

** '' Ikh Zing'' (For You I Sing); lyrics:

** '' Mazl'' (Good Fortune); lyrics:

* Bublitshki (Little

Bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...

s: 1938, operetta) ** '' Der Alter Tsigayner'' (The Old Gypsy); lyrics: Jacob Jacobs * '' Der Nayer Sher'' (The New Sher, 1940) * '' Ikh bin farlibt'' (I'm in Love: by William Siegel, 1946: romantic musical comedy) ** '' Ikh Vil Es Hern Nokh Amol'' (I Want to Hear it Again); lyrics:

* ''A Heymisher

Bulgar Bulgar may refer to: *Bulgars, extinct people of Central Asia *Bulgar language, the extinct language of the Bulgars * Oghur languages Bulgar may also refer to: *Bolghar, the capital city of Volga Bulgaria *Bulgur, a wheat product * Bulgar, an Ash ...

'' (1947) * ''Great to Be Alive!'' (1950), musical comedy on Broadway * '' Vos Iz Gevorn Fun Mayn Shtetele?'' (Whatever Became of My

Shtetl A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...

?: by Menashe Skulnik, 1970s, operetta); lyrics: Isidore Lillian * "'' Hassidic Dance''"

Notes and references

Ellstein, Abe
on the Freedman Catalog, University of Pennsylvania

on Abaton-Kino * *

External links

Guide to the Abraham Ellstein papers
at the American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY *Th
Abraham Ellstein and Sylvia Regan papers
at th
American Heritage Center
Yiddish theatre Jewish American composers 1907 births 1963 deaths Musicians from New York City 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews {{US-composer-20thC-stub

Life and career

Works

See also

Notes and references

External links