Fanny Gordon, ( Polish:Faina Markowna Kwiatkowska Russian: Фаина Марковна Квятковская (Faina Markovna Kvyatkovskaya) - (also known as Faiga Jofé, Fayge Yoffe or Fayge Yofe; 23 December 1914 in

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...

– 9 July 1991 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

) was Polish-Soviet composer. She was the only female ''laykhte-muzik'' ("light" i.e. pop music) composer in Poland.

Life and career

Gordon was born in 1914 in Yalta,

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. After the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

her family emigrated to Poland. Faiga wrote poetry and composed songs for

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

cabarets and music theatres. One of Gordon's most famous songs, composed around 1931, was ''Przy samowarze'' ("By the

Samovar A samovar (russian: самовар, , literally "self-brewer") is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture t ...

"), performed by

Zula Pogorzelska Zula Pogorzelska (1896 – 10 February 1936) born Zofia Pogorzelska, was a Polish cabaret and film actress. She was the first Polish performer to introduce the Charleston on stage of the Cabaret ''Pod sukienką'' in 1926. Pogorzelska was the wi ...

and

Tadeusz Olsza Tadeusz Olsza (3 December 1895 – 1 June 1975), born Tadeusz Blomberg, was a Polish film and stage actor, cabaret singer, dancer and director born in Warsaw. From 1915 to 1917, he taught vocal classes at Warsaw Conservatory. Starting in 1921 he p ...

at the ''Morskie Oko'' theatre in the revue "Podróż na księżyc" (Journey To The Moon) in April 1931.

Andrzej Włast Andrzej Włast (aka Gustaw Baumritter) (17 March 1885 – 1942 or 1943) was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga" / "Oh, Donna Clara". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Biography W� ...

wrote the lyrics in 1931 and the song became an international hit,"Gordon, Fanny", Biblioteka Polskiej Piosenki

last accessed 2/28/2011 recorded by German and American dance bands. Later a record company asked her to write Russian words to the melody, and the result was «У самовара». Her other hits included the tango "Skrwawione serce" ("My Bleeding Heart") sung by Polish "queen of tango" Stanisława Nowicka, the foxtrot "Abdul Bej" based on oriental motifs, sung by Tadeusz Faliszewski and Albert Harris, and "Siemieczki", called "The Polish Bublitshki". Her tango "Nietoperze" ("The Bats"), with lyrics about those who hunt for love at night written by Szer-Szeń (pen-name of the prominent Polish poet,

Jan Brzechwa Jan Brzechwa (), (15 August 1898 – 2 July 1966) was a Polish poet, author and lawyer, known mostly for his contribution to children's literature. He was born Jan Wiktor Lesman to a Polish family of Jewish descent.

). Her "Bal u starego Joska" ("Party at the Old Josel's"), also known as "Bal na Gnojnej" ("Party At the Dung Lane"), lyrics by

, was intended as a send-up of Warsaw "apasz" (underworld) ballads and became so famous it is now often cited as the first Warsaw underworld folksong. After the war the song was often performed by

Stanisław Grzesiuk Stanisław Grzesiuk (; 6 May 1918, Małków, Łęczna County – 21 January 1963) was a Polish writer, poet, singer, and comedian. He is notable as one of the few public figures to use and promote the singing style and dialect of pre-war Wars ...

. In 1933, she wrote the operetta ''Jacht miłości'' (''Yacht of Love'') with a hit, the tango "Indie" (also performed in the Netherlands and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as "New York Baby"). Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Gordon lived alternately in Warsaw and the United States. She was trapped in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war, but escaped to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania, and eventually to Leningrad (

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

), where she continued to compose under the names Fania Markovna Kviatkovskaya and Fania Kwiatkowski. She died in Leningrad in 1991.http://www.spotkaniazpiosenka.org/GWIAZDOZBIOR/pdf/Gordon.pdf

References

External links

* * Lyrics Szer-szen (

) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Fanny 1914 births 1991 deaths Jewish cabaret performers People from Yalta People from Taurida Governorate Russian Jews Polish cabaret performers Jewish songwriters 20th-century comedians Soviet composers Jewish women musicians