Re: biographical info request

[Judy Fertig <fertig...>]

Dear Andy:

Here's a bit of information to help you get you started:

According to the ASCAP Biographical Dictionary:
Alexander Olshanetsky was born in Russia on Oct. 23, 1892.  He received a
High school education. Worked at summer resorts and the Yiddish theater. he
wrote "I love you much too much" and "That Wonderful Girl of Mine". He
collaborated with Jacob Jacobs. No death date was given. 

Jacob Jacobs. b. Hungary on Jan. 1, 1889 and died in New York Oct. 14,
1977. Began as a song and dance man. Was an actor, writer, lyricist for
Yiddish plays. His main collaborators were "Alex Mshanetsky" Abe Eilstien
and Joseph Rumshensky. He collaborated on Bie Mein Bistu Shain, My
shtellelo Betty, that Wonderful Girl of Mine, You and the Sun and Stars,
and Say It Again.

[Spellings are those in the dictionary, not my spellings.  The spelling in
ASCAP of Mshanetsky could be a typo or an alternate spelling. I don't know.]

Now, the Social Security Death Index (available with 52 million records on
the Internet at http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/advanced.htm) lists Jacobs
birth date as Jan. 1, 1888.
It is likely that SS is more accurate, or at least "official" with the
gov't. [Sometimes people didn't really know when they were born, as you know.]
Jacobs ss#, listed at the site, can be used to trace other facts about him
in local records. According to Social Security, his last known address was
in Brooklyn, N.Y.

None of the others were listed in the SSDI (Social Security Death Index).

Abe Schwartz. Died May 7, 1963. He was 75. There is an obituary in the New
York Times, appearing  on May 9, 1963, p. 37, col. 4. The NYTIMES states
that he was born in Rumania, studied the violin and had his funeral at a
chapel at Park West on 79th Street. His son is Louis, and it also lists 4
daughters. It states his last address in Bronx and lists the Morrisana
Hospital as where he died. All those places and people may have more
information for you and you should consult the article. He published
recordings with Columbia Phonograph and Apollo Records. The NYTIMES spelled
the title "Grune Koseene" or "My Little Cousin", which may also help in
tracing the song and composer.

So far I haven't found anything on  "Hyman Prizant" but I have some sources
I'll check in the next week or so.

Other places you should check are public records for the City of New York,
or even old phone directories, if available in the public library (you may
have to ask a friend to do this for you, since you're in CA.) You should
also check with the copyright office, since it is likely that the songs in
question were likely to have been copyrighted, and there may be information
about the composer or lyricist there. I would also check other ASCAP
sources, if they are available to you.

Good luck. Judy.

At 09:59 PM 5/3/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>I'm looking for some biographical information on the following people:
>Alexander Olshanetsky and Jacob Jacobs (composer and lyricist,
>respectively, for "Mayn Shtetele Belz"), and Abe Schwartz and Hyman Prizant
>(composer and lyricist for "Di Grine Kuzine"). Any information (dates,
>where they lived, what projects they were generally involved with, what
>other tunes they wrote, etc.) would be helpful, as well as references to
>where such information might be found.
>
>Most appreciatively,
>
>Andy Rubin
>Sacramento, CA
>
>
-
Judy Fertig
Reference Librarian
Brandeis University
Goldfarb Library MS045
415 South Street                                phone:(617-736-4705)
Waltham, MA 02254-9110                  email: fertig (at) brandeis(dot)edu