Re: biographical info request

[Andy Rubin <andyrubin...>]

Judy and Wolf-   Thanks so much for your information on Olshanetsky, et al.
I'll try and flesh out the data Judy provided with a call to the National
Yiddish Book Center, as suggested by Wolf (Wolf, do you have a phone number
for Neil Zagorin?)

-Andy Rubin
Sacramento, CA

>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