RE: biographical info request

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

The best place to do this work is at YIVO and not the National Yiddish Book 
Center.   The NYBC can sell you books that may include info about him, books 
that will include his songs, and lots of sheet music by him, which YIVO can not 
sell.   YIVO is the world's chief archive and research library for all this 
Yiddish material.   You can write to Zachary Baker, chief YIVO librarian at: 
yivo1 (at) metgate(dot)metro(dot)org  to ask for information.   Chana Mlotek is 
the music archivist at YIVO and she will probably be able to answer many of 
your questions cold.   There is also a Yiddish encyclopedia on Yiddish theater 
that would readily include this material on Olshanetsky.  (NYBC can sell you 
copies of that probably.)   YIVO can make various xerox copies for you from 
some library sources.  YIVO librarians can lead you to the right English 
sources, even a scholarly biblio.   (Nahma Sandrow's "Vagabond Stars" in one 
English book that will probably also have some material for you.)   Neil will 
probably give you similar advice, unless he would be willing to translate the 
encyclopedia entry to you on the phone which YIVO might also be willing to 
depending on how busy they are at the moment and the day you call.   (Best on 
Fridays when the library is closed to the public.)  The NYC music library at 
Lincoln Center and the Jewish Division of the 42nd Street NYC Library can also 
be equally helpful with basic info.   YIVO, however, would probably be the ones 
who got Olshanetsky's personal papers as well as all his colleagues'.    

If you know how to access and use university library systems, you can probably 
access a biblio on him from your home computer as well.   The 42nd Street's 
library is all computerized and is a phenomenal gigantic resource.   Try to get 
into that system.   I am not sure if YIVO's library has completed its 
computerization.   Zachary Baker can tell you that.

BTW: Neil's Zagorin's address is: nzagorin (at) bikher(dot)org .  


Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky


----------
From:  Andy Rubin[SMTP:andyrubin (at) jps(dot)net]
Sent:  Wednesday, May 06, 1998 4:50 AM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant.
Subject:  Re: biographical info request


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