Re: Yiddish Tango, Jews in tango

[Lori Cahan-Simon <lsimon...>]

Dear Jenny,

Check out this URL for the song "Jidishe Tango", sung by Karsten Troike (a
singer of Jewish ancestry coming to perform in the U.S. from Germany next
April), learned from Sara Bialas-Tenenberg (a survivor with a prodigious
musical memory) who heard it sung once by the Viennese opera singer Mizzi
Spielman in Gross Rosen camp.  Perhaps it will be new for you.

Lori

At 10:51 PM 7/23/99 EDT, you wrote:
>OK, so this happens to be my specialty!
>
>Following up on what Hankus and Jeff recently wrote:  
>
>There is also a book called 'Tango, Una Historia Con Judíos' written by Jose 
>Judkovski  -- published about a year ago.  Also excellent. 
>
>I have collected (so far) 150 tangos in Yiddish, and a bunch of tangos from 
>Argentina that were written, composed, and/ or played by Jews.  Jews were 
>right in there at the start of tango, and violin players were especially 
>prominent.  When Jewish melodies are imported into Argentine tango, it is 
>more likely that the Jewish violin player pulled it out of his memory than 
>that a Jewish composer wrote it in.   I have tangos that pull from Zol Shoyn 
>Kumen Di Geule and other Yiddish songs.  
>
>Yiddish tango -- tango with Yiddish lyrics -- originated in two places -- 
>Argentina and yes -- as Hankus said -- Poland.  Poland was crazy for tango 
>between the wars.  Amazing Jewish orchestras, composers, etc.  And then 
>people started writing Yiddish lyrics.  
>
>Most of the material that I have is from Poland and Argentina from 1918 til 
>the early 50's, including ghetto tangos. And then a bunch a bunch a bunch 
>from the Yiddish theatre.  And a few assorted weird things from odd places.  
>
>What am I doing with the material?  Got a few grants (Jewish and non-Jewish 
>sources) -- am writing a theatrical, music, dance performance piece.  It
will 
>debut in Portland Oregon, in December.  And after that, I'm ready to hit the 
>road with it.  
>
>So... if anyone has a Yiddish tango that you think might be somewhat
obscure, 
>or if you have one that you love so much that you want to make sure I have 
>it, I'd love to give a listen. 
>
>Jenny Levison
>
>---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+
>