Re: Lehman Engel: Chassidic Chant & Yiddish Song Books

[Eliott Kahn <Elkahn...>]

Bob:

THE KADDISH OF RABBI LEVI YITZCHOK, sometimes referred to as A DIN TOIRE MIT 
GOTT (A Judgment against God) was supposedly written and composed by the hasid 
Levi Yitzchak (1740-1809). He is also cited as the author of two other seminal 
Jewish texts, HABEN YAKIR LI (from V'al Y'deh Av'decha of the High Holiday 
musaf service) and the folk song/poem DUDELE.

A copy of the English translation you refer to (with the melody) may be found 
in Judith Kaplan Eisenstein's HERITAGE OF MUSIC (NY: UAHC, 1972). At the 
library we also have Yiddish settings from the 1920s by Joel Engel and Leo Low, 
although I couldn't find a transcription in some of the more contemporary 
popular Yiddish song anthologies. There is a transcription of DUDELE in Velvel 
Pasternak's SONGS OF THE CHASIDIM, vol. II. I believe there is a field 
recording of LEVI YITZCHAK'S KADDISH on the recently released CD of samples 
from the Beregovski Coll. at the Vernadsky Library in the Ukraine. I'll check 
as soon as I get the chance.

Judith Kaplan-Eisenstein writes about Reb Levi Yitzchak on p.113 of her book. 
Here's a paraphrase of some of what she says:
         Hundreds and stories have come down to us about the piety and 
gentleness of RLY, who was among one of the great early Hasidic masters. Yet he 
had no moment of hesitation to challenge the Ruler of the Universe. He had a 
cause and a case: the Jewish people suffering under oppression, persecution and 
injustice. Like some defense attorney who pleads for justice for an innocent 
and much-abused client, Levi Yitzchok demanded, actually DEMANDED, that the 
judge of all mankind Himself do justice!

Eliott Kahn





At 08:53 AM 7/20/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Thanks Victor,
>
>That is the piece.  I imagine that it is known to a number of list
>members.  I have only 5 Yiddish song books (and it isn't in any of
>them), so could you (or anyone else) list and comment on the major
>collections of Yiddish songs.
>
>About the song, was the text written separately as prose?  When was it
>written?  Did Lehman Engel provide the melody (chant) for the words or
>just the arrangement?  I have not done an exhaustive search through my
>library, but so far I haven't found any references.
>
>Bob
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Victor Tunkel <V(dot)Tunkel (at) qmw(dot)ac(dot)uk>
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Date: Thursday, July 20, 2000 8:00 AM
>Subject: Re: Fw: Lehman Engel: Chassidic Chant
>
>
> >>Perhaps someone can help me with this work if I identify it this
> >>way -- it is the piece sung by Paul Robeson that begins: "Good day
>to
> >>thee Lord God Almighty, I Levi Isaac..."
> >>
> >>Bob
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
> >>To: World Music from a Jewish Slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> >>Date: Monday, July 17, 2000 12:45 PM
> >>Subject: Lehman Engel: Chassidic Chant
> >>
> >>
> >>>Can anyone help me find information on Lehman Engel's Chassidic
> >>Chant,
> >>>e.g., history of the text, date of composition, original type of
>work
> >>>(e.g., art song), language(s) of composition, performer of
>premiere?
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>Dear Bob:  It is the Kaddish of Lev Yitchak of Berditchev, done into
> >English for Robeson.  The original Yiddish version can be found in
>most of
> >the major collections of Yiddish songs.
> >
> >Victor Tunkel
> >
> >----------------------
>jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+
> >