Shalom Aleichem Shabbat melody

[Judy Pinnolis <pinnolis...>]

Itzik:
I don't know about dreydl..... but as far as the 'traditional' Shalom
Aleichem, that was written by Israel Goldfarb in the twentieth century.  A
few months ago I was advising a music text book for children, and researched
the authorship of this Shabbat table melody, 'Shalom Aleichem.' 

According to documents presented in an article by Pinchas Spiro in the
Journal of Synagogue Music, Dec., 1986, including a handwritten letter by
Goldfarb, the claim was that he, Israel Goldfarb wrote the song, in May,
1918 while sitting near the Alma mater statue in front of the library at
Columbia University. It was to be part of his "Friday Evening Melodies"
collection, which was published in 1918. It is apparently copyrighted, and
recorded at the Library of Congress in 1918, (but I have not checked into
this myself.)

Apparently the popularity of the song was so great it came to be thought of
as a folk melody and actually made the trek backwards to Europe, almost
immediately. A number of pople printed the melody in their collections
without attribution, and for a while knowledge of the composer was lost or
thought to be a folk melody. But it's composed by an American, and is
another New York City original.

Judy


itzik gottesman wrote:
> 
> Lorele - I would not dismiss Susan Wolfe's claims out of hand. If memory
> serves me right Samuel Goldfarb was the rabbi (or cantor?) at one point at
> the Kane st. Synagogue in Brooklyn (conservative now, I don't know about
> then). He was my father-in-laws rabbi there when he attended about
> 1930-33. Goldfarb compiled the influential "Jewish Songster" collections
> and I had heard from my father-in-law that he composed the Sholem Aleichem
> melody that most Americans use now.
> 
> As for the dreydl song, I have yet to find it in a Gelbart collection. On
> the other hand Chana Mlotek served as advisor on the Western Wind "The
> Chanukah Story" CD, where Gelbart is credited as composer and writer, and
> she is the poysek-akhron on such matters. - Itzik
> 
> > I would like to think that the Yiddish text came first, as "I am made
> > from lead"
> > makes so much more sense than "I made it out of clay".  I read an
> > article in a
> > publication called "Being Jewish" (Center for Relevant Judaism) by the
> > granddaughter of Samuel Goldfarb, whom she names as composer, and S. S.
> > Grossman
> > as lyricist.
> >
> > This woman, Susan Wolfe, also claims that Sam and his brother Israel
> > wrote the
> > melodies for Shalom Aleichem, the Friday night Kiddush, Adon Olam and
> > the
> > ¢traditional" Birkhat Hamazon.
> >
> > On the other hand, I think I remember seeing Gelbart books that have him
> > down as
> > composer for tunes I have seen attributed to others.  He was so prolific
> > and
> > wrote so many lovely and memorable melodies.  Anyone have inside info?
> >
> > While I'm at it, I think I'll beef about Velvl Pasternak's Songs of
> > Israel (I
> > think that's the name.  A friend of mine has it)  I was incredibly
> > annoyed to
> > see Yiddish songs in this book in Hebrew.  No Yiddish lyrics were
> > present.
> > Another thing that bugs me is the lack of attributions as to
> > lyricist/composer
> > in many of his publications, including this one.
> >
> > Lor(see how easily bugged I am?)ele
> >
> >
> > lenka lichtenberg wrote:
> >
> > æÝæFrom what I understand, Ben Aaron wrote the Yiddish text, and Michl
> > Gelbart
> > æÝthe tune, (as in the Workmen's Circle "Yontefdike Teg" collection),
> > even
> > æÝthough Gelbart also lists the song as quite his own (no Ben Aaron) in
> > a
> > æÝdifferent collection (in Yiddish). Who wrote the English text? I know
> > there
> > æÝis some controversy if in fact Gelbart wrote the music or not, but he
> > æÝcertainly presented himself as such in these two publications, that
> > were put
> > æÝout by people that knew him, and where he himself worked full-time -
> > he
> > æÝcould have hardly only "pretended" that he wrote it, to them? dunno.
> > æ
> > æÝhappy spinning,     lenka
> > æ
> > æÝ?????ÝOriginal Message -----
> > æÝFrom: Lori Cahan-Simon <l_cahan (at) staff(dot)chuh(dot)org>
> > æÝTo: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> > æÝSent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 2:20 PM
> > æÝSubject: Dreydl
> > æ
> > æÝæÝThis has been bugging me for years.  Why do the English and Yiddish
> > æÝversions
> > æÝæÝof "I am a Little Dreydl" and "Ikh bin a kleyner dreydl" have the
> > same
> > æÝtune,
> > æÝæÝdifferent words (obviously), but have different people listed as
> > being the
> > æÝæÝcomposer for each version?  Which came first?  Who is the
> > plagarist?  Who
> > æÝæÝshould be sued and who should be paid?
> > æÝæ
> > æÝæÝThis can't be a coincidence.
> > æÝæ
> > æÝæÝLor(the easily bugged)ele
> > æÝæ
> > æÝæ
> > æÝæ
> > æ
> >
> > ??????????????????????Ýjewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org 
> > ---------------------+
> >