Re: Dreydl Attribution

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

Judy Pinnolis wrote:

> Lori:
> No idea about the dreydl song, have never looked into it.... but I would
> really caution you about the issue of 'blaming/accusing' someone for
> "plagarism" with these types of songs. It is widely known that there were
> many, many errors in early books/pamphlets/publications on the issue of
> attribution of Jewish melodies. One or the other of the authors you are
> talking about (who they are, I don't know)... may even have been attributed
> without his or her knowledge.

I doubt it because Michl Gelbart, who is attributed as composer for the Yiddish
version of the song, compiled the very book that I have him listed as composer 
in.  In
the songbook, Yontevdike teg, compiled by Chane Mloted and Malke Gottlieb, not 
only is
the composition attributed to Gelbart, but the Yiddish lyrics to Ben Aaron, 
which is a
pseudonym for Gelbart, according to the entry for him in the Leksikon fun der 
nayer
yidisher literatur.  And, Samuel E. Goldfarb, the reputed composer of the 
English
version and a respected composer, is attributed by his family, as well as in
publications, as the composer of the exact same melody.

So, how do you explain this?  I don't know.  It seems like more than mistaken
attribution to me.  If I can get the dates of the first appearance of these two 
songs,
it would help.  Of the people who have responded to me, it seems that their 
memory of
the English version begins around 1945, and the undated Gelbart book perhaps 
from
1946.

Best,
Lorele