Re: Weirdest Yiddish Recordings

Jan Peerce recorded a very good version of A din-toyre mit Got. He talks about the piece and what it meant to him, in his Autobiography, THE BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS.

Trudi the G

>From: "Michel Borzykowski"

>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org

>To: World music from a Jewish slant

>Subject: Re: Weirdest Yiddish Recordings

>Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 11:03:26 +0200

> ----- Original Message ----- the article won't be about weird

> Jewish songs in general, but about strange Yiddish songs.

>Shalom Ethan !

>I would suggest to consider the strange "Kaddish" or "A din-toyre mit Got", words by Rabbi Levi Yitzkhok von Berditshev (1740 -1809).

>Afaik, it was not a song but a peculiar speech that the Rebbe delivered to his court instead of a regular kaddish...

>I don't know who put it into music

>-----------------------------------------------------------

>Git morgn, Riboynoy shel Oylem !

>Ikh, Levi Yitzkhok ben Sore mi Berditshev

>Bin tsu dir gekum'n mit a din toyre far dayn folk Isroel.

>Un voss hostu tsu dayn folk Isroel?

>Un voss hostu zikh ongezetst oyf dayn folk Isroel?

>Un voss nokh a zakh, iz "zav ess bney Isroel"?

>Un voss nokh a zakh, iz "emoyr livney Isroel"?

>Un vi nokh a zakh, iz "daber livney Isroel" ?

>Tatenyu ! Kamo umoyss b'oylem ?

>Bawlayim, Parsayim, Edoymayim.

>Di daytshlender, wuss zogn zey? "Inzer kenig iz a kenig".

>Di englender, wuss zogn zey? "Inzer malkuss iz a malkhuss".

>Un ikh, Levi Yitzkhok ben Sore mi Berditshev, zog:

>"Yisgadal veyiskadash shemey rabo !"

>Un ikh, Levi Yitzkhok ben Sore mi Berditshev, zog:

>"Loy ozuss mim'keymi !

>Kh'vel zikh fun ort nit rir'n !

>Un a sof zol doss zayn, un an ek zol doss nem'n !

>Yisgadal veyiskadash shemey rabo !"

>----------------------------------------------------

>Good morning to You, Lord of the Universe.

>I, Levi-Yitzchok, son of sarah, of Berditchev,

>have come to You in a lawsuit

>On behalf of Your people Israel.

>What have You against your people Israel?

>And why do you oppress Your people Israel?

>No matter what happens, it is:

>"Command the Children of Israel!"

>No matter what happens, it is:

>"Say to the Children of Israel!"

>No matter what happens, it is:

>"Speak to the Children of Israel!"

>Father dear! how many other peoples are there in the world?--

>Babylonians, Persians, and Edomites!..

>The Germans, what do they say?

>"Our Kind is a King!"

>The English -- what do they say?

>"Our Sovereign is a Sovereign!"

>And I, Levi-Yitzchok, son of Sarah, of Berditchev, say:

>"Hallowed and magnified by the name of God!"

>And I, Levi-Yitzchok, son of Sarah, of Berditchev, say:

>"I will not stir from here!

>An end there must be to this -- it must all stop!

>Hallowed and magnified be the name of God!"

>------------------------------------------------

>You can hear it by:

>- Emile KACMANN on "Voices of the Ghetto" WMD 242066

>- Nizza THOBI on "Gobojrn in a sajdn hemdl" David Records LC 2584

>- Helmut EISEL's Asoj on "Spirit of Klezmer" Koch CD 34105-2 H1

>- Marcel LORAND Trio on "Jiddishe Stikele: Jewish Songs from the Prague Ghetto" Supraphon LC 0358 SU 3343-2211