Re:Sing-Along Songs

[Mattflight <Mattflight...>]

    The question of songs that had good sing-along sections lead me to dig up 
the Sing-along records in my collection, and take a deeper look at them. I 
came across six in my collection with Yiddish content on them (the one just 
Hebrew, and one of just Hanukah content I didn't look at.). It appears that 
they all came with song sheets, although I am missing them for a number of 
recordings.
    I didn't deeply analyze the content of them, but songs that popped out at 
me as being on a number of albums included; Ich Hob Dich Tzufil Leib, Lomir 
Zich Ibberbetten, Papirossen, Belz, Shein Vi Di L'vone, and Mazel. The 
Education Department of the Workmen's Circle album, "Sing Along With Me!" on 
Famous Records includes none of the above songs, but it did have the simplest 
musical arrangements.
    My suggestion is that almost any song with can be used for a sing-along 
section of a concert. Tell the venue that you have a song sheet that you 
would like to have them include in the program that they will be passing out. 
Then when it comes time for the sing-along section, they just have to take 
out this page (remember to tell the lighting person to turn up the house 
lights if they aren't already up). I saw the Boston Pops conducted by Mitch 
Miller a number of years ago, and this was the technique that he used. Also 
last year when I saw a program that included a sing-along of hit tunes of the 
60's and 70's. 
    Back to the albums, the two that I would try to get a hand on and listen 
to are the first two on my discography, the Mickey Katz and the Workmen's 
Circle recording. The Marv Kurz's albums are ok for collections repertoire at 
23 and 27 songs per disk. The arraignments on the Sholom Secunda album are 
way to complex in my mind to be able to directly use them in a live 
sing-along setting. 

Discography
Mickey Katz  and “Der Ganser Gang”;  "Sing-Along With Mickele" Capitol ST 
1744
The Education Department of the Workmen's Circle; "Sing Along With Me!" 
Famous FAM-1012
Marv Kurz "Sing-Along in Yiddish" Golden Crest CR 3076
Marv Kurz "More! Sing-Along in Yiddish" Golden Crest CD 3077
Cantor Isaac Goodfreind "Song Along in Jewish" Jubille JGM 2031
Sholom Secunda "Sing A Little Something; A Yiddish Sing-Along" Liberty 
LRP-3254


Matt Temkin

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