Re: Mordechai Gebirtig songs

[Judith Pinnolis <pinnolis...>]

Dear Irene:
Try Transcontinental Music as a possible publisher.
http://www.etranscon.com/
They have a history of publishing Yiddish art song.

Judy


----- Original Message -----
From: <Issongbird (at) aol(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 8:12 PM
Subject: Mordechai Gebirtig songs



> I have been a member of this list for a few weeks but have not submitted
> anything until now.  I am a classically trained singer (also a child of
> Holocaust survivors from Krakow) and sing with a baritone and pianist in a
trio
> called The Katsenshprung SIngers the songs of Mordechai Gebirtig in
classical art
> song style. Over the last 3 years I have also composed songs to most of
the
> poems Gebirtig wrote during the war for which no music by Gebirtig exists.
> Others have composed music for these magnificent poems, but none have
> impressed me, and I gather others have felt the same way.

   In July I sent a CD I recorded in a Yom Hashoah concert with five of
these
songs to both Zalmen Mlotek > and to Chana Mlotek. Mr. Mlotek expressed
> great interest in the songs and asked me to send him the music -- he said
he was
> interested in using a few for some of his programs.
>
> I just heard back from Chana Mlotek yesterday. She e-mailed me that she
> (and I quote): "enjoyed the CD very much and thought your settings of the
> Gebirtig songs very fine. "
>
> She also told me that she had written about my songs in her column in last
> week's Yiddish Forward. In her column she said (I quote from the English
> translation): From Irene Steiner (New York) we received a compact disk of
her
> music
> to five Holocaust songs by Mordekhai Gebirtig. This is not the first
> time that a composer has set music to Gebirtigs songs written during
> the Holocaust, which have no music; in any case the music has not
> survived. Manfred Lemm, Emil Gorowitz and others have created music
> to Gebirtig's Holocaust songs. The five songs by Irene Steiner are a
> success - they are simple, melodic and appropriate to the words.
>
> I am so excited at this reaction and in particular about Chana Mlotek's
> approval of my songs, given her knowledge, authority and reputation.  But
being
> relatively new to the world of Yiddish music, I am sort of at a loss for
what
> to do next and wondered if anyone out there might have any suggestions. Is
> it feasible to try to get them published?  If so, where?  Any other
persons to
> whom I should send my songs, either to help me publish ro to have them
> performed by higher profile persons than myself?   These songs were
originally
> written as art songs, but most would be suitable to be performed with
guitar as
> well, at least I think so.

   These poems are astonishing in their intensity and I really believe that
my settings
> are good -- I want to get these songs performed and/or recorded!! But I am
> so unknown and such a novice, I don't know what to do to get the songs out
> there.   I have written more songs to the all of the other poems Gebirtig
> wrote during this period, and they are also really good (if I do say so
myself),
> but I don't have them recorded yet -- I am working to rectify this but
won't
> be ready for another few weeks.
>
> I welcome anyone's suggestions.  Thank you so much for your time and
> attention.
>
> Irene Steiner
>


---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+