Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
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The Band Played on, by Charles B. Ward and John F. Palmer, was one of the big successes on Tin Pan Alley, so of course it was parodied for the Jewish music publishing world. Isaac Reingold, who has featured often in this blog, was one of the two most prolific parodists (the other being Louis Gilrod).

This is an astonishing lyric. In the first verse, we get a sweet and detailed scene from young Genendl's life, when she leaves her preparations for the Sabbath behind in order to go dancing. In the second verse, Genendl and her fiance are at their wedding reception longing for everybody else to leave so they could be alone together. And in the third verse, the husband murders her for going on a picnic with the boarder.

Here's our take on it, from the Yiddish Ragtime cd. Randy Kloko sang with me and Glenn Mehrbach played the keyboard.



Transliteration and translation from the Yiddish after the jump.

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Labels: battle between the sexes, food, humor, male chauvinism, marriage, mores, sabbath, yiddish ragtime

UPDATE! Over a year ago I posted the translation of this song and thought I would never find the melody - but the Mayrent Collection has a recording of Kol Mikadesh (from around 1914) sung by Morris Goldstein and shared it with me, so I was able to make you a video.

Morris Goldstein was a Yiddish theater star with a great voice, who has left us quite a few recordings. Today he seems to be completely unknown.

Goldstein, whom I assume wrote this delightful satire, sings only three of the verses; he ends by assuring his wife he's already got her all taken care of when it comes to her death. Listen to him here:


Shalom Goldman wrote me: "The song is a riff -- a parody of the sabbath hymn 'Kol mekadesh' -- and phrases from that hymn are interwoven into the song, from the opening to the last words tshuas olamim."

Here's the original: Kol M'Kadesh Shvi'i.

Here's the translation of Goldstein's parody:

"One who keeps the Sabbath properly, who welcomes the bride"
According to the rules, rules, rules
How long, my dear wife Tsipke,
Will you stand between the two paths
And not believe that you have a man full of Torah, wisdom - and with a lot of charm
As fine a man as God sent you
I know well, my dear wife Tsipke,
You don't really deserve him
You can believe me, not every husband is this great
So children, sing with me: "The descendants of Israel, each man in his camp and under his flag."

See, from that time to the present day
The dowry from our wedding, Tsipke dear, has disappeared with the wind
But now I've grabbed a fine, profitable occupation
Since that happened, my dear Tsipke, we live like royalty.
You should be bursting with pleasure and pride without limit
"Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people on the Sabbath."

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Labels: battle between the sexes, humor, male chauvinism, religion, sabbath, sarcasm

Sheet music from London's Mazan & Co. Ltd, "The London Hebrew Publishing Company," implies the song is from Sigmund Feinman's operetta of the same name (arranger for the violin part here was Ferdinand Staub).


The lyrics are by Louis Gilrod, the music is by violinist Otto Motzan. By the way, when you want to find Yiddish songs pipes are very helpful. For instance, I searched for this one thus: Shabes|shabbes|shobes|shabos|shabbos|shobbes koydesh|koidesh|kodesh


Hyman Altman, who has been seen often on this blog lately, is the singer. He has evidently written his own second verse and as usual I can't tease the words out of it. I decided to put the "official" second verse on the video since that's all I had. If you want to take a shot at figuring out what he actually sings, I'd be thrilled and would add it to the post.


Click below to hear Hyman Altman singing this song, which I find quite lovely. It would be a good addition to the table song repertoire today!


Here's the translation:

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Labels: nostalgia, religion, sabbath