Berl Broder

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Berl Broder (1815–1868), born Berl Margulis was a Ukrainian Jew, the most famous of the Broder singers, 19th century Jewish singers comparable to the troubadours or Minnesänger, and reputed the first to be both a singer and an actor.[1] His nickname is the origin of the term Broder singer.[2] Thirty of his songs survive; of these, 24 are in the form of dialogues, usually between craftsmen such as tailors or shoemakers; his songs are seen as a precursor to Yiddish theater.[1]

He childhood was taken up with religious studies at home, until his father's death when he was 16. A handsome, bright young man with a good voice, he taught himself the violin. He worked briefly as a brushmaker; his co-workers became his first audience, and he developed a reputation for always having a rhyme or a proverb.[1]

From some time in his late teens or early twenties, he headed on the road as an itinerant performer, along with two other singers, one of whom was also a tailor who made costumes for the troupe. It is believed that many of his songs were improvised on the spot; only thirty survive in written form. [1]

After leaving Brody, he never settled in any one place; he was also known as a heavy drinker. He died in Ploieşti, Romania.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Bercovici 1998.
  2. ^ Roskies 1999, p. 94.

[edit] References

  • Bercovici, Israil, O sută de ani de teatru evreiesc în România ("One hundred years of Yiddish/Jewish theater in Romania"), 2nd Romanian-language edition, revised and augmented by Constantin Măciucă. Editura Integral (an imprint of Editurile Universala), Bucharest (1998), pages 31-36. ISBN 973-98272-2-5. See the article on the author for further publication information.
  • Roskies, David G., The Jewish Search for a Usable Past, Indiana University Press (1999), ISBN 0253335051. p. 94–95.