Abraham Ellstein

Abraham "Abe" Ellstein (Yiddish: אַבֿרהם "אײב" עלשטײן, Avrom Ellstein, July 7, 1907, New York - March 22, 1963) was an American composer for Yiddish entertainments. Along with Shalom Secunda, Joseph Rumshinsky, and Alexander Olshanetsky, Ellstein was one of the "big four" composers of his era in New York City's Second Avenue (Manhattan) Yiddish theatre scene.^[1] His musical Yidl Mitn Fidl became one of the greatest hits of Yiddish-language cinema.

He was born on the Lower East Side, Manhattan, at that time an Eastern European Jewish immigrant area.

Works

• Mamele: Kid Mother (by Edmund Zayenda, 1938, Poland: Yiddish film)
  • Abi Gezunt (So Long As You're Healthy); lyrics: Molly Picon
  • Ikh Zing (For You I Sing); lyrics: Molly Picon
  • Mazl (Good Fortune); lyrics: Molly Picon

• Der Nayer Sher (The New Sher, 1940)

• Eyns un a rekhts (One in a Million: by Anschel Schorr, 1934: musical comedy)
  • Oygn (Eyes); lyrics: Molly Picon

• Ikh bin farlibt (I'm in Love: by William Siegel, 1946: romantic musical comedy)
  • Ikh Vil Es Hern Nokh Amol (I Want to Hear it Again); lyrics: Molly Picon

• Der berditshever khosn (The Bridegroom from Berditchev: by Israel Goldstein, 1930, operetta)
  • Zog Es Mir Nokh Amol (Tell Me Again); lyrics: Jacob Jacobs

• Yidl Mitn Fidl (Joseph Green or Josef Grünberg, 1936, romantic musical comedy film)
  • Oy Mame, Bin Ikh Farlibt (Oh, Mama, I am in Love)

• Vos Iz Gevorn Fun Mayn Shtetele? (Whatever Became of My Shtetl?: by Menashe Skulnik, 1970s, operetta); lyrics: Isidore Lillian

• Bublitshki (Little Bagels: 1938, operetta)
  • Der Alter Tsigayner (The Old Gypsy); lyrics: Jacob Jacobs

• A Heymisher Bulgar (1947)

• Great to Be Alive! (1950), musical comedy on Broadway

• "Hassidic Dance"

See also

• Molly Picon
• Seymour Rechtzeit

Notes and references

1. ^ Program notes Music of Los Angeles Jewish Composers Aminadav Aloni, Michael Isaacson, Robert Strassburg and Hidden Treasures from Prokofiev, Krejn, Fitelberg and Ellstein, Valley Beth Shalom, November 29, 2005. Accessed online 13 November 2006.

• Ellstein, Abe on the Freedman Catalog, University of Pennsylvania
• Jiddische Filmklassiker: Jiddl mitn Fidl on Abaton-Kino
• Abe Ellstein at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Abraham Ellstein in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Persondata
Name	Ellstein, Abraham
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 7, 1907
Place of birth
Date of death	March 22, 1963
Place of death