David Beigelman

David Beigelman (1887–1945; also spelled Dawid Bajgelman,[1] Dawid Beigelman), born in Ostrovtse, Radomir gubernie, Poland[2] was a Polish violinist, orchestra leader, and composer of Yiddish theatre music and songs. He was born to a musical family in Łódź and where he composed and performed in Yiddish theatres at a young age.[3][4] He became director of the Lodz Yiddish Theater in 1912.[2][5]

He wrote the music for Julius Adler's operettas Dos Skoytn-meydl and Di mume Gnendil and Yankev Vaksman (1866-1942)'s 's Di Sheyne Berta, all of which were staged in Łódź, and arranged the music for S. Ansky's The Dybbuk. In 1929 he was composer and music director for the Ararat Theater in Łódź.[2]

In 1940 he was forced to move to the Ghetto Litzmannstadt in Łódź, where he took part in the ghetto's cultural life as a conductor – the ghetto's first symphony concert was performed under his direction on March 1, 1941 – and as a composer of orchestral works and songs.[4] Two well-known Beigelman songs that have survived and are performed to this day are Kinder yorn (the years of childhood) and Tsigaynerlid (Gypsy Song), dedicated to the Roma living in the ghetto.[4] He wrote songs to lyrics by Isaiah Spiegel including Makh tsu di eygelekh (Close Your Little Eyes) and Nisht keyn rozhinkes, nisht keyn mandlen (No raisins, no almonds).[6] He also collaborated with Moishe Broderzon writing well-known songs such as Nisim, nisim and Yidn, Shmidn. He also collaborated with Moyshe Nudelman, David Herman, and Yakov Rotbaum.[7]

In 1944, Beigelman was deported to Auschwitz, where he died in February 1945.[3][4][8]

Notes

  1. ^ Lucjan Dobroszycki (ed.), The Chronicle of the Lodz Ghetto 1941-1944, index to the English edition (1984), New Haven:Yale University Press
  2. ^ a b c Zalmen Zylbercweig, Leksikon fun Yidish teater, Book one, column 161
  3. ^ a b Kramer, Aaron (1999). Saul Lishinsky. ed. The Last Lullaby: Poetry from the Holocaust. Syracuse University Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-815605-79-X. 
  4. ^ a b c d SaveTheMusic.com, David Beigelman. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  5. ^ Susan Willoughby Art, Music, and Writings from the Holocaust 2003 p56 Excerpt from Gypsy Song by David Beigelman - "David Beigelman was a professional composer and musician in Poland before the war. He was sent to the Lodz ghetto where he was the musical director for the ghetto theater."
  6. ^ Zemerl, Makh Tsu Di Eygelekh. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  7. ^ Fater, Isaschar (1970). Jewish Music in Poland between the Two World Wars, pp 53-58
  8. ^ Kramer, Aaron; Lishinsky, Saul (1999). The Last Lullaby: Poetry from the Holocaust. Syracuse University Press. p. 99. ISBN 9780815605799. http://books.google.com/books?id=lP2qbsCsmV0C&dq=The+Last+Lullaby%3A+Poetry+from+the+Holocaust&q=David+Beigelman#v=snippet&q=David%20Beigelman&f=false. 

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