Some
musicians from the early 20th century
The early years of the
20th century saw a boom in another area of entertainment and consumption - recordings.
From 1899 the Gramophone Company in London was making recordings in Eastern
Europe. The Syrena label had a big hit with their recording of the cantor Sirota
and went on to record small ensembles and larger bands. One of their earliest
recordings is Belf's Romanian Orchestra with clarinet, melody and second fiddles,
cello and piano. No-one knows who he was or what he played but it is thought that
the band was probably from the Ukraine and the Romanian name was a marketing ploy.
Other early klezmer recordings were by Abe Elenkrig with his Hebrew Bulgarian
Orchestra, this had the brassy rhythms and style of Moldavia and South West Ukraine.
Whilst
recordings were exported from Europe to the US the level of production in the
US was far greater and there was a larger flow of sales the other way. In the
US the United Hebrew Disc and Cylinder Record Company recorded songs, theatre
songs, medleys of klezmer standards and produced 150 records in 3 years. During
the first world war the influx of recording artists from Eastern Europe was interrupted
so the recording studios had to look to local talent for their products.
Abe
Schwartz
A prolific recording artist in the US at the time
was Abe Schwartz, violinist, pianist, arranger, composer and band leader, who
had arrived in 1899 from Bucharest. In 1917 he served as bandleader for Columbia
records and recorded 7 records including Tants Tants Yiddeleh (Dance, Dance Jews)
a very popular early klezmer hit which was recorded by many different artists
in different forms over the years including a Latin American version. As did many
other klezmorim, he played and wrote for the Yiddish theatre and in 1920 recorded
and published over 35 klezmer tunes including shers, bulgars, freilachs and khosidls.
Some were his own compositions such as 'A Glass of Wine', others were traditional
tunes. As well as recording with an orchestra and other ensembles, some of his
best recordings are just Schwatz accompanied by his 12 year old daughter Sylvia
on piano. Abe also acted as an unofficial A & R, identifying up and coming
musicians and introducing them to recording including Naftule Brandwein and Dave
Tarras of which more below.
Joseph Frankel
Another band leader for Columbia was Leutenant Joseph Frankel from Kiev. Conservatoire
trained and a band leader in the Tzarist army, he toured the US in 1904 leading
the 14th Regiment Military Band. When WW1 started he was touring South America
with a Russian Symphony orchestra. He took US citizenship and became a band leader
in the US army. After the war he recorded for Columbia - their catalogue shows
him in full military gear. He recorded traditional tunes as well as his own contemporary
compositions including 'Yiddishe Blues' (however the only blues are in the title).
Harry
Kandel
Meanwhile competitor label Victor took on clarinettist
and band leader Harry Kandel. Originally from Lemburg, he attended the Odessa
Conservatoire, played in the Tsar's army and emigrated in 1905. He played for
vaudeville and in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show before moving to Philadelphia
to form Harry Kandel's Famous Inlet Orchestra which played mainstream American
music. In 1917 Victor's response to the success of 'Dance Dance Jews' was to persuade
Kandel to record some klezmer and they released A Freylach fun der Khupe and Odessa
Bulgarish. According to Sapoznik, Kandel's orchestra of 2 cornets, 4 fiddles,
flute, viola, trombone, tuba, piano and clarinet stormed through the pieces and
Victor 'had a winner'.
Naftule Brandwein
Naftule Brandwein seems to be the 'wild boy' of klezmer - wine, women and the
Jewish mafia - but is one of the greatest klezmer clarinettists of the time. Henry
Sapoznik interviewed people who still remembered his exploits after 40 years.
Brandwein had an Uncle Sam costume of fairy lights which nearly electrocuted him,
he performed with his back to the audience to hide his tricky fingerings, he wore
a neon 'Naftule Brandwien Orchestra' sign round his neck, he dropped his trousers
when playing at parties, he played for the mafia - the stories go on an on - and
he was a genius player. Born in Galicia in the Ukraine into a musical family he
played cornet originally with the local gypsy and Polish musicians. He later transferred
to clarinet and arrived in New York in 1908. He promoted himself as King of Jewish
Music and played on early records with Abe Schwartz. By 1922 he had changed labels
from Columbia to Victor and was leading his own band.
Dave
Tarras
Dave Tarras is the other great clarinettist of the
early 20th century. From Ternivka in the Ukraine, he grew up playing in the family
orchestra, received formal musical training and was another conscript in the tsarist
army. Coming to New York in 1921 he worked in the fur trade before getting work
as a musician, first playing at weddings but then got his big break replacing
Brandwein in Chernaivsky's bands. He performed and recorded prolifically for many
years with many of the top klezmer and Yiddish artists. Less traditional than
Brandwien his music reflects Bessarabian influences and he was responsible for
popularising bulgars in the 1920's and 30s in the US.
Summary
Between the wars there was an amazing flourishing of Yiddish culture - a greater
affluence, particularly in the west, fuelled consumption and spending on entertainment.
The record buying public could get recordings of popular songs, folk songs, theatre
songs, instrumental works. Religious recordings continued to be very popular and
some of the cantors crossed over into other areas recording Yiddish songs, Ukranian
songs, art songs, theatre songs and even opera.
Next - 1920's
theatre music - 1930's - Show Songs - Foxtrots and tangos - Yiddish Film
