21 October 2013

Yiddish songs to tug the heart strings

At my parents' retirement home, there were many Hebrew and Yiddish songs at the concert last week, but no song was as emotional and as meaningful to the residents as Oyfn Pripetchik/On the Hearth. These residents were born in the 1920-33 era, immig­rants who arrived in Australia in the desperate post-WW2 quest to increase Australia's population.

Apparently I learned Oyfn Pripetchik in my grandparents’ lap, but it wasn’t easy to find the exact origins of the song. I do know that Mark Warshavsky (1848-1907) was born in Odessa. He studied at Kiev University and then practised law in that city. He started to write songs and sing them in his social circle, accompanied by a simple instrument. But he did not memorialise those songs in writing, singing instead off by heart. Thus I still cannot find a date for Oyfn Pripetchik, although it was certainly before 1900.

It did not matter to Warshavsky’s contemporaries that the song was not recorded; his songs quickly spread throughout the huge Ukrainian Jewish community in any case. According to a post-WW1 census, the total number of Jews in the USSR was 3 million, of whom 60% lived in Ukraine.


In 1890 Warshawsky met the genius of Yiddish letters, Sholem Aleichem. With Sholem Aleichem's cooperation, Warshavsky did publish his first collection Jewish People's Songs in Odessa and Kiev, both in 1900. The collection included songs described the everyday life of Jews in the Russian Empire. Together Sholem Aleichem and Warshawsky started to tour around Rus­sia performing their own repertoire. They also had plans to travel to the USA, however those plans never eventuated since Warshawsky suddenly became ill and died.

A later edition of the Warshawsky's songs was published after WW2 in the New World.

It is said that Warshavsky’s work in 1900 was inseparably linked with the life of his people, with all their sufferings and joys. All I can tell you in 2013 is that the residents in my parents’ retire­ment home still expressed the same feelings: “yes, that is exactly how it was”… “we may have been poor and hungry, but every Jewish child loved learning”… “that was mama’s favourite song”.

a cheder school in Poland, 1930s
photo credit: Roman Vishniac, Children of a Vanished World

Oyfn Pripetshik is on youtube.
Oyfn pripetshik brent a fayerl,
Un in shtub iz heys,
Un der rebe lernt kleyne kinderlekh,
Dem alef-beys.

Refrain:
Zet zhe kinderlekh, gedenkt zhe, tayere,
Vos ir lernt do;
Zogt zhe nokh a mol un take nokh a mol:
Komets-alef: o!


On the hearth, a fire burns,
And in the house it is warm.
And the rabbi is teaching little children,
The alphabet.

Refrain:
See, children, remember, dear ones,
What you learn here;
Repeat and repeat yet again,
Komets-alef: o!

Learn, children, with great enthusiasm.
So I instruct you;
He among you who learns Hebrew pronunciation faster -
He will receive a flag.

Learn children, don't be afraid,
Every beginning is hard;
Lucky is the one has learned Torah (the Law),
What more does a person need?

When you grow older, children,
You will understand by yourselves,
How many tears lie in these letters,
And how much lament.

When you, children, will bear the Exile,
And will be exhausted,
May you derive strength from these letters,
Look in at them!




20 comments:

Joseph said...

Until I saw the Vishniac reference, I thought the cheder photo was of me and my friends.

Papiya said...

Really fabulous Yiddish songs. I love to read your post very much. A big thanks for sharing with us !!

Hels said...

Joseph

There was a timelessness in those photos "agreed". I don't think I could tell if the liitle boys were in a Russian cheder in 1900 or a Polish cheder in 1930 or a Sydney cheder in 1950.

Hels said...

Papiya

Thank you! The melodies are deeply emotional. The words are a bit more sentimental.

Parnassus said...

Hello Hels, I never knew these songs, but I just enjoyed listening to Oyfn Pripetchik and other similar ones on Youtube, which has a nice assortment of them.
--Jim

Hels said...

Parnassus

Good to hear from you. I am way out of my depth here because I nothing about music.

Modern songs might have a much more interesting beat, but they don't have emotional power. I think all folk songs, on the other hand, are powerful over a long time because they do reflect old values, old emotions. So if we were at a folk music concert for elderly Croats or Scots, I think the tears would be flowing just as strongly.

Lord Cowell said...

A beautiful song, with a haunting melody.

Hels said...

Lord Cowell

very haunting melody, yes. The words are also filled with tears.

Salim Ahmed said...

It was amazing.

Thelma Taylor said...

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Sanzida islam said...

This is really impressive blog post.

Hels said...

Sanzida thank you.

What was the language you shared with your parents as a youngster? Does it still make you emotional as an adult?

Abdullah Al Noman said...

Listening to Yiddish songs can evoke powerful emotions and memories, even for those who may not understand the language. The melodies and lyrics are often hauntingly beautiful, and they tug at the heartstrings of anyone who hears them.

Yiddish music has a way of bringing people together and fostering a sense of community. It reminds us of our shared history and the struggles and triumphs of those who came before us. Whether it's a mournful ballad or a lively dance tune, Yiddish music has the power to touch our hearts and souls.
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Hels said...

Editor

that is such an amazing comment, thank you.
That specific music reminds us all of our shared history, and the struggles and triumphs of those who came before us. You are suggesting that this is true, even for those who may not understand the language or be familiar with the tunes.

William Thomas said...

Oyfn Pripetchik" brings those memories flooding back with memories of loved ones and of the painful struggles that the emigrants, including the parents and grandparents of the retirees, endured in the shtetls of Eastern Europe at the time. Though they are now surrounded by the warmth and security of their retirement home, these Yiddish songs continue to remind them of their past, bringing forth a wistful nostalgia. It truly tugged at the heartstrings of all those in attendance.
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Hels said...

William

not just in the retirement homes. Yiddish was my husband's first language, in Czechoslovakia but even in Australia until he left his parents' home in 1970. Now he speaks to me in half English-half Yiddish, and I answer in a third-English-a third Hebrew-a third Yiddish.

Our children know only English and Hebrew, sadly. So although they understand the nostalgic element, I don't think they will ever know the words :(

qkseo said...

nice bLog! its interesting. thank you for sharing.... play on repeat

Hels said...

qkseo

do Yiddish songs make you nostalgic? If not Yiddish, do any other languages do it to your heart?

Mamun said...

I'm grateful. The songs have a strong emotional impact. There is a little more feeling in the words.
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Hels said...

mamun

strong emotional impact is absolutely true. For people of the post-WW2 generation, both the music and the lyrics really do tug at the (elderly) heart strings :)