Hi Marc - if there's interest in Yiddish songs, I strongly recommend
the series by E.A. and J. Mlotek - "Pearls of Yiddish Song" and "Mir
trogen a gezang" (English accessable) - both published by the Workmen's
Circle, New York. Ruth Rubin's "Voices of a People; the Sory of Yiddish
Folksong" (JPSA, 1979) is a very good history that also includes 500
songs. Three other compilations, containing Hebrew as well as Yiddish
songs are recommended: Ruth Rubin's "A Treasury of Jewish Folksong"
(Schocken), and Harry Coopersmith's two classics - "The Songs We Sing"
and "More of the Songs We Sing" (both originally from United Synagogue
Commission on Jewish Education). Slightly different, but a great book,
is Norman Warembud's "Great Songs of the Yiddish Theatre" (N.Y.Times).
And for klezmer fans, I can recommend Henry Sapoznik's "The Compleat
Klezmer" (Tara, 1987) and his "The Klezmer Plus! Folio" (Tara, 1992), as
well as "Mel Bay's Klezmer Collection for C Instruments" (also available
for B-flat instruments), by Stacy Phillips (Mel Bay, 1996). Finally, I
suggest Velvel Pasternak's "The Jewish Fake Book" (Tara, 1997), which
includes over 200 songs in Hebrew, Yiddish and English.
As you requested, these are all actual *music* rather than books about
music. However, I'd also like to give a strong plug to Henry Sapoznik's
wonderful book, "Klezmer! Jewish Music From Old world to Our World"
(Schirmer, 1999), and Mark Slobin's groundbreaking "Tenement Songs: the
Popular Music of the Jewish Immigrant" (U Illinois Pr., 1981).
I'll leave the fields of Jewish 'art songs', liturgical and classical
music and other genres to others...
Shabbat shalom,
Bernard Katz, former Head, Special Collections and Library Development
McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
and founding Treasurer, AJL - Ontario Chapter
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