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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
38—Friday, Dec. 28 1973

Shalom

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Gershwin's Flirtations With Yiddish Theater, Influence of Jewish
Music on Composer, Told in Charles Schwartz Biography

Schwartz traces the early explicity for the Yiddish work. This is a problematic
interest of the hero of his theater. Except for his youth- and speculative task at best,
story in the music of Abra- ful nod in the direction of especially as one cannot ever
The great significance of
ham Goldfaden while fre- Second Avenue, he concen- be sure that he actually bor-
peace and harmony to Jews
quenting the National Thea- trated mainly on composing rowed material from Jewish
is expressed in the use of
ter on Second Avenue. He for Tin Pan Alley, the Broad- sources. He himself never
"Shalom" (peace) as the
must have been influenced way stage, and the concert spoke out on the matter. Yet
universal greeting among
also by the 'music of Joseph hall. His music, perhaps in examining Gershwin's mu-
Hebrew-speaking people.
Rumshinsky he had heard at more than that. of any other sic, one finds that many of
According to Encyclo-
composer of his generation, his melodies and motifs re-
PHILIP RAHV
that Yiddish theater.
pedia Judaica, the word
It was at Remick's—which has come to be universally semble Jewish prayer chants
"shalom" encompasses many
began as a music center in viewed as an indigenous and secular pieces. As a Prof. Philip Rahv,
meanings, all of which are
matter of fact, one of Ger- Noted Critic, 64
New York — that Gershwin American product.
integral aspects of a true
"Contrary to this widely shwin's most famous tunes
began his professional career.
peace. It can be defined as
NEW YORK—Philip Rahv,
(Jerome H. Remick and Com- held opinion, a number of " 'S Wonderful," seems to literary critic, editor and
loyalty and safety, complete-
pany began operations in sources have claimed that have been lifted bodily from professor of English at Bran-
ness and soundness, health
Detroit as the firm of Whit- Gershwin's work was influ- "Noakh's Teive" (Noah's deis University died Dec. 22
and well-being, and equity
ney-Warher, music publish- enced by Jewish music, Ark), a number in the Gold- at age 64.
and moral goodness. And, in
ers). Schwartz's story relates though these supposed in- laden operetta `Akeidas Itza-
the final words of the priest-
Mr. Rahv, who was
this interesting background: fluences have generally not hok' (The Sacrifice of Isaac) Greenberg and later chap.,., _J
ly blessing "and may He
Schwartz proceeds with his name, was the editor of
extend grace to you," the
"Gershwin's interest in the been spelled out. In connec-
word grace is the interpreta-
Yiddish theater began about tion with these claims, it his theme by drawing upon Partisan Review, a literary
tion of "shalom." It is under-
1913 and continued through should be noted that Gersh- the definitive expertness of magazine. He was known for
standable, then, that Shalom
the first year or two of his win once planned to write a A. Z. Idelsohn (1882-1938), his studies of American liter-
is also used as one of the
employment at Remick's. His Jewish opera, 'The Dybbuk,' the Jewish authority on mu- ature and for his critical
names of God.
interest in this medium was for the Metropolitan Opera. sic, who established "some works on Dostoevski and
In talmudic times, peace,
net motivated by ethnic de- He even signed a contract musico - scientific principles Kafka.
next to justice, was the most
votion, as neither he nor his with the Metropolitan to that for evaluating Jewish music
Born in Russia, Mr. Rahv
exalted ideal of the rabbis.
family were involved with effect on Oct. 30, 1929, at the in his "Thesaurus of Hebrew- came to the U.S. at age 14.
behest
of
his
friend
Otto
It was at that time that
Oriental Melodies." He In 1958, he and such writers
Jewish customs to any
"shalom" became the stan-
marked degree, but by prac- Kahn, the noted art patron quotes the Idelsohn defini- as Robert Penn Warren,
dard term for greeting and
tical considerations. Compos- and financier who was close- tion:
Saul Bellow and Alfred
farewell.
ing for the Yiddish theater ly associated with the opera
"The Jewish folk has nev- Kaxin wrote a letter to the
company.
The Talmud, interpretating
offered a considerable
er attempted to add har- New York Times charging
Rabban Simeon ben Gama-
"Gershwin's opera was to monic combinations to its that Jewish culture in the
amount of security, it paid
liel's premise, "By three
well, and employment was be based on the Yiddish play music. The song remains for Soviet Union was being de-
things the world is preserved,
steady. Yiddish musicals of the same title by S. A. single voice. In all likelihood stroyed, and that Jews
by truth, by judgement, and
were extremely popular with Ansky, a pseudonym for the because of his Oriental ori- should be allowed to emi-
by peace," declares that they
the thousands of Jewish im- Polish-Jewlsh author Solo- gin, the Jews prefers melody. grate.
are in effect one, since "if
migrants from Eastern Eur- mon Rappaport (1863-1920). To him, music means melo-
judgement is executed, truth
ope who had settled on the In preparation for the opera, dy, means a succession
Carrying the Yoke
is vindicated, and peace pre-
East Side at the turn of the Gershwin went so far as to rather than a combination
vails."
century. Theaters such as the write some musical sketches, of tones . . . Song, to him, is for Jewry Gladly
In the Bible, Aaron is re-
National, the Second Avenue which unfortunately are not a means by which to sancti-
The Jewish tradition has
garded as the prototype of
theater, and the Public were extant, and to consider study- fy his life, by which to flood become, for Jews, a neces-
the idea of peace, while his
filled night after night with ing Jewish music in Europe with warmth and light the sity of morale; its function
brother Moses, exemplifies
so as to lend authenticity to sanctuaries of his family is no longer (as it never con-
eager audiences.
the ideal of justice. This is
"Gershwin's flirtation with the work. But Gershwin gave home and of the home of his sciously was) that of a di-
aptly illustrated when Aaron
rect preparation for the ec-
Yiddish musical theater fi- up the idea of writing 'The faith—his synagogue."
wishes to submit to the de-
onomic struggle, but that of
nally bore results. In 1915 Dybbuk' when he learned
On
this
basis,
Gershwin's
mands of the people to
a creative escape from an
he was invited by Boris that the rights to the original biographer maintains:
fashion the golden calf, abid-
intolerable situation into the
Thomashevsky, the impre- play had been assigned to the
"Many
of
Gershwin's
tunes,
ing by his principle of peace
sario of the National, to col- Italian composer Lodovico judged on a purely melodic basis of a decent and creative
at all costs. By contrast,
life. To live together at all,
laborate on a Yiddish operet- Rocca."
Moses adamantly refused to
definitely I basis, bear some relationship Jews must live together in a
Schwartz
ta with Sholom Secunda, four
to
Idelsohn's
examples
and
bow to the wishes of the
years his senior and a gifted believes that Gersrwin was have a 'minor' tinge to them, tradition.
people, emphatically stating
My people is my instru-
musician steeped in the Jew- influenced by Jewish chants. one readily associated with
"Let justice pierce the moun-
ish tradition. Thomashevsky He adds the following to his Jewish sources because of ment for cooperating with
tain."
reasoned that the combined study of the Gershwin melo- Cieir prominent use of the mankind, my channel to hu-
The high value of peace is
efforts of two young and dies:
minor third. For instance, manity. It organizes my af-
pervasive in modern Jewish
"When Gershwin aban- his melody for 'S Wonderful,' fections and hatreds and
promising talents would al-
thought. The Encyclopedia
most automatically guaran- doned the writing of 'The the one he purportedly bor- brings them to effective fo-
Judaica quotes Morris Jo-
Dubbyk', a potentially val- rowed from Abraham Gold- cus. . . .
te a fine musical.
seph as "typical of the whole
Only the terrific illusion
"The idea, however, was uable source of information faden, emphasizes this inter-
modern trend when he writes
rejected by Secunda for sev- dealing with his conscious val. By itself, the 'S Wonder- that we can be Jews on easy
that only the peace-loving
eral reasons. First, Secunda handling of Jewish material ful' melody clearly passes terms, that we can take life
Jew is a true follower of the
considered Gershwin a primi- was lost to the world. With- for Jewish, though when as it comes, tacitly—as oth-
prophets, that the greatest
tive because he didn't read out this opera to serve as a combined with Gershwin's ers do—can be fatal to us.
sacrifices should be made to
music very well; he still frame of reference, the pre- major harmony for it, its In childhood and manhood
avoid war, that a Jew cannot
played the piano mainly by sumed Jewish legacy in Ger- character is changed. This we must carry the yoke
consistently belong to a war
ear. Furthermore, Secunda shwin's music must be sought also occurs with the simple which our forebears carried,
party, and that a Jew's re-
had studied at the Institute in the body of his existing melody for Funny Face.' and we must carry it gladly,
ligion, history and mission
because the only alternative
of Musical Art—now the Juil-
Heard alone, this melody ap-
all pledge him to a policy of
is an intellectual and moral
Hard School of Music—and
pears
Jewish
by
reason
of
its
peace, as a citizen as well as
leprosy from which there is
preferred to associate with Nixon Aide Wants
focus on the minor third."
an individual."
no escape unto death—Mau-
his equals in musical train- Publisher to Pay Up
In the Schwartz story are
rice Samuel, in "Jews on Ap-
ing.
incorporated all the tribula-
NEW YORK — Former tions in the Gershwin career, proval".
"Also, Secunda had had a
Homeless Specter
Yiddish tune published in Nixon speechwriter William the joys and the sorrows,
Jews, speaking among
1914 called llaym Zieser Safire, who has written a the women and the many the- Pungent, Peppery
themselves, Jews of authen-
Haym' ('Home Sweet Home') book about his experiences atrical celebrities.
tic feeling speaking to their
Truman Biography
which Regina Prager, a fa- in the White House, is de-
Naturally, the tragic end,
Gentile neighbors, instinctive-
es
G. P. Putnam's any
mous Jewish singer, had per- manding the balance of Gershwin's death of a brain
ly use the pronoun we. And
of
the Feb. 4 publicati
formed extensively. Conse- $250,000 he says publishing
in that we they include in- as father is described as quently, he considered it be- house William Morrow & Co. tumor, is recorded. And this "Plain Speaking: An Oral
weak and negative." The
interesting
biography
ends
stinctively, as the slightest
mother, Rosa Bruskin, a neath his professional stature owes him after rejecting his with this noteworthy summa- Biography of Harry E. Tru-
analysis will demonstrate, all handsome woman, had a to collaborate with a young manuscript.
man" by Merle Miller.
the Jews in the world, the
Peppery, humble, feisty,
Morrow is demanding the tion:
broad' Russian Yiddish ac- man whose background was
"Gershwin
was
a
living,
living and the dead, the mar- cent. "When occasion de- not on a par with his own return of an $83,000 advance
tough, pungent, contrary,
breathing, striving mass of
tvrs of Europe and the heroes
antled, her language could and who had no published payment from Safire, who contradictions — always on honest is in the list of ad-
'
of Israel. They include in m
jectives used to describe
now is a columnist for the
be tough and off-color." Like works to his credit.
the run, always out to con- former President Harry S.
that act of speech the in-
"It is undoubtedly of little New York Times.
her. husband she could not
quer
the
world,
always
seek-
numerable generations that
Truman.
Safire said the real reason
resist betting on horses. value to speculate on the
have gone before; they in- O
Merle Miller has written a
path that Gershwin might the Morrow editors rejected ing the 'adulation of the vast,
unknown public (possibly
elude all the children of Once her children passed
their infancy she let them go have taken if the proposed the manuscript is because this was the love affair he fascinating book about Tru-
A braham, and at high mo- their way. Mild' protests did Gershwin-Secunda collabora- "they don't like its politics.
man, drawn largely from
ments of festival or memori-
tion had become a reality. When Morrow contracted for was eternally seeking). He taped conversations with the
al, of grief or of triumph , not
deter a George
from and
be- Suffice it to say that Secunda, the book, President Nixon's played hard, he worked hard; 33rd President, recorded over
coming
piano player
they are aware of spiritual barroom entertainer before after rejecting Gershwin as fortunes were riding high. he died hard. He was a child 10 years ago and from in-
presences according to their his rise to fame.
a musical partner, went on As Nixon's fortunes fell, so of his age who never became terviews with the people he
r nge of knowledge, from
to
write innumerable scores did the faces at Morrow." old enough to outlive his use- grew up and lived and work-
Besides Ira, other living
Moshe Rabenu to some sage members of the family are for the Yiddish stage. In so He described the nublisher's fulness. And he had more ed with. Much has been said
or Zadik of yesterday.—Lud- Arthur and Frances who was doing, he clearly established change of heart as a "per- than enough weaknesses and and written about Truman,
ig Lewisohn.
married in 1939 to Leopold himself as one of the fore- nicious kind of censorship,' strengths, talents and fail- but Miller lets it be known
Godowsky, Jr., the son of the most composers of Yiddish one that doesn't want an un- ings, good points and bad, to that his humility and uncom-
popular view of the market- go 'around. He had a little of promising honesty make
My politics are short and famous pianist. All the Gersh- musicals.
all of us in him, and it Harry his own best biog-
"Gershwin, on the other place."
sweet, like the old woman's wins are now wealthy and
rapher.
showed."
The
case
is
in
arbitration.
hand,
never
wrote
anything
prestigious,
Schwartz
states.
c'ance.—Abraham Lincoln

Charles Schwartz, compos-
er, professor of music, a for-
mer jazz musician, music di-
rector of Composer's Show-
case, earned his PhD for
studies of the Gershwins and
their music. He is, therefore,
highly qualified to write on
the life of George Gershwin.
Schwartz's "Gershwin:
Life and Music," published
by Bobbs-Merrill Co., is a
thorough work and its sig-
nificance lies as much in pro-
viding a complete biography
as in evaluating the music
of the great musician.
The Jewish News review
of the Atheneum - published
voluminous "The Gershwins"
made reference to only a
single item with regard to
the Gershwins' Jewish back-
ground. Schwartz's study is
complete. It gives a full ac-
count of the Gershwin fam-
ily's Jewish interests. It goes
into more detail about the
parents as well as the chil-
dren.
We learn from Schwartz
about the Jewish elements in
'Gershwin's music, and this is
an especially revealing factor
in a biographical volume that
is devoted as much to the
creativity of the biographer
and to the sources of his in-
spiration as to his personal
life.
It is revealing in the new-
est biography of Gershwin
that he had flirted with the
Yiddish theater and the rec-
ord of his association with
eminent personalities in that
theater illuminates the early
years of the great musician's
career.
The legend and the magic
of the Gershwin saga, the
story of the son of Russian
Jewish immigrant parents of
modest means who rose to
fame, who "never finished
high school . . . yet became
famous, wealthy, the intimate
of many celebrities because
of his talent," emerge from
the fascinating Schwartz bi-
ography.
On his birth certificate the
hero of this story was listed
as "Jacob Gershwine," ap-
parently the result of a mis-
spelling, but he was always
known as George. His broth-
er Ira underwent "a similar
metamorphosis," as the bi-
ographer explains: "Invar-
iably called `Izzy' by his
friends and family, Ira had
always assumed that his real
name was Isidore. It was not
until 1928, when he applied
for a passport, that he dis-
covered that he was listed as
'Israel' on his birth certifi-
cote." Only Ira had a bar
mitzva.
The father, Morris, listed
as a leather worker, kept
changing occupations. H is role