Alexander Olshanetsky (1892โ1946) was also among the most prominent and prolific Second Avenue composers and conductors, and one of the musically most sophisticated exemplars of the Yiddish theater. He was born in Odessa, the Ukraine, where he had both a traditional Jewish and a modern Western-oriented gymnasium education. As a boy, he sang in synagogue choirs and began violin studies at the age of sixโlearning several other instruments as well.
He then played in the Odessa Opera orchestra and toured with them throughout Russia and Siberia, after which he became the choral director for a Russian operetta company.
While in the Russian army as a regimental bandmaster, he traveled to Kharbin, Manchuria, in northeast China, where he encountered a Yiddish theater group whose conductor was Peretz Sandlerโlater the composer of the famous song “Eli, Eli.”
When Sandler emigrated to America, Olshanetsky replaced him in Kharbin and also began writing Yiddish songs and music for Yitzhak Kaplan’s play Tsurik aheym kayn tsien (Going Back Home to Zion).
After touring Siberia, Japan, China, and India with another Russian operetta company, he returned to Kharbin in 1921 to find all Yiddish theater gone.
In 1922 Olshanetsky emigrated to the United States, where his uncle Hyman Meisel (eventually his father-in-law too, when he married his Yiddish actress-singer cousin, Bella Meisel [Mysell]) already lived.
Olshanetsky had some initial involvement with the Yiddish Art Theater and then traveled to Cuba to direct a theater company there. When he returned to New York, he served successively in two Yiddish theaters (the Lenox, in Harlem, and the Liberty, in Brooklyn), before “graduating” to the more prestigious downtown National Theater. And in 1929, after many successful operettas of his own, he rewrote some of the music for Goldfaden’s classic Bar khokhba for its radio debut.
From 1925 on, throughout the 1930s and until his death, Olshanetsky’s name was ubiquitous throughout the Second Avenue world, and his operettas played in nearly all its major theaters. He also became the first musical director of the Concord Hotel.
Some of the most sophisticated cantors of the time considered him among the very best choirmasters in terms of understanding the special sensitivities of cantorial idioms and rhythmic freedom. He wrote a small amount of liturgical music as wellโunabashedly theatrical in character and styleโwhich remains mostly unpublished. Olshanetsky had a particular gift for elegant melodic lines and a well-developed dramatic sense. He was able to fashion these elements into vehicles that spoke to popular taste. Joseph Rumshinsky, his senior colleague but also a commercial rival, wrote in his memoirs that Olshanetsky understood innately the musical yearnings of the immigrant Jewish masses and introduced both “dreamy romances” and a perceived Russian Gypsy idiom to the American Yiddish theater. His last operetta was Ale viln khasene hobn (Everyone Wants to Get Married).
23 Songs Composed by Alexander Olshanetsky
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A Shepherd, A Dreamer3:42
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Beltz Potpurri4:38
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Hopkele2:49
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb3:26
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb4:00
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb3:16
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb3:04
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb3:13
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb2:18
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Ikh Hob Dikh Tzufil Lieb - Ven Ikh Zol Dikh Farlirn3:01
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Ikh hob dikh tzufil lib5:01
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Mayn Shtetele Beltz3:33
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Mayn Shtetele Beltz3:22
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Mayn Shtetele Beltz3:34
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Mayn Shtetele Beltz3:03
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Mayn Shtetele Beltz3:19
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Nu Zug Mir Shoin Ven2:58
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Sheyn Vi Di Levone - Mayn Shtetele Beltz2:49
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Shiroh2:27
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Shiroh2:51
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Unter Boymer3:44
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Vilne8:09
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Vilne5:44
12 thoughts on “Kaminos”
Was Nicholas related to Alexander Saslavsky who married Celeste Izolee Todd?
Anyone have a contact email for Yair Klinger or link to score for Ha-Bayta?
wish to have homeland concert video played on the big screen throughout North America.
can organize here in Santa Barbara California.
contacts for this needed and any ideas or suggestions welcomed.
Nat farber is my great grandpa ๐
Are there any movies or photos of max kletter? His wifeโs sister was my stepmother, so Iโm interested in seeing them and sharing them with his wifeโs daughter.
The article says Sheb recorded his last song just 4 days before he died, but does not tell us the name of it. I be curious what it was. Iโd like to hear it.
Would anyone happen to know where I can find a copy of the sheet music for a Gil Aldema Choral (SATB) arrangement for Naomi Shemerโs โSheleg Al Iriโ. (Snow on my Village)?
Joseph Smith
Kol Ram Community Choir, NYC
Shalom Joseph. I just saw your 2024 post by chance… I’m a mostly-retired Israeli journalist and translator. In 2003 I translated into English the content (the objective was to remain true to the meaning, not to cadence or rhyme) of poems and lyrics of 48 of Israel’s most iconic songs arranged by Aldema for choirs abroad singing in Hebrew (the words in the scores are transliterated) but members of the choir lack mastery of Hebrew to ‘know’ exactly what they are saying/singing… The book was titled in English “A Merry Choir” – in Hebrew ืืงืืื ืขืืืื . See if you can find a copy in a used book store, it is priceless and apparently out-of-print – well worth the search. If not, they may have a copy at Tel Aviv Amenu Museum’s music department – write them and see if they can send it to you. Or – if you will contact me via Whatsapp – (972) 546872768 or via my email – I will try and find the book (it is not where it ‘should be’ so I have to search) and I will photograph the score with my cell and send to you as an attachment. Best, Daniella Ashkenazy – Kfar Warburg.
ืฉืืื ืฉืืขืื!
ืื ืฉืืืชื ืืืชื. ืขืืืชื ืืช ืืฉืจืื ืืคืืจืืืจ 1998 ืืื ืืืืื ืืช ืื ื ืืืืืืกื ืืงืื ืืช ืืขืืจื ืืืงืฆืืขืืช ืฉืื ืืืืชื ืงืืืืช ืื ืืืฉืจืื. ืื ืกืืคืืจ ืืืื ืขืฆืื ืืืจืื, ืืื ืื ื ืืืืชื ืืืืื ืขื ืืืฆืื ืฉืืืื ืืืชื ืืืืืชื ืืืจื ืืืื ืืฉืืืื ืืืฉื ืืืืฉื ืืืืฉืื. ืืื ืืื ืื ืื 9. ืืขืช ืืื ืื 36 ืืืชืคืงื ืืืืคื ืขืฆืืื. ื ืชืชื ืื ืืืืื ืืช ืืขืชืื ื ืืจืืื. ืืื, ืืืืช ืืืื ืืจื, ืืืืจืื ืืคืืื ืฆืืืช, ืืื ืืืื ืฆืจืืืื ืืขืืื ืืืืจืืช ืืืืืืื ืจืืื!
ืืฉื ืงืื ื
(Maurice King)
Thank you for this wonderful remembrance of Herman Zalis. My late father, Henry Wahrman, was one of his students. Note the correct spelling of his name for future reference. Thank you again for sharing this.
Tirza Wahrman (Mitlak)
amazing zchuso yagein aleinu, he wrote the famous niggun Lefichuch that is sung in almost every Israeli Yeshiva
My grandmother, Rose Ziperson, wrote the words to his music for a song called Main Shtetele, which he produced. I have the sheet music!