Setting of the folk song “Her nor, sheyn meydele”
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Description
Izrael Fajwiszys (1887-1943) was an important figure in the amateur choral movement that took root by the end of the 19th century, with organizations such as “Lira,” “Hazomir” and “Szir” sprouting in small towns and big cities. In Łódź, “Hazomir” and the affiliated symphonic orchestra performed an ambitious repertory of oratorios by Handel, Haydn, and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and other monumental works, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mozart’s Requiem. Among “Hazomir’s” conductors were Józef Rumszyński (yes, the legendary Rumshinsky, who in 1904 settled in New York and became a celebrated composer for Yiddish theater) and Izrael Fajwiszys. During World War II, Fajwiszys led children's choirs in the Warsaw Ghetto. He is mostly remembered for his 1935 setting of Yitskhok Lamden's "M'khol Masada" (Oh, Masada).
Fajwiszys's arrangement of the well-known folk song “Her nor, sheyn meydele” comes from a rare copy of a two-volume collection published in Wilno (Yid. Vilne) on the eve of World War II. Billed as the repertory of a chorus led by Jakub Gersztajn (who perished in the Vilne Ghetto in 1943), and assembled by him, the collection demonstrates trends typical of Wilno’s artistic circles: the interest in Jewish folk culture and the penchant for performing mainstream musical compositions in Yiddish translation (there, one could hear Verdi’s and Puccini’s operas in Yiddish).
Fajwiszys's arrangement of the well-known folk song “Her nor, sheyn meydele” comes from a rare copy of a two-volume collection published in Wilno (Yid. Vilne) on the eve of World War II. Billed as the repertory of a chorus led by Jakub Gersztajn (who perished in the Vilne Ghetto in 1943), and assembled by him, the collection demonstrates trends typical of Wilno’s artistic circles: the interest in Jewish folk culture and the penchant for performing mainstream musical compositions in Yiddish translation (there, one could hear Verdi’s and Puccini’s operas in Yiddish).
Composer
Izrael Fajwiszys (1887-1943)
Date Composed
arr. 1939
Performers
Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir
Patrick Gardner, Conductor
Paul Conrad, Accompanist
Patrick Gardner, Conductor
Paul Conrad, Accompanist
Translation
| Yiddish Text | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Her nor, du sheyn meydele, her nor, du fayn meydele, vos vestu ton in aza vaytn veg? Ikh vel geyn in ale gasn, ikh vel shrayen: “vesh tsu vashn!” abi mit dir tsuzamen zayn. Her nor, du sheyn meydele, Her nor, du fayn meydele, vos vestu esn in aza vaytn veg? Broyt mit zalts vel ich esn, tate un mame vel ich fargesn, abi mit dir tsuzamen zayn. Her nor, du sheyn meydele, Her nor, du fayn meydele, af vos vestu shlofn in aza vaytn veg? Ich bin noch a yunge froy, ich ken shlofn af a bintl shtroy - abi mit dir tsuzamen zayn. Der toy fun himl vet undz tsudekn di feygelekh veln undz oyfvekn, abi mit dir tsuzamen zayn |
Just listen, you pretty girl, just listen, you fine girl, what will you do so far away? I will go in all the streets, I will yell: “washing laundry!” only to be together with you. Just listen, you pretty girl, just listen, you fine girl, what will you eat so far away? Bread with salt will I eat, Dad & Mom will I forget, only to be together with you. Just listen, you pretty girl, just listen, you fine girl, on what will you sleep on so far away? I am yet a young lady, I can sleep on a bundle of straw - only to be together with you. Heavenly dew will cover us the birds will awake us, only to be together with you. |
Citation
Halina Goldberg and Nancy Sinkoff, “Setting of the folk song “Her nor, sheyn meydele”,” Soundscapes of Modernity: Jews and Music in Polish Cities, accessed November 21, 2024, https://polishjewishmusic.iu.edu/items/show/22.