When the Rabbi Danced: Songs of Jewish Life

Track Listings

1. Un Az Der Rebe Zingt

2. Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen

3. Partizaner-libe

4. Chassidisch

5. Bachuri Le'an Tisa

6. Tavo-u El Ha'arets

7. A Geneyve

8. Sha Shtil

9. Der Rebe Elimelekh

10. Dortn, Dortn

11. Tumbalalayka

12. Du Zolst Nit Geyn

13. Troyer Past Nisht Unzer Ponim

14. Eliahu Hanavi

15. Nit Ayer Mazl

16. Yome, Yome

17. Di Mezinke

18. S'Brent

19. Hala Yarden

20. A Gib Zhe Khaver

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
You might still hear Yiddish songs today, in concert or at social gatherings of Yiddish speakers. But their natural venue was the village or shtetl of Eastern Europe or America where you could hear them through open windows in courtyards, or from busy people humming their way from place to place. They were born and flourished in a world that is no more. They represent the joys and sorrows, dreams and aspirations of ordinary folk, the Jewish mother’s dreams for her child, the poverty of the rebbe, the Jewish teacher, the freshness of young love and revolution, the joy of Jewish holidays which provided a welcome respite from the drudgery and hardships of daily life for Eastern European Jewery. Yiddish song reflects the richness of Jewish folklore, as old, vast and varied as the numerous regions which the thousand-year-old language and culture inhabited. It reached its greatest artistic expression in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. There are songs of work, love and lullabies; songs about great Jewish heroes and parodies about the same, songs about Hassidic rabbis, pogroms, the Messiah, the longing for redemption and the return to Zion, and of revolution. Political parodies abounded in the 20th century as did Yiddish theater songs in various genres: operetta, art song and Vaudeville. There were writers, poets and musicians throughout the ages who created this treasure trove, much of it still waiting to be culled. The Yiddish street singer was a common sight in the cities and towns of Eastern Europe, well into the 20th century. The broder zinger from Galicia heralded in an age of Yiddish folksong creativity that reached every continent on which Jews lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The poet Itzik Manger and, of course, Mordechai Gibertig, the most famous and popular of the Yiddish folk-poets, were heirs of that tradition. Gibertig "S’Brent," a vision of burning cities and a call to arms, written in 1938, proved to be all too prophetic. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jews were confined in ghettos across German occupied Eastern Europe. In the ghettos and even concentration camps, members of the terrorized Jewish population engaged in remarkable, organized acts of defiance. Determined to leave a record of their history for posterity, they secretly created archives, diaries, drawings, photographs and songs to document Nazi crimes against their communities. During the same period many European Jews defied their Nazi oppressors by actively taking part in an underground war of resistance. This partisan warfare, carried out by clandestine, irregular forces operating inside enemy territory, was particularly widespread in the dense forests and nearly impassable marshlands of Eastern Europe. In 1942, the Supreme Partisan Headquarters in the Soviet Union extended its authority over the majority of partisan units in Eastern Europe and young Jewish fighters who escaped the ghettos joined the Russian partisans. Jewish partisan units were established in 1943, and the Yiddish language was now used for military communication, as well as for cultural and folkloric expression, such as poetry and song. This is a delightful album, full of energy and wit. The singing is magnificent and infectious. The CD booklet contains full texts of each song in English.

Tracks:

Un Az Der Rebe Zingt
Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen
Partizaner-libe
Chassidisch
Bachuri Le'an Tisa
Tavo-u El Ha'arets
A Geneyve
Sha Shtil
Der Rebe Elimelekh
Dortn, Dortn
Tumbalalayka
Du Zolst Nit Geyn
Troyer Past Nisht Unzer Ponim
Eliahu Hanavi
Nit Ayer Mazl
Yome, Yome
Di Mezinke
S'Brent
Hala Yarden
A Gib Zhe Khaver
S'Dremlen Feygl
Tsum Besern Morgn
Shtil Di Nakht
Yiddishe Brigades
Zog Nit Keynmol

Album Description

You might still hear Yiddish songs today, in concert or at social gatherings of Yiddish speakers. But their natural venue was the village or shtetl of Eastern Europe or America where you could hear them through open windows in courtyards, or from busy people humming their way from place to place. They were born and flourished in a world that is no more. They represent the joys and sorrows, dreams and aspirations of ordinary folk, the Jewish mother's dreams for her child, the poverty of the rebbe, the Jewish teacher, the freshness of young love and revolution, the joy of Jewish holidays which provided a welcome respite from the drudgery and hardships of daily life for Eastern European Jewery. Yiddish song reflects the richness of Jewish folklore, as old, vast and varied as the numerous regions which the thousand-year-old language and culture inhabited. It reached its greatest artistic expression in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. There are songs of work, love and lullabies; songs about great Jewish heroes and parodies about the same, songs about Hassidic rabbis, pogroms, the Messiah, the longing for redemption and the return to Zion, and of revolution. Political parodies abounded in the 20th century as did Yiddish theater songs in various genres: operetta, art song and Vaudeville. There were writers, poets and musicians throughout the ages who created this treasure trove, much of it still waiting to be culled. The Yiddish street singer was a common sight in the cities and towns of Eastern Europe, well into the 20th century. The broder zinger from Galicia heralded in an age of Yiddish folksong creativity that reached every continent on which Jews lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The poet Itzik Manger and, of course, Mordechai Gibertig, the most famous and popular of the Yiddish folk-poets, were heirs of that tradition. Gibertig "S'Brent," a vision of burning cities and a call to arms, written in 1938, proved to be all too prophetic. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jews were confined in ghettos across German occupied Eastern Europe. In the ghettos and even concentration camps, members of the terrorized Jewish population engaged in remarkable, organized acts of defiance. Determined to leave a record of their history for posterity, they secretly created archives, diaries, drawings, photographs and songs to document Nazi crimes against their communities. During the same period many European Jews defied their Nazi oppressors by actively taking part in an underground war of resistance. This partisan warfare, carried out by clandestine, irregular forces operating inside enemy territory, was particularly widespread in the dense forests and nearly impassable marshlands of Eastern Europe. In 1942, the Supreme Partisan Headquarters in the Soviet Union extended its authority over the majority of partisan units in Eastern Europe and young Jewish fighters who escaped the ghettos joined the Russian partisans. Jewish partisan units were established in 1943, and the Yiddish language was now used for military communication, as well as for cultural and folkloric expression, such as poetry and song. This is a delightful album, full of energy and wit. The singing is magnificent and infectious. The CD booklet contains full texts of each song in English.

Customer Reviews:

A must buy.......2005-06-09

We love this album! The songs are soothing but not saccharine, invigorating but not forced. Our four year old loves to dance to it and I can't get the songs out of my head so it ranks ten/ten on our scale.

When the Rabbi danced.......2005-06-04

This wonderfully performed collection of familiar songs from the once vibrant Yiddish culture of Eastern Europe is a great addition to my music library. While many of the songs are classics which I remember well from my childhood, the sweetness and elegance of the presentation by Counterpoint add significantly to their impact. Even though most of the European Jewish community was destroyed in the holocaust, these wonderful melodies survived to inspire us today, and to remind us that all was not lost. The arrangements, harmonies and solos are marvelous, and the Yiddish and Hebrew pronunciation are flawless.
It's obvious that a lot of work by some very talented people went into creating this album. Listening to it brings back many bittersweet memories that stir my emotions - It is my sincere hope that Counterpoint will continue to perform such music in the years to come.

You must own this CD!.......2005-02-22

What makes this collection of melodies unique is the marriage of traditional tunes with the less frequently heard songs of resistance and longing from the dark time of the Holocaust.
The beautifully arranged and performed vocals are, by turns, haunting and spirited, mournful and whimsical, taking the listener through the full range of emotions. To hear Counterpoint in concert is an unforgettable experience. This equally stirring CD will leave you feeling just as proud and uplifted, as expressed by the closing words of the final song (Zog Nit Keynmol)..."We are here!"

A superb collection of songs!.......2005-01-03

This collection of Hebrew and Yiddish songs, arranged by Counterpoint conductor Robert de Cormier and Viktor Ullmann, offers a unique view into Jewish life of the shtetl to the Nazi-used Czech town of Terezin and the underground Jewish resistance of WWII. From the "young widowed mother sitting by the cradle" in "Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen" ("Raisins and Almonds"), to the uplifting "Zog nit Keynmol" ("Never say that you are on the Last Road"), the 25 songs on the CD are superbly performed by Counterpoint. Skillful instrumentals accompany a first-rate choral group, and the stylistic arrangements retain the flavor of the genre. "When the rabbi danced" deserves a place in any collection.

This CD is a must-have!.......2004-12-27

I don't speak Yiddish. I am not a child - or relative - of Holocaust survivors. But this CD resonates for me in a unique way. I keep it in my car CD player and play it over and over. The evocative cumulative effect of the quality of Counterpoint's voices, the arrangements and the obvious poignancy and humor of the lyrics is hypnotic. I've given the CD as gifts to friends- to both Jews and non-Jews -and have not only received enthusiastic thanks and praise for the CD, but requests for information on how to buy more for their friends and family!

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Virðulegu Forsetar

1. Un Az Der Rebe Zingt
2. Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen
3. Partizaner-libe
4. Chassidisch
5. Bachuri Le'an Tisa
6. Tavo-u El Ha'arets
7. A Geneyve
8. Sha Shtil
9. Der Rebe Elimelekh
10. Dortn, Dortn
11. Tumbalalayka
12. Du Zolst Nit Geyn
13. Troyer Past Nisht Unzer Ponim
14. Eliahu Hanavi
15. Nit Ayer Mazl
16. Yome, Yome
17. Di Mezinke
18. S'Brent
19. Hala Yarden
20. A Gib Zhe Khaver