Among the major names associated with the heyday of the
American Yiddish theater as songwriters, composers, orchestrators, and
conductors, ABRAHAM ELLSTEIN (190763) was the only one born in America.
He is generally considered one of the big four of Second Avenue, along with
Sholom Secunda, Joseph Rumshinsky, and Alexander Olshanetsky. Ellstein, though
he may be remembered most widely for some of his theatrical hit songs, went further
than the others in the classical realm, and he considered his theater career
only part of his overall artistic contribution.
Ellstein was born on New Yorks Lower East Side-one of the most concentrated
eastern European Jewish immigrant areas-and as a boy chorister in local synagogues,
he sang with some of the most accomplished cantors of the time. He received
his early musical training at the Third Street Settlement House, sang in the
Metropolitan Opera Childrens Chorus, and began composing while still a young
child. He is said to have written a short opera at the age of eight. At only
thirteen he conducted a boy choir in John Barrymores Broadway production of
Richard III.
Ellstein was later awarded a scholarship to The Juilliard School. He studied
with Frederick Jacobi, Reuben Goldmark, and Albert Stoessel, after which he
made his debut as a theater composer with music for B. Epelboyms play Gerangl
(Struggle), performed by the Vilner Truppe, followed by music for Beynush
Steynems Baym toyer at the Artef, and Mendel Elkins Bum un dreydl.
These were the first of thirty-three scores for Yiddish theater, although his
subsequent scores were more directly associated with the popular-so-called Second
Avenue-vein. By the 1929-30 season he was engaged as resident composer and music
director at Ludwig Satzs Folk Theater, where he wrote the scores for Zayn
vaybs lubovnik (His Wifes Lover), which was later made into a film, and
Az der rebbe vil (When the Rebbe Wants), referred to as a Hassidic operetta.
Ellstein then moved to the Public Theater as resident composer and director
for the 1930-31 season, where he wrote the score for the comedy Der berditchever
khosn (The Bridegroom from Berdichev), among others.
Ellstein wrote new music for Molly Picons performances of Goldfadens Shmendrik,
and for the operetta that once played on Second Avenue, Oy iz dos a meydl
(O, What a Girl!). He also added new musical numbers to shows such as Dos
tzirkus meydl (The Circus Girl), Hello Molly, and Molly Dolly.
His Hassidic musical revue was performed in Argentina. Ellstein also later
wrote two film scores-Mamele and Yidn mitn yidl-for Molly Picon,
which became Jewish box-office hits. Among his many other successful theater
scores was A bisl mazl (A Bit of Luck), which featured Menashe Skulnick
singing his famous rendition of The Scotchman from
Orchard Street.
Active for many years in Yiddish radio, Ellstein had regular
programs on WEVD, where he presented a variety of Yiddish folk as well as
theater music and cantorial selections. He directed a weekly broadcast of liturgical
music, The Song of the Synagogue, and he also wrote and arranged for
Broadway, general radio and television, as well as pop concerts and even some
British and American film shorts.
He was in great demand as a pianist, arranger, and conductor
for cantorial concerts and recordings for such great cantors as Yossele
Rosenblatt, Leib Glantz, and Mordecai Hershman. His cantorial orchestrations in
particular are considered the most stylistically classical in that genre. He
conducted synagogue choirs for many years, especially for holy day services,
for which he wrote a good deal of traditional cantorialchoral music, most of
which remains unpublished, and two modern Sabbath services.
Ellstein always aspired to classical expression, and he seized
such opportunities whenever they arose. His 1958 one-act opera, The Thief
and the Hangman, with a libretto by Morton Wishengrad (191362), based on a
Yemenite folktale, was televised nationally on ABC in a program sponsored by
the Jewish Theological Seminary for the series Directions, and was then
shown to delegates from more than 100 nations at the World Music Congress at
the Salzburg Festival.
In addition to The Golem, among Ellsteins other important classical
works are two oratorios: Ode to the King of Kings-televised on CBS and
sung subsequently by Jan Peerce-and Redemption, based on the Hanukka
story; the Negev Concerto for piano; a piano suite; and Haftorah for
violin and piano (with a string orchestra version). Apart from his actual synagogue
music, his concert cantorial settings remain popular and are frequently performed.
