Alexander Olshanetsky (October 23, 1892 – June 3, 1946) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

, and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist. He was a major figure within the

Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satire, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodr ...

scene in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from the mid-1920s until his death in 1946.

Biography

Early life and education

Olshanetsky was born in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

Lithuanian Jewish {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Litvaks , image = , caption = , poptime = , region1 = {{flag, Lithuania , pop1 = 2,800 , region2 = {{flag, South Africa , pop2 = 6 ...

descent into a non-musical family. After showing early talent on the violin, Olshanetsky studied from age 6 to 15 at the Odessa Royal Music School, studying multiple instruments. In 1911 he joined the orchestra of the

Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre () is the oldest theatre in Odesa, Ukraine. The Theatre and the Potemkin Stairs are the most famous edifices in Odesa. The first opera house was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873. T ...

; notably touring with the ensemble throughout Imperial Russia. He quit to become chorusmaster for a touring

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

troupe in Russia. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was conscripted into the Czarist Army, and served as a regimental bandmaster stationed in Harbin, where there was a sizeable Jewish diaspora. While still serving in the army, he also became conductor of a local Yiddish theater troupe. In this capacity he began composing music. After the war, Olshanetsky joined another touring Russian operetta troupe, and performed in Japan, China, and India. He returned to Harbin in 1921 to find the Yiddish theater scene gone.

Immigration to the United States

In 1922 Olshanetsky emigrated to the United States, where he was introduced to the Yiddish theater scene by his uncle Hyman Mayzel, an actor and playwright. Within two years he had two shows produced: ''Hayntige Meydlekh (Today's Girls)'' written by Jacob Jacobs staged at Lenox Theater, and ''Zise Libe (Sweet Love)'' co-composed by

Louis Gilrod Louis Gilrod (1879-1930), was an actor and lyricist for the Yiddish theater. Louis Gilrod was born in the village of Ruizana, near Ulanov, in the Podolia/Poltava region of Ukraine. At 12 his father brought him to the United States and left him w ...

and staged at Rolland's Liberty Theater. He quickly became a major presence in the Yiddish theatre scene, most notably several shows written by Jacob Jacobs and produced by

Maurice Schwartz Maurice Schwartz, born Avram Moishe Schwartz (June 18, 1890 – May 10, 1960),Yiddish Art Theatre The Yiddish Art Theatre was a Yiddish theatre company of the 20th century in New York City. The organization was founded in 1918 by actor and impresario Maurice Schwartz, to present serious Yiddish drama and works from world literature in Yiddis ...

at the Louis Jaffe Art Theatre on 2nd Avenue in the heart of the

Yiddish Theatre District The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, ...

. Revivals of most of his works occurred in major cities throughout the United States. In 1925 he befriended and hired

Dave Tarras Dave Tarras (c. 1895 – February 13, 1989) was a Russian Empire, Ukrainian-born American klezmer clarinetist and bandleader, who was instrumental in the Klezmer revival. Biography Early life Tarras was born David Tarasiuk in Teplyk, Ukraine and ...

to play in his show ''A Night in California'' which launched Tarras' career. The success of the subsequent recording of the show's songs ''I Like She'' and ''Petrograd'' led to Tarras joining Olshanetsky's orchestra full-time, and featuring prominently in several other Olshanetsky shows, including ''Der Litvisher Yankee'' which unprecedentedly scripted for the clarinet soloist to stand. Olshanetsky immersed himself in the Yiddish music scene around New York as well. He arranged music for the Forverts Hour radio show, the radio branch of

The Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...

, and conducted for WABC's ''Der Tog Program''. He formed an orchestra, established a booking office for the orchestra, and played throughout New York City and in the

Borscht Belt The Borscht Belt, or Yiddish Alps, is a region which was noted for its summer resorts that catered to Jewish vacationers, especially residents of New York City. The resorts, now mostly defunct, were located in the southern foothills of the Catski ...

. He served as the New Concord Hotel's first orchestral and choir director (upon invitation by Arthur Winareck, the establishment would later become the

Concord Resort Hotel The Concord Resort Hotel (pronounced KAHN-cord, ()) was a resort in the Borscht Belt of the Catskills, known for its large resort industry in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Located in Kiamesha Lake, New York (state), New York, United States, the Co ...

). His orchestra released several records.

claimed to have played on all these records.

Later years

By the 1930s, Yiddish music had become so popular that Olshanetsky and other composers and performers sought means to guarantee royalties, similar to how

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

provided for Broadway and Tin Pan Alley musicians. Because ASCAP denied membership to Yiddish musicians, in 1932 Olshanetsky, along with

Sholom Secunda Sholom Secunda (, , Alexandria, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire13 June 1974, New York) was an American composer of Ukrainian-Jewish descent, best known for the tunes of "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" and " Donna Donna". Biography He was born in 1894 ...

Joseph Rumshinsky Joseph Rumshinsky (1881–1956) was a Jewish composer born near Vilna, Lithuania (then part of Russian Poland). Along with Sholom Secunda, Alexander Olshanetsky and Abraham Ellstein, he is considered one of the "big four" composers and conductors ...

Abraham Ellstein Abraham "Abe" Ellstein (, , July 7, 1907 – March 22, 1963) was an American composer, bandleader and recording artist in the Yiddish theatre and Yiddish popular music milieu. Along with Sholom Secunda, Joseph Rumshinsky, and Alexander Olshanets ...

, Henry Lefkowitch, and

Harry Lubin Harry Lubin (March 5, 1906 – July 21, 1977) was an American composer, arranger, and pianist. He is known for composing the theme and much of the music for the second season of the television series ''The Outer Limits'' and ''One Step Beyond''. ...

, founded the

Society of Jewish Composers, Publishers and Songwriters The Society of Jewish Composers, Publishers and Songwriters (), sometimes called the Jewish Composers' Society, was an American music licensing organization founded in New York City in 1932. Its founders and members, which included Sholom Secunda, ...

; Olshanetsky is sometimes given credit for the concept. In 1940, the society aligned with the new performers rights' organization BMI, founded to assist artists rebuffed by ASCAP. By 1954, the decline of Yiddish music sales led to the Society for Jewish Composers' dissolution.

Death

Olshanetsky dropped dead of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in view of an audience of approximately 16,000 persons attending the opening session of the 37th annual convention of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

. He was pronounced dead on arrival at

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

hospital. Olshanetsky's funeral service was held at the Louis Jaffe Art Theatre on 2nd Avenue. Rumshinsky directed the music,

Moishe Oysher Moishe Oysher () (March 8, 1906 – November 27, 1958) was an American cantor, recording artist, and film and Yiddish theatre actor.Zalmen Zylbercweig, ''Leksikon fun Yidishn teater'', Book 3, 2407. During the 1940s and 1950s he was one of the to ...

(for whom Olshanetsky had composed for the film Overture to Glory) was cantor, and Olshanetsky's Concord Hotel choir sang. A large banner was displayed in the hotel premises with the inscription, ''Olshy, we loved you too much!'' (This reference is drawn from his famous song '' Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib / I love you much too much''). Thousands turned up for the funeral and parade down 2nd Avenue.

Personal life

Olshanetsky often went by the nickname Shura (and is often credited in

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

catalogs as Shura). He was married to

Bella Mysell Bella Mysell (born Bella Meisel; April 5, 1902 - January 17, 1991) was an influential American figure on the Yiddish stage, known for her work as an actress and lyricist. Early life Bella Mysell was born on April 5, 1902, in New York. Her fora ...

, and had a daughter Anita. Bella Mysell remarried to

Herman Yablokoff Herman Yablokoff (August 11, 1903 – April 3, 1981, , , born Chaim Yablonik, Хаим Яблоник), sometimes written Herman Yablokov, Herman Yablokow, etc., was a Belarusian-born Jewish American actor, singer, composer, poet, playwright, ...

Aaron Lebedeff Aaron Lebedeff (1873–1960) was a Yiddish theatre star, born in Gomel, Belarus. Life and career In childhood he sang for the Hazzan, Borekh David. Having no interest in education, he was sent to learn a trade, but soon he ran away and began to ...

was his cousin.

Selected works

Theater

* ''Hayntige Meydlekh (Today's Girls),'' lyrics by Jacob Jacobs * ''Zise Libe'' ''(Sweet Love),'' co-composed by Louis Gilrod * ''A Night in California (A Nakht in Kalifornya)'', lyrics by Jacob Jacobs. First staged at the National Theater. Was

' first job in Yiddish theater, and starred

. * ''Paradise for Two'' * ''The Golden Soldier'', libretto by

Isidore Lillian Isidore Lillian (Yiddish: איזידאָר ליליען ''Izidor Lilien'') (c. 1882 - 1960) was an actor, songwriter, playwright, and composer who was a leading figure in the New York Yiddish Theatre for the first half of the twentieth century. He ...

, 1925 * ''Goldene Tege (Golden Days)'' * ''Der Livtisher Yankee (The Lithuanian Yankee)'' * ''Di Katerinchik (The Organ Grinder)'', operetta, libretto by Louis Freiman * ''Lucky Boy'', lyrics by W. Siegel, 1935. Launched

Leo Fuchs Leo Fuchs (May 15, 1911 – December 31, 1994) was a Polish-born American actor.Mendelovitch, Bernard (January 18, 1995).Leo Fuchs (obituary). ''The Independent''. independent.co.uk. Retrieved November 10, 2018. According to YIVO, he was bo ...

' American career. * ''The Secret of Love'', lyrics by F. Freiman and M. Edelheit * ''The Wise Fool'', lyrics by Louis Freiman * ''Happy Days'', lyrics by Louis Freiman * ''The Laugh Maker'' * ''The Only Night (Di Ainstige Nakht)'', lyrics by Jacob Jacobs * ''Soul of a Woman'', 1930 * ''What Girls Do'', lyrics by Jacob Jacobs, 1935 * ''My Baby's Wedding''

Films

* ''Overture to Glory'' (1940, directed by

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the Cinema of Germany, ...

). Includes the song ''Unter Boymer'' * ''The Fighting Jew'', a 1946 pageant staged at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jewish War Veterans of the United States.

Songs

* '' Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib (I Love You Much Too Much)'', lyrics by

Chaim Towber Chaim Shmuel Towber (''Tauber, Toyber'', , June 14, 1901, Mohyliv-Podilskyi — February 26, 1972, New York City) was an American and Canadian actor of Jewish-Ukrainian descent, best known as the author of the song "I Love You So Much" (Yiddish ...

, popular Yiddish tango from The Organ Grinder, originally performed by

Luba Kadison Luba Kadison Buloff (December 13, 1906 – May 4, 2006) was a Lithuanian Jewish actress, active for decades in Yiddish theatre, in both Europe and the United States. Early life Luba Kadison was born in Kaunas, Kovno, Lithuania. She moved with her ...

. Later popularly sung in Yiddish by Seymour Rechtzeit, in English by

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

, and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

, and in a 1981 instrumental version by

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

that made the Rock & Roll Top 40 charts. * ''Vilna'' ''(Vilnius)'', lyrics by Efraim-Leyb Wolfson * ''Mein Shtetele Belz'', lyrics by Jacob Jacobs. Originally written for

Isa Kremer Isabelle Yakovlevna Kremer (; 21 October 1887 – 7 July 1956) was a soprano of Russian Jewish descent who at various times of her life held citizenship in Russia, the United States, and Argentina. She first drew notice as a teenager for her rev ...

, in a failed attempt to persuade her to join their 1930 production of ''Ghetto Song''. This nostalgic homage to the city of

Belz Belz (, ; ; ) is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the border with Poland between the Solokiya River (a tributary of the Bug River) and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz urban hromada, one of ...

become so popular that a city's people would substitute their own city for Belz, and the song is sometimes credited as simply ''Mein Shtetele''. The melody was adapted by Polish lyricist

Ludwik Starski Ludwik Starski (born Ludwik Kałuszyner, 1 March 1903 in Łódź – died 29 February 1984 in Warsaw) was a Polish Jewish lyricist, sound engineer and screenwriter of the twentieth century. He was the father of the set designer Allan Starski, w ...

for song ''Warszawo Ma (Oh Warsaw Mine)'', from the point of view of a Jew living in the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...

. * ''Shiroh'', lyrics by Maurice Schwartz, from Schwartz's production ''Shabse Tzvi''

Legacy

After Olshanetsky's death, a scholarship in his name was endowed at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

in New York. Among the scholarship's inaugural committee members were

Charles Previn Charles Previn (January 11, 1888 – September 22, 1973) was an American film composer who was active at Universal in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. Before being based in Hollywood, Previn arranged music for over 100 Broadway productions. ...

, and

Maurice Schwartz Maurice Schwartz, born Avram Moishe Schwartz (June 18, 1890 – May 10, 1960),Alexander Olshanetsky recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Olshanetsky, Alexander 1892 births 1946 deaths American male composers American male conductors (music) 20th-century American people American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American composers Russian Jews American Ashkenazi Jews 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews Soviet emigrants to the United States Yiddish theatre