Joseph Brody ( ) (1876/1877 – 1937) was an American Jewish composer who wrote for 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 ...

as well as liturgical Jewish works. He taught

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

and was a friend of Yossele Rosenblatt. His daughter, Estelle Brody, was an actress.

Biography

Early life

Brody was born on March 12, 1877, according to his gravestone, in

Lyakhavichy Lyakhavichy or Lyakhovichi is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Lyakhavichy District. As of 2025, it has a population of 10,537. History Known since the 15th century in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as t ...

Minsk Governorate Minsk Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Minsk. It was created from the land acquired in the partitions of Poland and existed from 1793 until 1921. Its territory covered th ...

, in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, although the Lexicon of Yiddish Theatre gives the date as February 12, and in own his naturalization application he stated his birthday was January 22, 1876. His father, Harris Brody, was a tailor and sent Joseph to a

Cheder A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language. History ''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th century. L ...

for his early education. His father emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1887, at which point Joseph entered a

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

Slonim Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...

, where he stayed for six years. During that time he developed an aptitude for music, and was greatly impressed by the military orchestras which regularly played in the park in Slonim during the summers. After being noticed by

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

s who visited the Yeshiva in Slonim, he decided to drop out and followed cantor Moshe Bass to Bialystok, where he became a choirboy. It was there that he learned music theory and studied Hebrew and Russian. Upon losing his Soprano voice, he began to compose cantorial compositions, and was hired by Cantor Kahane in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

as a choir conductor, and after that under cantor Yoel Zelig in

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

. To avoid being his conscription into the Russian military, his father sent for him and he travelled to the United States in 1895 via

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, or possibly in 1896. He worked for a time as a conductor in synagogues and in the Yiddish theatre in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Composing career

It was around the turn of the century that Brody's composing career in the United States began to see some success. Although he had worked at Morris Finkel's Yiddish theatre at the

Arch Street Theatre The Arch Street Theatre, popularly referred to as The Arch, was one of three Philadelphia-based theaters for plays during the 19th century; the other two were the Walnut Street Theatre (still standing in 2024), and the Chestnut Street Theatre. ...

in Philadelphia, that theatre merely staged New York plays and so his position was limited to conducting rather than composing. It was when he was hired by David Kessler from the Thalia Theatre 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 ...

that his career as a Jewish American composer began in earnest. His partnership with Kessler would last for several decades. Kessler, Bertha Kalich, and Sigmund Mogulesko starred in Brody's debut play, which garnered significant success. During this time he developed an appreciation for Louis Friedsell's career, with whom he would later widely collaborate. He continued to work Yiddish folk melodies and Jewish religious music into his theatre compositions. Among his other contemporaries in the New York Yiddish Theatre world were

Rubin Doctor Reuben Doctor or Rubin Doctor ( or , 1880 – c. 1940) was an actor of the Yiddish Theater, best known as a prolific writer of Yiddish songs during the early Twentieth century. His most well known song was his 1922 piece, ''"Ikh bin a "boarder"' ...

, Arnold Perlmutter, Herman Wohl,

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 many others.

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 ...

published arrangements of a number of Brody's compositions during this era as well. In 1913, Brody became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In the 1910s, Brody briefly instructed

in composition, focusing on counterpoint, and directed a choir that Gershwin sang in. After two decades of successful collaborations, Kessler died in 1920, after which Brody spent several shorter stints composing in other theatres, including the People's Theater, the Liberty Theater and the Hopkinson Theater. During his career he composed music for more than sixty plays. While some sources indicate Brody's death in 1943, records confirm his passing on August 16, 1937.

Family

Joseph married his first wife Elizabeth (Leah) Vishniff, a fellow Russian Jewish immigrant, in May 1898. In 1900 their first daughter Estelle Brody, then known as Sadie, was born. She would later become a well-known silent film actor in Great Britain. Their second and third children, Phillip and Harris, were born in 1902 and 1905. Their son Murray L. Brody, who would later become a composer as well, was born in 1909. Elizabeth died in May 1912 at age 36. In December 1912, Joseph married his second wife, Bessie Fox, also a Russian Jewish immigrant. Census records indicate that they resided with Sadie, Philip, Harry, and Moses, in addition to their own children Bernard and Jannette (born 1914 and 1917 respectively).

Selected plays Brody contributed music for

* by Jacob Gordin, music cowritten with Sigmund Mogulesko, 1900. * (The Nightingale in Jerusalem), operetta, written by Sigmund Feinman, lyrics by Brody, performed by Kalman Juvelier, 1903. * (The Jews in Brazil) by Herman, 1903. * (The naive one) by Nahum Meir Schaikewitz, lyrics by Brody, performed by Bertha Kalich, 1903. * , performed by Bertha Kalich and David Kessler, 1903. * (King of the beggars), written by

Israel Zangwill Israel Zangwill (21 January 18641 August 1926) was a British author at the forefront of Zionism during the 19th century, and was a close associate of Theodor Herzl. He later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and became the ...

with lyrics by Solomon Smulewitz, 1905. *Uptown and downtown, with lyrics by Solomon Smulewitz, 1906. * (Queen of Sheba), operetta, written by Moses Horowitz with lyrics by

Anshel Schorr Anshel Schorr (; October 25, 1871 – May 31, 1942), also known by the anglicized name Albert Schorr, was an Austrian-born American playwright, lyricist, theater manager and composer active in the Yiddish Theatre of the early twentieth century. ...

, 1907. * (The neighbors), with lyrics by Anshel Schorr, 1908. * by Jacob Gordin * by Jacob Gordin * ( The Jewish Heart), operetta, written by Joseph Lateiner, music cowritten with Sigmund Mogulesko with lyrics by

, Solomon Smulewitz and Sigmund Mogulesko, 1908. * (The Wedding Day), operetta, music cowritten with Louis Friedsell, lyrics by Solomon Smulewitz and Louis Friedsell, 1910. * (The house of peace or "Home, sweet home"), written by Joseph Lateiner, music cowritten with Louis Friedsell with lyrics by Solomon Smulewitz, Joseph Tanzman and

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 ...

, 1910. * (The false step), written by Joseph Lateiner, music cowritten with Louis Friedsell, lyrics by Henry M. Gastwirth, performed by Kalman Juvelier, 1915. * (

The Yiddish King Lear ''The Yiddish King Lear'' (, also known as ''The Jewish King Lear'') was an 1892 play by Jacob Gordin, and is generally seen as ushering in the first great era of Yiddish theater in New York City's Yiddish Theater District, in which serious dr ...

), written by Jacob Gordin, 1915. * (The True Friend) written by Joseph Lateiner with lyrics by Isidore Lillian, 1917. * '' (A friend in life), operetta, written by Shloime Steinberg, with lyrics by B. Reznik, 1918. * (A mother's soul), with lyrics by Joseph Tanzman * (The land of tears), operetta, with lyrics by David Meyerowitz, 1920. * (Jacob, the gypsy), musical, with lyrics by Joseph Tanzman, 1926. * (

), film adaptation of Gordin play, 1934.

References

External links

Musical scores and sound recordings of Brody compositions
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Joseph Brody compositions
Discography of American Historical Recordings
Joseph Brody scores

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Yiddish sheetmusic collection * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brody, Joseph 1870s births 1937 deaths Burials at Beth David Cemetery Jewish American composers Yiddish theatre American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent American male composers People from Lyakhavichy Date of birth uncertain