A note to collectors of rare recordings
Lately I've been trying to track down melodies of old songs from the 1930s for which I have texts. I wrote Michael Aylward, discographer extraordinaire, and told him of my recent misery when I discovered that the music of lifelong Yiddish theater performers Max and Reyzl Boyk - "a stack of music a mile high" - was thrown away the minute Reyzl died.
He said that the most avid collectors of old European 78s (the subject of his discographic efforts) amass hordes of precious, one-of-a-kind records, but when they die, their families throw their collections in the garbage and that's the end.
So here is my plea, collector of unique Jewish recordings on 78s or cassettes or whatever: please have your collection digitized while you are alive. There are wonderful people saving this music for all of us: at the Robert and Molly Freedman Jewish Sound Archive at the University of Pennsylvania, at the Dartmouth Jewish Sound Archive, and at Florida Atlantic University Judaica Sound Archives. These institutions will take care that your music lives on forever.
by melinama @ 7:36 AM
6 Comments:
Is Michael Aylward still in the discography project ? Since four years it seems that he has retired from the Jewish music research milieu and apparently keeps silent in his website as well as on the mail.
Is there a reason ?
Hello, thanks for your message! For some reason the e-mail system has removed your signature. Could you tell me who I'm talking to, please? Are you a collector? I would be delighted to correspond.
Hello again Anonymous January 4, are you a collector? Are you willing to help a researcher in North Carolina (me)? Here are the songs I can't find: http://polishjewishcabaret.blogspot.com/p/the-lost-songs-of-itzik-zielonek.html
Particularly I'm sad that the ONLY song by Shlomo Lindenfeld I've found anywhere is in a duo the Yidishe Bim-Boms, and he has four songs among the missing in my collection. Also, nobody has even heard of Max Dashek, who had three "shlagers" printed in the books.
Hello again
I have indeed rescued some Jewish 78 records from decay and loss, but I have given them all away to people who really collect them, after having discographed them, hence I cannot consider myself as a 'collector' but rather as I researcher.
I am sorry I cannot help you with these Polish recordings although I know people who perhaps could.
By the way, you have not answered to my first message.
Michael Aylward has been generous and helped me with my project.
Who might be able to help me with my missing Polish recordings? I'd appreciate any contacts you could provide.
Post a Comment
<< Home