G. was born on 21 August 1889 in Ozorkow, Poland. At age
six he became a choir boy for his father, a prominent
Jew and a prayer leader in about a year -- by being a
stand-in for a cantor and having the opportunity to
participate in children's roles in "amateur" productions
of historic plays. Ten he sang as a choir boy for
Kutno's cantor. At age fifteen he became a chorus singer
for Zandberg in Lodz. At age sixteen --conductor for
that city's shul.
In 1909-10 he traveled
across the province with the troupe under the direction
of Rose Ansein. There G. wrote music for [aybernakht]
written play and because of an emergency by himself
wrote a play "Mkkirt yosef". In 1911 he traveled across
the province with the troupe of Mitelman and Adolf
Berman.
In 1912 he immigrated to
America, and in 1916 was conductor and pianist in a
provincial trope under the direction of Blumen and
Silberkasten. Here G. used to write the music for
Silberkasten's plays, which the troupe used to perform.
Then G. settled in a small town, where he was cantor,
and in 1917 he became a teacher of singing and general
studies in the "Arbeiter Ring" school.
G. published a series of
articles about Yiddish music, wrote critiques about
music and the business of song composition for the
younger Yiddish poetry.
G. wrote compositions for
the following children's plays: "Veys-shneyele' by Y.
Ravin (staged in Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre), "Vinter-valkh"
by David Kasel (staged in Philadelphia's Academy of
Music), "Di sukhrim fun fefer" by Y. Kotler (staged in
several cities), and several were performed by the "Modiacot
Theatre".
In the summer of 1929 G.
rote music and staged in the "Kinderland Kamp" Isaac
Platner's "Vos der tog dertseylt", and two "neyland"-productions
by B. Mazar and Y. Kaminetsky.
A part of G.'s compositions
were under the name "Lomir kinder zingen", issued
through the "Areter Ring School" in America.
In 1928 G. was conductor for
Philadelphia's "Freyheyt"-gezangs-fareyn.
Sh. E.
-
Zalmen Reyzen --
"Lexicon of the Yiddish Literature", Vol. I, pp.
598-9.
-
Di yudishe muzik in
amerika (a shmues mit gelbardn) "Nfl"bt", Lodz, 28
July 1928.
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