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Abraham Ellstein
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Born on 7 July 1907 in New
York, America. His father was a bookbinder. He learned
in a cheder, in public school and finished high school.
From age six until thirteen
he sang with cantors, then with Yosele Rosenblatt, with
Herman Wohl as a conductor, while at the same time
singing in a children's chorus in the Metropolitan
Opera.
At the age of ten, he
received a stipend to begin learning music with the
American composer Frederick Jacobi. In 1925 he won the
prize from the "Julliard Foundation" and studied
afterwards with Reuben Goldmark.
Losing his children's voice,
E. became a conductor in a small synagogue, then
accompanied cantors during their performances on the
Estrada, also later the actors Molly Picon, Ludwig Satz
and Aaron Lebedeff.
He debuted as a composer
with music to Eppelbaum's play "Gerangl (Struggle)"
(12 October 1928, staged by the "Vilna Troupe" in
"intimate [intimeyd] theatre"), writing the music
to Beinish Steiman's "Baym toyer (At the Gate)"
(staged on 16 December 1928 by "Artef"), and for M.
Elkin's "Bum un dreydl".
For the 1929-30 season, E.
became engaged in Satz's Folks Theatre as a composer and
orchestra conductor, and here staged |
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with his music on 14 October
1929 Sheyne Rukhl Simkoff's musical comedy "Zayn
vaybs lubovnik (His Wife's Lover)", and on 20
December 1929 Nakhum Stutchkoff's Chasidic operetta "Az
der rebe vil (When the Rabbi Wants)." In the summer of 1930, E.
went as a composer-orchestra conductor with Dave Lubritsky and Dina Goldberg to Europe.
For the 1930-31 season, E.
was engaged as a composer-orchestra conductor in the
Public Theatre, where there was staged with his music:
in October 1930 (NY Times: 23 September -ed.)
Israel Rosenberg's comedy "Der berditshever khosn
(The Bridegroom from Berdichev)"; On 21 October 1930
Isidore Lillian's comedy "Der trombenik"; and on
26 November 1930 Boris Thomashefsky's operetta "Eretz-yisrael
(The Land of Israel)". Soon thereafter, E. toured as
a composer-orchestra director with Molly Picon on her
tour across Europe and South America. Here he wrote new
music to Goldfaden-Kalich's operetta "Shmendrik",
and to H. Kalmanowitz-Rumshinsky's operetta "Oy iz
dos a meydl (O, What a Girl)", as well as many new
numbers to the operettas "Dos tsirkus-meydl (The
Circus Girl)" by [R. and M.] Shomer-Rumshinsky, "Molly
Dolly" by Anshel Schorr-Rumshinsky, and "Hello
Molly", by Sheyne Rukhl Simkoff-Rumshinsky.
E. also wrote a Chasidic
musical kl-bu, which was staged in Argentina.
M. E.
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William Edlin --
Di naye piese in zats's folks teater, "Tog", N.
Y., 18 October 1929.
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L. Fogelman --
Zayn vayb's lubovnik in zats's teater,
"Forward", N. Y., 24 October 1929.
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M. Shmsh -- Zayn
vayb's lubovnik in zats's folks teater, "Di
idishe beker tsaytung", N. Y., 25 October 1929.
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A. Frumkin -- "Zayn
lubovnik's veyb", "Brookliner idishe shtime", N.
Y., N' 21, 1929.
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B. Y. Goldstein
-- Oyf der teater evenyu, "Fraye arbayter shtime",
N. Y., 15 November 1929.
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Khayim Weiner --
Ludvig zats in a nayer piese, "Der farbund", N'
60, 1929.
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M. Shmsh -- "Az
der rebe vil", "Di idishe bekers shtime", N. Y.,
27 December 1929.
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William Edlin --
Ludvig zats in a nayer gerotener operete, "Tog",
N. Y., 3 January 1930.
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D. Kaplan -- "Az
der rebbe vil", naye khsidishe operete in zats's
foks teater, "Forward", N. Y., 3 January 1930.
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B. Y. Goldstein
-- Oyf der teater evenyu, "Fraye arbayter shtime",
N. Y., 10 January 1930.
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William Edlin --
Tsvey opereten in a drame, "Tog", N. Y., 10
October 1930.
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Jacob
Kirschenbaum -- Boris tomashefski's "eretz
israel" oyf der bine in nyu-york, "Keneder odler",
Montreal, 29 December 1930.
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T. Beilin --
Notitsn un bamerkungen, "Di prese", Buenos
Aires, 15 July 1932.
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Shmuel Glazerman
-- Di role funm muzik-dirizhor in unzer idishen
teater, "Di idishe tsaytung", Buenos Aires, 27
July 1932.
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