pulver/lev

Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"
1931-1969

Lev Pulver

Born on 6 December 1883 in Verkhnedneprovsk, Yekaterinoslav Gubernia, Ukraine, into a family of Yiddish klezmers. From age twelve he performed at weddings and thus became more popular with the Jewish people.

In 1906 he entered into the Peterburg conservatory and graduated with a gold medal in 1908 as a professor of music. For more than fifteen years he was a solo altoist in Moscow's Grand Opera House, was also associated with various musical institutes in Russia and also performed in concerts.

Since 1922 P. has directed the musical department of the Moscow Yiddish Art Theatre, for which he has written the music for the following plays: "Tsvey hundert toyznt (200,000) by Sholem Aleichem (1922); "Di drey pintelekh yid" by Granovsky, Dobrushin and Auslander (1924); "Dos tsente gebot" by Y. Dobrushin after Avraham Goldfaden (1926); "136 kinder-heymen" [on the border] by A. Vevyorke (1926), "Trudek" by Jule Roman (1927); "Masoes̀ Binyamin ha-shelishi (Adventures of Benjamin III" by Y. Dobrushin, after Mendele Mokher Sefarim (1927); "Oyfstand" by Lipe Reznik (1927); "Luft-mentshn" after Sholem Aleichem, by Y. Dobrushin (1928), "Dod gerikht geyt" by Y. Dobrushin (1929);"Der toyber" by David Bergelson (1930); "Hreblies" by H. Orland (1930); "Nit gedeyget" by Perets Markish (1931); "4 teg" (yulis) by M. Daniel (1931), "Sets" by Y.

Dobrushin and Y. Nusinov (1931), "Midt hdin" by David Bergelson, "Milyoner, dantist un oreman" by Labish; "Kenig lir" by Shakespeare; "Shulamis" (using certain Goldfaden motifs) by Sh. Halkin, according to a scenario of Sh. Mikhoels; "Mishpakha ovadis" by Perets Markish; "Hershele ostroler" by Gershonzon; "Bar kokhba" (using certsin Goldfaden motifs) by Sh. Halkin; "Tuviya der milkhiker" by Sholem Aleichem; "Umriker elter" by Rakhmanov; "Aharon fridman", by Sh. Halkin;"Der moltseyt" by Peretz Markish; "Tsvey kuni leml" according to Avraham Goldfaden; "Shlomo Meymon" by M. Daniel; "Blondzhende stern", dramatized by Y. Dobrushin according to Sholem Aleichem's novel, "In tkht eyn" by Peretz Markish and "Khamza" by Yashen, which was staged by Moscow's state theatre.

P. also wrote the music for "Purim-shpiel", which on 6 December 1925 was staged by Kharkov's Jewish State Theatre, for the film "Yidishe glikn", according to Sholem Aleichem, and for the plays "Vi di 14th divizye iz areyngekumen in gn-edn", "Variete-artistn", "Diplom", et al, which were performed in Russian theatres.

P. is one of the shafer and main onteylnemer for Moscow's "persymphonye" (initially a symphonic orchestra with out a conductor).

On 19 April 1934 in Moscow's Yiddish State Theatre, there was a celebration of P.'s fiftieth birthday, together with the thirty-fifth anniversary of his musical activities. There was the opportunity to stage for the five-hundredth time Sholem Aleichem's "200,000" with Yubilar's music.

For his artistic direction, P. was awarded the title of "Fardinstfuler artist of the Soviet Republic".

Sh. E. from Benjamin Zuskin and M. e. from Sh. Mikhoels.

Herman Svet -- Di muzik fun moskver yidishn mlukh-teater, "Literarishe bleter", Warsaw, Num' 46, 1928.
[=] -- L. M. Pulver, "Emes", Mosow, 3 March 1928.
Y. Dobrushin -- L. M. pulver, "Stern", Kharkov, 4 March 1928, "Oktober", Minsk, 4 March 1928.
M. Rafalsky -- An ofener briv dem kompozitor pulver tsu zeyn yubiley, "Oktober", Minsk, 4 March 1928.
Y. Shaprio -- Eyner fun di badeytndikse kompoziters, "Sern", Kharkov, 18 April 1934.
[=] -- Lev pulver, "Literarishe bleter", Warsaw, Num' 18, 1934.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 3, page 1651.