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
 

Moshe Ratner


R. was born circa 1875 in Focsani, Rumania.

He received a traditional Jewish and secular education. He heard Rumanian, German, Hebrew and Yiddish well. Already in his young years he had written songs for the Yiddish variety theatres in Rumania, and very quickly became famous across Rumania, Germany and Galicia as a singer-coupletist in his own unique style.

Under the troupe of Tsimbl he used to sing and speak his programs in general and local events and he used to finish with knowledge and satirical features about the visitors to the program.

In 1900 R. came to America, and as such during that time in New York there remained the ways of Yiddish variety theatres, and there he soon entered as a writer of one-act operettas, and also songs and couplets for the contemporary variety stars, such as the Kaners, the Bendels, Ida Fein et al.

Economically, R. always found himself in a horrible situation, because the honorarium of his writings were very small and he wasn't able to make sufficient income. He became very [antoysht]; he had taken himself to alcohol, which had ruined his health. He left this world when he was very young, circa 1910.

He was especially popular because of his songs "Dos fishele" and "Di noy-yorker trern".
 

Sh. E. from Harry Weinberg.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 6, page 5360.
 

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