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. |