126 Yiddish songs chosen as the biggest theater hits of 1933-1934 by book and record-store owner Itzik Zhelonek of Warsaw, Poland (his store was in the flea market across from the "used iron" store) or appearing in the "35 newest theater songs from Azazel and Sambatiyon" collection of 1929.

Azazel and Sambatiyon were the swingingest night spots of Warsaw, serving up "kleynkunst" - miniature theater - monologues, spoofs, and of course delicious songs - from earnest and nostalgic to droll and cosmopolitan. It was music of the Jazz Age, but theater-goers also demanded some old favorites.

I've spent three years finding and transcribing the melodies for these wonderful songs which have mostly been lost since the Holocaust expunged joy and frivolity from Yiddish culture. The book has tunes, chords, transliterations, translations, commentary, and sources. There are three companion cds: In Odess, Lebedik Yankel, and Nervez available here at Amazon. For more information see yiddishemporium.com Contents of the book (asterisks indicate the melody is missing) A dudele A ganef iz a takef * A ganefs a trer A gute vokh fun der alter heym A kale bazingen A kidushin-ringele A mamenyu A misteek A pastukhl A puster kholem iz dos gantse lebn A sakh melokhes un veynik brokhes A shayle baym rebn A vig lid (S'loyfn, S'yogn Shvartse Volkn) A volakhl lomir zingen Af bri Al Chet di nayer Az der rebbe vil Bankrotn * Beygelekh (Bublitshki) Dem rebns shirayim * Der balegole Di firme Boymval Di galitsianer khasene Der lamdn Reb Sender (der alter) Der filosof Der Rebi Elimelech Der vaser-treger Di eybike mame Di Firme Boymval Di libe fun a heylike mame Di manikurzshistke * Di mashke Di meydlekh fun amol Di mezinke oysgegebn Di milkh-ku Di velt hot zikh ibergekert Di yidish troyke Dos fishele Dos fleshele (tshort vozmi) Dos ganevl Dos iz di libe * Dos kind ligt in vigl Dos talisl dus talesl Dos yidishe fidele Dos Yidishe lid Duet Roza Huki Gevald, vu nemt men koyln? Gey makh, es makht zikh nisht * Gud-bay Nyu York Harey At Hamavdil Hatikvah Ikh for aheym Ikh halt nisht derfun * Ikh hob a gut hartz Ikh hob es nisht (ikh dank dir Got az) Ikh hob zikh oysgeglitsht Ikh un du a porele Ikh vil zikh shpiln In a hoyz vu men veynt un men lakht In dr'erd dos shnayderai In Odes, in Odes Kaddish (Berditshever) Kaddish nokh a yidishe zelner Katarina Keyn glikn hob ikh dir nisht tsugezogt Khsidimlekh zingen Kolombus ikh hob tsu dir gornisht Lebedik Yankl Lebedik, freylekh Lebedike yesoymim Leybke fort keyn Amerike Lo lanu Margaritkelekh Mayerke mayn Mayn meydele Mayn shtetele Belz Mayn vayb kumt fun Zakopane Mayn yidishe mame Men lebt vi got in Odes * Men leygt arayn un men nemt nisht aroys Menashe Mendele Meydlekh sheyne Meydlekh (Michalesko) * Mikitka Milkhike un fleyshike yidn Mir felt a fraynd Mir voyle yingelekh * Moniek Pshepiorko Nerven, nerven Nokhumke mayn zun On a heym Oy Avreml Oy oy di libe Oy vey mamele siz geven a dramale Oy vey, m'shoklt zikh Oy vi es tyokhket Oy, mame, shlog mikh nisht Oyf a maskn bal Oysgeshpilt Reyzele Rivkele (Rebeka) Rosa Huki * S'iz nisht geven un s'iz nishto Samet un zayd Shabos nokhn kugl Shlof mayn kind, mayn tsutsik Shvayg Hertsele Slutsk mayn shtetl Soni-boi Sonia * Spetsialistn * Tankhum Teyku Tfiseh-lid * Tsirele, Mirele Vaser Vayl a yid iz nisht keyn goy * Vu zaynen mayne zibn gute yor? Yanko * Yontiv in der vokhn * Yosl, Yosl Yoyne Zetz Zi hot es

A young man, traumatized by a succession of evil stepmothers and menaced by conscription in the tsar's army, gets the girl of his dreams, loses her, he runs - but he can't hide. Though the author probably thought this was a tragedy, I thought everybody got what they needed, if not what they thought they wanted. So perhaps it's a comedy.

Reminiscences about the first Yiddish novelist by a well-known critic of the time.