Fanny Gordon
Encyclopedia
Fanny Gordon was the only female laykhte-muzik ("light" i.e. pop music) composer in pre-war Poland
.
cabarets and music theatres.
One of Gordon's most famous songs, written in 1929, was Przy samowarze ("By the Samovar
"), performed by Zula Pogorzelska and Tadeusz Olsza
at Morskie Oko revue theatre. Andrzej Włast
wrote the words and it became an international hit, recorded by German and American dance bands. Later a record company asked her to write Russian words to the melody, and the result was «У самовара».
Her other hits included the tango "Skrwawione serce" ("My Bleeding Heart") sung by Polish "queen of tango" Stanislawa Nowicka, the foxtrot "Abdul Bey" based on oriental motifs, and "Siemieczki", called "The Polish Bublitshki". Her tango "Nietoperze" ("The Bats") - with lyrics about those who hunt for love at night composed by Szer-Szen (pseudonym of the prominent Polish poet, Jan Brzechwa
). Her "Bal u Starego Joska" ("Party at the Old Josel's"), also known as "Bal na Gnojnej" ("Party At the Dung Lane"), lyrics by Andrzej Włast
, was intended as a send-up of Warsaw apache ballads and became so famous it is now often cited as the first Warsaw underworld folksong. After the war the song was often performed by Stanisław Grzesiuk. In 1933, she wrote the operetta Jacht milosci (Yacht of Love) with a hit, the tango "Indie" (also performed in Holland and the United States under the title "New York Baby").
Before World War II
Gordon lived alternately in Warsaw and the USA
. She was trapped in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war but escaped to Vilna and eventually to Leningrad
, where she continued to compose under the names Faina Markovna Kviatkovskaia and Faina Kwiatkowski (Polish: Faina Kwiatkowska). She died in Leningrad in 1991.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Life and career
Gordon was born in 1914 in Yalta. After the Bolshevik Revolution her family emigrated to Poland. Faiga wrote poetry and composed songs for WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
cabarets and music theatres.
One of Gordon's most famous songs, written in 1929, was Przy samowarze ("By the Samovar
Samovar
A samovar is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other Central, South-Eastern, Eastern European countries,Kashmir and in the Middle-East...
"), performed by Zula Pogorzelska and Tadeusz Olsza
Tadeusz Olsza
Tadeusz Olsza , born Tadeusz Blomberg, was a Polish film and stage actor, cabaret singer, dancer and director. From 1915 to 1917, he taught vocal classes at Warsaw Conservatory...
at Morskie Oko revue theatre. Andrzej Włast
Andrzej Włast
Andrzej Włast was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.-Biography:...
wrote the words and it became an international hit, recorded by German and American dance bands. Later a record company asked her to write Russian words to the melody, and the result was «У самовара».
Her other hits included the tango "Skrwawione serce" ("My Bleeding Heart") sung by Polish "queen of tango" Stanislawa Nowicka, the foxtrot "Abdul Bey" based on oriental motifs, and "Siemieczki", called "The Polish Bublitshki". Her tango "Nietoperze" ("The Bats") - with lyrics about those who hunt for love at night composed by Szer-Szen (pseudonym of the prominent Polish poet, Jan Brzechwa
Jan Brzechwa
Jan Brzechwa , , born Jan Wiktor Lesman in Żmerynka, Podolia to a Polish family of Jewish descent was a Polish poet and author, mostly known for his contribution to children's literature....
). Her "Bal u Starego Joska" ("Party at the Old Josel's"), also known as "Bal na Gnojnej" ("Party At the Dung Lane"), lyrics by Andrzej Włast
Andrzej Włast
Andrzej Włast was a Polish Jewish songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for the 1929 hit song "Tango Milonga". He died in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.-Biography:...
, was intended as a send-up of Warsaw apache ballads and became so famous it is now often cited as the first Warsaw underworld folksong. After the war the song was often performed by Stanisław Grzesiuk. In 1933, she wrote the operetta Jacht milosci (Yacht of Love) with a hit, the tango "Indie" (also performed in Holland and the United States under the title "New York Baby").
Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Gordon lived alternately in Warsaw and the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was trapped in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war but escaped to Vilna and eventually to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, where she continued to compose under the names Faina Markovna Kviatkovskaia and Faina Kwiatkowski (Polish: Faina Kwiatkowska). She died in Leningrad in 1991.
External links
- Gordon's song To wiosna gra
- Caballeros z Grenady Lyrics Szer-szen (Jan BrzechwaJan BrzechwaJan Brzechwa , , born Jan Wiktor Lesman in Żmerynka, Podolia to a Polish family of Jewish descent was a Polish poet and author, mostly known for his contribution to children's literature....
) - Tadeusz Faliszewski sings Gordon's Bal u Starego Joska
- Fanny Gordon's Pod samowarem - from the uploader's notes:
"Pod samowarem" was composed by Fanny Gordon for Andrzej Włast's theatre Morskie Oko where, advertised as "Polish Bublitschki", it was presented in the number "Podróż na księżyc" (Journey To The Moon) in revue "To co lubi Warszawa" (It's What Warsaw Likes). In the very season it was also recorded by a couple of dance orchestras in Berlin (Paul Godwin's interpretation is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGmUSC... quickly becoming an international hit.