Mark Warshawsky
Encyclopedia
Mark Markovich Warshavsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("13742")' href="/topics/Odessa">Odessa
1848, died in Kiev
, 1907) was a Yiddish-speaking folk poet and composer from the Russian Empire
.
He graduated from the Law school of Kiev University
and practiced law in Kiev. By the influence of Abraham Goldfaden
Warshawsky started to write songs and sing them in his circle of friends accompanied by a fortepiano
. He did not take seriously his musical work and never recorded those songs, relying on his memory. Many of his works in this way were spread throughout the Jewish community of the Ukrainian region of the Russian Empire and most of them were simply adopted as folk songs.
In 1890 Warshawsky met with Sholem Aleichem. After listening to his songs, Sholem Aleichem wrote "I simply hugged him and kissed him!" And then, Later, by Aleichem's full cooperation, Warshavsky published his first collection "Yiddishe Volkslider" ("Jewish People's songs". Kiev 1900) with a heartily foreword from the great classic. That book was republished not only in Russia, but abroad as well. The collection included such songs as "Der Alef-Beis", "A Brif fun Amerike", "Der Zeide mit der Babe". The songs described the everyday life of Jews in the Russian Empire
.
Together Sholem Aleichem and Warshawsky started to tour around Russia performing their own repertoire. They also had plans to travel to the United States
, however those plans were left unfulfilled as Warshawsky suddenly became ill and died on November 26. The second edition of the Warshawsky's songs was published in Odessa
in 1914, with the following exclusively abroad: New York (1948) and Buenos-Aires (1958).
According to Prilutsky, Warshawsky spoke in the authentic dialect spoken in Volyn.
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
1848, died in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, 1907) was a Yiddish-speaking folk poet and composer from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
He graduated from the Law school of Kiev University
Kiev University
Taras Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , colloquially known in Ukrainian as KNU is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and Kharkiv University. Currently, its structure...
and practiced law in Kiev. By the influence of Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden ; was an Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in the languages Yiddish and Hebrew, author of some 40 plays.Goldfaden is considered the father of the Jewish modern theatre.In 1876 he founded in...
Warshawsky started to write songs and sing them in his circle of friends accompanied by a fortepiano
Fortepiano
Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, from its invention by the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. It was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music...
. He did not take seriously his musical work and never recorded those songs, relying on his memory. Many of his works in this way were spread throughout the Jewish community of the Ukrainian region of the Russian Empire and most of them were simply adopted as folk songs.
In 1890 Warshawsky met with Sholem Aleichem. After listening to his songs, Sholem Aleichem wrote "I simply hugged him and kissed him!" And then, Later, by Aleichem's full cooperation, Warshavsky published his first collection "Yiddishe Volkslider" ("Jewish People's songs". Kiev 1900) with a heartily foreword from the great classic. That book was republished not only in Russia, but abroad as well. The collection included such songs as "Der Alef-Beis", "A Brif fun Amerike", "Der Zeide mit der Babe". The songs described the everyday life of Jews in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Together Sholem Aleichem and Warshawsky started to tour around Russia performing their own repertoire. They also had plans to travel to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, however those plans were left unfulfilled as Warshawsky suddenly became ill and died on November 26. The second edition of the Warshawsky's songs was published in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
in 1914, with the following exclusively abroad: New York (1948) and Buenos-Aires (1958).
According to Prilutsky, Warshawsky spoke in the authentic dialect spoken in Volyn.
External links
- Oyfn Pripetchik (in Yiddish), performed by Esther Ofarim.
- Warshawsky at Virtual Jewish Encyclopedia
- Mark Warshawsky with the list of his poems and songs