Yiddish Phonograph Record Collection

The third wave of Jewish immigration to the United States at the end of the nineteenth and into the early twentieth century coincided with the rise of disc records as a medium for storing sound recordings. Millions of Jews came to America, mostly from Eastern Europe, and brought a rich culture of music, theater, and storytelling, primarily in Yiddish. They represented a new market, and Yiddish theater productions, newspapers, books, and music were produced to cater to their interests.

Companies such as Columbia, RCA Victor, Brunswick, Banner Records, and, later, Capitol Records, recorded everything from cantorial music, traditional folk songs, and contemporary music, to storytelling, monologues, and comedic performances. Popular Yiddish music often came from Yiddish theater, and many records contained individual songs from favorite musical theater productions. Additionally, record companies produced collections of liturgical music by popular cantors in Europe and the United States, housed in special albums for different occasions.

Particularly well represented in this collection is music by Mickey Katz and his orchestra. Katz was born in Cleveland in 1909 and made a name for himself by converting popular tunes of the day to Klezmer music and adding often comedic Yiddish lyrics that spoke of Jewish-American life. Also included in the collection are Yiddish theater actress and singer Molly Picon, soprano Isa Kremer, composer and bandleader Joseph Cherniavsky and his Yiddish-American Jazz Band, comedian and storyteller Myron Cohen, actor Maurice Schwartz, and others.