Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 14.029 January 11, 2005 1) Dzigan and Shumacher (Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf) 2) Dzigan and Shumacher (Norman Erlich) 3) Dzigan and Shumacher (Pinyeh Weichsel) 4) Dzigan and Shumacher (Simkhe Frydrych) 5) New website: Yiddish for historians (Gerben Zaagsma) 6) Gender of ru/umru (Feygl Infeld Glaser) 7) Yechiel-Michl Guzikow (Alex Jacobowitz) Visit Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 7, 2005 From: msteinlauf@earthlink.net Subject: Re: Dzigan and Shumacher Perhaps more than was asked for, but here's something from the forthcoming YIVO Encyclopedia of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe. As you can see, they were not quite Abbott and Costello. The author is Natan Gross. Their performances typically opened with skits culled from the daily newspapers, aimed at antisemites and government functionaries, but also at themselves and their public. Routines based on domestic life would follow. Dzigan's persona was that of a hyperactive and sloppy "happy beggar," endlessly complaining about his life as he darts about the stage with his signature red handkerchief hanging from his neck. The bespectacled Shumacher, in fundamental contrast, was phlegmatic and restrained, glossing his Jewish troubles with subtle gestures of the shoulders and hands. Melekh Ravitsh spoke of them as incarnating the eternal spirit of Polish Jews via the decidedly unliterary medium of Lodz Yiddish. He also described them as two Don Quixotes sitting on a park bench (perhaps each hoping for a Sancho Panza in the other), one dreaming of Palestine and the other of Birobidzhan. Their routines were written by writers such as Broderzon, Moyshe Nadir and Itsik Manger; they also adapted older material from Sholem Aleichem and others. Moyshe-Shaye Steinlauf Philadelphia 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 7, 2005 From: normanerlich@fibertel.com.ar Subject: Re: Dzigan & Szumacher I knew both of them personally since 1950 and also played with Dzigan in Buenos Aires in 1972 in one of his revues. Szumacher was the impatient and nervous one and Dzigan was definitely der tam, but not always did he play the tam; he had many roles that covered the highest level in acting. Norman Erlich 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 7, 2005 From: weichsel@math.uiuc.edu Subject: Re: Dzigan and Szumacher I believe I have all of the recordings that were made by Dzigan & Szumacher and the ones made later by Dzigan alone after Szumacher died. I don't believe that the Abbott & Costello analogy is accurate. Dzigan was the tummler and Szumacher was more laid back. Dzigan usually initiated the exchanges pulling Szumacher along. I am a great fan of this wonderful duo (Dzigan's solo stuff was only a weak continuation of their style). The first time I heard one of their recordings, I was in a "mixed" group (galitsianer and litvaks); the galitsianer were rolling on the floor with laughter and litvaks couild hardly understand a word! Pinyeh Weichsel 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 9, 2005 From: seymourfrydrych@rogers.com Subject: Re: Dzigan and Szumakher Comparing Dzigan and Szumakher to Abbott and Costello does the yiddish duo a disservice. Their humour was far more sophisticated and diverse. Political, economic,social and other issues were covered by Dzigan and Szumakher in an intelligent manner. Their roles are not as readily defined as the Americans. In the dialogues Dzigan does not play the simpleton that Costello excelled in. His character is often a clever experienced adult, unlike the childlike endearing moron that Costello played. Simkhe Frydrych 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 8, 2005 From: Gerben.Zaagsma@IUE.it Subject: New website: Yiddish for historians I would like to let you know i have put a website online entitled "Yiddish sources in historical research". It can be found at: http://www.iue.it/Personal/Researchers/Zaagsma/Yiddish/ The idea of the site is to provide people who wish to use Yiddish sources in historical research with links to materials, institutions etcetera and it grew out of my own collection of links and it seemed a good thing to turn them into a site. The site is very much a work in progress and this is the first basic version, i will be adding more things over time. I would like to invite everybody to take a look and send me any comments, criticisms or suggestions you might have. Gerben Zaagsma 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 9, 2005 From: yiddish1@juno.com Subject: Re: Gender of ru/umru in entfer oyf Hershl Glezer's bamerkungen (Mendele 14.028): loyt Weinreichn zogt men "di" oder "der" ru, un "di", oder "der" umru. loyt mir un andere poylishe yidn, arayngerekhnt Arn Bergmanen (zet yidish-english, english-eidish-verterbukh far shul un heym), zogt men "di ru" un "di umru". dos meynt az ver es nutst dem vayblekhn min far ru, nutst oykh dem vayblekhn min far umru, un der vos nutst dem menlekhn min nutst, im far beyde verter. Farvos darf men zikh in dem fal banutsn mit terminologye vos iz "kegn der logik"? Ikh bin maskim mit Hershlen az in ale normale leshoynes vern klolim gemakht un klolim vern gebrokhn. Ven di shprakh iz a shprudldike, bashtimen biderekh-klal di reders, nit di spetsyalistn, vos es iz kosher un vos es iz nit. Luden iz gerekht, az in algemeyn fodert der klal, az der tsveyter element funem tsunoyfheft zol bashtimen dem min un khotsh es zenen take faran oysnamen (moltsayt iz a guter bayshpil), zol men zikh haltn bay dem klal. Ikh bin nit bakant mit voser min es banutsn zikh di Ukrainishe yidn, ober vos shaykh di vaysrusishe yidn, zaynen zey dokh oykh litvakes, vos nutsn tsofn mizrekh yidish, oder lekhol-hapokhes halbe litvakes (zey esn breyt mit puter, krikhn oyf a beym, veynen iber imetsns teyt, shikn gerusn un tsindn a birne oyf velkher es hengt a sheyne shirme).. Mit Beste Grusn, Feygl Infeld Glaser 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: January 11, 2005 From: alexbjacobowitz@yahoo.com Subject: Yechiel-Michl Guzikow Around 1940, a Soviet author penned a Yiddish novel based on the biography of Yechiel-Michl Guzikow, a 19th Century klezmer virtuoso on the xylophone. Does anyone know the name of this author? Or the title in Yiddish? Please help! Alex Jacobowitz ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 14.029 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu