Jewish Studies Unscrolled: “Raisins and Almonds” and Yiddish Folksong in Classical Folk Music with Alex Weiser

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Religion & Spirituality, Judaism, Society & Culture

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🗓️ 31 December 2024

⏱️ 24 minutes

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Summary

Today on Jewish Studies Unscrolled, we explore the history and evolution of “Rozhinkes mit Mandlen” (Raisins and Almonds), the iconic Yiddish lullaby written by Avrom Goldfaden for his 1880 operetta Shulamis. Our guest, Pulitzer Prize finalist Alex Weiser, Director of Public Programs at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, joins us to discuss the song’s transformation from its original folk origins in the rendition, “Unter dem Kinds Vigele” (Under the Child’s Cradle), to a theatrical centerpiece, as well as its lasting influence on Jewish music. Beginning with a field recording by the folklorist Ruth Rubin, we discuss how this simple lullaby inspired classical compositions by Lazare Saminsky, Joseph Achron, Stefan Volpe, and Judith Shatin.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello podcast fans. It's producer Josh Cross here. If your email inbox right now is anything like mine, you're being inundated with the end of year giving asks. Well, I'm coming at you with one more. Here at Tablet, we are proud, thrilled really, to be able to offer you Jewish content, on podcasts, on our site, in newsletters, and even on Zoom. We've been bringing you old favorites, new shows and miniseries you've liked, and we've even got some new ones coming soon that you're going to love. But we can't do it without a little help from our friends, which is where you come in.
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1:10.6	Welcome to Jewish Studies Unscrolled, the podcast where we bring on an expert guest to take a close read of one Jewish text.
1:12.7	I'm Elisa Quint.
1:17.8	On this episode, we're taking a look at Jewish music.
1:22.4	More specifically, we're talking about one particular Yiddish song.
1:33.1	If any Yiddish song can be called famous, it's Rojan Kismid Mandein, or Raisins and Almanz, written by the father of modern Yiddish song can be called famous, it's Rojan Kismid Mandelin, or Raisins and Alman's, written by the father of modern Yiddish theater Avram Goldfaden.
2:00.0	Here is a mid-20th century recording of the song, one of dozens. The version we are listening to was performed by Cantor Benjamin Siegel.
2:03.4	I think it gets close to the way Rojan Kismit Mandelin was sung on stage as early as 1880.
2:09.9	This is when it premiered in Goldfaden's Operetta Shulamis in the Ukrainian city of Mikhailiev,
2:15.5	which was then Nikolaiov and part of the Russian Empire.
2:19.8	Goldfaden's lyrics originate from the words of an older song,
2:24.3	Unter Demkinsvigle, or Under the Child's Cradle.
2:28.7	Here is his chorus.
2:31.2	Under Yudela's cradle stands a clear white goat.
2:40.0	The little goat went away on trade, and that will be your calling, for raisins and almonds. Sleep, my Yidala sleep.
2:44.0	Goldfaden borrowed these words from the older folk song and gave them a proto-Zionist twist by situating the scene of the lullaby in the temple Jerusalem.
2:54.6	In the temple, in a corner of a room, the widow daughter of Zion sits alone.
2:59.6	She rocks her only son Yiddala to sleep and sings to him.
3:04.6	Goldfaden's version is a useful cultural touchstone because of how popular it became, but what's
	...

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