We sometimes think of our childhood in musical terms. Seymour Bernstein mentions hearing Schubert's Standchen that brought him to tears. Otherwise his home was bereft of music, let alone the time-honored Classics. It was mostly silent. I was bathed in Yiddish melodies that my South Bronx grandmother (bubbe) sang in her beautifully tremulous voice, but… Continue reading The Jewish New Year ushers in poignant musical memories
My Paternal Bubbe Bessie I had to stop what I was doing to copy this story as relayed by my mother about a live "carp" that I'd seen in bubbe's bathtub as a child. Was I dreaming? Grandma Bessie lived with my zayde in the South Bronx on Longfellow Avenue along with a fish as… Continue reading An amazing fish story from my Yiddishe bubbe’s collection plus an escapade during prohibition
From earliest childhood, I remember my bubbe Bessie's tremulous voice as she sang Yiddish lullabies. The words, faintly heard, were upstaged by rapturous melodies. She was otherwise a fixture in a small kitchen, preparing chicken soup with luction (noodles); kneading dough for Shabbat challah; chopping fresh carp to make gefilte fish cakes, and throwing together… Continue reading My Russian Grandmother’s music: Preserving a Yiddish culture of Song
