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Yiddish Research: Yiddish Music at NYPL

Yiddish research guide covering general resources, article and books, folklore, genealogy, linguistics, literature, music and dance, oral history, theater, film, radio, translation and student resources.

Yiddish Music at NYPL

Benedict Stambler Collection at NYPL

Benedict Stambler (1903-1967) was a musicologist and music collector. He founded the Collector's Guild record label and worked with his wife Helen, now Helen Stambler Latner, to record Jewish music from around the world. After his death, Helen donated more than 1,000 of these recordings to NYPL.

To find materials in this collection, search NYPL's Legacy Catalog for the author 

Stambler, Benedict, 1903-1967

 

Locating Discs and Cylinders at NYPL's Performing Arts Library

Many discs and cylinders are included in our online catalog (either our Shared Research Catalog or our Legacy NYPL catalog). The most efficient way to search is by typing in the record label name and publisher’s number. Searching by performer, composer, or title are other options.

The majority of our 78rpm discs are not in the online catalog, but can be located instead using the Rigler-Deutsch Index (RDI). The RDI is a union catalog on microfiche which indexes 78rpm discs held by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, the Library of Congress, Syracuse University, Yale University, and Stanford University. If visiting in person, a reference librarian will show you how to search the microfiche. If you are not able to visit in person, email specifics of your search to recordedsound@nypl.org and a librarian will search the RDI on your behalf. (A note that, because of the volume of requests, it may take 2-3 weeks for us to complete the search).

Finding Yiddish Music in NYPL's Catalog

Browse by subject headings in the Research Catalog:

 

Browse by historical call number in the Legacy Catalog 

  • **P (Sheet Music) for Yiddish sheet music in the Dorot Jewish Division: 
  • **P (Thomashefsky Collection) for Yiddish music manuscripts from Boris Thomashefsky's repertoire (these contain parts for several instruments and were used for musical theater productions)
  • *PVO for Jewish songbooks in all languages 

 

Search the "author" field for the names of composers, lyricists, and performers.

 

Use these search terms in the "all fields" search box:

  • SATB
  • Choir
  • Hora
  • Sher
  • Yiddish art songs
  • Yiddish theater songs

 

Additional Search Tips

  • The term "klezmer" is used by contemporary authors to describe Yiddish instrumental music, but it's generally not used as a search term for primary sources/ historical works in the collection. 
  • If the item you need was published in the U.S. before 1923, check the digital sources listed in this guide to find an online version.
  • Spelling varies. Try searching in the Hebrew alphabet. If you don't have a Hebrew keyboard, use an online one.
  • Please contact us at dorotjewish@nypl.org for additional assistance.

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