Arnold Perlmutter

Arnold Perlmutter (Yiddish: אַרנאָלד פּערלמוטער, 1859–1953) was a composer for Yiddish theatre, born in Zolochiv, Galicia, Austria-Hungary. He moved to Lemberg where he received both a religious and a secular education in Polish, Ukrainian, and German. He sang with then-famous hazzan Borekh Shor's chorus until his voice changed, then became a klezmer, playing bass and then violin and directing and composing for the Harmonia orchestra, which in 1889 was taken into I. B. Gimpel's Yiddish theater in Lemberg; he wrote the music for the operetta Rabbi Akiva and his students. and Der Spanisher Tsigayner (The Spanish Gypsy).

In 1891 Abraham Goldfaden came to Lemberg to stage his Meshiakh tsaytn (Messiah times) and Dos tsente gebot (The Tenth Commandment); Perlmutter orchestrated and reworked Goldfaden's collected musical numbers and composed new ones for his productions. He then toured with the Treytler and Yuvelir troupes throughout Galitsia, Romania (1893-1895) and Russia (1899). From Chernovitz, Bukovina, in 1900 Professor Moyshe Horvitz (Hurwitz) took the whole troupe to America.

Perlmutter met his longtime collaborator Herman Wohl in New York's Windsor Theater and they wrote for dozens of Hurwitz's operettas as well as Di almoneh (The widow) and A mentsh zol men zayn (One should be a righteous person) by Anshel Schorr. In 1906 Perlmutter and Wohl composed the music for a romantic drama in English, The Shepherd King; in 1909, Boris Thomashefsky's Dos Pintele Yid and Di sheyne Amerikanerin; and for scores of other historical operettas of the Second Avenue Yiddish Theater District theaters through the early years of the twentieth century.

After the partnership dissolved Perlmutter worked alone, composing for Maurice Schwartz's production in 1920 of I. L. Peretz's Di goldene keyt (The golden chain). In 1922 he contracted with the Lennox Theater in the Bronx (directors Nathan Goldberg and Jacob Jacobs). He wrote the music for dozens of productions until he retired from theater in 1930.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1859, Died 1953

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1908 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter, leader

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 65 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-6628 10-in. 11/30/1908 Yhi oir Solomon Smulewitz Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6629 10-in. 11/30/1908 A mensch sol mein sein Solomon Smulewitz Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6635 10-in. 12/2/1908 Schemen megt ihr sich Solomon Small Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-6638 10-in. 12/2/1908 Dos Yiddische hertz Solomon Smulewitz Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-9087 12-in. 6/14/1910 Das pintele Yid Frances Simonoff Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-9129 10-in. 6/23/1910 Shtoist Zich On Solomon Small Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-12919 10-in. 2/18/1913 Die Yidishe kroin Kalman Juvelier Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-12925 10-in. 2/18/1913 Dus shaifele Kalman Juvelier Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-12926 10-in. 2/18/1913 Dus lebedige Yisoimele Kalman Juvelier Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-12927 10-in. 2/18/1913 Schuldig bist du, Yidele alein Kalman Juvelier Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-15988 10-in. 5/4/1915 Dem pastechels cholem Jakov M. Medvedieff Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17402 10-in. 3/30/1916 Leben sol Columbus! Abraham Rosenstein Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17854 10-in. 6/15/1916 Yisrolik in sein Eigenland Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17859 10-in. 6/15/1916 Dus shaifele Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17860 10-in. 6/15/1916 Gebet for der Chypy Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17868 10-in. 6/16/1916 Es is gewehn a meidel Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17869 10-in. 6/16/1916 A shtikele glick Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17870 10-in. 6/16/1916 Ich seh schon wie es wert fehlech Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17871 10-in. 6/16/1916 Das wiegele Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19074 10-in. 2/13/1917 Shenk mir mein mame Nahen Rosenshak [i.e., Naum Coster] Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19490 10-in. 4/17/1917 Menschheit erwach William Schwartz Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19491 10-in. 4/17/1917 Sheloi osany yishe William Schwartz Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20134 10-in. 6/19/1917 Moisha Kapoir Anna Hoffman ; Jacob Jacobs Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20146 10-in. 6/21/1917 Hello New York Anna Hoffman ; Jacob Jacobs Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20147 10-in. 6/21/1917 A gris fin America Anna Hoffman ; Jacob Jacobs Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
(Results 1-25 of 65 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Perlmutter, Arnold," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107299.

Perlmutter, Arnold. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107299.

"Perlmutter, Arnold." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107299

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