land, who wandered over Germany and Holland, and acquired a reputation with his moral songs. Also very popular was the comedian and famous founder of the “Broder singers," Berl Margolis, who used the name of Berl Broder (1817-1880).
A noticeable place in the folk music belonged to Benjamin-Zev Erenkrantz, known by name Velvel Zbarjer (1826-1883). He was an excellent improviser who, in front of the audience, improvised and created actual texts and melodies according to the audience. His songs mourned the sad fate of the poor and thundered against the “fine Jews” and leaders of the community who exploited the common people, the people of the scissors and iron.
The most popular of our troubadours was Alikum Tsunzer (1836-1913). His numerous songs, which described all aspects of the Jewish life, were of an instructive character and allowed him to become the first who touched the national point. The first Zionists (Hovevei Zion) sang his lieder and spread them as nationalist songs. The musical quality of his works was remarkable. The melodies were sweet and contained Hassidic elements, cantorial prayers and Slavic dances, - all the motifs that touched the hearts of the East-European Jews.
The most indigenous of all folk singers was the talented Mark Warszawski (1848 -1909). As an insightful poet, he sang about the Jewish child and about the Jewish family, about the sorrows and the future of the Jewish people. For him it happened as Sholom Aleichem, his closes friend, foretold: “I am sure that it will not take long and Warszawski’s songs will become folks-songs." In 1911 Yaakov Fichman wrote: “I love Warszawski, while I feel that the emotions in his songs are stronger and more beautiful than his rhymes, - that is what I find in any real folk songg”.
And thus stretched the line to the last, the greatest of the Jewish folk troubadours in Poland before the War (WWII), singer and mourner, critic and encourager, dreamer and inspirer, the devoted son of the Jewish People, the gifted and blessed by G_d: Mordechai Gebirtig.
Under Reisen’s influence, Mordechai Gebirtig began writing theater reviews and, somewhat later, also poems. At the same time he expressed interest in social and political problems and became a member of the “Jewish Social-Democratic Party” in Galicia. In those years he published his poems in the party newspaper “Social-Democrat” and read his poetry at the literary-artistic evenings.
During the WWI, he served for five years in the Austria-Hungarian Army. Even then, using every free moment, he wrote poems that attracted attention and were sung as songs. Some of those songs soon became popular throughout Poland. The “Little Orphan” and “An Angel Is Born” even crossed the seas and spread among the Jews of the world. Soon new songs came out like “Hershele," “Unter geyt di velt," "Viglid," etc. In 1920 his first book of songs was published in Krakow under the title: "Popular Songs".
The songs became popular across the Jewish world and touched the hearts of the people. So it is no wonder that Boaz Yungvitz-Yung put Gebirtig’s songs into the Moyshe Sher’s operetta “Di Romenishe Hasene” (Romanian Wedding) and they became the nucleus of the show. “Huliet, huliet, kinderlekh” (children, enjoy yourselves) and “Kinderyorn” (childhood years) became Jewish world hits. Molly Picon, Haya’leh Grober and Yosele Kolodny popularized them, and the name of Mordechai Gebirtig entered the columns of all the Jewish newspapers. Directors of many provincial theaters in towns and shtetls in Poland found in Gebirtig’s songs (such as “Abraml Marevikher," (naughty Avraml) “Motele," “Moyshele," “Dos alte parfolk” (the old couple) and others, interesting stage material, and based a series of shows on his songs. Even such sophisticated little ensembles like “Azazel" (hell) “Ararat," “Sambation," “Moidim” and others became very taken with Gebirtig, considering him a real great literal source. Some theaters arranged complete “Gebirtig Nights." Such events happened often in Krakow.
The first great satisfaction in his life came to Mordechai Gebirtig in 