Large collection of c. 52 Jewish/Yiddish-related sheet music.

(MUSIC).

American

Early 20th-century

This superb collection of Jewish sheet music represents a post-immigrant generation experiencing assimilation into mainstream America while yet maintaining a link to their heritage provided via the language and melody of their music. Images on sheet music covers portray ethnic stereotypes and campy song titles including: “There’s a Little Bit of Irish in Sadie Cohn,” “Under the Matzos Tree,” “My Yiddisher Blonde,” “Abie’s Irish Nose,” and “Since Yussel Learned to Yodel, He’s a Yiddishe Mountaineer.” In the Sadie Cohn lyrics for example, one learns of a Russian-Polish girl who meets, marries, and has a child with Pat O’Flaherty and still wants to name the baby a Jewish name. The songwriter is unfazed by Sadie’s assimilation: “Though she dresses up in Irish styles, you can tell she’s Jewish when she smiles.”