Research Query: P. Anhalt
Does anyone recognize the name "P. Anhalt"? A short piece of what seems to be liturgical music (the text begins "Shmor Yisrael") appears in at least two different collections with that name attached:
1) "Shirei Eretz Yisrael" (the 1935 volume published in Berlin).
2) "Songs of My People" (compiled and edited by Harry Coopersmith, published by Chicago Anshe Emet Synagogue, 1937).
I'd be grateful for identification of any sort or suggestions of where to look (the name isn't in any of the obvious reference books). Maybe it's not a name? Private replies, unless they are of general interest to the readership.
Paula Eisenstein Baker
Adjunct Instructor of Violoncello and Chamber Music, Emerita
Music Department
University of St. Thomas, Houston
<eisenbak@stthom.edu> or paula.eisensteinbaker@gmail.com
1 Reply
Post ReplyFor the inquiry of Prof. Paula Eisenstein Baker regarding P. Anhalt –
And her question whether “P. Anhalt” is a name of a person at all –
It seems obvious that it is a name of a person, who wrote the melody of many Hebrew Zionist and Jewish songs. His full name was Pinchas Anhalt. An impressing list of his songs is to be found in this link in the National Library in Israel:
http://aleph.nli.org.il/F/RLC1TGU27EF63NLY5Y27754G9C32P5PE6CYPY7IJVCX4F…
Some of the songs are even available now on the net – you can hear, for example, this song: Shir haAvodah – in this link:
https://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=3180
I remember vaguely that as young students in the public school in Israel in the 60s we still learned how to sing in the class several of his songs.
Yom tov Levinsky, in his famous set of books, Sefer HaMoadim, vol. 8, in the editions attached to the end of this volume, under the title: Songs of Eretz Israel, p. 16, gave the musical notes of his song: “Urah HiTorerah”.
Unfortunately, I could not find his name as an entry in any of the Jewish Encyclopaedias that I have here. Perhaps experts in Israeli music can tell us more on the life and work of this interesting musician.
Admiel Kosman
Potsdam University