Access and Provenance Biographical Sketch Scope and Content Note Box and Folder Listing

A Finding Aid to the Mordecai S. Yardeini Papers Manuscript Collection No. 692 1908-1982. 6.4 Linear ft.

The Mordecai S. Yardeini Papers are open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH top

Mordecai S. Yardeini was born near Zitomir, Ukraine to Chaim Yardeini and Malke Meir-Dovid Baran Yardeini. His father was a shochet and a Bal-Tefilah. Yardeini was, in his own words, “ a cantor, folk singer, composer, music critic, Victor recording artist, author of six books on music, theater, literature and lector.” Yardeini was educated in yeshivas and later earned a degree from Hebrew Union College’s School of Sacred Music in New York City in 1953. He was a president of the Jewish Cantors of America, vice-president of the Jewish Radio Guild, board member of the Hebrew Actors Union in America, member of the Yiddish Writers in America, and a past editor of the literary journal New Yorker Vochenblat.

Little is known about Yardeini’s life. It is known that he first received his education in Russia and later in Palestine where he lived before emigrating to America in 1936. He held positions as a cantor in both Conservative and Orthodox synagogues.

Yardeini was married to Nina Rosenberg.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE top

Papers contain musical compositions, writings, and newspaper clippings of and about Mordecai S. Yardeini, a cantor and composer of liturgical and secular music. This collection is divided into four series. The first series contains music written by Yardeini as well as a few folders of music by others that he arranged or added his own lyrics to. There is also one folder of compositional fragments (8/2) and several with the generic name of “Yiddish music.” This organizational method was used because of a lack of available Yiddish translation. The rest of this series is arranged alphabetically with an index available behind the box and folder listing, using the titles and spellings given to the pieces by Yardeini.

Series B. Writings, contains interesting writings regarding various topics. There are nine files in English. The rest of this series is in Yiddish with four folders holding a manuscript for one of Yardeini’s books. Series C. holds the newspaper clippings about Yardeini as well as Jewish and Yiddish music. Almost all the clippings are in Yiddish. Series D. Correspondence and Personal contains some personal correspondence, Yardeini’s diploma, unidentified photographs, and plaques

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING top

 

Box     Folder Contents

SERIES A. MUSIC

1	1	Ab-Al
	2	Ale-Az
	3	B
	
2	1	Ch-Cn
	2	D
	3	E	

3	1	F	
	2	G
	3	H
	4	I
	5	J

4	1	K
	2	L
	3	Ma-Me
	
5	1	Mi-Mo
	2	N
	3	O
	4	P
	5	R

6	1	Sa-Shl
	2	Shm-Su
	3	T

7	1	U
	2	V
	3	W
	4	Y
	
8	1	Z
	2	Fragments of music
	3	Olf, Mark. Music.
	4	Other people's music.
	5	Other people's music.
	6	Other people's music.

9	1	Yiddish music.
	2	Yiddish music.
	3	Notebooks.
	4	Notebooks.
	5	Notebooks.

10	1	Notebooks.

SERIES B. WRITINGS

	2	Autobiography.
	3	English speeches and writings
	4	Eulogy.
	5	"Fifty Years of Jewish Song in America."
	6	"Leopold Stokowski and Philadelphia."
	7	"The Melody of Rosh Hashona."
	8	"My Mother."
	9	"Trends and Advancement in Jewish Music."
	10	"Zero Mostel: Notes and Memories."
	11	Manuscript [Yiddish].
	12	Manuscript [Yiddish].
	13	Manuscript [Yiddish].
	14	Manuscript [Yiddish].
	15	Notebooks. [Yiddish].
	
11	1	Notebooks [Yiddish].
	2	Notebooks [Yiddish].
	3	Notebooks [Yiddish].
	4	Notecards [Yiddish].
	5	Notecards [Yiddish].
	6	Writings [Yiddish].
	7	Writings [Yiddish].
	8	Writings [Yiddish].
	9	Writings [Yiddish].
	10	Writings [Yiddish].
	11	Writings [Yiddish].
	12	Writings [Yiddish].
	13	Writings [Yiddish].

12	1	Writings [Yiddish].
	2	Writings [Yiddish].

SERIES C. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

	3	Clippings [Yiddish].
	4	Clippings [Yiddish].
	5	Clippings [Yiddish].
	6	Clippings [Yiddish].
	7	Clippings [Yiddish].
	8	Clippings [Yiddish].

13	1	Clippings [Yiddish].
	2	Scrapbook. 1929-1936, 1971.
	3	Scrapbook. 1929-1949.
	4	Scrapbook. 1939-1952.
	5	Scrapbook. 1941-1949, 1958.
	6	Scrapbook. 1941-1958.
	7	Scrapbook. 1943-1958.
	8	Scrapbook. 1943-1963.
	
14	1	Scrapbook. 1945-1963.
	2	Scrapbook. 1948-1956.
	3	Scrapbook. 1950-1951.
	4	Scrapbook. 1950-1953.
	5	Scrapbook. 1950-1956.
	6	Scrapbook. 1959-1960.
	7	Scrapbook. 1965, 1973-1974.
	8	Scrapbook. 1969-1971.

SERIES D. CORRESPONDENCE AND PERSONAL

15	1	Beck, M. 1908
	2	Freiheit Jewish Daily. 1967.
	3	Resnick, Sid. n.d.
	4	Rosenberg, Nina. 1980, 1982.
	5	Books of marriage certificates.
	6	Burial information.
	7	Copyright agreements. 1960-1972.
	8	Diploma. HUC School of Sacred Music. 1953.
	9	Greater Miami Workmen's Circle Seder. 1980.
	10	Photographs.
	11	Prayerbooks.
	12	Pictures of Cantors.
	13	Publicity.
	14	South American trip. 1948.


16	--	Plaques.	

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