Abba Schoengold
Encyclopedia
Abba Schoengold was a Romania
n Jewish actor in the early years of Yiddish theater, the first person to score a serious reputation a dramatic actor in Yiddish.
choir of the leading synagogue in Bucharest
, Romania
, Schoengold had also performed in a quartet with Sigmund Mogulesko
, playing at weddings and parties. He failed an audition in 1877 for Abraham Goldfaden
's nascent Yiddish theater company (which Mogulesko joined). Within a year, he had joined the troupe of playwright Moses Halevy-Hurvitz, which toured through rural Romania and eventually to Chişinău
, where his performance supposedly inspired David Kessler
's interest in theater. He then travelled on his own to Odessa
, Ukraine
.
In 1882, at the Mariinsky Theater in Odessa, he scored a triumph in the first Yiddish-language production of Karl Gutzkow
's Uriel Acosta. Jacob Adler
writes that at this time he was "the god of the Yiddish public, the god, indeed, of all who saw him on stage... the handsomest man in the world. Tall. Blue eyes. Golden hair. An Apollo
." [Adler, 1999, 221] Adler also writes that he had "a mania for adding to his costume... a plume, a feather, a cape, a scarf, ... medals". [Adler, 1999, 269]
With his wife Clara Schoengold, he followed much of the Yiddish theater community to London
in the mid-1880s and thence to New York City
. Their son Joseph married Adler's daughter Frances in New York in 1911; both went on to be leading lights of the Yiddish stage.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Jewish actor in the early years of Yiddish theater, the first person to score a serious reputation a dramatic actor in Yiddish.
Biography
A singer in the synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
choir of the leading synagogue in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Schoengold had also performed in a quartet with Sigmund Mogulesko
Sigmund Mogulesko
Sigmund Mogulesko — Yiddish: זעליק מאָגולעסקאָ Zelik Mogulesko, first name also sometimes given as Zigmund, Siegmund, Zelig, or Selig, last name sometimes spelled Mogulescu — was a singer, actor, and composer in the Yiddish theater, originally from Kalarash, Bessarabia Sigmund...
, playing at weddings and parties. He failed an audition in 1877 for Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden
Abraham Goldfaden ; was an Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in the languages Yiddish and Hebrew, author of some 40 plays.Goldfaden is considered the father of the Jewish modern theatre.In 1876 he founded in...
's nascent Yiddish theater company (which Mogulesko joined). Within a year, he had joined the troupe of playwright Moses Halevy-Hurvitz, which toured through rural Romania and eventually to Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
, where his performance supposedly inspired David Kessler
David Kessler (actor)
David Kessler was a prominent actor in the first great era of Yiddish theater. As a star Yiddish dramatic performer in New York City, he was the first leading man in Yiddish theater to dispense with incidental music....
's interest in theater. He then travelled on his own to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
In 1882, at the Mariinsky Theater in Odessa, he scored a triumph in the first Yiddish-language production of Karl Gutzkow
Karl Gutzkow
Karl Ferdinand Gutzkow was a German writer notable in the Young Germany movement of the mid-19th century.-Life:...
's Uriel Acosta. Jacob Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler
Jacob Pavlovich Adler , born Yankev P. Adler, was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and New York City....
writes that at this time he was "the god of the Yiddish public, the god, indeed, of all who saw him on stage... the handsomest man in the world. Tall. Blue eyes. Golden hair. An Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
." [Adler, 1999, 221] Adler also writes that he had "a mania for adding to his costume... a plume, a feather, a cape, a scarf, ... medals". [Adler, 1999, 269]
With his wife Clara Schoengold, he followed much of the Yiddish theater community to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the mid-1880s and thence to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Their son Joseph married Adler's daughter Frances in New York in 1911; both went on to be leading lights of the Yiddish stage.