Louis Gilrod

Louis Gilrod (1879-1930), was an actor and lyricist for the Yiddish theater.

Louis Gilrod was born in the village of Ruizana, near Ulanov, Podolia/Poltava region of the Ukraine. At 12 his father brought him to the United States and left him with an uncle in Newark, New Jersey who engaged him in the hairdressing business. He was, however, drawn to the stage; at 17 he founded a drama club and began to write lyrics. Actors started to notice him and brought him to New York where he became a professional lyricist. The Yehudah Katzenelenbogen Company (later absorbed into the Hebrew Publishing Company) and other music publishers paid him to write Yiddish parodies of currently popular American songs of Tin Pan Alley.

Two of his early successes were Got un zayn mishpet iz gerekht and Kum, Yisrolikl, aheym. He wrote the libretto to the operetta Dos pintele yud (The essential Jew) (New York, 1909), and for The Golden Bride in 1923. He also played small roles at the Thalia and Windsor Theatres and in vaudeville, for which he wrote one-acters. He worked regularly at the National, the Irving Place Theatre, the Lyric Theater in Brooklyn and in 1926 at the public theater. After that ill health forced him to retire from the stage. The last show for which he wrote lyrics was Dos freylekhe yesoymele of 1930.

His wife, Paula Weiss, played in Yiddish vaudeville.

He died in New York March 12, 1930.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 10, 1879 (Ukraine), Died March 12, 1930

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1904 - 1927

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer, speaker, author, baritone vocal, translator

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 154 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor A-1574 7-in. 7/8/1904 Isrulik, kim a heim! Lizzie Goldfinger Male vocal quartet, with piano lyricist  
Victor B-1576 10-in. 7/8/1904 Gott und sein mishpot is gerecht Goldin Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano lyricist  
Victor B-9084 10-in. 6/14/1910 Ich benk a heim Frances Simonoff Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-9087 12-in. 6/14/1910 Das pintele Yid Frances Simonoff Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-9089 10-in. 6/14/1910 Die Toire Frances Simonoff Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-9129 10-in. 6/23/1910 Shtoist Zich On Solomon Small Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13325 10-in. 5/19/1913 Eppess noch Simon Paskal Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-15987 10-in. 5/4/1915 A mutters hertz Jakov M. Medvedieff Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17401 10-in. 3/30/1916 Tate mame thyereh Bella Finkle ; Abraham Rosenstein Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17717 10-in. 5/23/1916 Die zvei chasonem Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17718 10-in. 5/23/1916 Das fifte gebot Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17842 10-in. 6/15/1916 Die Toire Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17854 10-in. 6/15/1916 Yisrolik in sein Eigenland Regina Zuckerberg Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17953 10-in. 7/6/1916 Ladies first Gus Goldstein ; Anna Hoffman Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-18662 10-in. 11/8/1916 Eivig lebt der lud Bennie Zeidman Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-19295 10-in. 3/20/1917 Yakrys Gus Goldstein Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20106 10-in. 6/12/1917 Fifty-fifty Jacob Jacobs Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20705 10-in. 9/26/1917 Columbuses meedeena Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20706 10-in. 9/26/1917 Somid in seid Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20707 10-in. 9/26/1917 Shpielendik Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20708 10-in. 9/26/1917 Un a man Anna Hoffman Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-20940 10-in. 11/1/1917 Gam se l' toiwo Jacob Jacobs Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-22479 10-in. 12/23/1918 The line is busy William Schwartz Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-22480 10-in. 12/23/1918 A breif fin New York kein Paris William Schwartz Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-25422 10-in. 6/3/1921 Yenta lernt die migilla Anna Hoffman ; Jacob Jacobs Comic dialogue author  
(Results 1-25 of 154 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gilrod, Louis," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/112944.

Gilrod, Louis. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/112944.

"Gilrod, Louis." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/112944

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