Composed By: Sholom Secunda

sample PDF

Purchase sheet music at Sheet Music Plus

Purchase CD at Zamir Chorale of Boston

Voicing: SATB

Keyword Yiddish theater, freedom

Language: Yiddish

Difficulty: moderately easy

Country: America

Solos: none

Instruments: piano

Lyrics: Aaron Zeitlin

Publisher: Transcontinental Music

year of composition: 1940, arranged in 1996

Timing: 2:25

Tempo: moderate, deliberate

First Line: oyfn furl ligt a kelbl

description: Originally composed for the 1940 Yiddish musical, Esterke, this song was made famous to American audiences in Joan Baez’s popular 1965 recording. Encourage the audience to sing along with the refrain.

Listen to an excerpt here.