Chava Alberstein

Chava Alberstein
Background information
Born (1946-12-08) December 8, 1946
Szczecin, Poland
Origin Kiryat Haim, Israel
Genres Folk
Folk rock
Yiddish
Years active 1964–present
Labels CBS
NMC
Rounder Records
Auvidis
EMI
Shanachie
Media Directs
Website http://aviv2.com/chava/

Chava Alberstein (Hebrew: חוה אלברשטיין‎, born December 8, 1946 in Poland) is an Israeli singer, lyricist, composer, and musical arranger.

Biography

Chava Alberstein, born in Szczecin, Poland, moved to Israel with her family in 1950.[1] She grew up in Kiryat Haim.

In 1964, when she was 17, she was invited to appear at the Hammam Nightclub in Jaffa. She sang four songs accompanied by herself on guitar and her brother Alex on the clarinet.[2] The program was broadcast live on the radio. After a guest appearance on Moadon Hazemer, recorded on Kibbutz Beit Alfa, she signed a recording contract with CBS.[2] Early in her career, she appeared at the Amami Cinema in Haifa's Neve Sha'anan neighborhood. Haaretz columnist Neri Livneh describes her as "a little slip of a thing in a blue youth movement shirt, her face covered by huge glasses".[3]

Alberstein was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1965, and became one of many Israeli artists to rise to stardom by entertaining the troops.

Musical career

Alberstein has released more than 60 albums. She has recorded in Hebrew, English and Yiddish. In 1980, Alberstein began to write and compose. Most of the songs on her album Mehagrim (Immigrants) are her own work.[2] Alberstein's husband was the filmmaker Nadav Levitan, who wrote the lyrics for her "End of the Holiday" album. In 1986 she wrote music for Levitan's film Stalin's Disciples.[4] Levitan died in 2010. Her songs have been included in a number of multi-artist collections, among them "Songs of The Vilna Ghetto" and "The Hidden Gate – Jewish Music Around the World".

Critical acclaim

According to Israel's second largest daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Alberstein is the most important female folk singer in Israel history:[5]

If [Israel has] a true folk singer, it is Chava Alberstein.

Political views and controversy

Alberstein is a champion of liberal causes. Throughout her career she has been an activist for human rights and Arab-Israeli unity.[1] In 1989, Alberstein's song Had Gadya (a spin-off on a traditional song Chad Gadya, which is sung at the Passover seder[6]) in which she criticizes Israel's policy towards Palestinians, was banned by Israel State Radio.[4][7][8] The song was later used in the film Free Zone by director Amos Gitai in Natalie Portman's 7-minute crying scene.[9]

Alberstein is also a champion of the Yiddish language both in her recordings and in a video titled "Too Early To Be Quiet, Too Late To Sing",[10] which showcases the works of Yiddish poets.

Awards

Alberstein won the Kinor David (David's Harp) Prize. She received the Lifetime Achievement Music Award from the Israel Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers of Musical Works, and holds honorary doctorates from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science of Israel. She will be awarded a honorary doctorate by Brandeis University in the Commencement ceremonies of 2018.

Quotes

  • "Even though I have lived in Israel nearly my entire life, I am constantly questioning my place in the world. Maybe this searching comes from being an artist, maybe it comes from being a Jew. I'm not really sure."[11]

Discography

NumberAlbum NameMeaning in EnglishRelease DateLanguageReferences
1Hine Lanu NigunHere We Have a Tune1967Yiddish
2Perach haLilachLilac Flower1967Hebrew
3Tza'atzueiah shel OsnatOsnat's Toys1967Hebrew
4MirdafThe Chase1970Hebrewgold[10]
5Mot haParparDeath of the Butterfly1968Hebrew
6Chava Alberstein beShirei RachelSongs By Rachel1969Hebrew
7MargaritkalachDaisies1969Yiddish
8Mishirei eretz ahavatiSongs of My Beloved Country1970Hebrew
9Chava beTochnit Yachid 1One Woman Show 11971
10Chava beTochnit Yachid 2One Woman Show 21971
11Isha ba'AvatiachA Woman in a Watermelon1971Hebrew
12Chava vehaPlatinaChava and the Platina Jazz band1974
13Chava veOded be'Eretz haKsamimMagic Land1972
14Lu YehiLet it be1973Hebrew
15K'mo Tzemach barLike a wild flower1975Hebrew
16Lehitei haZahavGolden hits1975Hebrewgold[10]
17Tzolelet TzabaritSabra Submarine1975[10] or 1976[12]
18Elik Belik Bom1976
19Halaila hu shirimThe Night Is Songs1977Hebrew
20Karusella 1Carousel 11977
21Karusella 2Carousel 21977
22Karusella 3Carousel 31977
23Shirei Am beYiddishYiddish folk songs1977Yiddish
24HitbaharutClearing1978
25Chava vehaGitaraChava and the guitar1978
26Chava Zingt YiddishChava Sings Yiddish1979Yiddish
27Ma Kara ba'Eretz MiWhat Happened in the Land of Who1979
28Ani Holechet ElaiI Go to Me1980
29Shir beMatanaA Gift of Songs1980
30KolotVoices1982
31Shiru Shir im ChavaSing a song with Chava1982
32Nemal BayitAt Home1983gold
33Avak shel kochavimStardust1984
34MehagrimImmigrants1986
35Od Shirim beYiddishMore Songs in Yiddish1987Yiddish
36HaTzorech baMilah, haTzorech baShtikaWord And Silence1988
37London1989
38MiShirei Eretz AhavatiSongs of my Beloved Country1990Hebrew
39Ahava MealteretImprovised Love1991Hebrewgold
40HaChita Zomachat ShuvThe Wheat Grows Again1992Hebrew
41The Man I Love1992
42MargaritkalachDaisies1994Yiddish
43Derech AchatOne Way1995
44London beHofaahLondon – Live1995
45Yonat ha'AhavaThe Dove of Love1996Hebrew
46Adaber ItchaI Will Talk to You1997Hebrew
47The Collection (box set)1998Hebrewgold
48Crazy Flower1998Hebrew
49The Well – With The Klezmatics1998Yiddish
50Chava Alberstein – Yiddish Songs1999Yiddish
51Tekhef AshuvBe Right Back1999Hebrew
52Children's songs – The Collection2000Hebrew
53Foreign Letters2001 December
54The Early Years – The Box Set2003
55End of the Holiday2004Hebrew
56Coconut2005Hebrew
57Like a Wild Flower (New Version)
58Lemele2006
59The Milky Way – Songs for Children2007
60Human Nature2008
61live – from Alberstein's live concert2008
62Chava Alberstein – the original albums – four collection CD set2008

References

  1. 1 2 Richard Nidel (2005). World music: The basics. Routledge.
  2. 1 2 3 Chava Alberstein bio Archived September 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Haaretz Archived August 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. 1 2 Dorůžka, Petr (October 2008). "Chava Aberstein má ráda izraelskou poušť". Harmonie (in Czech) (10). pp. 18–21.
  5. ↑ "Chava Alberstein". Aviv Productions, Ltd. December 11, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Adam Zarek – Chad Gadya". Chatrh.org. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Israel: Chava Alberstein banned". Freemuse. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Chava Alberstein: Multilingual Folkie". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  9. ↑ Michael Guillen (July 27, 2006). "2006 SFJFF (San Francisco Jewish Film Festival) — Interview With Amos Gitaï". twitchfilm.net.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Chava Alberstein". Aviv Productions, Ltd. December 11, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Alberstein, Chava (1947–) – Personal History, Influences and Contributions, The First Years (1967–69), Biographical Highlights, Personal Chronology:, The 1970s – Album, Songs, Music, Yiddish, Israeli, and Musical". Encyclopedia.jrank.org. December 8, 1947. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Dartmouth Jewish Sound Archive". Dartmouth.edu. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
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