of Yiddish theater music. In that year he also recorded a number of non-Jewish recordings under pseudonyms such as Orkiestra Wiejska and Russky Narodny Orkestr. In 1920, in preparation to record another round of klezmer tunes, he copyrighted roughly 35 pieces, which are viewable through the Library of Congress today. His most famous tune, which is still performed today, was Di Grine Kuzine (the Green cousin). The song was so successful that it spawned a number of imitator in the world of published scores, such as Hyman Prizant's Mayn Kuzine and Jacob Leiserowitz's Di Grine Kuizine. It was also recorded by several artists, including Abraham Moskowitz, Joseph Feldman and Morris Goldstein. The success of the song compelled Schwartz to write and publish a number of other Yiddish theater songs. In 1923, when Naftule Brandwein left his orchestra to start his own at a competing label, clarinet player Schloimke (Sam) Beckerman replaced him Schwartz's orchestra. In 1927, he helped put together another ensemble, the Boiberiker Kapelye, which performed on the radio and on records for five years, and which included such soloists as Dave Tarras, Alex Fiedel, and Berish Katz. Schwartz continued to record and compose through the 1930s, slowing down somewhat by the 1940s. His 1941 recording Ikh bin a Boarder bay mayn vayb was a notable success of his later career. He was still able to get regular and well-paying gigs playing klezmer music in the late 1940s, as reported by Marty Levitt who played with Schwartz in 1949. To him, Schwartz was just an elderly violinist, but many of the audience had followed his career since the 1920s and saw him as "an icon, a cult figure". In the 1950s he retired from the music industry. Schwartz died in the Morrisania Hospital in the Bronx at age 75 on May 7, 1963. Discography External links Handwritten and published scores by Abe Schwartz in the Library of Congress Yiddish American Popular Sheet Music collection Selection of public domain Abe Schwartz Orchestra recordings at the Florida Atlantic University Judaica collection Abe Schwartz at the Discography of American Historical Recordings allmusic.com Abe Schwartz profile discogs.com Abe Schwartz profile References 1881 births 1963 deaths Musicians from Bucharest Romanian emigrants to the United States Columbia Records artists Klezmer musicians Apollo Records artists 20th-century violinists