Martha Schlamme

by Leonard Lehrman

2023 is the Centennial of the great Austrian-American Jewish
singer/actress Martha Schlamme (Sept. 23, 1923-Oct. 6, 1985),
whose voice was just featured on Itzak Perlman's Pesach program
on WQXR, Sunday evening, April 2, 2023, and who was a favorite of Jewish Currents listeners for decades.

Three concerts honoring her memory have already taken place this year;
videos are posted at
https://tinyurl.com/20230217NaturistCaBAREt   (Feb. 17)
https://tinyurl.com/01Mar2023                             (Mar. 1)
and
https://tinyurl.com/20230325PuffinSchlamme     (Mar. 25)

Regarding the most recent one, at the Puffin Cultural Forum
in Teaneck, NJ, which included the Solidarity Singers
of the NJ Industrial Union, was also livestreamed, and posted here

https://www.youtube.com/live/XrAq44BL5wM?feature=share

there are so many Jewish Currents connections to this concert,
beginning with my first hearing Martha at JC's Town Hall concert
in early 1961, where she brought the house down with
"Ach Johnny I Hardly Knew You," as Belle Linda Halpern,
who studied with her from the age of 14, did this time.

Twenty years after that, in 1981, when my first JC article appeared
(posted here:)

https://ljlehrman.artists-in-residence.com/articles/jewishcurrents1.html

Martha phoned, asking for me, and ended up spending 5 hours with me,
driving to Glassboro for a premiere of a work of mine, a song from which
Helene Williams sang on the concert ("So Low" from GROWING UP WOMAN).

And then there were the Brecht, Blitzstein, and Bernstein programs
she put together, advised in part by me, using translations by Bentley, Feingold, Blitzstein, and me, all of which we featured in our concert.

Most poignantly perhaps, there were two songs she sang that have suddenly taken on urgent currency again: the Brecht-Eisler "Abortion Is Illegal"

and the Hedi West "Cruel War Is Raging,"

reflecting on the resistance to oppression within both Russia and Israel, right now.

Future concerts honoring Martha this year are scheduled for July 30 at the Pagan House in Valley Stream, live; Aug. 20 at Court Street Music, Valley Stream, on Zoom
and Sep. 23 with the People's Voice Cafe at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan
which will include videos of Martha herself performing.

For more on Martha Schlamme, go to
http://ljlehrman.artists-in-residence.com/articles/aufbau8.html


Leonard J. Lehrman
ljlehrman.artists-in-residence.com
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