Leo Zeitlin
Lev Mordukhovich Tseitlin ("Leyb Tseytlin", born 1884, in Pinsk – July 8, 1930, in New York City), known as Leo Zeitlin, was a Russian-Jewish composer. In 1923, he emigrated to the United States. His best-known work is Eli Zion, a paraphrase for piano and cello "on a folk theme and trope of 'Song of Songs'".
Also recorded as Lev Mordukhov Tseitlin
Leo Zeitlin
- Born
- 1884 · Pinsk.
- Died
- 1930 · New York City.
- Nationality
- Russian Empire · Soviet Union
- Occupation
- violinist · violist · composer · conductor · teacher
- Fields
- classical music
- Education
- Saint Petersburg Conservatory
- Languages
- Russian
In this article
Life
Zeitlin was a violinist, violist, conductor and impresario who was active in Saint Petersburg's Society for Jewish Folk Music. In 1923, shortly after he arrived in New York City with his wife Esther from the Free City of Danzig, he became the violist and arranger for the Capitol Theatre.
In 1925, he began arranging orchestral and small ensemble pieces for the Capitol's radio program on WEAF, which in 1926 became the flagship station of the NBC Red Network. Beginning in 1926, the series of light classical concerts titled Capitol Theatre was broadcast by the NBC Red Network on Sunday evenings from 7:20pm to 9:15pm. This series continued until 1929, not long before Zeitlin's death.
In an article written by Paula Eisenstein Baker and published in Pro Musica Hebraica, Zeitlin is described as "one of the most important Russian Jewish composers to resurface, after decades of neglect, as a leading figure in the history of twentieth-century Jewish art music." According to this source, all of Zeitlin's known chamber works were included in a print volume in 2008.
Works (selection)
• Eli Zion (Paraphrase on a folk theme and trop of "Song of Songs"), for cello & piano
• Palestina (Rhapsody on Hebrew Themes)https://www.areditions.com/zeitlin-palestina-a076.html
• Five Songs from the Yiddish
• Ad ono adoynoy, for mezzo-soprano & string quartet
• Benk ikh yo, benk ikh nit?, dramatic recitation for voice & piano
• Berceuse (A mayse), transcription for mezzo-soprano & string quartet
• Der kadish fun reb Leyvi-Yitskhok, for mezzo-soprano, string quartet & piano
• Der parom, for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola & piano (after Shkliar)
• Eyli, eyli, for mezzo-soprano & string quartet
• Gebet afun rabbi leyvi-Yitskhok, for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola, cello & piano
• Iber di hoyfn, for mezzo-soprano, baritone & string quartet
• Klezmorimlekh, arrangement for mezzo-soprano, violin, viola & piano (after Shalyt)
• More, dramatic recitation for voice & piano
• Patsh, patsh, kikhelekh, for mezzo-soprano, string quartet & piano (after Saminsky)
• Reb Nakhmons nign, for string quintet
• Shoyn nito der nekhtn, for mezzo-soprano, string quartet & piano (after Shalyt)
• Tsien zikh khmares oyf, harts mayns, dramatic recitation for voice & piano
• Wiener Volkslied (Du alter Stefansturm), for string quartet (after F. Kreisler)
• Zay, zeyde, mispalel far undz dayne kinder, dramatic recitation for voice & piano
• Zog zhe, rebenyu, for mezzo-soprano, baritone & piano
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Pinsk.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Leo Zeitlin, revision 1306455901 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Leo Zeitlin”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6524341: Leo Zeitlin
Unverified · Wikidata
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."About Lev Mordukhov Tseitlin see Paula Eisenstein Baker, "Leo Zeitlin 's Eli Zion: An Attribution Chiseled in Stone"
- 2.Yivo annual - Volume 23 - Page 249 Yivo Institute for Jewish Research - 1996 "78 My own conclusion is that Rothmuller knew (perhaps from Saminsky's article) that it was Leo Zeitlin who wrote Eli Zion, and he knew (either from Saminsky or from some other source) that Zeitlin had emigrated to the United States and died."
- 3.Pro Musica Hebraica - Leo Zeitlin
- 4."Leo Zeitlin's Musical Works on Jewish Themes for New York's Capitol Theatre, 1927-1930"
- 5.Recent Researches in the Music of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Leo Zeitlin: Chamber Music.
- 6.Howard, Aaron. "Finding Composer Leo Zeitlin,"Jewish Herald-Voice (February 26, 2009)
- 7.Pro Musica Hebraica - Leo Zeitlin.
- 8.Lyudmila Sholokhova. Leo Zeitlin: Chamber Music (a review). Musica Judaica Online Reviews. February 2010.
- 9.arkivmusic.com.
- 10.allmusic.com
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
Citations
References
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reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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