Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition

Triangle Fire Open Archive

Cultural Response

Die Fire Korbunes

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Contributed by : Andi Sosin

Object # 2012

While searching the Library of Congress website for Triangle fire related entries on the Library’s American Memory website I found the image of “Die Fire Korbunes,” subtitled in English: “The Popular Fire Song.” “An Elegy for Fire Victims.” I consider the revival of this song one of my favorite accomplishments of the Coalition’s efforts to bring Triangle consciousness to the present.

  • Download the sheet music.
  • Lyrics in Yiddish, Hebrew & English.
  • Listen to Metropolitan Klezmer.

    • Courtesy of : LOC, All rights reserved

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    Commentary

    I sent a request for a copy of the sheet music to the Library of Congress. Karen Moses (Music Division Senior Reference Specialist) responded by sending an oversized Xerox of the full document, music and lyrics. Metropolitan Klezmer bandleader/drummer & archivist Eve Sicular researched the origins of the song, which was translated into Englishi by Allen Lewis Rickman & Yelena Shmulenson. Ruth Sergel obtained grant funding from the Sparkplug Foundation for Metropolitan Klezmer to perform this newly rediscovered musical tribute to the victims of the Triangle fire.

    Metropolitan Klezmer performed Die Fire Korbunes along with another Triangle fire ballad, Mameniu, at the Cooper Union Triangle Commemoration on March 25, 2011, at which the lyrics for Di Fayer Korbunes in translation were distributed with the performance program. Listen to it above, arranged and performed by Metropolitan Klezmer, with Melissa Fogarty, soprano, in a recording mixed by engineer David Merrill, from tracks recorded live by Don Jacobs.

    – Andi Sosin

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