Oscar Zehngut

Oscar Zehngut ( , 1874–19??) was an Austro-Hungarian violinist, Yiddish theatre arranger and recording artist. He was one of a handful of violinists to record klezmer music in Europe before World War I, as well as a number of discs where he accompanies Yiddish theatre singers.

Biography Oscar was born as Ozjasz (Shayele) Zehngut in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, probably in Rzeszów or nearby Leżajsk in 1874. His father, Alter Zehngut, was a badchen and klezmer musician, and his mother was named Ester. His brother Zygmunt later became a well-known entrepreneur and hotel operator in Lemberg (Lviv). His niece, Gizi Heyden-Prizament, would later marry the Yiddish theatre figure Shloyme Prizament.

Oscar studied the violin, and seems to have had some classical training in Lemberg in addition to his family education in Jewish music. He was also an arranger, musical director and bandleader for some Yiddish theatre troupes in Galicia, including those of Norbert Glimer, Moshe Richter, and Bert Hart. In addition, there has been growing speculation among klezmer scholars that the recording artist known as Joseph Solinski may have been Zehngut recording under a pseudonym. (with Abraham Rosenstein, Favorite Records 1908) 1 and 2 (Victor Records, 1909) (with J. Reissman, Favorite Records 1909)