Teddi Schwartz

Theodora "Teddi" Schwartz (4 July 1914 – 13 October 2017, ), occasionally spelled Teddy, was an American Yiddish-language singer, writer and translator. She is mainly remembered today for her singable English translation of Dona, Dona which she cowrote with Arthur Kevess.

Biography She was born Theodora Rothfarb on July 14, 1914 in East Harlem to Yiddish-speaking Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Her mother was called Anna; her father Mendl "Max" Rothfarb was a Klezmer cornet player and tailor, and her grandfather was also a musician who taught music to the family. She studied in public schools and then at the Manhattan School of Music.

She was influenced by the folk music revival of the 1930s and 1940s and in particular the work of Alan Lomax and Pete Seeger It was republished in the magazine Jewish Currents in 1958 along with their English versions of Tumbalalaika and The Partisan Girl. That version was recorded by Joan Baez in 1960, as well as by Donovan and Mary Hopkin. Its popularity spurred further translations into a number of other languages.

Selected works Tumbalalaika: a collection of 17 Jewish songs, including Dona dona dona: for singing in English or the original in transliteration (booklet) "Walk Right In" (audiocassette, Global Village records)