Zygmunt Białostocki

Who is Zygmunt Białostocki?

Zygmunt Białostocki was a Polish Jewish musician. He composed many popular Polish pre-war songs, and worked as conductor and a première pianist in Warsaw between the World Wars.

Białostocki was born in Białystok, Poland. Between 1925–1930 he worked as music director and conductor in the Municipal Theatre in Lodz. Later he moved to Warsaw, where he worked in “revue-theaters” and cabarets, including Perskie Oko, Morskie Oko, Nowy Momus, and Nowy Ananas.

He worked with the lyricist Zenon Friedwald. His song M’ken nisht tsvingen tsu keyn libe was popularized by the film actor and singer Eugeniusz Bodo in the Polish version called Nie można kogoś zmuszać do miłości. His tango Rebeka, built on Chasidic motifs and sung by Chasidic Jews as zmiros was popular in nightclubs, coffee houses and restaurants across Warsaw between the wars. The lyrics is by Andrzej Włast; the song was first recorded by Zofia Terne and premiered at the Morskie Oko cabaret by Dora Kalinówna.

In 1932 he was the music director and composer of the score for Biała trucizna movie. In 1933 he worked as accompanist in the Warsaw Nowy Momus and Oasis cabarets, in the Warsaw-Prague Perskie Oko cabaret and in the Warsaw Nowy Ananas theater. His musical comedy called Miłość i złoto, written with Józef Haftman, opened in December 1933 at the Teatr 8:30.