One of the advantages of being on the radio for twenty-five years, was that some of the most creative songwriters and Cantors inundated my father with their original musical compositions (Chazzanut, Yiddish and English). Most of the Chassidic melodies he sang were those he heard as a youngster davining in various steibels with his family on the lower east side.
These composers were hopeful that he would choose their music to sing on his weekly radio program. The flip side of this is, of course, as a radio performer for that length of time, my father was always in need of new material for his extensive repetoire.
Two such examples: "Israel" (music by Joshua Weisser and music by Aaron Chait) and "The Fifth Commandment" (Dos Finfte Gebot) by Cantor Abraham Singer were popularized by my father during this period. (see above) One Song in particular, "Mein Zeinden's Cholom" (My Dream of Grandpa) written by Cantor Abraham Singer was so popular that it made its way around the world.
In the area of Chazzanut, he sang compositions written by Cantor Joshua Lind and Solomon Beinhorn for him exclusively. He sang the music of Israel Schorr whose work he admired. "Lefichoch Anachnu Chayavim" being just one example. David Roitman and Joseph Rumshinksy wrote "Ki Lekach Tov" which you might describe as my father's signature composition.
Today, if you were to go to YouTube, you will hear Cantors all over the world singing his rendition of that composition. In the area of Yiddish songs, he sang the material of Abraham Singer, Goldfadin, Abe Ellstein, Joshua Weisser among others too numerous to mention. But one thing for sure, my father always added that "special Waldman touch" to everything he did which made it unique.
