Look Who it Was Random video

Polish tango: Adam Aston - I znów zostałem sam (And I'm Left Alone Again) 1935

1,629 views · Published 30 June 2015 · 2:59 · Indexed 25 October 2026

Channel: 240252 · 2015 · Music

Watch on YouTube

Adam Aston & Orkiestra Syrena-Rekord – I znów zostałem sam (And I’m Left Alone Again), Tango (Fred Scher – Andrzej Włast) Syrena -Electro 1935 (Polish)

NOTE:  The composer of this lovely Polish tango is Alfred (Fred) Scher, who in prewar Warsaw was one of the most promising Polish songs composers and pianists of a younger generation. Born in Lwów to a musical family (his father was a violinist)  he was educated in the 1920s in Conservatory of Vienna in a class of piano. In 1932 he arrived back to Poland, and started playing piano in  a dance orchestra in Katowice (Silesia). From 1935 in Warsaw, he launched the whole array of really beautiful songs, most of which immediately became great hits, e.g. tangos “Jak gdyby nigdy nic” (As If Nothing Ever Happened)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xAKvEXEtyw    and “Jak drogie są wspomnienia” (How Dear Are The Memories…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoRm5r-W4fg , English waltz “Szkoda” (Pity) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC8w8nyYKRo or foxtrots "Jadzia" (Hedwig) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfFpY_meSGI and  “Bez przerwy śmieję się” (I’m Laughing All The Time) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajlvRyliLAw   . He also wrote music for box-office smash film comedies “Dwie Joasie” (The Two Joannas), “Książątko” (A Princeling) or “Amerykańska awantura” (An American Adventure) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USgmTBNOxdo  . In spite of his enormous success in Poland, in 1937 he decided to move out to Paris, where he started working as a pianist in the music-hall Lido. He published several new songs, which were a moderate success in  France. In 1940 he enlisted in the French army as a volunteer (he was not a French citizen yet). Heavily wounded and captured by the Germans, he stayed until 1941 in the captives camp in Eastern Prussia and was released back to France after his family’s  efforts.  From 1942 until the end of war he stayed in Marseille, and worked as pianist in a restaurant. Shortly after he came back to Paris in 1945-47, he released another series of popular tunes, which were recorded for Philips, he also composed music for several movies and conducted orchestras at the Philips and Pathe records. He also led popular musical programs for Polish soldiers who after the 2nd WW stayed in France. In 1947 he was nominated a prestigious position as musical director of Radio France – yet, the political plot wrapped up around him, accusing Scher of being a pro-communist activist, made him leave France in 1954 and settle down in Califiornia.  His bad fate, however, followed him down to the US: two years later he was attacked in the street by a mad trespasser, who hurt him with a knife. Scher never regained power in his right hand and having been thereafter little by little ousted from the musical market, he died in New York in 1968.  

Tango “I znów zostałem sam” belongs to less known compositions of Fred Scher, however Adam Aston’s infallible artistry as usually makes a jewel out of it. The photoshow presents dancing scenes from  several Polish prewar movies.

More from this channel