Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)

Subject: Obit: Tony Saletan
From: GUEST,Mary Katherine sans cookie
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 06:25 AM

Wikipedia is reporting the death yesterday of folksinger Tony Saletan. No other information is given, but he was in his mid-90s. Will post a link to a proper obituary when one appears.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 03:26 PM

Yes, another sad passing.

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: GUEST,Wally Macnow
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 06:45 PM

There's a long segment on Tony's life here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Saletan. He died as a result of Alzheimer's. So very sad.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: GUEST,Wally Macnow
Date: 30 Aug 25 - 03:15 PM

This from Molly Lynn Watt's public posting on Facebook. I think it's important to know Tony's contributions to the world of folk music.

"For almost 70 years now, Tony Saletan has been a close and important friend of mine. I was deeply saddened when I picked up the phone two days ago to hear Jill Rosenthal, speaking through tears, say, Tony died this morning. She had just lost her husband and was already doing the sad task of sharing the news.

So much of what is right in my life has been contributed to by Tony. In 1957 he and I joined forces with Manny Greenhill, Marcel Kisten, and Bob Gustafson to form what became the folk song society of greater Boston, FSSGB, still in existence, still making ways for people to share singing the old traditional songs and singing for the old causes. Tony was an excellent performer. Tony was the host of the first series of programs on public television for children, where they learned traditional songs from many cultures throughout the world. (Just intuitive DEI song lists, because that was Tony.) His program was broadcast in classrooms all over the country. Because of Tony, my donkey laughs, my donkey sings my donkey does most anything, Tingalay-o, come little donkey come, delighted thousands of children as they sang with him!

Tony was chosen by the US state department to represent the United States as a cultural ambassador, taking 16 months to travel around the world, teaching songs and learning songs from the people he met.
Tony often gave concerts and during his marriage with Irene Kossoy, they performed together, weaving, beautiful, harmonies to traditional tunes. Always learning, he decided at some point to take up the art of calling contra and Square dances. Most who knew him have danced to his calling, especially at the Annual NEFFA folk festival. He was a master leading dancers through complicated formations, and sometimes he did it through singing his calls, an art not many have mastered.Tony alone and with Irene released several records.

More recently Tony alongside his friend Joe Hickerson and his wife, Jill Rosenthal, researched and selected the the songs included in the play George and Ruth: songs and letters of the Spanish Civil War released as a CD on which he performed the songs with myself and my husband, Dan Lynn Watt taking the roles of George and Ruth. Later the play was released as a hardcopy book imprint on Amazon. And as a free download to educators and community groups through ALBA, the archive of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. It will be performed next fall in Barcelona, Spain in the Catalon language. The Spanish Civil War cause was important to Tony as his father, a booster of the cause of the Spanish Republic, gave free dental care to US volunteers who fought on the side of the Republic.

Not so long ago Tony told me he was learning Yiddish. Why? I asked. Because that’s what old people speak and now I am an old person.

Tony and I have shared so many good and difficult times over the years that it’s hard to choose what to share. His contributions to Folkway Records, Fok Legacy Records, Pinewoods Camp, World Fellowship Center, the Revels, Camp Interlocken to name a few more worlds we shared. Suffice it to say, traditional music and traditional dance and the cause of justice have lost a true culture carrier and scholar. And his many networks have lost a dear friend."

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Aug 25 - 08:25 PM

I was hoping one of the major newspapers would have an obituary for Tony, but I haven't seen one yet. Some of the Facebook threads have conderful stories, and here's an obituary at legacy.com:

Anthony "Tony" David Saletan died peacefully in Tacoma, Washington, on August 26, 2025, at the age of 94. He was a loving husband and devoted father, cherished friend to many in the American folk song and dance communities, and an engaging performer who brought music, song, and cultural fellowship to people throughout the world.

Tony was born on June 29, 1931 in New York City to Rose (Heller) Saletan and David Saletan. He was the second of two children, with an older sister, Rhoda. He attended the Walden School in New York's Upper West Side and earned degrees from Harvard University in social relations and music education. Tony initially settled in Greater Boston, later moving to the Tacoma area.

He is survived by his wife Jill Rosenthal, MD, children Nina, Jesse, Charlie, and Emily, grandchildren Kevin, Sean, and Steven, nephew Peter, niece Tonia, and first wife Irene.

A memorial will be planned for a later date, to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to WGBH TV Boston or the public television or public radio station of your choice.

Here's his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl3baxZtM1kUJS6WpH-RokQ

Let's all sing children's program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feclszHb8y8

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 05 Sep 25 - 10:46 AM

I never came across Tony Saletan, but clearly he was a formative figure in the early years of the folk revival and someone who continued to learn and enthuse others with his love of folk music and folk dance. My condolences go to his wife and family and all those who know of him and who love him. His name has been added to the "In Memoriam" thread. RIP Tony.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: wendyg
Date: 29 Dec 25 - 08:54 AM

Only just saw this now. Sorry to hear this; I remember him from the 1970s. I learned a lot from his album with his then-wife Irene Kossoy on Folk Legacy (while being frustrated that there were no notes).

wg

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Jan 26 - 09:36 PM

Nice to read some of the new comments.

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Saletan (1931-2025)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jan 26 - 01:14 PM

The name of Tony Saletan brings back a host of personal memories, just a few of which I’ve assembled here.

I first met Tony when he performed at the New England Folk Festival in winter 1958. I was in Boston for the weekend, staying at Old Joe Clark’s, 32 Fayette St., Cambridge, the folksingers’ co-op boardinghouse, commune and hangout.

It was the spot for great weekend singing parties (though people with other interests also lived there then). But traditional music reigned, and we were pretty much picking and singing from dusk to dawn, and most of the daytimes too.

There Tony showed up and we swapped songs with each other and a dozen other singers long into the night. Our paths would cross a few times from then on. Tony was a delightful person, witty, energetic, an enthusiast of folk song who, among other things, resurrected the songs of the famed Hutchison Family of the 19th century. I’d just like to add my personal perspective, and a few items of his history that aren’t widely reported.

He was an indefatigable teacher of kids, often taking classes on trips to learn folk music in its various places of origin. He was a pioneer in bringing folk songs to children on public television—see his Wikipedia article for many more details.

Tony married Irene Kossoy of the famed Kossoy Sisters singing duo, and my wife and I delighted visiting them in their home. There Tony with his usual dry humor showed me his large collection of what he called “numerical instruments”—picked up in various second-hand stores around Boston. These were self-teaching zither-related items, plucked, bowed, and hammered. With names like Celestophone, Banjolin and Tremeloa. they bore helpful lettered spaces to help you learn to play from special sheet music. They were sold by mail order and door-to-door. The most successful of these by far was the Oscar Schmidt autoharp.

A personal memory from the Fox Hollow Festival, where both Tony and I performed in 197:. By then Tony and Irene had teamed up with Robin Christenson and his wife, Irene’s sister Ellen Kossoy, for a memorably fine quartet. I was honored when they asked me to accompany them on stage with mandolin—a great pleasure!

I would guess many others who’ve known Tony could tell you as much and more. His Wikipedia article is a starting-place, but much more remains to be said. He is greatly missed by all of us whose lives he touched.

Bob

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Line breaks added for readability. ---mudelf