6 Friday, May 21, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Famed Cantors Accredited for Notable
Skills in Vigoda's 'Legendary Voices'
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Samuel Vigoda has a doc-
torate in medicine. Primar-
ily he is a cantor — and a
famous one. His name is
linked with the great in his
religious role.
He was cantor of the
Arena Synagogue in
Budapest when he was
called to succeed Joseph
Rosenblatt as cantor of the
Ohad Zedek Synagogue in
New York — and that's a
chapter of significance,
Rosenblatt having gained
fame wherever he appeared
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both as cantor and as con-
certizer.
Both
Vigoda and
Rosenblatt in earliest years
were members of the
Pressburg, Hungary, syna-
gogue whence Vigoda was
called to succeed
Rosenblatt.
This dates back to the
mid-1920s. Since then
Vigoda gained a high
place in Hazzanut and
now .he• draws attention
with a partial history of
Hazzanut, just published
under the title "Legen-
dary Voices," published
by him and available
from him at 780 Pelham
Parkway South, New
York, N.Y. 10462.
For more than a year, in
the mid-1920s, Cantor Vig-
oda officiated here at Cong.
Shaarey Zedek, and he has
been a frequent participant
in services in other
"synagogues here.
As stated, this is a partial
history because it limits it-
self to the great cantors of
earlier years. It does not
deal with the eminent in
Hazzanut in this era.
The immensity of the
Vigoda efforts becomes evi-
dent in the list of the famous
he had depicted in "Legen-
dary Voices." The legends
are splendidly depicted and
all who have any perception
of the manner in which the
cantorial spirit captured
Jewish worshippers
everywhere will recognize
at once the quality of re-
search in Vigoda's efforts.
Gershom Sirota is
exemplary in the biographi-
cal collection in this in-
teresting book. He was a
mere youngster when he at-
tracted attention as a mas-
ter of his voice and interpre-
ter of prayers. Vigoda tells
the complete story of this
great cantor in seven chap-
ters in this volume.
One of them recalls
Sirota's election as chief
cantor of Wilna for life.
Sirota also was chief
Warsaw cantor. His life
story commences with a re-
lationship with Mendele
Moher Seforim, one of the
great in Jewish literature.
This is worth quoting from
Vigoda's book:
"For having had the pos-
sibility to acquire as its can-
tor a young man of an age
when normally he would,
have had to be a boarder of
`Fonye' (the Tzar) and ob-
liged to dwell and perform
K.P. duties in barracks or
armories, Wilna had to be
thankful to our well-known
classic writer Sholom
Yaakov Abramovitch who
attained universal fame
under the nom de plume
Mendele Mocher Sforim
(bookseller).
"The `Zeyde' (grand-
father), as he was called,
was instrumental in having
Sirota released from mili-
tary service after he was re-
cruited, taken into the army
and after he had already
served the 'Batyushka'
(dear little father) a short
time.
"Sirota once did him a
favor by rendering a free
service for his beloved
institution and Mendele
did not forget it. When the
opportunity presented it-
self to return the favor to
the cantor, he took ad,-
vantage of it and he did it
anonymously, even
though nobody had ap-
proached him with a re-
quest to act in the matter.
"He took the initiative,
when he saw that there was
a possibility to accomplish
something on Sirota's be-
half and even the benefici-
ary himself did not know
who it was that had helped
him. Only years later at a
banquet in honor of Men-
dele did Sirota find out by
accident who it was that in-
tervened on his behalf.
"As is well known, Men-
dele was the principal of the
largest Talmud Torah in
Odessa. Yakowkin, Sirota's
choir leader, was at the
same time the musical di-
rector of Mendele's institu-
tion. Every year on Purim
day, they used to arrange a
gala festival, on which occa-
sion the Megilla was read in
the presence of the most
prominent citizens of the
Jewish community.
"One year, Yakowkin
proposed to Mendele that he
invite his cantor to partici-
pate because, as he ex-
pressed it, 'To hear Sirota
read the Megilla is worth 10
rubles a ticket." But the
Zeyde, apparently afraid to
risk an embarrassing fiasco,
insisted that he first must
examine the cantor, and
only when Sirota passed the
test with flying colors did he
let him read the Megilla.
"When he learned that
Sirota was taken into the
army and the congreg-
ants of the Prikaztchikes
Synagogue were incon-
solable at the loss of their
cantor and did not know
who to turn to and what
to do to effect his release
from the iron grip of the
military authorities,
Mendele decided to do
what he could to bring
about his discharge.
"He wrote a letter to his
friend and great admirer,
the great magnate, Ab-
raham Greenberg, who was
well thought of by high offi-
cials. He was on friendly
terms with the influential
members of the nobility,
who were powerful in the
highest circles.
"He happened to be also
well acquainted with the
chief doctor of the regiment
in which Sirota was serving,
who had the deciding voice
at the examination of re-
cruits. A word from Green-
berg to him usually brought
results. The doctor was a
great lover of music, and
when he was told that
among the soldiers of his re-
giment there was a great
singer, he invited him to a
party, which was held in his
home in honor of the
Christmas season.
"Sirota's songs were the
highlight of the evening and
earned him high praise
from all who were present,
at the shindig, among them
many army doctors.
"A few days later,
Sirota was suddenly
taken ill. After he spent a
short time in the hospital,
the chief doctor sent him
home with an official
document discharging
him from the army on the
grounds of physical dis-
ability.
"Thanks to Greenberg _ 's
influence and partly e'
due to the charm of .Y
voice, Sirota got rid of the
uniform of Nicolaay, but the
chief doctor came under
suspicion and paid dearly
for Sirota's entertainment
which embellished his
Christmas party.
"Some informer whis-
pered into the ear of the
commander of the Odessa
Army Corps the charge that
the young man's discharge
was improperly arranged,
and was done on the basis of
a trumped up malady. As a
result of the investigation
which was ordered, the chief
doctor was demoted. His be-
nevolent act, inspired by his
intention to promote the
career of the young cantor,
cost him his own."
The length of this quota-
tion becomes a necessity in
this review as an indication
of the scores of unusual
episodes in the lives of the
great cantors described by
Vigoda. In the list of the
notables included in this
anthology, commencing
with Yossel Bass of Kar-
patch, Bessarabia, during
the latter years of the last
century are:
Yeruham Hakoton,
Nissi Belzer, Bezalel
Odessa'er, Pinya Min-
kowsky, Ephraim
Rozumny, Yehiel Kar-
niol, Leibele Alukster,
Yeshaayeh Meisels,
Aryeh Leyb. Rutman,
Zeidel Rovner, Jacob
Bachman, Abraham
Kalechnick, Jehuda Leib
Kilemnik, Ephraim
Sjliepack, Yisroel Leib
Tkatch, Chaim Cypriss,
Chaim Lomzer,
Yehoshua Feinsinger, Is-
rael Cooper, Joseph Ka-
han, Shlomo Kashtan
and Hirsh Altuni Wein-
traub.
Dr. Vigoda apparently in-
tends to continue his re-
search — and his reminis-
cences — for followup books
to.include the many who fol-
lowed these Hazzanim who
had gained distinction. F'
"Legendary Voice
scratches the surface. Haz-
zanut is a vast field and the
scores of cantors who have
acquired fame now await
coverage by the knowledge-
able who are surely led by a
pioneer like Cantor Vigoda.
The current volume is the
first in the series planned by
Cantor Vigoda.. Cantors and
congregants will admit to a
debt of appreciation for so
valuable an enrichment of a
most important aspect of
the synagogue.
—P.S.