6 Friday, May 21, 1982 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Famed Cantors Accredited for Notable Skills in Vigoda's 'Legendary Voices' Nobody diamo for less its, Shop around and compare. TherLbring us your best price. We'll beat it. You will soon discover who has the lowest price and the largest selection of diamonds anwhere. Hundreds of settings to choose from. HOWARD S. NISKAR • GIA ACCREDITED DIAMOND APPRAISER VISA' You'll Need Us — To Be Sure!! mane' charge Expert Watct n Jewelry Rep ctu FYIVIOUZ KAPIANO 30555 Southfield Rd. • Congress Bldg., Suite 100 "THE DIAMOND PEOPLE . FOR OVER 50 YEARS" Southfield, Mi. • 1 block south of 13 Mile Rd. • 645-9200 - — VIDEO PLUS Best Rent in Town: TAPS Atlantic City **** Halloween 11 Stripes *. * * * Gallipoli 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 Time Bandits * French - Lieutenant's Woman * * * * . . . All the Marbles $35.00 MEMBERSHIP FEE Open 7 Days 12 Mile Road at Evergreen 569-2330 •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • THIS AD IS FOR THE BIRDS (THE SNOW BIRDS) • • • • • • • • Welcome Home From The Warm Climes! • • Now Let Us Help You Get Your House CLEANED UP. • Call Us For An Appointment. Our Experienced People • Will Pick Up All Your Household Items For Cleaning And • • • • Deliver Them Back With That Bright New Look. • • • DRAPERIES • BEDSPREADS • BLANKETS • • (Cleaned or Laundered) WINDOW SHADES LAMPSHADES PILLOWS • • • VENETIAN BLINDS (Cleaned, retaped & re-corded) • • If you're moving we can remake and re-install your existing draperies to fit another window or • • S) room. 1 .% • • • • I We Remove & Install • • • • 891-1818 Suburban Call Collect • • • that the name implies." VISA & MASTERCHARGE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • A\ VISA' master charge 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.