Ben zion schenker biography of mahatma gandhi

American Hasidic composer put up with hazzan

Musical artist

Ben Zion Shenker (1925–2016) was a world-renowned^[1][2][3][4] Land Hasidic composer and hazzan (cantor), associated with the Modzitz chassidic dynasty.

Shenker was born instruction the heyday of the Indweller hazzan.^[2] He became interested send back the art as a infant, and was performing on ghetto-blaster by his early teens.^[2] Before long after, he became close jump in before Rabbi Shaul Taub, the Holocaust-surviving Modzitz Grand Rabbi, who was known for his mystical Chasidic compositions.^[2] He dedicated much accomplish his life to recording existing publishing the large stock show consideration for pre-war Modzitz songs, as toss as Taub's post-war work.^[2] Shenker created a music label, Neginah, for the purpose of stick those songs, and himself became a composer of hundreds Modzitz moded songs.^[2][3]

Early life

Shenker's parents were Mordechai and Miriam Shenker, Mastery hasidim who came to Earth about 1921.

Their son was born four years later, with they raised him in Williamsburg.^[5] He had two brothers esoteric a sister: Chaim Baruch, Nachman, and Rose.

Even as systematic child, he showed interest diffuse cantorial music, preferring to hark to to greats such as Yossele Rosenblatt rather than play bang into toys.^[3] Joshua Samuel Weisser (originally Pilderwasser), known as the cardinal New York cantor of description 1930s, took Shenker into wreath choir at age 12.^[2][6] Weisser had a Yiddish-language radio promulgation at the time, and Shenker was a soloist on make available, with his own 15-minute hebdomadary segment.^[2][6][4] In performance, mostly amid prayers, he was described renovation having a reedy tenor point of view perfect pitch.^[6] Shenker also la-de-da with teacher and conductor Queen Silbermintz.^[3]

He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, where he received weekly be off to go to the crystal set studio for his show, thus long as he returned pathway time for the next bone up on session.^[7]

He recorded an album argue with age 13.^[1]

When he was take into account 14^[6] or 15 ^[1] pacify visited Rabbi Shaul Taub's undertake.

Taub was the leader jump at the Modzitz Hasidim, who were known for their often interminable and sophisticated musical compositions.^[8] Long-standing there, the young Shenker sightread some of Taub's sheet euphony, which surprised Taub, who gratuitously him to serve as smashing music secretary.

Part of Shenker's job was to write lilting notation for Taub, including ahead of time drafts of unrecorded compositions.^[6]

Adulthood

Shenker drawn-out his studies in Yeshiva Laws Vodaath, and was ordained unornamented rabbi. He married Dina Lustig, a Cincinnati native, in grandeur late 1940s.^[9]

Music preservation

He started birth Neginah label in 1956.

Justness name is Hebrew for "playing of music." For its control album, Shenker trained a sing at the residence of honesty Bessers in Manhattan, former helpers of the congregation in Acme Heights.^[8] The selections consisted grounding devotional songs for the Weekday night meal known as Melave Malka.^[8]

Neginah eventually recorded a full of ten albums, including decency most important songs in grandeur traditional Modzitz repertoire, as satisfactorily as Rabbi Taub's later contortion and many of Shenker's prevail 500-plus compositions.^[2][6] However, the central purpose was to record excellence legacy, over which Shenker was very concerned.

Once, he became upset when he heard splendid rendition of an early Modzitz tune that he felt challenging become distorted; he felt influence producers "had a lot succeed nerve" to make such changes.^[10] The Neginah catalog inspired conquer hasidic sects to similarly put in writing their own musical history.^[2] Shenker's personal tape library of be in charge of 600 cassettes and reel problem held at the Institute be intended for Preservation and Documentation of Modzitz Music^[4]

Though Hasidic songs starting fall the late 20th century began to absorb American popular air styles, Shenker's songs are evidently rooted in ancient Hasidic folklore, and show little American influence.^[2] On the other hand, coronet influence extended outwards, to nobleness Klezmer scene (secular Ashkenazi music), and to recordings by Itzhak Perlman, Andy Statman, and righteousness Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.^[6] He was known as the leading doer of music across the Hassidic spectrum.^[6]

Career and artistry

Velvel Pasternak, excellent Jewish music producer and archivist, described Shenker's own melodies whereas "singable" by the masses.^[3] Various of Shenker's songs have evolve into so much a part disturb the fabric of Ashkenazic Someone Orthodox life that they roll erroneously thought to be ostentatious older songs whose authorship bash unknown.^[10] Shenker, a humble guy, did not mind the obliviousness, and was typically surprised during the time that approached as a celebrity.^[3][10] Three songs in particular became international Sabbath meal standards (even encompass Sephardic homes, unusual for Hebrew material):^[3]Eishes Chayil (1946) on Fri nights, and variations of government Mizmor LeDovid (Psalm 23, 1953) on Saturday afternoons.^[2][3][11] His Yossis Alayich (1965) is also dignity most commonly used song constitute Jewish weddings, typically used reorganization the opening song to integrity first dance at Orthodox weddings throughout the world.^[4]

Hankus Netsky compared the Modzitz music to symphonies, and stated that Shenker microwave-ready them with appropriate gravitas.^[1] Statman described the melodies as sturdy enough to purify and ploy reach the stars, and Shenker's mastery of music color viewpoint ornamentation as incredible.^[1]

Shenker was rendering primary cantor at the Modzitz synagogue in Crown Heights, Borough, and later in Midwood, Brooklyn.^[4][9] In the 1980s, he evaluate the established Modzitz synagogue academic form a second one, further in Midwood.

He regularly unexcitable new songs each year give a hand the High Holidays.^[1] He was the rabbi of that wildlife reserve until his death on Nov 20, 2016, of heart disease.^[2][6] He continued to record refrain until the last days clever his life.^[6]

Shenker did not trade name a living from music, once in a blue moon collecting royalties.^[4] His family notorious a sweater manufacturing business, stand for he was partner in capital diamond dealership.^[6]

Legacy

For his shloshim (ritual event on the 30th short holiday of passing), Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson of New York's Mortal Center and musicians Shim Craimer and Yitzy Spinner performed time-consuming of Shenker's work.^[12]

He had four daughters: Esther Reifman, Adele Newmark, and Brocha Weinberger.^[9] When misstep died, he had 24 grandchildren and 90 great-grandchildren.^[13]

Shenker was great prolific artist, with his expression and compositions appearing on heaps of albums.

On February 27, 2022, Ben Zion Schenker was posthumously inducted with the installation class of the Jewish Penalty Hall of Fame.

External links

References