A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ;

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

''khazn'';

Ladino Ladino, derived from Latin, may refer to: * The register of Judaeo-Spanish used in the translation of religious texts, such as the Ferrara Bible *Ladino people, a socio-ethnic category of Mestizo or Hispanicized people in Central America especi ...

''Hasan'') is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

musician or

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term also used in Christianity.

''Sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' and the evolution of the hazzan

The person leading the congregation in public

s is called the '' sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

for "

emissary Emissary may refer to: * Ambassador * Apostle (disambiguation) * Diplomat * ''Emissaries'' (album), a 2006 album by black metal group Melechesh * Emissary (hydraulics), channel by which an outlet is formed to carry off any stagnant body of wate ...

of the congregation").

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

restricts this role to adult Jews; among

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jews, it is restricted to males. In theory, any lay person can be a ''sh'liaḥ tzibbur''; many synagogue-attending Jews will serve in this role from time to time, especially on weekdays or when having a

Yartzeit Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community. Mourners In Judaism, the p ...

. Someone with good Hebrew pronunciation is preferred. In practice, in synagogues without an official Hazzan, those with the best voice and the most knowledge of the prayers serve most often. As public worship was developed in the

Geonic ''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of ...

period and as the knowledge of the Hebrew language declined, singing gradually superseded the

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

and

hortatory In linguistics, hortative modalities (; abbreviated ) are verbal expressions used by the speaker to encourage or discourage an action. Different hortatives can be used to express greater or lesser intensity, or the speaker's attitude, for or a ...

element in the worship in the synagogue. Thus, while the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources, the office of the ''hazzan'' increased in importance with the centuries, evolving a specialized set of skills and becoming a career in itself.

Qualifications

Even in the earliest times the chief qualifications demanded of the ''hazzan'', in addition to knowledge of Biblical and liturgical literature as well as the prayer motifs (known as ''steiger''), were a pleasant voice and an artistic delivery; for the sake of these, many faults were willingly overlooked. The ''hazzan'' was required to possess a pleasing appearance, to be married, and to have a flowing beard. Sometimes, according to Isaac of Vienna (13th century), a young ''hazzan'' having only a slight growth of beard was tolerated.

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...

ruled that the ''hazzan'' who recited the prayers on an ordinary

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

and on weekdays need not possess an appearance pleasing to everybody; he might even have a reputation not wholly spotless, provided he was living a life morally free from reproach at the time of his appointment. But all these moderations of the rule disappeared on holidays; then an especially worthy ''hazzan'' was demanded, one whose life was absolutely irreproachable, who was generally popular, and who was endowed with an expressive delivery. Even a person who had ever litigated in a non-Jewish court, instead of a Jewish court, could not act as ''hazzan'' on those days, unless he had previously done penance. However many authorities were lenient in this regard, and as long as a cantor was "merutzeh l'kehal," desired by the congregation, he was permitted to lead the prayers even on the holiest of days. Today, a ''hazzan'', particularly in more formal (usually not Orthodox) synagogues, is likely to have academic credentials—most often a degree in music or in sacred music, sometimes a degree in music education or in Jewish religious education or a related discipline. The doctor of music degree is sometimes awarded to honour a ''hazzan''.

Professional status

The role of ''hazzanim'' as a respected full-time profession has become a reality in recent centuries. In the last two centuries Jews in a number of European communities, notably Germany and Britain, came to view professionally trained ''hazzanim'' as clergy and the ''hazzan'' as the deputy rabbi. After the enlightenment, when European nations gave full citizenship and civil rights to Jews, professionally trained ''hazzanim'' were accepted by the secular governments as clergy just as rabbis were. In a paradoxical turn of events, the United States government recognized cantors as the first Jewish clergy, even before

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s were recognized: as a congregation could be organized and led by a committee of Jewish laypersons, who would not have the expertise in liturgy a hazzan would have, newly forming congregations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries sometimes hired a hazzan for a synagogue (and made sure that a kosher butcher was established in the neighborhood) for some time before setting about hiring a rabbi, seeing the hazzan (and the butcher) as a more immediate need. The hazzan therefore solemnized marriages and otherwise represented the congregation in the eyes of civil authorities. In the United States, many hazzanim supplement their ministry by also earning certification as and working as

mohel A ( he, מוֹהֵל , Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , arc, מוֹהֲלָא , "circumciser") is a Jew trained in the practice of , the "covenant of circumcision". Etymology The noun ( in Aramaic), meaning "circumciser", is derived fro ...

s, for bris ceremonies. In the United States there are three main organizations for professionally trained ''hazzanim'', one from each of the major Jewish denominations: * American Conference of Cantors—

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

* Cantors Assembly—

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

*Cantorial Council of America—

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

Training

Many members of the Cantors Assembly are trained at the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music at the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...

. Many members of the American Conference of Cantors are trained at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Both of these programs offer a five-year training program. Members of the Cantorial Council, the Orthodox cantorial association, can train at the Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

in New York. ALEPH, the Alliance for

Jewish Renewal Jewish Renewal () is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with Kabbalistic, Hasidic, and musical practices. Specifically, it seeks to reintroduce the "ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, ...

, includes a cantorial training program as part of its ordination program. Full cantorial training is also offered by the Cantorial School of the

Academy for Jewish Religion (California) The Academy for Jewish Religion California (AJRCA), is a Jewish seminary in Los Angeles. It trains rabbis, cantors and chaplains to serve congregations and organizations of any Jewish denomination.Nancy Sokoler Steiner"Academy of Jewish Religion ...

in Los Angeles, the Cantorial Program at the similarly named Academy for Jewish Religion in New York, and the School of Jewish Music at

Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. The president of the college i ...

. These institutions are unaffiliated with any particular Jewish denomination. The curricula for students in these programs generally include, but are not limited to: * Hebrew: modern, Biblical (Torah), and liturgical (''

siddur A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ' ...

'') * ''

Nusach Nusach can refer to: * Nusach (Jewish custom) In Judaism, Nusach ( he, נוסח ''nusaħ'', modern pronunciation ''nusakh'' or ''núsakh''), plural nuschaot () or Modern Hebrew nusachim (), refers to the exact text of a prayer service; sometimes ...

'' (liturgical tradition) * Laws and traditions pertaining to Jewish prayer service * History and content of the ''siddur'' * Music theory, sight-reading * Playing an instrument, usually a piano or guitar * Singing technique * Cantillation—tropes for the liturgical chanting of biblical books * Choral conducting * Jewish history *

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

nor Conservative streams used the term "ordained" for trained cantors; use of the term "invested" precluded confusion with those they titled rabbi. In 2021, Conservative Judaism's flagship institution, the Jewish Theological Seminary, began using the term ordain with respect to cantors.

Female cantors in non-Orthodox Judaism

In the 21st century, most streams of non-Orthodox Judaism no longer maintain gender distinctions, and therefore women often serve as cantors in these communities. The earliest known woman ḥazzan,

Julie Rosewald Julie Rosewald (1847–1906), called “Cantor Soprano” by her congregation, was America's first unofficial (due to the fact that she was female and not ordained) hazzan, cantor, serving San Francisco's Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco), Tem ...

, called “Cantor Soprano” by her congregation, is sometimes called the United States' first female cantor, serving San Francisco's Temple Emanu-El from 1884 until 1893.Julie Rosewald: America's first woman cantor , Jewish Women's Archive
/ref> However, she was not ordained. In 1955,

Betty Robbins Betty Robbins (born Berta Abramson, April 9, 1924 – February 19, 2004) was a notable cantor. She was one of the first female cantors. She was the first woman appointed as a cantor in the 20th century. Career Robbins began singing while in 193 ...

(born Berta Abramson in 1924, in Greece) was appointed as cantor of Temple Avodah, a Reform congregation in Oceanside, New York. Like Rosewald, she was not formally ordained, but "the spokesman for the School of Sacred Music, founded in 1947 as the first training school for cantors in

he United States He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

said today there was no religious law, merely a tradition, against women becoming cantors", indicating the School's institutional approval. In 1975 Barbara Ostfeld-Horowitz became the first ordained female cantor in Jewish history. The Women Cantors' Network was founded in 1982 to support and advocate for women cantors by Deborah Katchko, the second woman ever to serve as a cantor in a Conservative synagogue. Initially a group of only twelve women, its membership grew to 90 by 1996. The organization holds an annual conference. In 1987 Erica Lippitz and

Marla Rosenfeld Barugel Marla Rosenfeld Barugel (born 1956) is, along with Erica Lippitz, one of the first two female hazzans (also called cantors) ordained in Conservative Judaism. Barugel and Lippitz were ordained in 1987 by the Cantors Institute of the Jewish Theologi ...

became the first two female cantors ordained in

; they were ordained at the same time by the Cantors Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. The Cantors Assembly, a professional organization of cantors associated with Conservative Judaism, did not allow women to join until 1990.

Sharon Hordes Sharon Hordes was ordained as Reconstructionist Judaism's first cantor in 2002. She earned a Bachelor of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Hordes now serves Keneseth Israel as their cantor. Hordes was a presenter at the Jew ...

became the first cantor (female or otherwise) in Reconstructionist Judaism in 2002. Avitall Gerstetter, who lived in Germany, became the first female cantor in Jewish Renewal (and the first female cantor in Germany) in 2002.

Susan Wehle Susan Wehle (May 14, 1953 – February 12, 2009) was ordained the first American female Jewish Renewal cantor (hazzan) in 2006. Wehle was a cantor for Temple Beth Am in Williamsville, New York, and Temple Sinai in Amherst, New York, for nine ye ...

became the first American female cantor in Jewish Renewal in 2006, serving until her death in 2009. The first American women to be ordained as cantors in Jewish Renewal after Susan Wehle's ordination were Michal Rubin and Abbe Lyons, both ordained on January 10, 2010. In 2001 Deborah Davis became the first cantor (female or otherwise) in Humanistic Judaism; however, Humanistic Judaism has since stopped graduating cantors. In 2009, Iran-born

Tannoz Bahremand Foruzanfar Tannoz Bahremand Foruzanfar became the first Persian woman to be ordained as a cantor in the United States in 2009. Foruzanfar was born in Tehran and moved to the United States when she was two. She now works at Stephen S. Wise Temple in California ...

was ordained as a cantor by the non-denominational

, becoming the first female

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

ordained cantor in the United States.

Golden age

The period between the two world wars is often referred to as the "golden age" of ''hazzanut'' (cantorial performance). The great figures of this era include

Zavel Kwartin Zevulun "Zavel" Kwartin ( he, זבולון קוורטין; March 25, 1874, Novoarkhanhelsk, Yelisavetgradsky Uyezd, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire - October 3, 1952, United States) was a Russian-born ''chazzan'' (cantor) and composer, a ...

(1874–1953),

Moritz Henle Moritz Henle (7 August 1850 – 24 August 1925) was a prominent German composer of liturgical music and cantor of the Jewish reform movement. Henle was born in the Upper Swabian town of Laupheim at a time when Laupheim had the largest Jewi ...

(1850–1925), Joseph "Yossele" Rosenblatt (1882–1933),

Gershon Sirota Gershon-Yitskhok Leibovich Sirota (russian: Гершон-Ицхок Лейбович Сирота; 187419 April 1943) was one of the leading cantors of Europe during the "Golden Age of Hazzanut" (cantorial music), sometimes referred to as the "Jew ...

(1874–1943), and

Leib Glantz Leib Glantz ( yi, לייב גלאנץ; June 1, 1898 – January 27, 1964) was a Ukrainian-born lyrical tenor cantor (chazzan), composer, musicologist of Jewish music, writer, educator, and Zionist leader. He was born in 1898 in Kyiv, Ukraine, then ...

. In the post–World War II period, prominent cantors were

Moshe Koussevitzky Moshe Koussevitzky ( he, משה קוסביצקי, pl, Mosze Kusewicki; June 9, 1899 in Smarhoń, Russian Empire – August 23, 1966 in New York City) was a cantor and vocalist. A relative of noted conductor Sergei Koussevitzky, he made many rec ...

, David Werdyger,

Frank Birnbaum William Franklin "Frank" Birnbaum (1922–2005) was a well-known 20th century chazzan within Conservative Judaism in the United States. Serving congregations and performing concerts across America, his music was well known for its eclectic and m ...

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...

and

Abraham Lopes Cardozo Abraham Lopes Cardozo (1914–February 21, 2006) was ''hazzan'' of Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Jews, Spanish and Portuguese synagogue in New York City. Biography Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, he was the gre ...

(1914–2006). Operatic tenor

Jan Peerce Jan Peerce (born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth; June 3, 1904 December 15, 1984) was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway theatre, Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recordi ...

, whose cantorial recordings were highly regarded, was never a cantor by profession but often served as one during the

high holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

. Popular contemporary cantors include

Shmuel Barzilai Shmuel Barzilai (born 3 June 1957) is an Israeli cantor. He is the chief cantor of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien in Vienna. Biography Shmuel Barzilai was born in Jerusalem. He is a son of Shlomo Barzilai, also a cantor. Barzilai has a l ...

Naftali Hershtik Naftali Herstik ( he, נפתלי הרשטיק) (born 1947) is a well known ''chazzan'' (cantor) and teacher. He was born in Salgótarján, Hungary and came with his family to Israel at the age of three. He is descended from a long line of Hazzan, ...

Yitzchak Meir Helfgot Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot ( he, יצחק מאיר הלפגוט, yi, יצחק מאיר העלפגאט) is an Israeli-born Hasidic Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish Hazzan, cantor, known for his vocal dexterity and range. Like some operatic teno ...

, Chazzan Avraham Aharon Weingarten, Ari Klein,

Yaakov Lemmer Yaakov ("Yanky") Lemmer (born November 6, 1983) is an American Chazzan (Jewish cantor) and performing artist. Lemmer performs traditional Hebrew liturgy, Yiddish folk, opera, Broadway, Israeli, and Hasidic music. Lemmer currently serves as Head ...

Joseph Malovany Joseph Malovany(born in 1941 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli-born American tenor soloist. A world-famous cantor, serving as Hazzan of New York's Fifth Avenue Synagogue since 1973, and a Distinguished Professor of Liturgical Music at Philip and Sarah Be ...

, Benzion Miller, Jacob (Jack) Mendelson, Aaron Bensoussan, Aaron Aderet, Alberto Mizrahi, Yaakov Yoseph Stark, Jochen (Yaacov) Fahlenkamp, Meir Finkelstein, Daniel Gross,

Azi Schwartz Azi Schwartz (Hebrew language, Hebrew: עזי שוורץ) is a Hazzan, ''chazzan'' (cantor), vocal performer, and recording artist. Born in Israel, he lives in New York City, where he serves as the Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue. Educat ...

, Netanel Hershtik and Eli Weinberg.

Hazzan Sheni

The title Hazzan Sheni (Sheni means second) can refer to * a ''Hazzan'' who plays that role when the main Hazzan does not officiate * a ''Hazzan'' who fills a different spot, such as when the main Hazzan leads

Musaf Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to the ...

, and the Sheni leads

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ...

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia: Hazzan
{{Authority control Jewish religious occupations Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles Religious music Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law