Alois Kaiser (November 10, 1840 - 1908) was an American ''

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, thi ...

'' and composer, considered to be the founder of the American cantorate. Kaiser was born in Szobotist ( sk,

Sobotište Sobotište ( hu, Ószombat, (til 1899) Szobotist) is a village and municipality in Senica District in the Trnava Region of western Slovakia. In 1845 it was the location of the establishment of the first cooperative in Europe by Samuel Jurkovič (Sp ...

), Hungary. He received his early education in the religious school of the

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

under Dr. Henry Zirndorf, and then studied at the ''

Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...

'' and the Teachers' Seminary and Conservatory of Music in Vienna. From the age of 10, he sang in the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Salomon Sulzer Salomon Sulzer ( he, סלומון זולצר, March 30, 1804, Hohenems, Vorarlberg – January 17, 1890, Vienna) was an Austrian '' hazzan'' (cantor) and composer. Biography His family, which prior to 1813 bore the name of ''Levi'', removed to ...

, and in 1859, became an assistant cantor in Fünfhaus, one of the suburbs of Vienna (now a part of

Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus () is the 15th municipal District of Vienna, Austria (german: 15. Bezirk). It is in central Vienna, west of Innere Stadt. It borders Neubau and Mariahilf in the east, Meidling and Hietzing in the south, Penzing in the w ...

, the 15th Viennese district). From 1863 to 1866, he was cantor at the ''

Maisel Synagogue Maisel Synagogue ( cs, Maiselova synagoga) is one of the historical monuments of the former Prague Jewish quarter. It was built at the end of the 16th century which is considered to be the golden age of the ghetto. Since then its appearance has c ...

'' at

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. Kaiser arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in June 1866, and in the following month was appointed cantor of the

Oheb Shalom congregation Oheb Shalom Congregation (Hebrew: Lovers of Peace) is an egalitarian, inclusive, diverse and multi-generational community that embraces Jewish tradition in the 21st Century. It is located in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded on Prince Street in New ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He was for several years president of the Society of American Cantors. From 1895, he was an honorary member of the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

, which in 1892 entrusted him and William Sparger with the compilation of the musical portion of a '' Union Hymnal'', published in 1897. With Samuel Welsh, Moritz (Morris) Goldstein, and J. L. Rice, Kaiser published the ''" Zimrat Yah"'' (1871–86, 4 vols. ), containing music for Shabbats and festivals. Of his other compositions may be mentioned: * ''"Confirmation Hymns"'' (1873) * ''"Memorial Service for the Day of Atonement"'' (1879) * ''"Cantata for Simchat Torah"'' (1890, with William Sparger; preface by

Cyrus Adler Cyrus Adler (September 13, 1863 – April 7, 1940) was an American educator, Jewish religious leader and scholar. Early years Adler was born to merchant and planter Samuel Adler and Sarah Sulzberger in Van Buren, Arkansas on September 13, 186 ...

) * ''"Souvenir of the Jewish Women’s Congress at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

"'' (1893) Kaiser died in Baltimore on January 6, 1908, and is buried in Oheb Shalom Cemetery, Baltimore.See Findagrave.com.

References

* *

Goldman, Yosef Yosef Goldman (1942 – August 4, 2015) was a scholar of American Jewish history and the co-author of the two-volume reference work, '' Hebrew Printing in America 1735-1926: A History and Annotated Bibliography'' (2006). This work is usually cited b ...

. ''

Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History and Annotated Bibliography ''Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History and Annotated Bibliography'' () is a history and bibliography of Hebrew books printed in America between 1735 and 1926 by Ari Kinsberg. It records 1208 items, annotated with bibliographical inform ...

'' (YGBooks 2006).

External links

* 1840 births 1908 deaths American male composers 19th-century American male singers 19th-century American singers Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States Austro-Hungarian Jews People from Senica District Composers from Vienna Viennese hazzans {{US-singer-stub