Alter Chudnover portrait from Sholokhova article

Alter Chudnover ( yi, אלטער טשודנאָװער, 1846–1913), whose real name was Yehiel Goyzman or Hausman ( or ), was a nineteenth century Klezmer violinist from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. He was one of a number of virtuosic klezmers of the nineteenth century, alongside Yosef Drucker "

Stempenyu Stempenyu ( yi, סטעמפּעניו, 1822–79) was the popular name of Iosif Druker (), a klezmer violin virtuoso, bandleader and composer from Berdychiv, Russian Empire. He was one of a handful of celebrity nineteenth century Jewish folk violin ...

", A. M. Kholodenko "

Pedotser Pedotser ( yi, פדהצור or , 1828–1902), also pronounced Pedutser in some Yiddish dialects, was the popular name of Aron-Moyshe Kholodenko, a nineteenth century Klezmer violin virtuoso, composer and bandeader from Berdychiv, Russian Empire. H ...

" and Josef Gusikov. He was also an early teacher to the violinist Mischa Elman.

Biography

Yehiel Goyzman was born in

Chudniv Chudniv ( ua, Чуднів, pl, Cudnów, yi, טשודנאוו, russian: Чу́днов) is a city in Zhytomyr Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Chudniv Raion. Population: History ...

Volhynian Governorate Volhynian Governorate or Volyn Governorate (russian: Волы́нская губе́рния, translit=Volynskaja gubernija, uk, Волинська губернія, translit=Volynska huberniia) was an administrative-territorial unit initially ...

(now in

Zhitomir Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) in the 1840s; some sources give the year as 1846, and others as 1849. He was born into a Klezmer family; his father Leyb Goyzman was also a violinist. Yehiel showed musical talent at an early age and was apparently sent to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

to study violin; when he returned to Chudniv he joined his father's orchestra. Yehiel soon became famous as a lead violinist and teacher, and gained a reputation as a very modern instructor who required his students to be able to read sheet music and to learn modern musical technique. He also became popular among Russian aristocrats, as was his contemporary

; and would travel to distant parts of the Russian Empire, Romania and Austria-Hungary to perform at weddings or other events. There was also a competing klezmer ensemble in Chudniv led by Baruch Beckerman, father of the American klezmer

Shloimke Beckerman Shloimke Beckerman (c. 1884–1974) also known as Samuel Beckerman, was a klezmer clarinetist and bandleader in New York City in the early twentieth century; he was a contemporary of Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein. He was the father of Sid Bec ...

. He tried emigrating to the United States in around 1902, accepting the invitation of his brother who had been there since 1888. But he soon returned to Europe when he found his status was much lower in America. Although some sources say he died in 1912, it seems he actually died on 27 March, 1913.

Legacy

Some of Alter Chudnover's sons, who were also professional musicians, met with Soviet ethnomusicologist

Moisei Beregovsky Moisei Iakovlevich Beregovsky (russian: Моисей Яковлевич Береговский, yi, משה אהרן בערעגאָווסקי; 1892–1961) was a Soviet Jewish folklorist and ethnomusicologist from Ukraine, who published mainly in R ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

in 1934. They donated some manuscripts of his compositions to Beregovsky, which ended up in the collection of the

Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine The Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, VNLU ( uk, Національна бібліотека України імені В.І. Вернадського) is the main academic library and main scientific information centre in Ukraine, one of th ...

. Other manuscripts apparently survived in Chudniv in Goyzman's former house until they were destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Beregovski included one extended composition by Alter Chudnover in his ''Jewish Instrumental Folk Music'' volume.

References

External links

Performance of Alder Chudnover composition by Yuval WaldmanYehiel Goyzman (Alter Chudnover, 1849–1913): A Klezmer Violinist in Transition from Folk Music to Classical Style Performance
essay by Lyudmila Sholokhova {{DEFAULTSORT:Alter Chudnover Year of birth uncertain 1840s births 1913 deaths People from Chudniv Klezmer musicians Violinists from the Russian Empire