Josef "Yossele" Rosenblatt (May 9, 1882 – June 19, 1933) was a
Ukrainian-born 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 ...
(cantor) and composer. He was regarded as the greatest cantor of his time.
Biography
Rosenblatt was born on May 9, 1882, in
Bila Tserkva,
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. ...
. The scion of a long line of cantors,
Rosenblatt's devoutly religious upbringing prevented him from receiving formal musical training at any of the great academies of his day. He began his career as a member of the local synagogue choir. Quickly lauded as a "wunderkind", or
child prodigy, Rosenblatt's solo career was launched. At the age of 7, he moved with his family to
Sadigora,
Bukovina (Austria).
When he was 17 years old, Rosenblatt went to Vienna for several months, during which he officiated in the largest synagogues of the city. He informally studied with Jacob Maerz, an accomplished singer and musician as well as a wealthy merchant. Rosenblatt's stay in Vienna was followed by an extensive tour of the communities of the Austro-Hungarian empire including Budapest.
At 18 he married Taube Kaufman and accepted his first full-time position at the
Chasidic community of
Munkacs, Hungary. Shortly afterwards, in 1901, he relocated to Pressburg (
Bratislava). Five years later he occupied a position in
Hamburg, Germany. In 1912, he moved to
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
to take a position at the
Ohab Zedek orthodox congregation.
In August 1927, he left his position at the Ohab Zedek congregation. During the following
High Holy Days
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 ("Jewi ...
, he led the services in a hall in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and, on
Sukkot, in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
. During the succeeding months, he traveled throughout the United States, leading services in cities such as
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
,
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Indianapolis,
Columbus,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In Washington, D.C., he met with then-President
Calvin Coolidge. In 1928, he signed a 10-year contract with First Congregation Anshe Sfard, located in
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...
.
Rosenblatt's fame extended beyond the Jewish world earning him large concert fees, a singing role in the 1927 film ''
The Jazz Singer
''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...
'', and the
sobriquet
A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...
"The Jewish
Caruso".
Bankruptcy
In the early 1920s, Rosenblatt was approached by two men who wanted to start a new Jewish newspaper in New York – they asked him to be a part of the enterprise. It excited him. He thought it would lead to a lot of money and at last financial freedom, so he signed on. But by signing on, he signed on as what appears to be a guarantor of the financial success of the venture. It was not financially successful, Rosenblatt used up his savings as well as a lot of his current income, but the creditors kept gaining on him.
In January 1925, the failure of the newspaper venture forced Yossele Rosenblatt to file for bankruptcy. Although legally freed of most of his debts, he vowed to repay them anyway.
Israel
Rosenblatt was then offered a chance to participate in the making of a film in
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
. Although payment would depend again on the financial success of the film, he decided to take another chance. For one thing, it would get him away from his creditors, and for another, it would allow him to see Palestine, where he had never been.
With his wife and two youngest children (some of his older children were adults, and they took in their other younger siblings to permit their parents to travel), he went to Palestine, where he decided he would stay, although he apparently was not sure he could support himself in this small colony.
Death
He died of a heart attack at the age of 51 on June 19, 1933, in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Style
He was known for his extraordinary technique, for the sweetness of his timbre, and for his unique ability to transition from normal voice to
falsetto with hardly any noticeable break at all.
His technique in cantillation was unique. Notes were hit remarkably accurately at high speeds.
Fiorituras, similarly, were struck near perfectly, both rhythmically and on pitch. His fame spread so far that
Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...
appealed to him to sing the leading role in
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''.
Early career
Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...
's
La Juive, but Rosenblatt replied that he would only use his vocal gift for the glory of God, in service to his religion. Notably, he turned down a "
golden hello In accounting and contractual law, "golden hello" is a term used for several different arrangements:
# A payment made to induce an employee to take up employment from a specific employer in form of a welcome package or a payment from a rival employ ...
" from the Chicago opera house because it violated his religious principles.
Rosenblatt corresponded with many of the great tenors of his day. It is told that upon hearing Rosenblatt sing "Elli Elli",
Enrico Caruso was so moved that he ascended the stage and kissed him.
Legacy
Rosenblatt perhaps exerted the greatest influence on cantorial music's "Golden Age". He led the transition from the more freestyling cadenza-laden approach prevalent before his era to a more structured, metered style. Rosenblatt pioneered the use of several cantorial techniques which have subsequently been adopted by cantors around the world. These include his trademark
krekhts, or sob in which he would deliberately allow his voice to crack to convey the emotion of what he was singing. He also developed a realistic soprano falsetto as a method of easing the strain on his overworked voice. A prolific composer, more than one hundred and eighty pieces of his have been preserved.
Rosenblatt's great-grandsons include
Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenblatt of the
Riverdale Jewish Center[Yossele Rosenblatt, 1882—1933, The remarkable career of Cantor Rosenblatt, By David Oliveston]
/ref> and Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of Congregation Schara Tzedeck in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
.
Since the 78 RPM
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...
era, Rosenblatt's recordings have been re-issued many times in LP and CD format. In recent years, a set of 3 CDs ''Od Yosef Chai'' containing restored versions of 78s of Rosenblatt's performances has been issued by Mostly Music and Galpaz Music, a Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
record store.
Rosenblatt's records and singing were featured in the 2009 drama ''A Serious Man
''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and pe ...
''.
External links
Yossele Rosenblatt, Selected Recitatives
(sheet music)
David Olivestone: ''Standing Room Only. The Remarkable Career of Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt''
* ttp://www.chazzanut.com/articles/rosenblatt-2.html Second Chazzanut Online article on "Yosef (Yossele) Rosenblatt"
"The Man with the $50,000 Beard: How a cantor became an American music legend"
Josef Rosenblatt recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
Yossele Rosenblatt's Bankruptcy
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenblatt, Yossele
1882 births
1933 deaths
Jewish American musicians
Hazzans
American male composers
20th-century American composers
Columbia Records artists
Ukrainian Jews
American Orthodox Jews
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
American emigrants to Israel
People from Bila Tserkva
Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Jewish Israeli musicians
People from Borough Park, Brooklyn
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
Jewish Ukrainian musicians