Ḥazan
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A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful
prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term also used in Christianity. The person who leads the congregation in a public
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is called the '' sh'liaḥ'' (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
for ' emissary of the congregation'). Any person is called a ''sh'liach tzibbur'' while they are leading a prayer. However, the term ''hazzan'' more commonly refers to someone who has special training in leading prayers, or who is appointed to lead prayers on a regular basis in a particular synagogue.


Qualifications

Jewish law restricts the role of ''sh'liah tzibbur'' to adult Jews; in
Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...
, it is restricted to males. In theory, any layperson can be a ; many synagogue-attending Jews will serve in this role from time to time, especially on weekdays or during a Yahrzeit. Proficiency in Hebrew pronunciation is preferred. In practice, in synagogues without an official ḥazzan, or in the absence of one, those with the best voice and the greatest knowledge of the prayers typically assume the role. 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 (), 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 ben Moses of Vienna (13th century), a young ''hazzan'' having only a slight growth of beard was tolerated.
Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
ruled that the ''hazzan'' who recited the prayers on an ordinary
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
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 , 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''.


History

Early sources in the
Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...
refer to a position called ''chazzan hakenesset'', which involved leadership roles in public prayer, although not necessarily involving music or singing. Later, as public worship was developed in the Geonic period and as the knowledge of the Hebrew language declined, singing gradually superseded the role of sermons in synagogue worship, and the role of ''chazzan'' began to focus on chanting or singing of the prayers.The Development of Chazanut in the Medieval Period
/ref> Thus, while the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources, the office of the ḥazzan increased in importance with the centuries, evolving a specialized set of skills and becoming a career in itself.


Professional status

The role of the ''hazzan'' 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. Paradoxically, 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 t ...
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 shokhet, or kosher 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 mohels, 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 The cantor ( ''Hazzan'' or ''Hazan'') in the Reform Judaism, Reform movement is a clergy member who fills a diverse role within the Jewish community. Cantors lead worship, officiate at lifecycle events, teach adults and children, run synagogue mu ...
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...
* Cantors AssemblyConservative Judaism *Cantorial Council of America—
Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...


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. Many members of the
American Conference of Cantors The cantor ( ''Hazzan'' or ''Hazan'') in the Reform Judaism, Reform movement is a clergy member who fills a diverse role within the Jewish community. Cantors lead worship, officiate at lifecycle events, teach adults and children, run synagogue mu ...
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 university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.
in New York. ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, 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) 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. 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'') * '' Nusach'' (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 (Hebrew Bible) * Jewish music history * Pastoral care and counseling * Theology


Non-Orthodox titles

Until 2012, neither the Reform nor
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
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, 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. Another early and un-ordained woman ''ḥazzan'' was Madame Goldye Steiner, who sang in cantorial concerts as well as in Broadway shows throughout the 1920s. She was one of the first African-American female cantors. In 1955, Betty Robbins (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 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 became the first two female cantors ordained in Conservative Judaism; 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 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 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 was ordained as a cantor by the non-denominational Academy for Jewish Religion (California), becoming the first female Persian ordained cantor in the United States.


Golden age

The period between the two world wars is often referred to as the "golden age" of (cantorial performance). The great figures of this era include Zavel Kwartin (1874–1953), Moritz Henle (1850–1925), Joseph "Yossele" Rosenblatt (1882–1933), Gershon Sirota (1874–1943), and Leib Glantz. In the post–World War II period, prominent cantors were Moshe Koussevitzky, David Werdyger, Frank Birnbaum, Richard Tucker and Abraham Lopes Cardozo (1914–2006). Operatic tenor Jan Peerce, whose cantorial recordings were highly regarded, was never a cantor by profession but often served as one during the high holidays. Popular contemporary cantors include Shmuel Barzilai, Naftali Hershtik, Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, Chazzan Avraham Aharon Weingarten, Ari Klein, Yaakov Lemmer, Joseph Malovany, Benzion Miller, Jacob (Jack) Mendelson, Aaron Bensoussan, Aaron Aderet, Alberto Mizrahi, Yaakov Yoseph Stark, Jochen (Yaacov) Fahlenkamp, Meir Finkelstein, Alex Stein, Daniel Gross, Azi Schwartz, Netanel Hershtik and Eli Weinberg.


The title ( 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, and the leads

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( ''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 ''Shacharit''. E ...
.


See also

* Cantor in Reform Judaism * Cantors Assembly (Conservative) * Hassan (surname) * Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform) * History of the Jews in Europe *'' The Jazz Singer'' * Jewish music *
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 t ...
*
Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
* Timeline of women hazzans


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