Chazzanut Forum

Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 22:56:58 +0200
From: Benjamin Muller

Dear Irwin,

I have visited your site and I am thrilled with it. Tavo Olecha Bracha. If I can be of any help I will gladly contribute.

Obviously I will link it with my site.

All The Best

Benjamin Muller

Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 23:36:49 +0200
From: Shmuel Barzilai

Thank you for the very interesting hompage. I would like to buy the book of cantor Abraham Katz.

Best regards

Shmuel Barzilai

Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 19:48:01 -0500
From: Jordan Lee Wagner

Spectacular! I just sent an e-mail to the entire Zamir Chorale of Boston about it. Hope it gets you some attention. Loved your links too; especially the Josh Horowitz article. Thanks.

--- Jordan

Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2002 16:30:43 -0400
From: Jordan Wosnick

Hi Irwin,

Just had a chance to have a more complete perusal of your site. It looks great, there's a LOT of material in there, I'm going to have to sit down with some of the nussachim and see if I can learn them enough to use them when I am ba'al-shacharit.

Congratulations on the great site

Jordan

Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 21:21:32 +0200
From: Michel Heymann

Cher Irwin,

Je suis allé sur ton site qui est très intéressant! Je te félicite pour le fabuleux travail de recherche que tu effectues.

Merci de m'avoir écrit car je vais faire connaître ton site à l'ensemble des membres l'association européenne des ministres officiants.

Pour répondre à ta question, je n'ai rien à voir avoir le hazan heymann que tu sites. Il faut savoir que le nom Heymann est très répandu dans l'Est de la France.

Je te souhaite CHANA TOVA et beaucoup de succès dans ce que tu entreprends

Michel Heymann

Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 12:36:54 -0500
From: "Wolff, Cantor Josee"

I was so pleased to see the mention of Katz's manuscript. For my graduate thesis at Hebrew Union College in New York I did some research on Dutch/Amsterdam chazanut and His manuscript was one of the many I looked at, at the Rosenthaliana in Amsterdam. It is good to know that this music is not lost and much of it certainly deserves to be known and to be performed.

The other booklet you mention on the website is indeed an invaluable source of information on Amsterdam synagogue melodies and usage, a true treasure trove of information!

Date: 2002-03-06 17:36:35 PST
From: Charles Vitez

Thank you very much for such an interesting website. It would be great if you could get someone to translate the newspaper articles into English.

I was particularly interested in Chazan Berlijn's book on nigunei kohanim. Unfortunately I cannot really read music, but your midi files were a great help.

The only tune that I actually recognised was the one called "shacharit shel yomin noraim" (page 7) apart from the first few bars (which in any case do not seem to blend well and are probably just a fancy bit of chazanus added possibly because he realised that this chant was too short as it stood) it is much like the tune that my late father taught me and which he learned in the synagogues of Budapest almost 90 years ago.

The difference is that the way I know it the first set of ascending bars are repeated and the final bar holds on some more and finally ascends before repeating "ve-yishmerecho", "vichunecho" and "sholaym".

The timing here is essential because the congregation has to have sufficient time to recite the prayer "ribaynay shel aylom", complete it before the words themselves are uttered by the kohen and then be ready with the response.

Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 11:04:52 +0300
From: "Hinker, Chani"

Dear Irwin,

thank you for the information, I already changed the URL and added your description of your site which looks really wonderful now and has a "wow" content.

Regards

Chani

Dr. Chani Hinker
German Website Editor
JAFI - Pedagogic Center

Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 14:14:09 -0600
From: Fred Blumenthal

Congratulations on your inclusion of the Heymann Psalms onto your web site!

The e-mail announcing them was an occasion for me to revisit your site, and there were several things I hadn't seen before, plus several things I'd like to go back to in order to study more.

But the Heymann psalm settings are particularly interesting for those of us who love choral music, and especially men's chorus music. In the U.S. the setting of psalm 150 for mixed voices by Lewandowski is very popular in Jewish choral music circles, but Heymann's setting is even grander!

You should be thanked for all you're doing for the cause of Jewish music!!

Fred Blumenthal

Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 10:57:55 -0700
From: Yaron Zilberman

Dear Irwin,

I am interested in any material you have on Cantor Yoselle Rosenblatt. Any future sell or information of Yossele material, please let me know. I am conducting a research about him and his music.

Many thanks (you are doing an important job),

Yaron

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 19:56:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Inna Barmash

Irwin,

Thank you so much for putting this together! It also looks like we have a few things in common - I finished a degree in computer science at Princeton last year, and I serve as a chazzanit during the high holidays for the Princeton community. I'll definitely have to stop by if I'm in Amsterdam.

Best, Inna Barmash

Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2002 11:05:45 +0100
From: Ken Gould

Dear Mr. Oppenheim,

Thank you very much for your hard work and time investment in putting these resources online. I have browsed them all with great interest. Do keep me posted about any further resources as they are newly posted.

Many thanks/met vriendelijke groeten,

Ken Gould

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:53:29 -0000
From: Jewish Music Distribution

Dear Irwin

I have just seen your web site for the first time and I am very impressed. It gives one so much important information.

Noa Lachman

Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 01:04:09 EDT
From: Prof. R. Levy

Thanks very much for this wonderful information. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the wonderful music described.

Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 05:00:54 -0400
From: Elliot Katz

Thank you so much!

I have been the baal tefilla for Mussaf for Yomim Noraim for many years for a small minyan in our neighborhood.

When I first started, I asked a friend if he had any "nusach" tapes. He had a tape of some selections from Chazzan Bloemendal. The tape was not of good recording quality, but even so, I was enchanted by the sweetness and power of his voice, and the beauty of his niggunim. I still use his Nesaneh Tokef and the nusach he uses for the end of Malchuyos.

Again, many thanks.
Eliyahu Katz

Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 13:49:45 +0000
From: Victor Tunkel

Dear Irwin

I have now printed out your Amsterdam Shney Zeytim tune. It is of course quite different from the tune that was the precursor of the German Maoz Tsur. And I can't see any resemblance to the Marcello either. I would think it a 19th century composition?

As to Katz, I have looked through his oeuvre on the screen with much interest. I was going to print it all out but I was wondering if you could sell me a photocopy of the manuscript? I would very much like to add it to my collection. I have what is possibly the largest collection of Jewish music and musicology (printed and manuscript) in private hands. I make it available to researchers and inquirers. I try to make it as comprehensive as possible. (I can send you a copy of my list if you would like.)

I can probably get a reasonable print-out from your website but a direct photocopy would be better.

Yours,
Victor Tunkel

Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 12:20:07 +0100
From: Barry J. Mehler

Irwin,

I just took a look at your website... It's UNBELIEVABLE! I've got some articles that you can have to publish on it (Vrijdagavond).

Let us know!

Barry

Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 13:48:32 -0500
From: Sam Weiss

I've been browsing Irwin's interesting Chazzanut Online site and wish that my German (let alone my non-existent Dutch) were better, so that I could more easily read some of the writings about the music. As I made my way through the music transcriptions, however, I was struck by the fact that both the Katz and Lissauer collections use the "ng" consonant to represent the Hebrew vowel "ayin." I have always known this to be a characteristic of Spanish-Portuguese Sephardic pronunciation, yet here it appears in a collection of Ashkenazic music, amidst other obviously Ashkenazic pronunciation. Is this a Dutch convention for transcribing Hebrew that does not necessarily reflect pronunciation, or was/is this music shared by the Sephardic community as well, prompting a hybrid transcription?

...

Related evidence of the blurring of the distinctions between free-flowing hazzanut and metrical melody is found in Berlijn's The Dutch Priestly Melodies. Here the interesting evidence is in written form as well. His "Birkat Nesi'at Kapayim" gives the instruction "Andante, quasi recitativo," yet it is composed for two voices.

That the written transcription is an attempt to fit a non-metrical work into a metrical strait-jacket is indicated by all the fermatas that it contains. Yet the scoring for two voices indicates that the composer heard this music with more "Western" ears than his East-European counterpart would have.

Perhaps this also speaks to a cross-influence between the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Dutch communities.

Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ

Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 15:11:49 -0700
From: Rafael Ornes

Hello,

Wow, what a magnificent website! I will work on adding links and a listing of your works to the CPDL database. It may take me a week or so. I will email you when I have finished. Thank you for all of your work in making this music available!

Best regards,

Rafael Ornes
Manager, CPDL

Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 20:13:53 -0700
From: Benjamin Williams

Irwin;

I just reviewed your site, and quite comprehensive it is. Imagine my surprise when under Articles my attention was caught by the description of one about the development of Jewish liturgy, my interest was peaked, and when I clicked on it I was at my own site! I am honored you consider it worthy and have linked it in your site.

We are very soon going to re-do the Resources page and will definitely add your page in the Jewish Liturgics section.

Your site has a very large assortment of important information available.

All the best,

Ben Williams
Liturgica.com

Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 20:52:23 -0500
From: Richard Locker

Dear Irwin,

What a wonderful web site! I have already downloaded some of the Rosenblatt and Katz songs and am looking forward to studying them. The links on your site are also excellent and will keep me busy for quite a while.

Thank you,
Richard

Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 23:18:29 +0100 (CET)
From: Gaston Bogomolni

Thank you for sharing part stuff of the fantastic world of hazzanut! This is great!

Kol Ha-kavod v' Yeshaer Kochecha!

Hag Urim Sameah,

Cantor Gastn Bogomolni
Omaha, Nebraska (USA)

Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 16:27:08 +0100 (CET)
From: J Meltzer

I came across your website today and was wondering about obtaining information on other Chazzons (albeit not as famous as Yosselle Rosenblatt). I refer here to someone in our family tree. Abraham Sukoenig (original name Sukenik) immigrated to the USA from Ivnets, Belarus. He was the Chazzon for Park Ave. Synagogue from approximately 1910 until his passing in 1936. Does anyone have any info on him?

Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 22:57:09 +0100 (CET)
From: Mela Condour

Does anyone have any knowledge of a Cantor Avraham Schneider (soundex), who lived in Vilna prior to 1932? Where can I find info on him?

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 14:27:56 -0500
From: Judith Pinnolis
Subject: Biographical Articles

Dear Irwin:

Another wonderful addition to your site! Thanks for offering these. Very valuable.

Judy

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 17:46:49 -0800
From: Marilyn H Kalman

Irwin,

Mazeltov and Thank You for a wonderful site ! What riches, and how generous you are to have this available to us all !

I was hoping that my great great zaidah, a Cantor from Rumania who went to Montreal, would be listed, but not yet anyway. His name was Avraham der Langer, or Abraham Lang in Montreal.

Is there any central listing of Cantors ?

Again, a hertzn dank !

Marilyn Kalman
Vancouver BC Canada

Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 08:00:59 EST
From: Arlene Singer
Subject: Biographies

And this too! What a wonderful source for information! Thank you so much.

Arlene

Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 10:47:31 +0100
From: Janet Pap

Thank you so much for the website! I have read lots of the biographies and printed the recitatives of Rosenblatt, etc. etc. Really interesting!

Janet Pape
Cantorial Soloist
Paris

Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 19:37:17 +0000 (UTC)
From: Charles Vitez

For those of you who have not read these originally in Daf Hashvua, some years ago now, I recommend them as excellent vignettes and a very enjoyable read.

Charles Vitez

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:54:34 -0000
From: Geoffrey Shisler

Dear Chazan Oppenheim,

I am delighted that you have published my little articles on your website. I originally thought that after they'd appeared in the Daf Hashavua here in London that would probably be the last anyone ever heard of them! So I'm really happy that they have been exposed to the light of day once again.

With warm wishes and Shabbat Shalom

Geoffrey Shisler

****************************
Rabbi Geoffrey L Shisler
London UK

Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 16:15:35 +0000
From: Elihu Feldman

Dear Chazzan Oppenheim,

Thank you so much for establishing this internet site. We in New Jersey used to have a chazzanut radio show sponsored from a local university. Because the university accepted a lot of money from Arab countries or donors they forced the station off the air.

Best of luck to you and may you be blessed for establishing this wonderful resource.

Hazzan Elihu Feldman
Bnai Shalom Jewish Center

Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 13:05:44 +0100 (CET)
From: kerzhner

Sholem aleykhem!

Ir makht zeyer interesanter proekt. ayt matsliekh. Ikh vil aykh fregn - emetser veyst vegn khazn Solomon Kats fun Poyln. Ikh hob gehert zayn oysfirung fun "Kel muley rakhamim" un "U-be-divrey kudshekhu", un kh'ken nit gefunen protim vegn im.

A dank in foroys.

R' Naftuli

Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 00:11:23 +0100 (CET)
From: Jeffrey Forman

Chazzan,

I love your site. The Rosenblatt collection that you digitized was published by Metro. I have many of the collections that were published by Metro. I am in the process of scanning them. I would like to add them to your site. How can this be done?

Cantor Jeffrey Forman

Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 23:39:09 -0800
From: Jonathan Gershater

Hi

I came across your website. Do you have any suggested books to read in order to research chazanut further?

Thank you Jonathan Gershater California, USA

Date: Fri Jul 5 2002
From: Gershon Polak

Ga zo door, Irwin! Het onderzoek wat Oppenheim junior doet is van veel belang voor het uitstervende westerse chazzanoet. Op dit ogenblik is er een gediplomeerde Israelische leraar/chazzan die een fonds zoekt om "Noesach Frankfort/Main" te onderzoeken en ook te zingen. Prof. Dr. Hans Bloemendal is een van de nog levende kenners van de Noesach van Amsterdam en dus ook de Noesach van Frankfort.De jonge Israelische chazzan heeft al verschillende malen dienst gedaan en heeft zijn sjoelgangers in verrukking gebracht met de zeer romantische westerse chazzanoet.

Ga zo door Irwin Oppenheim, het chazzanoet en z'n geschiedenis heeft je hard nodig.

Gershon Polak

Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 16:25:16 +0200
From: Arno Brok

Mijnheer Oppenheim,

Bij toeval ontdekte ik uw Chazzanut-pagina. Dit was een zeer aangename ervaring.

Mijn complimenten voor de boeiende inhoud.

In bijgaand Word document vindt u enkele interessante links, waaronder de homepages van meer (en minder) bekende Chazzanim.

Sinds enkele jaren ben verwoed ik verzamelaar van Chazzanut. (Wel een beetje vreemd voor een Nederlandse goy). Dit vloeit voort uit mijn interesse voor de Joodse Cultuur. Mijn cd's heb ik voornamelijk via postorders in de USA gekocht. (Ik ben destijds begonnen met een lp van Chazzan Hans Bloemendal) Tot voor kort had ik een groep genaamd "Cantorial" op AudioGalaxy. Nu AG uit de lucht is,probeer ikde contacten met mijnchazzanut-vrienden (wereldwijd) weer te herstellen. Enkelen vanons zijn weer verenigd in the room"Jewish Music" op het uitwisselingsprogramma SoulSeek.

Ik neem me voor om uw site regelmatig te bezoeken.

Met vriendelijke groeten,

Arno Brok

Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 14:48:43 +0100
From: alex manassen

beste irwin,

dank voor je url. ik ben even gaan kijken en zag, dat er een interessante hoeveelheid informatie door je is verzameld. daar moet ik een keertje rustig de tijd voor nemen.

ik zal daar als componist vast mijn voordeel mee doen.

laat het gerust weten als er weer iets belangwekkends te melden is.

met mijn hartelijke groeten,

alex manassen

directeur messiaen academie

Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 23:10:55 +0200
From: Abby Israëls

Beste Irwin,

De statistiek van je website is interessant. Een combinatie van een stijgende trend, een dag-van-de-week-patroon en uitschieters naar aanleiding van je mailings. Of vergeet ik nog invloeden?

Ook mooi dat je de (oude) cd van het ASK erop hebt gezet.

Abby.

Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 21:20:44 +0200 (CEST)
From: Dannie Klompsma

Shoulem,
Beste Heer Oppenheim,

Verrukt ben ik doordat ik uw site heb ontdekt! Via een Amerikaanse site (hebrewsongs.com) kom ik hierop nota bene terecht. Ik vind het fantastisch dat u met een dergelijk levenswerk bent begonnen.

Een aantal jaren geleden heb ik in Israel gewoond en in de yeshivah waar ik regelmatig was, leerde ik een jongen van nederlandse ouders kennen die in New York woonde. Hij studeerde chazanut en vroeg mij om nigunim uit Nederland en de noesach Amsterdam en ik heb daartoe veel pogingen ondernomen.

De positiviteit van de Chabadniks ten spijt, de "Nederlandse ritus" verdwijnt meer en meer. Het lijkt erop dat deze voor het nageslacht behouden blijven. Werkelijk fantastisch!!!!

Ik hoop dat u het fantastische werk blijft volhouden. In ieder geval veel succes daarbij gewenst.

Vriendelijke groeten van
Dannie Klompsma

Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 20:54:37 +0100 (CET)
From: Frank Levy

Beste Irwin,

Met veel genot ben ik door jouw vele bronnen gegaan. Dit is inderdaad de manier om onze prachtige Hollandse Nusach te verspreiden en zodoende te bewaren en anderen de mogelijkheid te geven deze te leren. Ikzelf heb alles afgedrukt en speel al verschillende prakiem op mijn orgeltje.

Chazak weEmatz.
Frank Levy
Petach Tikwa, Israel

Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 09:12:44 +0100
From: Max de Winter
Subject: Biographies

Bedankt voor deze link. Ziet er erg volledig en verzorgd uit. Ik zal er zeker gebruik van maken.

Max