Re: Hazanim in NYC w/ tradl Nusach

[Eliott Kahn <Elkahn...>]

I believe there was a song called "Chazzonim oif Probe" that addressed this 
particular phenomenon.

Eliott Kahn


At 03:19 PM 9/10/02 -0400, you wrote:
>My father (Ben Davis) was a yontoivim chazzan, with interviews and auditions 
>every year at small, semi-starving shuls in South Phila. I accompanied him to 
>some of these, and young as I was, I still remember the shameful way he was 
>treated. I watched as he forced himself to smile through the abuse and insult 
>(and praise, almost simultaneously!).
>
>If "Chasendl oif Shabbes" is the positive view in song of this auditioning 
>process, does anyone know whether there is a negative view featured in Yiddish 
>song?
>
>Allen
>
>
>>Cantors in NY have not often had a golden age.  My uncle, Dr. Samuel
>>Margoshes (who is best known for his dailty front-page column in Der Tag),
>>was a co-editor/author of a book that described in detail the Jewish
>>community in NYC in 1917, when all but 2-3% of the synagogues were Orthodox.
>>A chapter by a cCantor is sad.  He described how it was the regular practice
>>to ask Cantors to audition for a position, without pay, and repeat this
>>weekly for as long as months before hiring one, who they might then fire in
>>less than a year.  It is no wonder that those who could took their talents
>>to the theater.
>

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+