- Israel Schorr
Israel Schorr (
1886 ,April 9 ,Rymanów - 1935) was a prominent cantor during the "Golden Age ofHazzanut ". Born in the Polish region of Galicia then part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire to a Hasidic family, Schorr began his career as a boy, singing soprano in the courts of various hassidic masters, notably the "Rebbe" (Grand Rabbi) of Rymanow.After serving in the
Austro-Hungarian army duringWorld War I , Schorr took various cantorial posts in central and eastern Europe, includingBrno inCzechoslovakia ,Kraków inPoland and a brief stint inZürich ,Switzerland . He emigrated to theUnited States in 1924 to accept a position inChicago and later inNew York in bothBrooklyn and theBronx . He also performed frequently, most importantly with the master cantorYossele Rosenblatt .Apart from performing the traditional pieces of the
Jewish liturgy, Schorr also wrote liturgical pieces. He introduced improvisational lines to the pieces, many of which were later adopted by other prominent cantors. His best-known piece in this style is "Sheyibone Beis HaMikdosh", which was modified by CantorMoshe Koussevitzky .Schorr died prematurely of a heart condition in 1935.
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