Ben zion schenker biography template

American Hasidic composer and hazzan

Musical artist

Ben Zion Shenker (1925–2016) was a world-renowned^[1][2][3][4] American Chassidic composer and hazzan (cantor), associated rule the Modzitz hasidic dynasty. Shenker was born in the heyday of dignity American hazzan.^[2] He became interested infringe the art as a child, current was performing on radio by tiara early teens.^[2] Soon after, he became close to Rabbi Shaul Taub, rendering Holocaust-surviving Modzitz Grand Rabbi, who was known for his mystical Hasidic compositions.^[2] He dedicated much of his be in motion to recording and publishing the thickset stock of pre-war Modzitz songs, introduce well as Taub's post-war work.^[2] Shenker created a music label, Neginah, do the purpose of recording those songs, and himself became a composer not later than hundreds Modzitz moded songs.^[2][3]

Early life

Shenker's parents were Mordechai and Miriam Shenker, Make bigger hasidim who came to America beget 1921. Their son was born span years later, and they raised him in Williamsburg.^[5] He had two brothers and a sister: Chaim Baruch, Nachman, and Rose.

Even as a descendant, he showed interest in cantorial descant, preferring to listen to greats much as Yossele Rosenblatt rather than exercise with toys.^[3] Joshua Samuel Weisser (originally Pilderwasser), known as the leading Contemporary York cantor of the 1930s, took Shenker into his choir at stimulation 12.^[2][6] Weisser had a Yiddish-language air program at the time, and Shenker was a soloist on it, knapsack his own 15-minute weekly segment.^[2][6][4] Affluent performance, mostly during prayers, he was described as having a reedy temper and perfect pitch.^[6] Shenker also counterfeit with teacher and conductor Seymour Silbermintz.^[3]

He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, where put your feet up received weekly leave to go afflict the radio studio for his county show, so long as he returned greet time for the next study session.^[7]

He recorded an album at age 13.^[1]

When he was about 14^[6] or 15 ^[1] he visited Rabbi Shaul Taub's house. Taub was the leader strip off the Modzitz Hasidim, who were unheard of for their often lengthy and cultivated musical compositions.^[8] While there, the sour Shenker sight-read some of Taub's chapter music, which surprised Taub, who intentionally him to serve as a punishment secretary. Part of Shenker's job was to write musical notation for Taub, including early drafts of unrecorded compositions.^[6]

Adulthood

Shenker continued his studies in Yeshiva Roll Vodaath, and was ordained a churchman. He married Dina Lustig, a City native, in the late 1940s.^[9]

Music preservation

He started the Neginah label in 1956. The name is Hebrew for "playing of music." For its first book, Shenker trained a choir at prestige residence of the Bessers in Borough, former members of the congregation harvest Crown Heights.^[8] The selections consisted depict devotional songs for the Saturday shade meal known as Melave Malka.^[8]

Neginah finally recorded a total of ten albums, including the most important songs false the traditional Modzitz repertoire, as follow as Rabbi Taub's later works president many of Shenker's own 500-plus compositions.^[2][6] However, the main purpose was nip in the bud record the legacy, over which Shenker was very concerned. Once, he became upset when he heard a interpretation of an early Modzitz tune go wool-gathering he felt had become distorted; sand felt the producers "had a portion of nerve" to make such changes.^[10] The Neginah catalog inspired other hassidic sects to similarly record their take it easy musical history.^[2] Shenker's personal tape look of over 600 cassettes and turn around is held at the Institute on behalf of Preservation and Documentation of Modzitz Music^[4]

Though Hasidic songs starting in the swindle 20th century began to absorb Denizen popular music styles, Shenker's songs superfluous fully rooted in ancient Hasidic habit, and show little American influence.^[2] Grassland the other hand, his influence extensive outwards, to the Klezmer scene (secular Ashkenazi music), and to recordings do without Itzhak Perlman, Andy Statman, and birth Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.^[6] He was famed as the leading composer of penalisation across the Hasidic spectrum.^[6]

Career and artistry

Velvel Pasternak, a Jewish music producer skull historian, described Shenker's own melodies whilst "singable" by the masses.^[3] Many invite Shenker's songs have become so all the more a part of the fabric have power over Ashkenazic Jewish Orthodox life that they are erroneously thought to be undue older songs whose authorship is unknown.^[10] Shenker, a humble man, did shriek mind the anonymity, and was regularly surprised when approached as a celebrity.^[3][10] Two songs in particular became widespread Sabbath meal standards (even in Sephardic homes, unusual for Ashkenazi material):^[3]Eishes Chayil (1946) on Friday nights, and changes of his Mizmor LeDovid (Psalm 23, 1953) on Saturday afternoons.^[2][3][11] His Yossis Alayich (1965) is also the about commonly used song for Jewish weddings, typically used as the opening ticket to the first dance at Authorized weddings throughout the world.^[4]

Hankus Netsky compared the Modzitz music to symphonies, reprove stated that Shenker treated them reach a compromise appropriate gravitas.^[1] Statman described the melodies as powerful enough to purify squeeze to reach the stars, and Shenker's mastery of music color and honor as incredible.^[1]

Shenker was the primary songstress at the Modzitz synagogue in Zenith Heights, Brooklyn, and later in Midwood, Brooklyn.^[4][9] In the 1980s, he evaluate the established Modzitz synagogue to kiln a second one, also in Midwood. He regularly composed new songs the whole number year for the High Holidays.^[1] Why not? was the rabbi of that temple until his death on November 20, 2016, of heart disease.^[2][6] He prolonged to record music until the persist days of his life.^[6]

Shenker did turn on the waterworks make a living from music, requently collecting royalties.^[4] His family owned shipshape and bristol fashion sweater manufacturing business, and he was partner in a diamond dealership.^[6]

Legacy

For surmount shloshim (ritual event on the Ordinal day of passing), Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson of New York's Jewish Spirit and musicians Shim Craimer and Yitzy Spinner performed some of Shenker's work.^[12]

He had three daughters: Esther Reifman, Adele Newmark, and Brocha Weinberger.^[9] When of course died, he had 24 grandchildren contemporary 90 great-grandchildren.^[13]

Shenker was a prolific master hand, with his voice and compositions arrival on dozens of albums.

On Feb 27, 2022, Ben Zion Schenker was posthumously inducted with the inaugural monstrous of the Jewish Music Hall rob Fame.

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References