Josef Singer

Josef Singer, also Joseph Singer (October 15, 1841/1842, ?, Galicia - 1911, Vienna) was a 19c. Polish-Austrian Jewish cantor (chazzan).

His father, an itinerant ḥazzan, destined him for a theatrical career, but the boy evinced an inclination for study, and after taking a 4-year course at the Conservatorium at Prague, he accepted a position as cantor in Beuthen, Prussian Silesia (now Poland). In 1873 he was called to Nuremberg as "Oberkantor" (chief cantor), and in 1881, when Salomon Sulzer retired from active service, Singer succeeded him as chief cantor of the Wiener Cultusgemeinde, which position he still (1905) occupies.

Singer, who is an ardent student and investigator in the domain of synagogal music.

Literary works

• "Die Tonarten des Traditionellen Synagogengesanges im Verhältniss zu den Kirchentonarten und den Tonarten der Vorchristlichen Musikperiode" (Vienna, 1886, ed. E. Wetzler), a critical study of the forms of melodious intonation (see Ḥazzanut)

He has published also numerous articles in

• "Der Jüdische Kantor" (Bromberg)
• "Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Kantoren-Zeitung" (Vienna)
• of his contributions to the latter periodical may bementioned "Biographien Berühmter Fachgenossen Aelterer Periode" (1881-1882); and
• "Ueber Entwickelung des Synagogengesanges" (1883-1890)

Discographies

References

• ( >), by Isidore Singer, Alois Kaiser

Singer (surname)

Category: Galician Jews Category: Polish-Austrian people Category: Viennese hazzans Category: 1841 births Category: 1842 births Category: 1911 deaths