November 2019

A Short History of the Cantorate - Part 2

    Last month I shared a little about the history of the Cantorate, and this month I would like to continue this theme. 
 
   Early in this century, Cantors immigrated to this country and began to establish a cantorial tradition which the Cantor’s Assembly has built upon.  In the middle of the 20th century, the Jewish Theological Seminary opened their Cantor’s Institute, and at about the same time, the Reform movement, Hebrew Union College, established a cantorial program. 
 
   Traditional cantorial singing consisted of a combination of operatic dramatic style and the very elaborate melismatic style using Middle Eastern modal scales.  It precluded congregational participation, and some people even felt that it took away the focus from the text to that of the Cantor.  Another trend has come into fashion, which challenges the older style.  According to The New York Times, “the current preference is for more direct, folksy prayer settings,” which congregants can easily pick up and join in singing.  So, in order to preserve our tradition and to involve the congregation, we Cantors try to offer a mix of styles, some davenning in traditional modes, and some congregational melodies.
 
   We have a glorious synagogue musical heritage which needs to be preserved, and we also want to make synagogue music accessible and singable.   Maintaining a balance between the older and newer styles is one way of making sure we do not neglect either one.                                           
 

L’hitra’ot, until next time!