Moishe Oysher
Encyclopedia
Moishe OysherMoishe Oysher (Yiddish: משה אוישר, (born 1906 in Lipkon (Lipkany), Bessarabia
, Imperial Russia – died 27 November 1958, New Rochelle, New York
, USA). was a cantor
and Yiddish theatre
actor. He is considered one of the most entertaining chazanim (cantors) ever recorded.
In 1921, he traveled to Canada
to join his father. On the way, he lost his perfect child's voice and in Canada worked as a dishwasher and later a launderer to support himself.
Returning to America, he worked on the radio and starred with his wife in the Harry Kalmanovitsh - Joseph Rumshinsky
operetta Dos heyst gelibt (This is what's called being loved). Around the same time, with the encouragement of friends he applied to conduct services as chazan for the High Holidays at the First Roumanian-American congregation, in Manhattan, New York, on the Lower East Side
and caused a sensation, being perhaps the first singer to step from 'the bine' (stage) to 'the bimah' (pulpit). He would thereafter work around the world in both arenas.
Some say that Oysher's voice was like the "roaring of the lion." He liked the jazz
style, popular at that time, and he used similar rhythmic melodies in his prayers, respecting always the traditional Bessarabian "Doina
s" and "Nussach" moods of the prayers.
Oysher starred in three Yiddish films. In 1943 Oysher signed a contract with Fortune Gallo
to perform several roles with the Chicago Opera Company and a fine career was foreseen, but after a heart attack he had to abandon the idea; he continued to work in radio and as a khazn and recording artist until, after other heart attacks, on the advice of his doctors, he entered semi-retirement.
Directed by Ilya Motyleff and Sidney Goldin. Other actors: Judith Abarbanel and Florence Weiss.
Based on Moishe Oysher's life. A very poor young immigrant lands a job as a custodian, where he is "discovered" and becomes famous immediately. However, his success seems meaningless as he yearns for home.
Directed by Edga G. Ulmer. Also with Miriam Riselle and Florence Weiss.
This is a classic story of a blacksmith that is a womanizer and almost an alcoholic. One day, he meets a beautiful lady called Tamare and his life changes.
Directed by Max Nosseck
. Starring Helen Beverly and Florence Weiss.
Oysher is the "Vilner Balabesl", a cantor in Vilnius
, with a renowned voice. Two men come from the Warsaw
Opera to hear him sing the "Kol Nidre
" on Yom Kippur
and are so impressed that they introduce him to European classical music
and to reading sheet music
; they convince him, against the wishes of much of his family (and especially his father-in-law) to become an opera singer in Warsaw.
He leaves his job as the Vilnius cantor, and seems at first to be on the path to fame and fortune as an opera star in Warsaw, when the news arrives that his son has died. Grief-stricken, he stumbles over the aria
he is supposed to sing, starting instead into a lullaby
he used to sing to his son. In disgrace, he also loses his voice; he tries to return to his life in Vilna; finally, his voice comes briefly back to him on Yom Kippur. He sings the first few lines of the "Kol Nidre", then dies of a heart attack.
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, Imperial Russia – died 27 November 1958, New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, USA). was a cantor
Cantor
Cantor is surname of:* Andrés Cantor , Spanish-language soccer announcer* Anthony Cantor , British diplomat* Arthur Cantor , American theatrical producer* Aviva Cantor , American journalist, lecturer and author...
and Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; naturalist drama; expressionist and...
actor. He is considered one of the most entertaining chazanim (cantors) ever recorded.
Family background
Oysher was born to a Romanian Jewish family that traced six generations of chazanim. He told writer Khaver-Paver that his grandfather sang folk songs and workers' songs to his students when Moyshe was young, and the heartfelt tunes were in my blood, and that it was from his other grandfather "Yosl der poylisher" and his father "Zelik der poylisher" that he inherited his gift as a khasn (chazan).Childhood
His father departed for America when Moyshe was young, leaving him with his grandfather. He started acting in school and played a few roles in the poet Eliezer Steinberg's Der Berditchever rov. He named Steinberg as a profound influence on his life.In 1921, he traveled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to join his father. On the way, he lost his perfect child's voice and in Canada worked as a dishwasher and later a launderer to support himself.
Career
He finally got his voice back and began singing again, in literary and dramatic clubs. He met actor Wolf Shumsky and traveled with him to Winnipeg where he played Yiddish theater for three seasons. He was allowed into the Canadian Actors' Union in 1924 and played in the Montreal Yiddish theater under the direction of Isidore Holender. In 1928 he was on Yiddish radio in Philadelphia, where his parents had moved, and that same year he was engaged at the Hopkins Theater in Brooklyn, then in Newark with his wife Florence Weiss and then the Lyric Theater. In 1931 he was accepted into the New York Actors' Union and played in Anshel Shor group, then played with Boris Thomashevsky, then in 1932, he started his own company and traveled to Buenos Aires and across Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.Returning to America, he worked on the radio and starred with his wife in the Harry Kalmanovitsh - Joseph Rumshinsky
Joseph Rumshinsky
Joseph Rumshinsky , Jewish composer born near Vilna in Lithuania . Rumshinsky - with Sholom Secunda, Alexander Olshanetsky, and Abraham Ellstein - is considered one of the "big four" of American Yiddish theater....
operetta Dos heyst gelibt (This is what's called being loved). Around the same time, with the encouragement of friends he applied to conduct services as chazan for the High Holidays at the First Roumanian-American congregation, in Manhattan, New York, on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
and caused a sensation, being perhaps the first singer to step from 'the bine' (stage) to 'the bimah' (pulpit). He would thereafter work around the world in both arenas.
Some say that Oysher's voice was like the "roaring of the lion." He liked the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
style, popular at that time, and he used similar rhythmic melodies in his prayers, respecting always the traditional Bessarabian "Doina
Doina
The Doina is a Romanian musical tune style, with Middle Eastern roots, that can be found in Romanian peasant music, as well as in Lăutărească and Klezmer music.-Origins and characteristics:...
s" and "Nussach" moods of the prayers.
Oysher starred in three Yiddish films. In 1943 Oysher signed a contract with Fortune Gallo
Fortune Gallo
Fortune Thomas Gallo was an Italian-born opera impresario. Gallo was owner and General Manager of the traveling San Carlo Opera Company from 1913 until its disbandment in the late 1950s.-Biography:...
to perform several roles with the Chicago Opera Company and a fine career was foreseen, but after a heart attack he had to abandon the idea; he continued to work in radio and as a khazn and recording artist until, after other heart attacks, on the advice of his doctors, he entered semi-retirement.
Descendents
He died in New Rochelle, NY in 1958, survived by his second wife Theodora (a pianist who had often accompanied him in concert), their daughter Shoshana (Rozanna), his sister Freydele (a Yiddish theater actress and singer) and her husband Harold Sternberg, a chorister in the Metropolitan opera. Rozanna married Armond Lebowitz and they had two sons, David and Brad.Filmography
- The Cantor's Son (Dem Khazn's Zindl) 1937, USA, B&W, 90 min, Yiddish with English subtitles. ISBN 1-56082-079-9
Directed by Ilya Motyleff and Sidney Goldin. Other actors: Judith Abarbanel and Florence Weiss.
Based on Moishe Oysher's life. A very poor young immigrant lands a job as a custodian, where he is "discovered" and becomes famous immediately. However, his success seems meaningless as he yearns for home.
- The Singing Blacksmith (Yankl der Shmid; the Yiddish title literally means "Yankel the Smith") 1938, USA, B&W, 95 min, Yiddish with English subtitles. ISBN 1-56082-085-3
Directed by Edga G. Ulmer. Also with Miriam Riselle and Florence Weiss.
This is a classic story of a blacksmith that is a womanizer and almost an alcoholic. One day, he meets a beautiful lady called Tamare and his life changes.
- Overture to Glory (Der Vilner Shtot Khazn; the Yiddish title literally means "The VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
City Cantor") 1940, USA, B&W, 85 min, Yiddish with English subtitles. ISBN 1-56082-063-2
Directed by Max Nosseck
Max Nosseck
-Selected filmography:* Aventura oriental * Oranje Hein * Overture to Glory * Gambling Daughters * The Brighton Strangler * Black Beauty* Dillinger * And Who Is Kissing Me?...
. Starring Helen Beverly and Florence Weiss.
Oysher is the "Vilner Balabesl", a cantor in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, with a renowned voice. Two men come from the Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
Opera to hear him sing the "Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement...
" on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
and are so impressed that they introduce him to European classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and to reading sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
; they convince him, against the wishes of much of his family (and especially his father-in-law) to become an opera singer in Warsaw.
He leaves his job as the Vilnius cantor, and seems at first to be on the path to fame and fortune as an opera star in Warsaw, when the news arrives that his son has died. Grief-stricken, he stumbles over the aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
he is supposed to sing, starting instead into a lullaby
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
he used to sing to his son. In disgrace, he also loses his voice; he tries to return to his life in Vilna; finally, his voice comes briefly back to him on Yom Kippur. He sings the first few lines of the "Kol Nidre", then dies of a heart attack.
- In the 1944 movie Song of Russia," using the pseudonym Walter Lawrence, Moyshe Oysher sang Rusland iz ir nomen (Russia is Her Name), music by Jerome Kern.
- Singing in the DarkSinging in the DarkSinging in the Dark is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture about a Holocaust survivor suffering from total amnesia who comes to the United States...
, 1956, USA, B&W, English. A motion picture about a Holocaust survivor suffering from total amnesia who comes to the United States and becomes a singer. Oysher sings in English and in Hebrew.