A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ;

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifie ...

. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term also used in Christianity.

''Sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' and the evolution of the hazzan

The person leading the congregation in public

s is called the '' sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

for " emissary of the congregation").

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

restricts this role to adult Jews; among Orthodox Jews, it is restricted to males. In theory, any lay person can be a ''sh'liaḥ tzibbur''; many synagogue-attending Jews will serve in this role from time to time, especially on weekdays or when having a Yartzeit. Someone with good Hebrew pronunciation is preferred. In practice, in synagogues without an official Hazzan, those with the best voice and the most knowledge of the prayers serve most often. As public worship was developed in the Geonic period and as the knowledge of the Hebrew language declined, singing gradually superseded the

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need t ...

and

hortatory In linguistics, hortative modalities (; abbreviated ) are verbal expressions used by the speaker to encourage or discourage an action. Different hortatives can be used to express greater or lesser intensity, or the speaker's attitude, for or a ...

element in the worship in the synagogue. Thus, while the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources, the office of the ''hazzan'' increased in importance with the centuries, evolving a specialized set of skills and becoming a career in itself.

Qualifications

Even in the earliest times the chief qualifications demanded of the ''hazzan'', in addition to knowledge of Biblical and liturgical literature as well as the prayer motifs (known as ''steiger''), were a pleasant voice and an artistic delivery; for the sake of these, many faults were willingly overlooked. The ''hazzan'' was required to possess a pleasing appearance, to be married, and to have a flowing beard. Sometimes, according to Isaac of Vienna (13th century), a young ''hazzan'' having only a slight growth of beard was tolerated.

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...

ruled that the ''hazzan'' who recited the prayers on an ordinary

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as ...

and on weekdays need not possess an appearance pleasing to everybody; he might even have a reputation not wholly spotless, provided he was living a life morally free from reproach at the time of his appointment. But all these moderations of the rule disappeared on holidays; then an especially worthy ''hazzan'' was demanded, one whose life was absolutely irreproachable, who was generally popular, and who was endowed with an expressive delivery. Even a person who had ever litigated in a non-Jewish court, instead of a Jewish court, could not act as ''hazzan'' on those days, unless he had previously done penance. However many authorities were lenient in this regard, and as long as a cantor was "merutzeh l'kehal," desired by the congregation, he was permitted to lead the prayers even on the holiest of days. Today, a ''hazzan'', particularly in more formal (usually not Orthodox) synagogues, is likely to have academic credentials—most often a degree in music or in sacred music, sometimes a degree in music education or in Jewish religious education or a related discipline. The doctor of music degree is sometimes awarded to honour a ''hazzan''.

Professional status

The role of ''hazzanim'' as a respected full-time profession has become a reality in recent centuries. In the last two centuries Jews in a number of European communities, notably Germany and Britain, came to view professionally trained ''hazzanim'' as clergy and the ''hazzan'' as the deputy rabbi. After the enlightenment, when European nations gave full citizenship and civil rights to Jews, professionally trained ''hazzanim'' were accepted by the secular governments as clergy just as rabbis were. In a paradoxical turn of events, the United States government recognized cantors as the first Jewish clergy, even before

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

s were recognized: as a congregation could be organized and led by a committee of Jewish laypersons, who would not have the expertise in liturgy a hazzan would have, newly forming congregations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries sometimes hired a hazzan for a synagogue (and made sure that a kosher butcher was established in the neighborhood) for some time before setting about hiring a rabbi, seeing the hazzan (and the butcher) as a more immediate need. The hazzan therefore solemnized marriages and otherwise represented the congregation in the eyes of civil authorities. In the United States, many hazzanim supplement their ministry by also earning certification as and working as mohels, for bris ceremonies. In the United States there are three main organizations for professionally trained ''hazzanim'', one from each of the major Jewish denominations: * American Conference of Cantors—

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

* Cantors Assembly—

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generati ...

*Cantorial Council of America—

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses o ...

Training

Many members of the Cantors Assembly are trained at the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music at the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studie ...

. Many members of the American Conference of Cantors are trained at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Both of these programs offer a five-year training program. Members of the Cantorial Council, the Orthodox cantorial association, can train at the

Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music The Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music is a music school that focuses on Jewish music. It is part of Yeshiva University and its Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in New York City. Classes are held in the Schottenstein Center on ...

at Yeshiva University in New York. ALEPH, the Alliance for

Jewish Renewal Jewish Renewal () is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with Kabbalistic, Hasidic, and musical practices. Specifically, it seeks to reintroduce the "ancient Judaic traditions of mysticism and meditation, ...

, includes a cantorial training program as part of its ordination program. Full cantorial training is also offered by the Cantorial School of the

Academy for Jewish Religion (California) The Academy for Jewish Religion California (AJRCA), is a Jewish seminary in Los Angeles. It trains rabbis, cantors and chaplains to serve congregations and organizations of any Jewish denomination.Nancy Sokoler Steiner"Academy of Jewish Religion ...

in Los Angeles, the Cantorial Program at the similarly named Academy for Jewish Religion in New York, and the School of Jewish Music at

Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, Hebrew College is committed to Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. The president of the college ...

. These institutions are unaffiliated with any particular Jewish denomination. The curricula for students in these programs generally include, but are not limited to: * Hebrew: modern, Biblical (Torah), and liturgical ('' siddur'') * '' Nusach'' (liturgical tradition) * Laws and traditions pertaining to Jewish prayer service * History and content of the ''siddur'' * Music theory, sight-reading * Playing an instrument, usually a piano or guitar * Singing technique * Cantillation—tropes for the liturgical chanting of biblical books * Choral conducting * Jewish history *

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Reform nor Conservative streams used the term "ordained" for trained cantors; use of the term "invested" precluded confusion with those they titled rabbi. In 2021, Conservative Judaism's flagship institution, the Jewish Theological Seminary, began using the term ordain with respect to cantors.

Female cantors in non-Orthodox Judaism

In the 21st century, most streams of non-Orthodox Judaism no longer maintain gender distinctions, and therefore women often serve as cantors in these communities. The earliest known woman ḥazzan, Julie Rosewald, called “Cantor Soprano” by her congregation, is sometimes called the United States' first female cantor, serving San Francisco's Temple Emanu-El from 1884 until 1893.Julie Rosewald: America's first woman cantor , Jewish Women's Archive
/ref> However, she was not ordained. In 1955,

Betty Robbins Betty Robbins (born Berta Abramson, April 9, 1924 – February 19, 2004) was a notable cantor. She was one of the first female cantors. She was the first woman appointed as a cantor in the 20th century. Career Robbins began singing while in 193 ...

(born Berta Abramson in 1924, in Greece) was appointed as cantor of Temple Avodah, a Reform congregation in Oceanside, New York. Like Rosewald, she was not formally ordained, but "the spokesman for the School of Sacred Music, founded in 1947 as the first training school for cantors in

he United States He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

said today there was no religious law, merely a tradition, against women becoming cantors", indicating the School's institutional approval. In 1975 Barbara Ostfeld-Horowitz became the first ordained female cantor in Jewish history. The Women Cantors' Network was founded in 1982 to support and advocate for women cantors by Deborah Katchko, the second woman ever to serve as a cantor in a Conservative synagogue. Initially a group of only twelve women, its membership grew to 90 by 1996. The organization holds an annual conference. In 1987 Erica Lippitz and Marla Rosenfeld Barugel became the first two female cantors ordained in

; they were ordained at the same time by the Cantors Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. The Cantors Assembly, a professional organization of cantors associated with Conservative Judaism, did not allow women to join until 1990. Sharon Hordes became the first cantor (female or otherwise) in Reconstructionist Judaism in 2002. Avitall Gerstetter, who lived in Germany, became the first female cantor in Jewish Renewal (and the first female cantor in Germany) in 2002.

Susan Wehle Susan Wehle (May 14, 1953 – February 12, 2009) was ordained the first American female Jewish Renewal cantor (hazzan) in 2006. Wehle was a cantor for Temple Beth Am in Williamsville, New York, and Temple Sinai in Amherst, New York, for nine y ...

became the first American female cantor in Jewish Renewal in 2006, serving until her death in 2009. The first American women to be ordained as cantors in Jewish Renewal after Susan Wehle's ordination were Michal Rubin and Abbe Lyons, both ordained on January 10, 2010. In 2001 Deborah Davis became the first cantor (female or otherwise) in Humanistic Judaism; however, Humanistic Judaism has since stopped graduating cantors. In 2009, Iran-born Tannoz Bahremand Foruzanfar was ordained as a cantor by the non-denominational

, becoming the first female Persian ordained cantor in the United States.

Golden age

The period between the two world wars is often referred to as the "golden age" of ''hazzanut'' (cantorial performance). The great figures of this era include Zavel Kwartin (1874–1953), Moritz Henle (1850–1925), Joseph "Yossele" Rosenblatt (1882–1933), Gershon Sirota (1874–1943), and Leib Glantz. In the post–World War II period, prominent cantors were

Moshe Koussevitzky Moshe Koussevitzky ( he, משה קוסביצקי, pl, Mosze Kusewicki; June 9, 1899 in Smarhoń, Russian Empire – August 23, 1966 in New York City) was a cantor and vocalist. A relative of noted conductor Sergei Koussevitzky, he made many rec ...

, David Werdyger,

Frank Birnbaum William Franklin "Frank" Birnbaum (1922–2005) was a well-known 20th century chazzan within Conservative Judaism in the United States. Serving congregations and performing concerts across America, his music was well known for its eclectic and ...

, Richard Tucker and

Abraham Lopes Cardozo Abraham Lopes Cardozo (1914–February 21, 2006) was ''hazzan'' of Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese synagogue in New York City. Biography Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, he was the great-grandson of the Chief R ...

(1914–2006). Operatic tenor Jan Peerce, whose cantorial recordings were highly regarded, was never a cantor by profession but often served as one during the

high holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jewi ...

. Popular contemporary cantors include Shmuel Barzilai, Naftali Hershtik, Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, Chazzan Avraham Aharon Weingarten, Ari Klein,

Yaakov Lemmer Yaakov ("Yanky") Lemmer (born November 6, 1983) is an American Chazzan ( Jewish cantor) and performing artist. Lemmer performs traditional Hebrew liturgy, Yiddish folk, opera, Broadway, Israeli, and Hasidic music. Lemmer currently serves as Head ...

, Joseph Malovany, Benzion Miller, Jacob (Jack) Mendelson, Aaron Bensoussan, Aaron Aderet, Alberto Mizrahi, Yaakov Yoseph Stark, Jochen (Yaacov) Fahlenkamp, Meir Finkelstein, Daniel Gross, Azi Schwartz, Netanel Hershtik and Eli Weinberg.

Hazzan Sheni

The title Hazzan Sheni (Sheni means second) can refer to * a ''Hazzan'' who plays that role when the main Hazzan does not officiate * a ''Hazzan'' who fills a different spot, such as when the main Hazzan leads Musaf, and the Sheni leads

Shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components o ...

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia: Hazzan
{{Authority control Jewish religious occupations Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles Religious music Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law