Alois Kaiser (November 10, 1840 - 1908) was an American ''

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

'' and composer, considered to be the founder of the American cantorate. Kaiser was born in Szobotist (), Hungary. He received his early education in the religious school of the

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

under Dr. Henry Zirndorf, and then studied at the ''

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'' and the Teachers' Seminary and Conservatory of Music in Vienna. From the age of 10, he sang in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

of Salomon Sulzer, and in 1859, became an assistant cantor in Fünfhaus, one of the suburbs of Vienna (now a part of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, the 15th Viennese district). From 1863 to 1866, he was cantor at the '' Maisel Synagogue'' at

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Kaiser arrived in

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in June 1866, and in the following month was appointed cantor of the Oheb Shalom congregation in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

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. He was for several years president of the Society of American Cantors. From 1895, he was an honorary member of the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. ...

, which in 1892 entrusted him and William Sparger with the compilation of the musical portion of a '' Union Hymnal'', published in 1897. With Samuel Weltsch, Moritz (Morris) Goldstein, and J. L. Rice, Kaiser published the ''" Zimrat Yah"'' (1871–86, 4 vols. ), containing music for

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

s and festivals. Of his other compositions may be mentioned: * ''"Confirmation Hymns"'' (1873) * ''"Memorial Service for the Day of Atonement"'' (1879) * ''"Cantata for Simchat Torah"'' (1890, with William Sparger; preface by

Cyrus Adler Cyrus Adler (September 13, 1863 – April 7, 1940) was an American educator, Jewish religious leader and scholar. Early years Adler was born to merchant and planter Samuel Adler and Sarah Sulzberger in Van Buren, Arkansas on September 13, 186 ...

) * ''"Souvenir of the Jewish Women’s Congress at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

"'' (1893) Kaiser died in Baltimore on January 6, 1908.

References

* * Goldman, Yosef. '' Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History and Annotated Bibliography'' (YGBooks 2006).

External links

* 1840 births 1908 deaths American male composers 19th-century American male singers 19th-century American singers Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States Jews from Austria-Hungary People from Senica District Composers from Vienna Viennese hazzans {{US-singer-stub