Isaac Hirshow (born Yitzak Gershov, 1883; died 1956) was a Russian-born, naturalised British,

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

who in 1939 became the first person to obtain a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. He served at Garnethill Synagogue for thirty years.

Early life

Yitzak Gershov was born in

Velizh Velizh () is a town and the administrative center of Velizhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Western Dvina, from Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History In the late 14th cen ...

, Russia in 1883, the son of a merchant named Simon. At the age of fifteen, following his mother's death, he moved to Warsaw, where he was

choirmaster 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 ...

at Adas Yeshurunhe Synagogue, and from 1905 a

there. In 1918, he became chief cantor at the Great Synagogue of Łomża. He and his family migrated to Scotland in 1922, and he became a British citizen in 1931.

Career

On arrival in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Hirshow took up the position of

at the Chevra Kadisha synagogue in the

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, and former burgh, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and e ...

area of Glasgow. In 1925, he moved to Garnethill Synagogue, where he served for the next thirty years. He also gave public concerts in Glasgow during the 1920s. The BBC have said that these concerts "helped define Scottish-Jewish identity". Hirshow graduated with an MA from the

in 1929, and obtained the degree of

from the same institution in October 1939 (at the same time, his son was also a student there, studying medicine). As he was the first person to do so, he was asked to choose the academic colours for the new qualification, settling on blue and white. Hirshow also worked as a composer. His compositions include settings of Hebrew poetry. A number of his works are lost.

Legacy

Hirshow died on 23 March 1956 and was interred at Garnethill Hebrew Burial Ground. A memorial service in his honour was held at Garnethill Synagogue on 14 April 1956. At the time of his death there were plans to invite him to lecture at

Jews' College The London School of Jewish Studies (commonly known as LSJS, originally founded as Jews' College) is a London-based organisation providing adult educational courses and teacher training to the wider Jewish community. Many leading figures in Brit ...

. He is one of several composers who are the subjects of a collaboration between

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and the

Arts and Humanities Research Council The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. History The Arts a ...

, launched in 2020, to research ethnically diverse composers. One outcome of the project was that what is understood to be the first full performance of his ''The Hope of Israel'', written as his final degree piece, was premiered on Radio 3's "

Afternoon Concert BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The statio ...

" programme, performed by the

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

, and discussed in an 8 February 2022 documentary.

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

postdoctoral research fellow Phil Alexander, who is funded to study Hirshow's life and works as part of the initiative, has said of him "His music and his musical life kind of straddles east and west." A number of his musical manuscripts and other papers, donated by his granddaughter, are held at the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre. His handwritten notebooks are in the

National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; ; ), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; ), is the library dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Judaism, Jewish Cultural heritage, heritage. The library holds more ...

. A

memorial plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

to Hirshow is displayed in the main hallway at Garnethill Synagogue. It is modelled on his

headstone A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The u ...

. The University of Edinburgh have a short film about Hirshow in their ''Points of Arrival'' series.

Works

* ''The Hope of Israel'' 1938 (cantata for solo voices, chorus and chamber orchestra; 25 minutes) ** A version for voices and two pianos, arranged by Frederick Frayling-Kelly, was commissioned in 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirshow, Isaac 1883 births 1956 deaths Russian Jews Jewish singers Jewish composers Alumni of the University of Glasgow People from Velizh Musicians from Glasgow Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom