Israel Schorr

Israel Schorr (1886 - April 9, 1935) was a prominent cantor during the Golden Age of Hazzanut. Born in Khyriv, the Polish region of Galicia then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to a Hasidic family, Schorr began his career as a boy, singing soprano in the courts of various hassidic masters, notably the Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) of Rymanow.[1]. In 1904, Schorr replaced his distant relative Hazzan Boruch Schorr as the official cantor for the rebbe of Rymanów. [2]

Not to be confused with Israel Schorr, the rabbi of Congregation Beth El-Young Israel in Brooklyn..

During World War I, Schorr served in the Imperial army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war, he took various cantorial posts in central and eastern Europe, including Brno in Czechoslovakia, Kraków in Poland and a brief stint in Zürich, Switzerland. With help from Congressman Sol Bloom [3] of Chicago, Schorr emigrated to the United States in 1924 on an artist's visa to accept a position in Chicago. He later served in cantorial positions in New York City.[4] He also performed frequently, most importantly with the master cantor Yossele Rosenblatt.

Apart from performing the traditional pieces of the Jewish liturgy, Schorr also wrote liturgical pieces. He introduced improvisational lines to the pieces, many of which were later adopted by other prominent cantors. His best-known piece in this style is Sheyibone Beis HaMikdosh, which was modified by Cantor Moshe Koussevitzky.[5]

Schorr died prematurely of a heart condition in 1935. His son, Morris Schorr, went on to become a cantor in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was one of the founding members of the Cantor's Assembly.[6]

References
  1. https://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/israel-schorr/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. https://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/israel-schorr/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Cantorially Speaking" (PDF). Congregation Agudath Shalom. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  4. Levin, Neil W. "Israel Schorr". Milken Archive. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  5. Levin, Neil W. "Israel Schorr". Milken Archive. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  6. "The First Twenty-Five Years - From 1947-1972". The Cantors Assembly. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-02-07.


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