David Roitman

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David Roitman
Background information
Born(1884-11-01)November 1, 1884
Jusefpol, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire
DiedApril 4, 1943(1943-04-04) (aged 58)
New York City, United States
Occupation(s)Hazzan
Instrument(s)vocals
Years active1904–1943

David Roitman (November 1, 1884 – April 4, 1943)

lyric tenor
compositional recordings and cantorial recitatives, Roitman became known as "the poet of the pulpit".

Biography

Roitman was born to Mordecai and Mariom Roitman on November 1, 1884 at the

Leningrad Conservatory.[3]

Roitman worked as a cantor for five years at the Jewish Temple of

Kishinev, Moldova around the year 1920, making concert tours throughout Romania.[3]

Roitman emigrated to the

Congregation Shaare Zedek in Manhattan, with which he would officiate until his death. During this time, he made concert tours in Europe and South America.[5] After a long illness, Roitman died in New York City on April 4, 1943.[3]

Musical career

"Ashamnu Mikol Am," composed by David Roitman.

Roitman's voice was a

mezza voce with a highly developed coloratura and falsetto.[5][7] Roitman's renditions are noted for their clarity and improvisational simplicity.[7] His style used a canonized system of practice and refinement known as nusaḥ hat'filla.[4]

Roitman's earlier compositions reflected the sad fate of his people, while his later work emphasized a more dramatic and prophetic idiom.[6] He made records while at Leningrad and Vilna, most of which remained unknown to the United States until archival releases in the 1970s.[4] His only published composition during his lifetime was "Rachel Mevakkah Al Baneha" [Rachel Weeping for Her Children],[6] which he wrote in Odessa. An unattributed recording by Yossele Rosenblatt made the composition popular in the United States even before Roitman immigrated there.[4] Roitman's compositions "Ashamnu Mikol Am" and "Cantorial Anthology 2" also achieved widespread popularity during his lifetime.[7]

References

  1. ^ Schwartz, Julia; Aaron Kaye, Solomon; Simon, John (1926). Who's Who in American Jewry. Jewish Biographical Bureau. p. 504. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  2. ^ American Jewish Year Book (PDF). Vol. 45. 1944. p. 392.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "D. Roitman, Cantor for 38 Years, Dies". The New York Times. April 5, 1943.
  4. ^ a b c d Levin, Neil W. "David Roitman". Milken Archive of Jewish Music. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-928918-24-0
    . Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Wohlberg, Max (1943). "Roitman, David". In Landman, Isaac (ed.). The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. p. 183.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-02-865945-9
    .

External links
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