Chosen Voices

The cantorate in Jewish culture -- Part I : the cantorate in American history -- 1680s-1880s : colonials through German reformers -- 1880s-1940s : first- and second-generation eastern Europeans -- Interludes : paths to America -- 1950s-1970s : postwar professionals -- 1970s-1980s : new trends, new gender -- Part II : the cantorate and the workplace -- Finding a role -- Defining a job -- Life in the sanctuary -- Part III : The cantorate and the music -- The music of participation -- The music of presentation -- The music of improvisation -- Conclusion. Chosen Voices is the definitive survey of an often overlooked aspect of American Jewish history and ethnomusicology and an insider's look at a profession that is also a vocation. Week after week, year after year, Jews turn to sacred singers for spiritual and emotional support. The job of the hazzan--much more than the traditional "messenger to God"--Is deeply embedded in cultural, social, and religious symbolism, negotiated between the congregation and its chosen voices. Drawing on archival sources, interviews with cantors, and photographs, Slobin traces the development of the American cantorate from the nebulous beginnings of the haz