18 Facts About Yossele Rosenblatt

Josef "Yossele" Rosenblatt was an Ashkenazi chazzan and composer.

Yossele Rosenblatt began his career as a member of the local synagogue choir.

When he was 17 years old, Yossele Rosenblatt went to Vienna for several months, during which he officiated in the largest synagogues of the city.

Yossele Rosenblatt informally studied with Jacob Maerz, an accomplished singer and musician as well as a wealthy merchant.

Yossele Rosenblatt's stay in Vienna was followed by an extensive tour of the communities of the Austro-Hungarian empire including Budapest.

Yossele Rosenblatt's fame extended beyond the Jewish world earning him large concert fees, a singing role in the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, and the sobriquet "The Jewish Caruso".

Yossele Rosenblatt thought it would lead to a lot of money and at last financial freedom, so he signed on.

Yossele Rosenblatt was then offered a chance to participate in the making of a film in Mandatory Palestine.

Yossele Rosenblatt died of a heart attack at the age of 51 on June 19,1933, in Jerusalem.

Yossele Rosenblatt was known for his extraordinary technique, for the sweetness of his timbre, and for his unique ability to transition from normal voice to falsetto with hardly any noticeable break at all.

Yossele Rosenblatt's fame spread so far that Toscanini appealed to him to sing the leading role in Fromental Halevy's La Juive, but Rosenblatt replied that he would only use his vocal gift for the glory of God, in service to his religion.

Yossele Rosenblatt corresponded with many of the great tenors of his day.

Yossele Rosenblatt perhaps exerted the greatest influence on cantorial music's "Golden Age".

Yossele Rosenblatt led the transition from the more freestyling cadenza-laden approach prevalent before his era to a more structured, metered style.

Yossele Rosenblatt pioneered the use of several cantorial techniques, which have subsequently been adopted by cantors around the world.

Yossele Rosenblatt developed a realistic soprano falsetto as a method of easing the strain on his overworked voice.

Since the 78 RPM era, Yossele Rosenblatt's recordings have been re-issued many times in LP and CD format.

In recent years, a set of 3 CDs Od Yosef Chai containing restored versions of 78s of Yossele Rosenblatt's performances has been issued by Mostly Music and Galpaz Music, a Brooklyn record store.