Joseph Moskowitz
Encyclopedia
Joseph Moskowitz was a Romania
n-born Jewish cymbalum
player, son of a folk klezmer
cimbalist. He eventually settled in the United States
.
When Moskowitz appeared at a cafe in New York City
in 1908, the New York Times reported that, "posters in Yiddish
, Italian
, Hungarian
, and Roumanian
(sic) announce his presence throughout the length of East Houston Street." That appearance was to be the start of five years of musically touring the United States. He then opened a restaurant on Manhattan
's Lower East Side
. In 1943 he moved to Washington, DC, where he played regularly at Michel's French Restaurant near Dupont Circle
.
He died in Washington, D.C. in 1954.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n-born Jewish cymbalum
Cymbalum
The cimbalom is a concert hammered dulcimer: a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top...
player, son of a folk klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
cimbalist. He eventually settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
When Moskowitz appeared at a cafe in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1908, the New York Times reported that, "posters in Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, and Roumanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
(sic) announce his presence throughout the length of East Houston Street." That appearance was to be the start of five years of musically touring the United States. He then opened a restaurant on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Lower East Side
Lower East Side, Manhattan
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. In 1943 he moved to Washington, DC, where he played regularly at Michel's French Restaurant near Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW...
.
He died in Washington, D.C. in 1954.