Leib Glantz
Encyclopedia
Leib Glantz was a Russian-born lyrical tenor cantor (chazzan), Composer
, Musicologist of Jewish music
, Writer, Educator and Zionist leader.
He was born in 1898 in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire
. His father and both grandfathers were important cantors with Chassidic backgrounds. Leibele, as he was fondly nicknamed, was eight years old when he first appeared as a cantor in Kiev. Word spread swiftly about the child prodigy
, and he was engaged to appear in concerts all over Europe. In his teens he organized and conducted a large choir in his father’s Talner Chassidic synagogue.
Glantz studied piano with the Ukrainian pianist and composer, Nikolai Tutkovski, and later graduated in piano and composition under composer Reinhold Gliere
at the Kiev Music Conservatory. In those years Glantz traveled numerous times as a delegate to congresses of the He’Chalutz movement and to World Zionist Congresses. He also assumed the position of chief editor
of the Labor Zionist
newspaper Ard Un Arbeit.
In July 1926, due to his intensive Zionist activism
, and the growing antagonism
towards the Jews by the Romanian regime in Besarabia, Glantz left Eastern Europe
. His plan was to immigrate to Palestine, which was then governed by the British, in order to join those of his Zionist friends who had already immigrated to Israel. However, he first traveled to the United States to record with RCA his compositions Shema Yisrael
and Tal. He was invited to appear in New York, made a great impression and was offered a prestigious position as chief cantor of the Ohev Shalom synagogue in New York.
In America Glantz continued to develop his musical education, under the guidance of professor Aspinol, the vocal teacher of the opera singers Enrico Caruso and Benjamino Gigli
.
In 1929 he made a series of LP recordings at RCA
included Shema Yisrael, Tefilat Tal, Shomer Yisrael, Kol Adoshem, Lechu Neranena, Birkat Kohanim, Ki Ke’Shimcha, Ki Hineh Ka’Chomer and Ein Ke’Erkecha.
Glantz’s appeared in concert tours all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America
, Western and Eastern Europe, South Africa
, and Palestine.
In 1936 Glantz married Miriam Lipton. They had two sons, Kalman and Ezra [Jerry].
In 1941, the family moved to Los Angeles, California
, where Glantz served as Chief Cantor of Sinai Temple, and from 1949 to 1954 at the Sha’arei Te’filah synagogue. He was also professor of Jewish Music at the University of Judaism
in Los Angeles.
In 1948 he lectured before the delegates of the First Annual Conference of the Cantors Assembly of America on the subject: How the different Jewish Nuschaot (Prayer modes) were created.
He articulated his musical theories in a famous lecture to the delegates of the 5th Convention of the Cantors Assembly in 1952—a lecture that created serious debate, as his ideas were considered a new path toward the analysis of the ancient Jewish prayer
modes, the Nusach. In general, his research and theories established a historical continuity of Jewish music from its beginnings in the Holy Temples of Jerusalem. Glantz theorized that many centuries ago the Jewish people transformed certain Greek scales and modes, in the process creating original Jewish combinations. These became the foundations for the Cantillation of the Torah (Ta’ameiHa’Mikrah) and the Jewish prayer modes (Nusach Ha’Tefila).
Glantz continued to be active in the Zionist movement
as one of its outstanding leaders. He was nominated to be a delegate at no less than eleven World Zionist Congresses from 1921 till 1961—the last two as a delegate representing Israel.
Glantz lived in Israel for the last ten years of his life (1954–1964). Many of his most important compositions were composed in this period of his life. In total, Leib Glantz composed 215 compositions of Cantorial, Chassidic and Israeli music
.
In addition to his cantorial career, Glantz appeared in leading tenor roles in, among others, Alan Hovhaness’ “Shepherd of Israel”, Jacques Halevy’s
“La Juive”, and Joseph Tal’s “Saul at Ein Dor”.
In 1959 Glantz founded the Tel Aviv Institute for Jewish Liturgical Music, and an academic level conservatory for training cantors—the Cantors Academy (Ha’Akademia Le’Chazanut). He was also a founding member of AKUM, The Israel Music Institute
, The Israeli Composers League, and was a member of the editorial board
of "Bat Kol."
Following Glantz’s death on January 27, 1964, while in concert in Tel Aviv, the Tel Aviv Institute for Jewish Liturgical Music was transformed into the publishing organ of Leib Glantz’s musical compositions, as well as his research and literary work
. This body, in conjunction with the Israel Music Institute, has published seven books of Glantz’s musical compositions, as well as the Hebrew book "Zeharim – In Memory of Leib Glantz."
In 2008, his son, Dr. Jerry Glantz, published a new book (in English): Leib Glantz — "The Man Who Spoke To God." This book includes two compact discs with Leib Glantz singing 30 of his important compositions.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, Musicologist of Jewish music
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish People which have evolved over time throughout the long course of Jewish History. In some instances Jewish Music is of a religious nature, spiritual songs and refrains are common in Jewish Services throughout the world, while other times, it is...
, Writer, Educator and Zionist leader.
He was born in 1898 in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. His father and both grandfathers were important cantors with Chassidic backgrounds. Leibele, as he was fondly nicknamed, was eight years old when he first appeared as a cantor in Kiev. Word spread swiftly about the child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, and he was engaged to appear in concerts all over Europe. In his teens he organized and conducted a large choir in his father’s Talner Chassidic synagogue.
Glantz studied piano with the Ukrainian pianist and composer, Nikolai Tutkovski, and later graduated in piano and composition under composer Reinhold Gliere
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Moritzevich Glière was a Russian and Soviet composer of German–Polish descent.- Biography :Glière was born in Kiev, Ukraine...
at the Kiev Music Conservatory. In those years Glantz traveled numerous times as a delegate to congresses of the He’Chalutz movement and to World Zionist Congresses. He also assumed the position of chief editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Labor Zionist
Labor Zionism
Labor Zionism can be described as the major stream of the left wing of the Zionist movement. It was, for many years, the most significant tendency among Zionists and Zionist organizational structure...
newspaper Ard Un Arbeit.
In July 1926, due to his intensive Zionist activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, and the growing antagonism
Antagonism
Antagonism is hostility that results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness.Additionally, it may refer to:*Antagonism , where the involvement of multiple agents reduces their overall effect...
towards the Jews by the Romanian regime in Besarabia, Glantz left Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. His plan was to immigrate to Palestine, which was then governed by the British, in order to join those of his Zionist friends who had already immigrated to Israel. However, he first traveled to the United States to record with RCA his compositions Shema Yisrael
Shema Yisrael
Shema Yisrael are the first two words of a section of the Torah that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services...
and Tal. He was invited to appear in New York, made a great impression and was offered a prestigious position as chief cantor of the Ohev Shalom synagogue in New York.
In America Glantz continued to develop his musical education, under the guidance of professor Aspinol, the vocal teacher of the opera singers Enrico Caruso and Benjamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer. The most famous tenor of his generation, he was renowned internationally for the great beauty of his voice and the soundness of his vocal technique. Music critics sometimes took him to task, however, for what was perceived to be the over-emotionalism...
.
In 1929 he made a series of LP recordings at RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
included Shema Yisrael, Tefilat Tal, Shomer Yisrael, Kol Adoshem, Lechu Neranena, Birkat Kohanim, Ki Ke’Shimcha, Ki Hineh Ka’Chomer and Ein Ke’Erkecha.
Glantz’s appeared in concert tours all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Western and Eastern Europe, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Palestine.
In 1936 Glantz married Miriam Lipton. They had two sons, Kalman and Ezra [Jerry].
In 1941, the family moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where Glantz served as Chief Cantor of Sinai Temple, and from 1949 to 1954 at the Sha’arei Te’filah synagogue. He was also professor of Jewish Music at the University of Judaism
University of Judaism
The American Jewish University, formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish, non-denominational educational institution in Los Angeles, California....
in Los Angeles.
In 1948 he lectured before the delegates of the First Annual Conference of the Cantors Assembly of America on the subject: How the different Jewish Nuschaot (Prayer modes) were created.
He articulated his musical theories in a famous lecture to the delegates of the 5th Convention of the Cantors Assembly in 1952—a lecture that created serious debate, as his ideas were considered a new path toward the analysis of the ancient Jewish prayer
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
modes, the Nusach. In general, his research and theories established a historical continuity of Jewish music from its beginnings in the Holy Temples of Jerusalem. Glantz theorized that many centuries ago the Jewish people transformed certain Greek scales and modes, in the process creating original Jewish combinations. These became the foundations for the Cantillation of the Torah (Ta’ameiHa’Mikrah) and the Jewish prayer modes (Nusach Ha’Tefila).
Glantz continued to be active in the Zionist movement
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
as one of its outstanding leaders. He was nominated to be a delegate at no less than eleven World Zionist Congresses from 1921 till 1961—the last two as a delegate representing Israel.
Glantz lived in Israel for the last ten years of his life (1954–1964). Many of his most important compositions were composed in this period of his life. In total, Leib Glantz composed 215 compositions of Cantorial, Chassidic and Israeli music
Music of Israel
The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For more than 100 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements that would define the emerging national spirit...
.
In addition to his cantorial career, Glantz appeared in leading tenor roles in, among others, Alan Hovhaness’ “Shepherd of Israel”, Jacques Halevy’s
“La Juive”, and Joseph Tal’s “Saul at Ein Dor”.
In 1959 Glantz founded the Tel Aviv Institute for Jewish Liturgical Music, and an academic level conservatory for training cantors—the Cantors Academy (Ha’Akademia Le’Chazanut). He was also a founding member of AKUM, The Israel Music Institute
Israel Music Institute
The Israel Music Institute is the first publicly owned music publishing house in Israel. It is devoted primarily to the publication of Israeli art music, but also publishes books and booklets on Israeli music and composers, CDs of Israeli art music, and a periodical, IMI News...
, The Israeli Composers League, and was a member of the editorial board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
of "Bat Kol."
Following Glantz’s death on January 27, 1964, while in concert in Tel Aviv, the Tel Aviv Institute for Jewish Liturgical Music was transformed into the publishing organ of Leib Glantz’s musical compositions, as well as his research and literary work
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. This body, in conjunction with the Israel Music Institute, has published seven books of Glantz’s musical compositions, as well as the Hebrew book "Zeharim – In Memory of Leib Glantz."
In 2008, his son, Dr. Jerry Glantz, published a new book (in English): Leib Glantz — "The Man Who Spoke To God." This book includes two compact discs with Leib Glantz singing 30 of his important compositions.