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eventually recorded a total of ten albums, including the most important songs in the traditional
Modzitz repertoire, as well as Rabbi Taub's later works and many of Shenker's own 500-plus compositions. However, the main purpose was to record the legacy, over which Shenker was very concerned. Once,
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label in 1956. The name is Hebrew for "playing of music." For its first album, Shenker trained a choir at the residence of the
Bessers in Manhattan, former members of the congregation in Crown Heights. The selections consisted of devotional songs for the Saturday night meal known as
143:-language radio program at the time, and Shenker was a soloist on it, with his own 15-minute weekly segment. In performance, mostly during prayers, he was described as having a reedy tenor and perfect pitch. Shenker also studied with teacher and conductor Seymour Silbermintz.
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life that they are erroneously thought to be much older songs whose authorship is unknown. Shenker, a humble man, did not mind the anonymity, and was typically surprised when approached as a celebrity. Two songs in particular became global
Sabbath meal standards (even in
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Shenker was the primary cantor at the
Modzitz synagogue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and later in Midwood, Brooklyn. In the 1980s, he left the established Modzitz synagogue to form a second one, also in Midwood. He regularly composed new songs each year for the
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compared the
Modzitz music to symphonies, and stated that Shenker treated them with appropriate gravitas. Statman described the melodies as powerful enough to purify and to reach the stars, and Shenker's mastery of music color and ornamentation as incredible.
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Though
Hasidic songs starting in the late 20th century began to absorb American popular music styles, Shenker's songs are fully rooted in ancient Hasidic tradition, and show little American influence. On the other hand, his influence extended outwards, to the
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catalog inspired other hasidic sects to similarly record their own musical history. Shenker's personal tape library of over 600 cassettes and reel is held at the
Institute for Preservation and Documentation of Modzitz Music
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When he was about 14 or 15 he visited Rabbi Shaul Taub's house. Taub was the leader of the
Modzitz Hasidim, who were known for their often lengthy and sophisticated musical compositions. While there, the young Shenker
116:, who was known for his mystical Hasidic compositions. He dedicated much of his life to recording and publishing the large stock of pre-war Modzitz songs, as well as Taub's post-war work. Shenker created a music label,
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some of Taub's sheet music, which surprised Taub, who asked him to serve as a music secretary. Part of
Shenker's job was to write musical notation for Taub, including early drafts of unrecorded compositions.
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hasidic dynasty. Shenker was born in the heyday of the
American hazzan. He became interested in the art as a child, and was performing on radio by his early teens. Soon after, he became close to
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rather than play with toys. Joshua Samuel Weisser (originally Pilderwasser), known as the leading New York cantor of the 1930s, took Shenker into his choir at age 12. Weisser had a
293:(ritual event on the 30th day of passing), Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson of New York's Jewish Center and musicians Shim Craimer and Yitzy Spinner performed some of Shenker's work.
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238:, a Jewish music producer and historian, described Shenker's own melodies as "singable" by the masses. Many of Shenker's songs have become so much a part of the fabric of
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he became upset when he heard a rendition of an early Modzitz tune that he felt had become distorted; he felt the producers "had a lot of nerve" to make such changes. The
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Shenker did not make a living from music, rarely collecting royalties. His family owned a sweater manufacturing business, and he was partner in a diamond dealership.
263:(1965) is also the most commonly used song for Jewish weddings, typically used as the opening song to the first dance at Orthodox weddings throughout the world.
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Shenker's parents were Mordechai and Miriam Shenker, Polish hasidim who came to America about 1921. Their son was born four years later, and they raised him in
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278:. He was the rabbi of that synagogue until his death on November 20, 2016, of heart disease. He continued to record music until the last days of his life.
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He had three daughters: Esther Reifman, Adele Newmark, and Brocha Weinberger. When he died, he had 24 grandchildren and 90 great-grandchildren.
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On February 27, 2022, Ben Zion Schenker was posthumously inducted with the inaugural class of the Jewish Music Hall of Fame.
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Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot Sings Bentzion Shenker's "Mizmor Ledavid" at Barclays Center With Itzhak Perlman
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Even as a child, he showed interest in cantorial music, preferring to listen to greats such as
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Shenker was a prolific artist, with his voice and compositions appearing on dozens of albums.
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227:. He was known as the leading composer of music across the Hasidic spectrum.
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593:"New York - Legendary Composer Of Nigunim Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker Dies At 91"
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744:"Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker, Composer Of 500 Hasidic Melodies, Dies At 91"
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447:"Ben Zion Shenker: The Unsung Composer of the Songs We All Sing"
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scene (secular Ashkenazi music), and to recordings by
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Singer, Composer, Cantor; businessman (non-musical)
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322:Ben Zion Shenker Singing at Hachnasas Sefer Torah
255:(1946) on Friday nights, and variations of his
354:"The Greatest Living Figure Of Chasidic Music"
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259:(Psalm 23, 1953) on Saturday afternoons. His
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96:(1925–2016) was a world-renowned American
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654:"A Tribute to Reb Ben Zion Shenker (Z"l)"
515:"Ben Zion Shenker | Yiddish Book Center"
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485:"The Passing of Ben Zion Shenker (Z"L)"
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682:Ehrenkranz, Binyamin (2016-11-30).
317:Benzion Shenker Pesach 5775 Kumzitz
483:Schiffman, Lawrence (2016-12-23).
112:, the Holocaust-surviving Modzitz
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652:Wincorn, Mordechai (2016-11-23).
170:Shenker continued his studies in
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623:"Memorable Melodies of Modzhitz"
621:Besser, Mordechai (2019-03-20).
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153:He recorded an album at age 13.
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104:(cantor), associated with the
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559:Berger, Joseph (2016-11-23).
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312:IN MEMORY OF BEN ZION SHENKER
225:Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
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352:Kalish, Jon (2013-10-16).
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25:בן-ציון בן מרדכי שענקער
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148:Yeshiva Torah Vodaath
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407:"Shenker, Ben Zion"
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182:Music preservation
137:Yossele Rosenblatt
58:Brooklyn, New York
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234:
221:Andy Statman
209:
203:
198:
197:
193:Melave Malka
192:
187:
185:
169:
155:
152:
146:He attended
145:
134:
130:Williamsburg
127:
117:
93:
92:
80:Years active
54:(2016-11-20)
40:May 12, 1925
1456:2016 deaths
1451:1925 births
1254:Shlomo Katz
1244:Moshe Hecht
1229:Ari Goldwag
1123:Jewish rock
1087:Dan Nichols
1067:Yossi Green
1062:Ari Goldwag
1042:Ken Burgess
965:Dudu Fisher
889:Shlock Rock
879:Rogers Park
854:Moshav Band
829:Blue Fringe
688:The Forward
114:Grand Rabbi
1435:Categories
1394:Moshe Yess
1379:Beri Weber
1329:Ishay Ribo
1324:Rick Recht
1309:Shuli Rand
1199:Udi Davidi
1189:Alex Clare
758:2019-03-20
729:2019-03-20
693:2019-03-20
663:2019-03-20
633:2019-03-25
602:2019-03-20
578:2019-03-20
524:2019-03-20
499:2019-03-20
458:2019-03-20
416:2019-03-20
363:2019-03-20
328:References
240:Ashkenazic
223:, and the
176:Cincinnati
159:sight-read
124:Early life
36:1925-05-12
1408:Producers
1204:Gad Elbaz
1147:Vocalists
1035:Composers
909:StandFour
573:0362-4331
249:Sephardic
166:Adulthood
84:1938-2016
904:Soulfarm
849:JudaBlue
405:(2016).
291:shloshim
289:For his
244:Orthodox
1466:Hazzans
1304:Adi Ran
1016:Vocolot
995:Sol Zim
958:Cantors
844:Hamakor
814:8th Day
658:Hamodia
358:NPR.org
242:Jewish
213:Klezmer
204:Neginah
199:Neginah
188:Neginah
141:Yiddish
118:Neginah
106:Modzitz
98:Hasidic
1111:Genres
1004:Choirs
824:Ashira
571:
285:Legacy
102:hazzan
63:Genres
949:Zusha
899:Six13
894:Shtar
884:Safam
807:Bands
754:(JTA)
488:(PDF)
944:Yood
569:ISSN
49:Died
30:Born
1437::
750:.
746:.
722:.
686:.
672:^
656:.
642:^
625:.
611:^
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567:.
563:.
533:^
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467:^
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425:^
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372:^
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336:^
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195:.
792:e
785:t
778:v
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366:.
38:)
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