Hazzan Moses Master

1924 - 1957
4459 St. Urbain

Audio:
Track 1 - Stephanie Schwartz, Research Director of IMJM narrates Hazzan Master's story.
Track 2 - Lou Burko, Music Director Emeritus of the Shaare Zion Congregation, recalls singing in Adath Yeshurun choir with Hazzan Master.

Hazzan Moses Master (originally Mester) was born in Lublin, Poland, on July 15, 1894. As a child, he joined his father’s synagogue choir. Master left his early classical musical studies to become an itinerant cantor and lead holiday services in surrounding towns and cities.

He fled to Russia with his wife, Josephine Brenner, and her family after the outbreak of World War One. He studied voice and music at the Moscow Conservatory and the Kharkov Conservatory in Ukraine. After the war the family moved to Latvia, where he studied with Professor Bernard Kwartin at the Riga Conservatory. He was then hired as cantor at a large synagogue in Riga. He later served as hazzan in Libau (present-day Liepāja), Latvia.

A friend, Mr. Abramovitch, organized an invitation for Master to immigrate to Montreal and become the hazzan at the Adath Yeshurun Congregation. Family stories recall his arrival at the port of Montreal in 1925 on the eve of Rosh Hashana. Members of the congregation escorted Hazzan Master from the port by foot to the synagogue located at St. Urbain and Mont Royal. Hazzan Master served at the Adath Yeshurun – Hadrath Kodesh Congregation for 33 years until his retirement. He passed away in 1980.

Compiled by Stephanie Tara Schwartz, Zev Moses and Arie Subar