• Books & Music
    • Music
      • Music Reviews
    • Books
    • Videos
  • Programs
    • Musical Programs
    • Concerts
    • Scholar-In-Residence
  • Learning from Elie Wiesel z”l
    • Quotes & Inspirations
  • Shop
    • Books & Music
    • Tallit, Tablerunners, Challah Covers, Shells
  • Bio
    • Media
  • Stitch n Kvitch
    • Jewish Huck Embroidery (Swedish Weaving)

Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray

Spirited and Soulful

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Contact

Reviews of Katchko: 3 Generations of Cantorial Art

October 31, 2022

Katchko: 3 Generations of Cantorial Art, compiled by Deborah Katchko Gray
Edited and Produced by Velvel Pasternak
Tara Publications 2009, Companion CD included

Review by Robert S. Scherr

What if you were able to sit at the side of a master hazzan, Adolph Katchko, one of the g’dolim of the twentieth century’s Golden Age of hazzanut? While we cannot have that opportunity literally in the twenty-first century, his granddaughter, Hazzan Deborah Katchko Gray, brings us both the notes and the ta’am of this great hazzan and teacher through the composite work under review. Hazzan Gray has carefully transcribed original compositions by Adolph Katchko, and interpretations thereof by his son— her father, Theodore Katchko — so that generations oiohavei hazzanut can experience their artistry. Adolph Katchko was a master ba’al nusah, a natural improviser within the traditional prayer modes. Yet this book-and-CD should be valued not just for its transcriptions-and-recordings of the musical notes; it offers a family reunion as well as an important treasure of hazzanut.

The book’s opening pages contain Hazzan Gray’s personal reflections on her father’s and grandfather’s hazzanut. She transports us back half a century through Katchko’s original writing along with many pages of accolades from appreciative colleagues, through which we come to know both the heart and mind of this revered hazzan and teacher. This section includes family pictures, plus articles her grandfather wrote. There’s even a priceless undated photo of Adolph being mock-coached by Hazzan Zavel Kwartin atop a mountain in White Sulphur Springs, New York.

Other remembrances give contemporary readers loving insights into the meaning and impact of Adolph Katchko’s art. In an introductory Appreciation, Hazzan Jack Mendelson recalls making a hospital visitation to someone in quite frail condition who, when told “the cantor is here to see you,” looked up and said one word: “Katchko.”

Adolph Katchko was a child prodigy as both a singer and conductor. He studied in Berlin under Alexander Heinemann, and later in Vienna under Adolph Robinson and Arthur Frank. He served as Chief Cantor at the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw, and later— in the same capacity— for the Jewish community of Stenamangor, Hungary. He emigrated to New York City in 1921, occupying various pulpits until he was called to the Conservative Ansche Chesed Congregation in Manhattan, where he served for 24 years until his retirement.

One of the articles in this volume, “Changing Conceptions of Hazzanut,” originated as an address delivered before the Second Annual Convention of the Cantors Assembly in 1949. It analyzes the evolution of hazzanut from the old-fashioned zogakhts (meticulous treatment of each word as a separate musico-rhetorical entity) to a more modern style that features “the long singing phrase” Yet he cautions that as one sings longer and more musically complex phrases, one must carefully guard the grammatical syntax of the prayer texts, lest a prayers’ meaning be lost in the quest for musical purpose alone:

Modern Conservative and Reform effort to utilize the correct nusah [particularly] in those synagogues where the service is largely a silent one, where praying is done b’lahash. In such places of worship, where a vociferous, ecstatic religious spirit is missing, it becomes the duty of the hazzan to bring our nus’haot to light, otherwise there is the risk that many of our most traditional melodies may be forgotten because of disuse. Back in the mid-20th century, Adolph Katchko was thinking about the same issues that concern hazzanim today. The book has included all of the musical examples that he used to illustrate this lecture.

A voice as fully resonant as Katchko’s would normally not lend itself to intricate coloratura. Its extraordinary flexibility, however, enabled him to negotiate such passages flawlessly and tastefully. Katchko’s virtuosity made him comfortable in either the Orthodox or Reform style of service, and his hazzanut was highly regarded in all the main branches of American Judaism. His New York synagogue was among the ten percent of Conservative congregations that employed an organ during regular worship and not just at wedding services. With or without instrumental accompaniment, Adolph Katchko was beloved by his students at Hebrew Union College’s School for Sacred Music, where he served as a founding faculty member. His congregants revered him, as did countless visitors from afar who came to participate in his dignified davening.

Deborah Katchko Gray has wisely set her grandfather’s compositions in lower keys, to make them more accessible for medium-range voices. Male as well as female cantors will find this helpful, especially since the settings include simple guitar chords. The author writes that she has found this kind of accompaniment an effective way to demonstrate the modernity and accessibility of her grandfather’s music for contemporary synagogue goers.

Some of the compositions transcribed in this book have never before been published, among them: Psalm 23, Y’hi ratson for Rosh Hodesh, Kiddush for Rosh Hashanah, and V’shamru for Shabbat. These prayer settings were transmitted to Deborah through her father, Theodore Katchko, whose singing, along with the author’s, is also represented on the CD. That is what makes this collection a representation of three generations of Katchko hazzanut, for it includes the singing of Hazzanim Adolph Katchko from the 1940s, Theodore Katchko — a bass-baritone like his father — during the 1980s-and-90s, and mezzo-soprano Deborah Katchko Gray in the present day. Spanning seven decades, the recordings will enable serious students and lovers of hazzanut to discern echoes of the chant style that was imported from Eastern Europe, along with adaptations to American congregations’ preferences after WWII, and amalgamation with the more rhythmic folk-ballad approach of today’s liturgical music.

Adolph Katchko had masterfully crafted a cantorial line that blended the introspective zogakhts style with an outgoing long singing line, always in service of the text. Take, for instance, the signature Psalm of Friday night, Adonai Malakh (“God Reigns”).

The Psalm’s opening (lines 1-2) consists of three short phrases containing three words each. A subsequent single longer phrase of five words (line 2) counterbalances the three initial shorter ones with a jubilant trumpet call leading to the climactic word atah (“You”; referring to the Eternal One).  Lines 3-4 re-use the pattern: three short phrases of three words each. This time they center around chromatically lowered 7th and 6th degrees (C, Bb), before resolving in an extended cadence on the tonic (D). This opening section can be seen as a modernization of the zogakhts approach; tone-painting short phrases— rather than individual words— in sequence, while maintaining an overarching form of antecedent-and-consequent half- verses.

Line 5 brings into play a long singing phrase. It visits the 4th degree (G). Its six words are answered by a shorter phrase (line 6) whose three words bloom melismatically to depict the awesome might of God on high (adir bamarom adonai). Line 8 returns to the original tonality (D) via a leap to the octave (D) — Katchko’s heroic upper-middle register — on the final word. The composition ends in the welcoming calm of Kabbalat Shabbat nusah with two so-called “Mi-Sinai Tunes.” These pertain to sacred melodic fragments so old that Ashkenazic synagogue tradition venerates them as if they were given to Moses at Sinai, along with the other Commandments. The two cited here appear on the words I’orekh yamim (“God is eternal”). They are the High Holiday “Aleinu” motif, and the t’lishah g’dolah motif for cantillating Torah. An Ossia option for higher voices also cites the latter motif at the octave.

Adolph Katchko’s three-volume Thesaurus of Cantor ial Liturgy— Otsar ha-hazzanut, published by the Sacred Music Press, continues to be available from Hebrew Union College. It remains a much-sought-after source of material for younger hazzanim, essential to the effective fulfillment of their sacred calling. Similarly indispensable should be this loving documentation of the Master’s tradition, brought to us by Deborah, the third generation of Katchko hazzanim. Her name takes its root, d-b-r, from the verb “speak.” Like her namesake, the biblical prophetess who “arose to speak in song,” she has gifted her generation not only with a lasting model of sacred song, but also with the manner in which two preceding generations— her father and grandfather — sang it before God and Israel in prayer.

Robert S. Scherr is Hazzan Emeritus of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts. He currently serves as the Jewish Chaplain for Williams College in Williamstown, MA, and as Chair of Placement and Human Resources for the Cantors Assembly. 

Share this...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin
Share on print
Print
Share on email
Email
Share on reddit
Reddit

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipient of the first Debbie Friedman Miriam Award

Subscribe to my blog

Loading
Tweets by @KatchkoGray

Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray
Congregation Shir Shalom
46 Peaceable Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
203-438-5609 (study)
203-482-1726 (cell)

Testimonials

In telling her story of living history and astonishing discovery, Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray brings to life the love and faithfulness of holocaust survivors and the generations who remember them. People of faith will be embraced by Cantor Debbie’s generous spirit, learn first hand about the important of remembrance and rekindle their hope for a peaceful world.
Reverend Marc Delcuze

Hazzan Deborah Katchko-Gray supported by flutist Mattan Klein and Seeds of Sun…just rocked the house and blew the roof off of Beth Judah for almost two hours. A mix between Mid-East, Israeli, Jewish pop, cantorial, Yiddish and kid-family friendly favorites..add to that a rather hot Israeli jazz trio and you have an explosive, energetic reaction. Everyone was clicking on all cylinders and the crowd ate it up.

Debbie is the real deal and can deliver it all. She has a powerful and sweet voice that works well in various styles and involved us locals nicely.

Hazzan Alan Smolen
Impressively eclectic, Deborah Katchko – another pioneer female cantor puts a refreshing, colorful spin on quintessentially Jewish songs and stories. Drawing upon Middle East rock, Country Western and traditional and contemporary Jewish melodies, Katchko’s powerful voice can sound both sensual and spiritual.
Hadassah Magazine
Connecticut based Cantor Deborah Katchko has wide appeal. With a strong and soulful voice, she covers a broad range of songs in several languages, exposing us to Jewish culture from various times and places.
Boston University Alumni Magazine
Just this morning, we were privileged to have our colleague, Deborah Katchko-Gray, as our guest artist/scholar at my temple in Amenia, New York. In addition to her co-officiation with me at the worship service, she presented the program, “Gems of my Grandfather: Music, Ideas, and Visions of Cantor Adolph Katchko,.” as part of our adult education. Although almost all of us have been deeply influenced by the music of Adolph Katchko, Deborah added a dimension of insight, examples I have never heard before, and even a duet of “Adonai Malach” which was truly inspiring. I would wholeheartedly urge you to consider Deborah as a scholar-in-residence or a guest lecturer. The congregation could not have been more moved or appreciative of this excellent program.
Rabbi/Cantor Jon Haddon

Best Day Ever!

Thank-you for being such a special part of our wedding weekend!

Your music and spirit helped make it truly the best day…ever!

Ari and Darren Leva
I find you to be a first-rate hazzan and a consummate artist…your cds are a shining example of what we should aim to emulate.
Cantor Pinchas Spiro (of blessed memory)
Nurturing our family’s Jewish identity is an art, rather than a science. Fortunately people like Deborah Katchko can help. Her three cds offer a rich array of traditional and contemporary Jewish music suffused with her warm and welcoming spirit.
Jewish Woman Magazine
I’ve listened to a lot of traditional Jewish holiday song recordings and most, for one reason or another should not have been made. But, this one is significantly different. First, Deborah Katchko has a warm, rich voice. Second, she sings honestly. What do I mean? There are no tricks to this recording, just Deborah and her guitar and she’s making music. Third, she includes 25 ethnic songs full of information and history. This is a Hanukkah gift for the entire family.
Washington Parent
If your tastes run to such classics as Yerushalayim Shel Zahav and you enjoy everything from Sephardic to Yiddish to contemporary pop, Katchko’s soprano renditions and acoustic rhythms are the perfect musical menu for you. Her inspiring version of , ” The Place Where I Belong” will have you singing along.
Hadassah Magazine

Thank YOU Cantor Debbie!

You were a tremendous part of the event. Your guitar was very exciting and your song selections so uplifting. The moms loved your performance…It was a truly fun and inspiring time with you in the Sukkah.

Tracy Daniels
Director Women’s Philanthropy / Program Manager, PJ Library / UJA Greenwich, CT
This edition marks one of the most innovative, important, and creative blending of guitar and Jewish music. It surely will not take away from those Cantors who wish to chant either capella, or with piano or organ, but for those Cantors skilled in playing guitar, this will be a loving and long lasting companion which, I am sure, will touch the hears and souls of the next generation of Jews to hear this incredible music.
Rabbi/Cantor Jon Haddon

Cantor-in-Residence – Wonderful Musical Weekend!

We were fortunate to have Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray at Temple B’nai Abraham as our Cantor-In-Residence for a wonderful musical weekend. Debbie led some of our services, had us singing new songs and melodies, and taught some wonderful holiday song parodies to our students, who then performed them for us at a Sunday Brunch. Oh…and we learned about her Cantorial heritage and heard some real Gems of her Grandfather’s Music. It was a homecoming of sorts as years ago, she became a Bat Mitzvah at our synagogue and her father had been one of our Cantors. Debbie connected with our members, young and old, and two of our students even asked after her Friday evening service if we could do this every month.

Rabbi Michael G. Kohn
Temple B’nai Abraham / Meriden, CT

Our Wedding Ceremony was PERFECT!

Derek and I want to thank you! The wedding ceremony was perfect! We got so many compliments on the ceremony! They loved the songs you sang, the Jewish traditions and how it was personalized for Derek and I.

Thank you so much for everything! We really appreciate everything you have done for us leading up to as well as on the wedding day.

Jessica (Moll) and Derek Sanderoff
Katchko-Gray can reproduce “ that old sound” by calling on melodies she received personally in true oral tradition.
Scales Out of Shul May 2007
One of our most successful Scholar – In – Residence programs ever ! She brings an accomplished voice, and a lively spirit that will fill your synagogue with music and joy. Cantor Debbie led Friday night and Shabbat morning services and a sing-along program for children and adults on Sunday morning. Her music, voice and personality enchanted all of our members.
Rabbi Martin I. Sandberg

Your Wonderful CDs

I received the CDs yesterday. They are both great! Your voice is fantastic and the kids sound delightful. I also really enjoyed the instrumental arrangements. You did a marvelous job of singing, The First Candle We Light On Hanuukah. The flute was really cool. I loved it. And the instrumetnal version of Shabbat Means with the saxophone was inspired.

Thank you so much for recording these songs and for sending me the CDs. Good luck with the sales!

Regarding Shabbat Jam and Hanukkah Songs of Light and Hope
Larry S. Kaplan ( ASCAP)
If a teacher had but one student- you- it would be Dayenu!……your songs bring joy to my heart!
Elie Wiesel
Your American Jewish Songbook selections were a perfect blend of English, Yiddish and Hebrew-appreciated by all. Your stage presence and hamische introductions of hte band and the songs added and extra measure of charm to the beauty of your voice and the wonderful sounds of your group. Your lead guitarist David, and the pianist were particularly outstanding……we were all blown away by the warmth and family feeling you created on our stage/bimah.!!
Steve Stein, MD
Thank-you again for a wonderful concert- Inspiring, beautiful and fun!
Alan Feld
I am almost without words to say how much I enjoyed your concert at Beth El on Saturday night. You are so multi-talented and you have a beautiful radiant quality that truly glows and really touched me. I was impressed with your story telling and also with the way you shared your personal experiences and your family with us. I hope I have the opportunity to see you and hear you again! WOW-thank you !
Susan Pomerantz
Deborah Katchko is such a wonderful gift to our festival!
Berna Hayden
National Children’s Choir Director
Finding Family Through Song”- A Story – The presentation given by Cantor Katchko-Gray of Temple Shearith Israel of Ridgefield, CT on Thursday October 29th, 2009 was a remarkable presentation. This was an inspiring and moving story of music, faith and family beautifully told. We think it was definately one of the very best programs that the Mary Brewster Fund has offered!
Zayne McFarlane
We are all indebted to Deborah Katchko Gray for this new publication which will preserve her grandfather’s music, complete with modern innovations, for generations to come to grateful practitioners of the art of HAZZANUT.
Hazzan Jacob Ben Zion Mendelson

Copyright © 2023 Cantor Deborah Katchko Gray   |   Privacy Policy