View source for Alois Kaiser

{{short description|American singer}}

[[File:Synagoge  Turnergasse 1900.jpg|right|thumb|[[Synagoge Turnergasse|Turnertempel]]  [[:de:Synagoge Turnergasse|(de)]],  the synagoge at the [[Turnergasse]],  Fünfhaus]]
'''Alois Kaiser''' (November 10, 1840 - 1908) was an American ''[[chazzan]]'' and composer, considered to be the founder of the American cantorate.

Kaiser was born in [[Szobotist]] ({{langx|sk|[[Sobotište]]}}), Hungary.  He received his early education in the religious school of the [[Vienna]] [[IKG Wien|congregation]] under Dr. [[Henry Zirndorf]], and then studied at the ''[[Realschule]]'' and the [[Teachers' Seminary and Conservatory of Music]] in Vienna. From the age of 10, he sang in the [[choir]] of [[Salomon Sulzer]], and in 1859, became an [[assistant cantor]] in [[Fünfhaus]], one of the suburbs of Vienna (now a part of [[Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus]], the 15th Viennese district). From 1863 to 1866, he was cantor at the ''[[Maisel Synagogue]]'' at [[Prague]].

Kaiser arrived in [[New York City]] in June 1866, and in the following month was appointed cantor of the [[Temple Oheb Shalom (Baltimore, Maryland)|Oheb Shalom congregation]] in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]. He was for several years president of the [[Society of American Cantors]]. From 1895, he was an honorary member of the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis]], which in 1892 entrusted him and [[William Sparger]] with the compilation of the musical portion of a ''[[Union Hymnal]]'', published in 1897.

With [[Samuel Weltsch]], [[Josef Goldstein|Moritz (Morris) Goldstein]], and [[J. L. Rice]], Kaiser published the ''"[[Zimrat Yah]]"'' (1871–86, 4 vols. ), containing music for [[Shabbat]]s and festivals. Of his other compositions may be mentioned:
* ''"Confirmation Hymns"'' (1873)
* ''"Memorial Service for the Day of Atonement"'' (1879)
* ''"Cantata for Simchat Torah"'' (1890, with William Sparger; preface by [[Cyrus Adler]])
* ''"Souvenir of the [[Jewish Women’s Congress]] at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]]"'' (1893)

Kaiser died in Baltimore on January 6, 1908.

==References==
<references />
* {{JewishEncyclopedia|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=K&artid=34|article=Kaiser, Alois}}
* [[Yosef Goldman|Goldman, Yosef]]. ''[[Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History and Annotated Bibliography]]'' (YGBooks 2006). {{ISBN|1-59975-685-4}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Alois Kaiser |sopt=t}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Alois}}
[[Category:1840 births]]
[[Category:1908 deaths]]
[[Category:American male composers]]
[[Category:19th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:19th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States]]
[[Category:Jews from Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:People from Senica District]]
[[Category:Composers from Vienna]]
[[Category:Viennese hazzans]]


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