Hazzan

A hazzan or chazzan (Hebrew for "cantor") is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer.

Complaints against hazzanim

In the early Middle Ages the office of hazzan seems to have been held in high esteem, for scholars like Rabbi Eliezer ben Meshullam and Rabbi Meïr acted as the leaders in prayer. As late as the end of the fourteenth century Jacob Möln ha-Levi (Maharil), at the express desire of the congregation, read the prayer on special festivals, such as New-Year, the Day of Atonement, the eve of the 9th of Av, Hosha'na Rabbah, and Shemini 'Atzeret. In Spain, however, even at the beginning of the fourteenth century, Jews of the better families seem no longer to have adopted this calling, and the position of the hazzan in Spain was a source of surprise and grief to the German Asher ben Jehiel. No other communal official of the Middle Ages occasioned so much and so frequent complaint as the hazzan. As early as the ninth century complaint was made that the hazzanim changed the text of the regular prayers. In connection with the piyyutim, some hazzanim introduced melodies taken from non-Jewish sources, which in some cases was a controversial move.

Related Topics:
Rabbi - Maharil - Spain - Text of the regular prayers

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Against these changes Alfasi (Responsa, No. 281), the "Book of the Pious" (ed. Basel, Nos. 238, 768), Maimonides ("Moreh," i. 59), Asher ben Jehiel ("Besamim Rosh," iv 22), and others protested in vain. The earlier Jewish melodies, not having been written down, were changed by the hazzanim, consciously or unconsciously, in accordance with their individual tastes, which were often very poor. Their vanity also led them to prolong single notes and to insert interludes of song. Thereby the prayers were greatly lengthened. Complaints on this score were of no avail. Hazzanim were continually censured for vanity. According to Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel (ib.), they sang only what was most likely to win applause.

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