Not without good reason was Gershon Sirota spoken of as the 'Jewish Caruso'. Even with the poor quality recordings that we have of him today, it's quite clear that he had a most extraordinary voice and since he was a contemporary of Caruso (1873 - 1921), the comparison was bound to be made. An apocryphal story has it that Caruso would come to hear Sirota sing or conduct a service whenever, they were in the same town at the same time.

Although at the head of this article it says that he was born in 1877, this is by no means certain, as details of his early life are not well documented.

It would appear that Sirota started his career in Chazanut in Odessa, after which he was Cantor for eight years at the Shtotshul in Vilna. The choirmaster there was the renowned Leo Lowe with whom Sirota built up a fine working relationship.

In 1902 he performed in a concert accompanied by an enlarged choir under Lowe's direction and the following year he sang at an historic reception that was held in honour of a visit by Dr Theodor Herzl.

Five years later, Sirota was invited to occupy the position of Obercantor in the most prestigious position in the cantorial world at the Tlomazke Street Synagogue in Warsaw and  it was not long after that Leo Lowe joined him there.

In 1912, Sirota and Lowe visited America to give concerts, and it's said, that at his first appearance at Carnegie Hall, on February 14th, every single seat was taken.

He travelled on concert tours all around America and Europe, and was a great 'hit' wherever he went, whether he gave a concert, or conducted a service at the Amud.

Although Sirota undoubtedly improvised whilst conducting services, as is common with most Chazanim, he did not compose his own original pieces. 'Sirota's Retsei' is, of course, not Sirtoa's at all. Although he undoubtedly contributed towards making it famous, it was actually composed by Schlossberg.

It's said that when he Davened at the Amud, he would get so carried away in his 'conversations' with the Almighty, that for him, it was as if the congregation wasn't  present. Chazan Joshua Weider described Sirota's appearance after he'd sung 'Ata Nigleita' one Neila as 'a burning thorn.'

Sirota was reputed to have had a generous disposition, and it was not uncommon for him to officiate at the wedding of a poor family for no remuneration. Even so, he did not allow people to take advantage of him and after a dispute with his congregation over his appearances outside the Synagogue, he parted company with them.

It was unfortunate for Sirota that he happened to be in Warsaw at the outbreak of the war. Although he could easily have left, he remained there to be with his family.

Living in the Warsaw Ghetto at 6, Volinski Street, they all died together in the uprising in 1943.

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Throughout the History of Music, there have been occasional phenomenal performers, whose almost unnatural capabilities aroused great wonderment. This tendency was especially noted in the 'Virtuosi' - both vocalists and instrumentalists - whose genius became legend during their lifetime. Among the most renowned of the violinists was Nicolo Pagannini (1782 - 1840) and Mattia Battistini (1857 - 1928), was possibly the most famous dramatic baritone of his age. The world-famous tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1938) and the 'Uncrowned King' of the modern violin-sound, Bronislav Huberman (1882 - 1847) were all phenomenal performers, and the origins of their genius has remained as mysterious as other facets of the Cultural History of Man.

Gershon Sirota was the only Chazan who had the z'chiya to be included amongst these aforementioned geniuses: he possessed a colossal dramatic tenor voice, an inborn coloratura - wjth all the possible attributes, such as trills, melisma, or ornate or florid melodies, the polishing of which necessitate long and difficult work to perfect -  these were natural gifts to him. Inherited musicality assisted him to learn solfeggio, harmony, and general musical knowledge. He had a deep intuition of how to make use of all these gifts: they were the reward of the 'Chad 'B'Dor', that is, Singular Genius of his generation, or even, perhaps, of all generations. Only one of these indications would have sufficed to make Gershon Sirota a good singer, yet he had them all, in a perfect form.

Famous 'World Chazanim' achieved their renown by various methods: there were those who made their 'name' through the sweetness of their voice; their strength lay in the hypnotic magic which they bestowed upon their listeners, more on the 'soul' than on the 'ear': their song pacified and verified, and also awakened the worshippers to penitence and prayer.
 
There were others who invoked the 'Holy Spark' which carried from their broken-hearted and beseeching voices, and they set forth their prayers to the Almighty in a tearful manner. They addressed Him in pain and hurt, and begged Him to open the Gates of Compassion, and accept their prayers. They were quiet and humble, and their humility, coupled with their 'Hineni Heani Mimaas' attitude, gradually ascended to the angels, and with their help, even higher...

There were yet other Chazanim, who erected their Chazanut upon strength: strength of voice, a flaming temperament, and a religious pathos which drew the worshipper 'B'kol Shofar Gadol'. They did not, however, depart from the real 'Yiddish Krechtz', that is, the heartrending 'groan', with which it was simple for them to move hearts and arouse tears. These were 'Virtuosi Cantors', and their influence upon the Jewish masses was exceptionally. great. "Yossele" Rosenblatt (1880-1933), Mordechai Hershman (1886-1943) and Moshe Kusevitzky (1899-1966)
were of this type. But few of these could emulate Gershon Sirota. During his lifetime, he was crowned with such epithets as "The King of the Cantors", "The Jewish Caruso", and his name was carried with great honour upon the lips of Jew and gentile alike. He was the 'Flag-bearer' of 'Virtuoso Cantorialism' in the finest sense of the word.

His voice, a strong dramatic tenor, of a steel timbre, from the undermost register to the highest tones. There were no shaky notes, and no stronger or weaker points. The long, whole diapaison of 19 or 20 tones rang with the same chesty full-bloodedness - one colour and one potency - the undertones all had the same fulness as the overtones; they all shone, as if they had been wrought from the same string of pearls, and when he ran up to the highest rungs, he sat there securely. One thought that it was impossible for him to go higher, and yet he ascended another rung, and felt as well and easy at the new height as when he had started. How could one compare him? Possibly to a highly qualified 'tightrope -walker', who paces upon highly suspended wires with firm steps: one stands and shivers in fear, will he fall, would an accident occur? but the accomplished artiste continues his work with full security, hardly batting an eyelid. On the contrary, he begins to perform various 'dancing tricks'. One stands with bated breath, living through the experience, until one's eyes begin to swim...

His strength in coluratura was no smaller: this was also an inborn part of his genius. The range of his voice, from the highest to the lowest, and the climbing from the lowest to the highest, occurred with no strain in his performance, as if he, personally, had no part in it. It was elastic and soft. Suddenly he found himself in the Heavenly Heights: -flew as an eagle, and stormed with lightning and thunder, yet he could descent into the lowest vales, and his throat emitted Yiddish 'krechzn'. There flowed from his mouth, warm, sensuous peals, which stilled longed-for hopes, and silenced sad moods. The sudden tones poured: flaming torches, which raised morale and found solace. There were sweet melodies, calling forth nostalgia and dreams, bells rang which led into ecstasy, and, at the same time, called for battle and endurance.

His voice and coluratura were a reflection of the Jewish Fate, and therefore, during his improvisations, the peals appeared to be hanging in the Heights, in order to repel the Angels of Evil, and break through their ranks towards the Almighty's Throne. On such occasions, he was a tearfully obstinate precentor, and his voice rang for many minutes between earth and heaven, until he succeeded!

'I remember' (says one of Sirota's many biographers) 'when I was present with my late father, in the house of the choir-master David Eisenstadt (1890-1942) . At a certain time, he led us through a side door into the Synagogue, where Sirota was then the "Obercantor". Before our eyes, stood revealed the phenomenal Cantor, as he improvised upon the 'Balemer'. This was his daily voice rehearsal, and, because he could not see us, he commenced his singing, and became more and more heated, until he entered into his role. He virtually began to 'thunder', and one thought of the analogy that 'cannon were being fired'! The window panes shivered, the doors shook, and the whole building echoed. After this 'Sambatyon-like' uproar, came a moment of humility: new delicate falsetto, tremolos and polished piano tones, similar to a matchless strong of pearls. He roared like a lion and sang like a 'singing toy bird', depending upon his feelings in the content of the prayer which he had to sing.

As well as the two gifts which had been bestowed upon him by nature, namely, voice and coluratura, Sirota was a great scholar in the Jewish Traditional 'Nusach H'Fila'; he always bore in mind that he was not only a singer, but also a 'Shliach Zibbur' and a 'Baal T'fila'. Primarily, he concentrated upon the meaning, or 'Perush Hamilot', and in his 'Davening' , he conversed with The Lord. He began a recitative, as an actor commences a monologue: quiet and humble, in the form of a tale. His intention then was to approach the Height of Heights in a good mood. Later, however, he became less fearful, and began to ask and demand. Then, he was not content to enter into the Upper Spheres, 'but wished to gain and conquer them. "The Braslaver" stated that "Music toppled walls": at such moments, Sirota began to attempt to conquer the Almighty's Fortress...

In his work "Tales of Music and Chazanut in Israel", Dr. Chayim Harris brought a story in the name of Leo Liow (1878-1942), the choir-master who had collaborated with Sirota for twelve years in the Great Synagogue of Warsaw, that 'during his 'Zogen' of the 'Ata Nigleita' prayer, Sirota went into such a fire-like state that worshippers began to tremble with fear: it was as if they wished to escape from an earthquake. He was 'dramatic from head to toe', as if a Holy Fire was consuming him. The same author also retails a story from Cantor Joshua Weisser, that when the latter looked at Sirota, after he had terminated the 'Ata Nigleita' he was shocked at his appearance: he seemed an entirely different man) with another face -a 'burning thorn'..

With the same feverish holiness, he sang two other prayers which he had made famous: Bernstein's 'HaShem, HaShem', and Shlosberg's 'Retzei'. At this point, also, he divested himself from earthly influences, and split heavens with the strength of his music.

"At this juncture" (continues his biographer) "another distinction set the great 'Amud-Artist' Gershon Sirota apart. This was his attention and restraint during choral singing. In spite of his deep-rooted individualism, and his inborn disposition to be free and interpret every composition to his internal influences, he nevertheless subjected himself to the choir-master, when he appeared with the choir. On such occasions, he did not flaunt his virtuosity, but appeared as a partner and a collaborator. He seemed not to retract from the sketched-in frame which the choir-master indicated: he appeared as a member of a collective group, and was concerned for the success of the whole ensemble. Sirota's biographer tells us that Eisenstadt had told him that of all the Chazanim of the "German Synagogue", Sirota was the most friendly colleague. Incidentally, he was thankful for advice, and accepted helpful remarks with gratitude.

It is difficult to obtain exact details of Sirota's early life. According to another biographer, Eliyahu Zaludkovsky, in his "Cantors' Lexicon", Sirota 'began his Chazanut in one of the better Synagogues in Odessa'. Then he arrived at Vilna, where he was for eight years the Chazan in that City's "Shtotshul" (as opposed to the choir school, in which latter institution an air of 'Maskilic' thought existed). The Synagogue maintained its 'rank and file' character. Sirota, with the assistance of the choir-master, Leo Liow, placed his worship upon a highly artistic pedestal, but, at the same time, did not abstract himself from the anciently accepted melodic 'Nuschaot', which were the basis of perceptive heart - Chazanut. Sirota's greatest successes were in his Vilna Epoch. In 1902, he performed a concert of Jewish Music with an enormous choir, led by Leo Liow. His appearance at the historic reception in honour of Dr.Theodor Herzl in 1903, which the Jewish Community held for the former, was also a landmark.

The popularity of Gershon Sirota grew daily: he did not, however, cease to work upon his own musicianship, and was continually immersed in his musical and Jewish knowledge. In 1908, he was invited to Warsaw, where he took the most honoured position ever open to a Chazan, the post of "Obercantor" in the Great Synagogue in Tlomazke Street. His name, thus, became a byword in the whole world.

In 1912, Sirota and the then choir-master of the Tlomazke Synagogue, Leo Liow (who had been his closest friend and colleague in the Vilna Epoch) visited America and gave a series of concerts. The Jews of New York brimmed over with joy: their hidden and constrained feelings were unladen when they heard. Sirota's prayers. The first concert, on the 14th of February, in the Carnegie Hall, was packed from end to end. Further, enthusiastic Jews, men and women, packed the surrounding streets around the Hall, and old and young aimed at hearing this great tenor and the choir under Leo Liow. Many had to leave in disappointment, for the Hall was overfilled. Several distinguished American gentiles were in the audience, among them, the famous soloist of the New York Opera House, Alma Gluck.

Zaludkovsky's "The Bearer of Culture of the Jewish Liturgy" continued Sirota's biography: 'He travelled on concert tours over the whole of Eastern and Western Europe and America, and achieved a 'world name'. On the one hand, with his gigantic, broad tenor voice, and, on the other, with his temperament of singing and 'Davening.'

Sirota  never composed, but he often improvised, and this only, when the choir-master permitted him, and did not bind him with choral accompaniments. When he felt free, he 'let himself go', and would emit all his boiling feelings. In those extempore moments, he would leave materialism completely, and would apply himself to the Almighty, in order to pray for a better morning for his Nation of Israel.

Sirota was a finely mannered person, and his relations between 'man and man' were superlative. It often happened that he attended the wedding of an unprosperous man, when he would celebrate the Kiddushin without taking any remuneration. On the other hand, he was a man of great self- dignity, and did not bow himself to the masses, who would have liked to rule him. For this reason there were frequent quarrels between himself and members of the committee of the Synagogue. They tried to limit his actions, and often attempted to prevent him from taking part in various cultural-social occasions. But he did not permit these to prevent him from doing what he felt was correct. Both sides quarrelled, until they parted company, and Gershon Sirota became a free agent'.

Sirota became a 'citizen of the world': travelled, concertised, and prayed during the Yamim Noraim and Yamin Tovim in various countries. Everywhere, he had a great moral and material success.

As fate would have it, Gershon Sirota was in Warsaw at the outbreakof the Second World War, and because he had his children there, and a widely scattered family, remained in Warsaw, in order that 'they might survive the war together'! In his book "As it Was", Jonas Turkov wrote: 'The heart hurt as one looked at the ageing world-honoured Chazan Gershon Sirota, masquarading, in order to protect himself from the danger of being captured by the Germans, and later, during the 'liquidation', attempting to save his life, as he and others about him hoped".

The entire Sirota Family who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto at number six Volinski Street, were burned during the Uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.

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