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Baruch Karliner

KARLINER, BARUCH (c. 1810–1871 or 1879), ḥazzan. Taking his name from the Russian town of Karlin where he first became a ḥazzan, Karliner also served other communities including Pinsk and Brisk. He had neither a particularly tuneful voice nor any musical knowledge, but would compose "when the spirit came upon him," even if this occurred during a part of the service which was not usually sung. His choir was accustomed to his sudden digressions from the rehearsed repertoire and when these occurred would continue to accompany him in his own style. His compositions, notable for their power and bold modulations, were written down by members of his choir and had a great influence on the following generations of ḥazzanim.


Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.