FROM THE LINER NOTES.....
The cantorial art, hazzanut, was an outgrowth of the deep spirituality which characterized Jewish life in E. Europe. This folk-art reached its zenith in the late 19th & early 20th centuries; its leading proponents were men of great artistic ability who were acclaimed as folk heroes of their people. This collection is most representative of the era including many of the greats of the field, in recordings of their most outstanding renditions.
Cantorial recording is generally considered to have begun in the years following about 1900. Zavel Kwartin (1874-1952) and Gershon Sirota (1874-1943) were among the pioneers. Kwartin, often regarded as the most popular cantor in Europe, utilized both the plaintive chant of the baal t'fila with an expansive coloratura, as well as a declamatory parlando, of the western style. These approaches are heard in L'dovid Mizmor and Moron Divishmaya, respectively.
