Musical Minkowsky’s
Did you know we have an internationally acclaimed superstar in the family? He was one of the highest-paid in his profession, the relative everyone talked about, but knew very little about. Can you guess who it is? That relative is, drum roll, please… Pinchas (Pinney) Minkowsky, the famous cantor who was born in Russia and buried in Philadelphia.
Pinchas (Pinney) Minkowsky
Pinney was the son of Mordechai Minkowsky, also a cantor, who had the prestigious lineage of being a direct descendent of Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller, a 17th Century Talmudist, Kabbalist, and chief Rabbi of Prague. (Mordechai actually had three sons that were cantors and one son that was an opera singer.) Pinney was the most famous son and sang in his father’s choir as a young boy. He had a traditional Jewish education as well as a modern education, learning both German and Russian. He studied Chazanes in Vienna. He was a cantor in Odessa when he was recruited to come to New York to be the cantor at the new Shul, Kahal Adath Jeshurun. This was the large, ornate Shul, built by the Russian immigrants in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He was recruited because the Shul leadership believed that his sweet voice would help fill seats and sell memberships. He served as Chazzan from 1887 to 1892 and returned to Odessa to be head Chazzan of the Brody Shul for the next 30 years. The Jewish community in Odessa at that time was the second-largest in all of Russia. He stayed until 1922 when he returned to the United States. A more complete version of his story can be found here.
Brody Shul
Mordechai, Pinchus’s Father’s, Headstone, Har Nebo Cemetery, Northeast Philly. All of the headstones in this post are very close to each other.
Translation:
Here lies The Chazzen (literally emissary of the congregation)
Reb Mordechai son of Reb Gadya (?)Minkowskya
Descendent of the great scholars of Torah and Chassidism
From the lineage of the Baal Tosefot Yom Tov on his maternal side
Born Rosh Chodesh (?) Elul 5600 (?)
And passed away 20 Tevet 5682
May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life
Pinchus’s Headstone, Har Nebo Cemetery, Northeast Philly, Translation:
Here Lies Pinchas Minkowsky
Born in the month of Nissan 5619
Passed away 12 Shevat 5684
May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.
In 1970, after my father died, my mother and I went to Paris to visit Marguerite Besredka, a “cousin.” Turns out she was Pinchus’s granddaughter and it has taken me until a few years ago to understand the family connection. I knew I wasn’t a descendent from Mordechai and I wasn’t sure where I fit in as a lot of the descendants in the states are from Mordechai. Turns out I’m a descendent of Mordechai’s brother, Israel. You can read about the family connection in a past post.
Sylvia and Margarite, Paris 1970
Margarite wanted to revive her grandfather, Pinney’s legacy. Together we reached out to the Cantor’s Assembly ( the official organization of Conservative Cantors) to see if there was interested in his music and perhaps, performing some melodies in a concert. We sent them copies of 32 of his melodies for different prayers. They said thanks, but no thanks. He was “a pioneer of his time” but his music today is considered “old fashion.”
Letter from the Cantors Assembly
I do have a recording of Pinney’s of Shabbat Hamalka, the Sabbath Queen which you can hear here.
An article in the New York Times published January 22, 1924, described the funeral of Pinchus. “Two hundred cantors, led by Joseph Rosenblatt, and 100 choir singers … made the service one of the most impressive ever held on the east side. More than 1000 persons crowded into the synagogue on Clinton St.”
New York Times Article about Pinchus’s Funeral
Pichus’s older brother and the vanguard of the family, Wolf Minkowsky, 1858-1915, changed his name to Wilhelm Weintraub. According to Willhelm’s grandchildren, Bill and Mary Edda Gamson, Wilhelm and Marie Weintraub, first immigrated to Cleveland and then moved to Philadelphia. They lived at 304 South St, which was the destination of several family members who came to Philadelphia. Wilhelm was the Chazzan at Kesher Israel, 438 Lombard St. which is an active Shul today. Something happened and Wilhelm disassociated from Judaism and became “an outspoken atheist and leather merchant” according to Bill Gamson his grandson.
This was taken in Budapest, Hungary before the family came to the US, courtesy of Mary Gamson.
WIlliam’s Headstone Har Nebo Cemetery, Northeast Philly
Marie’s Headstone, Har Nebo Cemetery, Northeast Philly
Pinney’s brothers include Avram Minkowsky, 1869-1924, a Chazzan in Detroit.
Jacob Minkowsky,1871-1941, another brother, changed his name to Giacomo after studying in Italy. According to his obituary, he was a music critic for the New York Journal and taught singing at Carnegie Hall from 1898 - 1903. From 1903-1913 he headed the conservatory associated with the Royal Opera in Dresden, Germany. He moved to San Francisco at the outbreak of WWI in 1914 where he taught for 12 years. In 1926 he returned to Europe and lived in France until France fell to Germany in 1940 at which time he left for New York. Once again, WWII is a primal force that moves my family.
The one sister of Pinchus who kept the musical gene alive was Sossa (Minkowsky) Sklar 1878-1942). Her daughter, Celia Binder, 1900-1999, had a beautiful voice. She taught voice at Curtis Institute. All of her children were engaged in the world of classical music. But her son, Peter, named for Pinchas, took his voice to another level. Peter was an opera performer in Europe. His most celebrated performance was with Michael Tillson Thomas and the Cleveland Orchestra performing “Carmina Burana”. Peter was the baritone voice on the album.
Peter Binder passed away April 1, 2020. Here is his obituary.
I had the pleasure of connecting with Peter in the last 10 years. He loved eating cherrystone clams and shrimp cocktail at Oyster House.
I knew Peter was gay. And, the one story he told me was when Norbert, my father’s brother, caught him at a gay bar in Philly. Norbert, 1914-1988, said, “I’m going to tell you, mother.” Peter said, “Go ahead.”
Whether his mother knew about his sexuality or not was a non-issue in the family. That revelation also informed me that my family knew and accepted the fact that my uncle was gay. I didn’t realize that Norbert was gay until after he died. Even though he lived with another man, Jack, I never connected the dots. We’ll talk about Uncle Norbert at another time.
These are the Minkowsky’s who left a profound influence on the music of their day. I don't play an instrument and I have no vocal skills, but I love all different genres of music, and maybe that’s how the gene is expressed in me.
Do you have the music gene?
