Pinchas Jassinowsky
Pinchas Jassinowsky (1886–1954/55) was an American composer and musicologist, as well as a singer, cantor, and musician. He was born in Romanovka in Kyiv Governorate, then part of the Russian Empire, and died in New York.
Jassinowsky began singing in the choir of cantor Pinchas Minkowsky in Kherson. He developed an interest in classical European music and moved to St. Petersburg to study at the conservatory. Composer César Cui recommended him for admission to the Imperial Conservatory, where his teachers included Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Sokolov. During his studies, he also became an assistant choir director at the Choral Synagogue.
After graduating in 1915, Jassinowsky toured Scandinavia, giving solo concerts and lecturing on Jewish music. From 1917 he lived in the United States. His first American appearances as a cantor took place in St. Louis and received enthusiastic reviews from music critics and the press, which highlighted his combination of traditional motifs with modern musical arrangements.
Jassinowsky was associated with the Society for Jewish Folk Music in Petrograd during the 1920s. After serving at a large synagogue in the American Midwest, he began working at one of New York's largest synagogues. He was also one of the leaders of Hazzanim Farband, one of the oldest associations of cantors in the United States.
His compositions include Ve-Hayah be-Aharit ha-Yamim (Isaiah 2:1–4), also known as The Prophecy of Isaiah, written for the opening of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1925; Aseret ha-Dibberot (The Ten Commandments); Shirat ha-Be'er (The Song of the Well); and Ba-Yom ha-Hu (Isaiah 26:1–4). He also wrote music for Jewish folk songs, children's songs, and songs for the Jewish autumn festivals. His songs were performed by M. D. Alexandrovich and other singers of Jewish music. His works are included in the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music.