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The Last of the Brownies
A tribute to Chazzan Benjamin Brownstone z”l and his music
Memories of a “Rat”
In 1963, I was in Grade 2. I remember sitting beside Cantor Brownstone at a piano, with him playing notes and me singing them. “You’re a soprano and your name is “Rat #2”, he said. My older brother Cary was “Rat #1.” And with that, I joined the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children who were fortunate enough to sing in Cantor Brownstone’s choir. Today, we proudly call ourselves “Brownies”.
Cantor Brownstone passed away in 1968, but his Shabbat Shacharit melodies and “nusachs” were kept alive by a number of people throughout the years: Sam Simkin who took over directing the Brownstone choir in the 1970s, Miriam Baron and the Camp Massad choir who sang Brownstone music in the 1990s, and the “Boyez” (Ken, Perry, Leo, Ed and Percy) who even today continue to perform Brownstone melodies at every simcha and group gathering. Of course, these are just a few of the people who have allowed Cantor Brownstone’s music to live on. No doubt there are many more who also sing his tunes around the world.
Not only was his music legendary, Cantor Brownstone’s expressions and curses are still infamous. “Parah!”, “You sing like Dreck!”, and an all time favourite: “A schvartz feenstersy uoor oif deer!” These expressions were often accompanied by a flying ruler or an open handed slap on the head. But we learned and remembered...
Forty-five years later, we Brownies are now in our fifties and spread across North America. After 15 years of nudging, the stars have aligned and allowed these tunes to be recorded ensuring that when we, the last of the Brownie generation, have joined that big choir in the sky, dodging rulers, curses and slaps across the head from the one and only Chazzan Benjamin Brownstone, his music will remain for future generations to enjoy.
– Perry Rubenfeld, Choir Conductor, Winnipeg
Thank you Phillip, Allan, Carey, Cary, Sid (Winnipeg); Ed, Leo and Percy (Toronto); Yamin (Montreal); and Sam (San Diego).
This CD would not have been possible without the generous support of Sid Halpern, Kinzey Posen – Producer/Sound Connoisseur, and the Talmud Torah Beth Jacob Synagogue.
Choir Members:
Ed Applebaum (‘74) – “Trumpeter”
Yamin Benarroch (‘75) – “Benarroshinkes”
Carey Boroditsky – “Yemanite”
Percy Fink (‘74) – “Mekahle”
Allan Finkel (‘72) - “Chai V’Kayam”
Sid Hochman - “Schmekel Kookle”
Phillip Katz (‘72) – “Rooster”
Leo Levin (‘74) - “Goose”
Cary Rubenfeld – “Rat #1”
Perry Rubenfeld (‘74) - “Rat #2”
Sam Simkin (‘74) – “Pidrach” |
Donated by Leo Levin (’74) to the
Jewish Heritage Centre |
All songs were recorded at the Talmud Torah Beth Jacob Synagogue on March 29, 2008 in Winnipeg, Canada.
| Click here to view Brownstone Choir photos, the recording video and to listen to our music!
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Excerpt from Music Project Book by Jewish Heritage Centre
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