כתבה על השבת של האחים מולר בניו יורק

3 Tenors trumped by 3 Mullers at Manhattan Synagogue

by Aaron I. Reichel

You don't have to be a music buff to recall the concerts of "the 3 tenors" that began about two decades ago, featuring an Italian opera star and two Spanish counterparts. This past Shabbat, a Manhattan synagogue just presented an event that was even more meaningful and exciting for Jews with even the mildest interest in cantorial music. This even trumped the three tenors in a variety of ways. The international event featured not just three random great voices, but three cantors who are brothers and who have distinguished themselves in three different parts of the world. Zev Muller inspires and enchants the members of the West Side Institutional Synagogue on a regular basis as their cantor; Moshe Muller is the Chief Cantor at the Heichal Meir Synagogue in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Shmuel Muller serves as cantor in Krefeld, Germany. While the three tenors merely sang different selections on different occasions, the three Mullers collaborated on the Friday Evening and Saturday morning services. Cantors traditionally sing alone or with choirs, but to have three prima donnas in one pulpit at one time is an occasion that can happen once in a lifetime, for most people. This was the first time the three Mullers performed together in such a fashion. What made it extra special was that they didn't just harmonize, but they also took turns as soloists throughout the services, so the congregants were kept spellbound, not knowing at any second which of more than half a dozen different inspirational sounds they would hear -- each cantor individually, or any combination in harmony. It was all the brainchild of the youngest brother -- Zev Muller, the host cantor, and the only one born in Israel. What adds to the significance of the event even more is that the family was an internationally prominent cantorial family even before these three Muller brothers were born! Their father performed in prayer around the world, and their uncle is the renowned Cantor Benjamen Muller, Chief Cantor of Antwerp, Belgium The advance publicity showed each Muller brother attired in the traditional round black tasseled hat, but when they appeared, together, only one of them wore it at any given moment. There is still only one cantor in a traditional service, even if they passed the baton, or rather the hat, from one to the other in the course of the Shabat prayers. Appropriately enough, the unprecedented event took place on Shabbat shira, the official Shabbat of song, commemorating the song sung by the Jews upon successfully crossing the Red Sea and escaping from their Egyptian pursuers.