Chazzan Moshe Preis was born in Lodz, Poland on May 15, 1914. His father, Shlomo Aryeh Preis, died when he was a small child. To make some money, he would sing in the courtyards of apartment blocks and people would throw down a few coins. This is how his potential as a Chazan was discovered. The news of this 'Wunderkind' (child prodigy) traveled quickly, far, and wide, since 1933. Following studies with a Polish voice professor, at age 19, he was offered the major position of Cantor at the prestigious Kazinczy Street Synagogue in Budapest (the largest Orthodox synagogue in Budapest at that time).
There, young Moshe stayed at the home of Mr. Isaac Pollak, one of the leaders of the Jewish community. Since the Kazinczy Street Synagogue was orthodox, the fact that Chazan Preis wasn't married, was a bit of a problem. Chazan Preis was told that he could not lead services for the High Holidays if he was not married. Mr. Pollak had a daughter called Rosa and he asked her to introduce the young Chazan to some of her friends, to find him a potential wife. Moshe told them it wasn't necessary, as he had already decided he liked Rosa very much, and the two got married in the courtyard of the Kazinczy Street Synagogue in the summer of 1934.
After five years in increasingly fascist Hungary, Chazan Preis traveled to England, to officiate at the wedding of one of his congregant's children, who was to marry a British Jew. Subsequently, he officiated for Passover 1939 as guest cantor at Manchester Central Synagogue. Upon hearing him conduct the services there, he was offered a permanent position as Cantor. With the threat of WWII in his mind, Chazan Preis accepted the offer. So, the Preis family (which was enriched with two sons in the meantime) left Budapest in 1939. The entire family, his mother, step-father, and step-siblings in Poland and father-in-law in Hungary were all murdered in the holocaust. Chazan Preis stayed for 12 years at the Central Synagogue where crowds flocked to hear him, after which he accepted a position in the U.S.A.
From 1951-1953, Chazan Preis served at Congregation B'nei Yehuda in Brooklyn, NY after which he was hired by the Mosholu Jewish Center in the Bronx. He stayed there until 1968 when he was offered the cantorial incumbency at Share Tzedek Synagogue in Vancouver. Chazan Preis graced the pulpit there for over 20 years, after which he retired. After his retirement, he and his wife lived in Toronto, Baltimore, and Florida. Chazan Preis died in Baltimore on April 18, 1999, after a short sudden illness. He was just short of his 65th wedding anniversary. He was buried in New York.
Because Chazzan Moshe Preis, a true legend amongst the cantors of yesteryear, was a very humble man, he never recorded professionally. Fortunately, there are a few rare live recordings, which show his vocal artistry. One of them is a Maariv concert at Congregation Anshe Sfard, New York. These recordings are available here.
Source: Geoffrey L. Shisler site. (The biography by Mr Jeffrey Lieuwen)
