Family Story: Intimate Look at the Malavsky Clan
Goldie Malavsky: Pioneering a New Era in Cantorial Music
Goldie Malavsky, the eldest daughter of Samuel Malavsky, emerged as one of the most significant cantorial performers in the post-Holocaust period. Her contributions to Jewish music were profound, as she challenged traditional gender roles and norms within the religious and cultural framework of Jewish liturgical music.
Samuel Malavsky, a Russian immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1914, found his calling under the mentorship of Yossele Rosenblatt, a popular cantor, vaudeville star, and cinema icon. In the mid-20th century, the Malavsky Family Choir, led by Samuel, became a key proponent of an American Jewish aesthetic. They blended European heritage music, especially khazones (cantorial music), with contemporary commercial music for radio and film.
Goldie's performances were groundbreaking. As a female soloist, she stepped into a role typically reserved for male cantors, thereby breaking the gender barrier within this religious musical tradition. Her compelling vocal talent garnered respect and admiration, proving that women could perform cantorial music with equally profound emotional depth and technical skill.
The Malavsky family's unique blend of Eastern European Jewish liturgical melodies and popular styles reached broader audiences, helping to normalize female participation in such musical expressions. This was particularly evident during their Brooklyn debut in 1948, where Goldie's performances challenged the gender norms of her time. However, the response was not always positive. A riot occurred during a Sabbath service, with young Chassidic men throwing stink bombs at the pulpit and confronting the Malavsky daughters.
Despite these challenges, Goldie continued to push boundaries. She began singing on a weekly radio broadcast at the age of 6 and was Samuel's special protegeé, singing cantorial pieces with a voice that was heard as female but with musical repertoire and techniques popularly understood as signifiers of male cantorial professional knowledge.
The Malavsky family's fluid approach to gender, heritage, and cultural hybridity was not always embraced by mid-century Jewish religious institutions. Samuel Malavsky, in response, embraced the model of the traveling cantor and choir, casting aside a prestigious pulpit position. The family toured constantly, performing in Jewish resorts and theaters, and began offering concerts, radio programs, and recording prolifically.
Travel was a persistent theme in Samuel's life, causing him loneliness and isolation as a child and an itinerant lifestyle into adulthood. Despite the hardships, the Malavskys were literally driven to the ends of their world in their pursuit of a space for their sacred musical concept that pushed at the rules of gender.
In an interview, the Malavsky daughters spoke about the gender violence they encountered, both as women in America and specifically as Jewish women whose work made them visible and vulnerable to criticism in the community. Minnie Malavsky, the mother, intervened and rushed her daughters out of the synagogue to safety during one particularly violent incident that mirrored anecdotes about pogroms.
Goldie's comfort in code switching between American and Jewish musical sounds and contexts suggests the emergence of an exuberantly confident Jewish multi-culturalism. A poignant example of this is a story told by Ruth Malavsky, where her elder sisters Trudie and Goldie sang Christmas carols to assuage the undisciplined and threatening libidos of soldiers, neutralizing the danger and allowing them to leave the train safely.
In summary, Goldie Malavsky's contributions to cantorial music were significant. She helped pave the way for greater inclusion of women in this religious musical tradition by exemplifying artistic capability and challenging the gender norms of her time. Her story serves as a testament to the power of music and the courage of those who dare to challenge the status quo.
Goldie Malavsky's impact extended beyond cantorial music, influencing various aspects of lifestyle, including fashion-and-beauty and education-and-self-development. Her groundbreaking performances captivated not only those within Jewish communities but also opened doors for entertainment and music lovers, transcending cultural and religious boundaries.
Despite facing adversity and gender violence, Goldie's spirit remained resilient, demonstrating a powerful fusion of Eastern European Jewish liturgical melodies and popular styles, which offered an innovative approach to education-and-self-development through music. Furthermore, her courage to challenge gender norms serves as an inspiring example of fashion-and-beauty for future generations, empowering women to break barriers and pursue passions in non-traditional fields.
