Yossel Bass

Yossel Bass (given name Joseph; family name Sternberg / Shternberg) was a Jewish bass singer, choir soloist, and cantor associated with the cantorial “golden age” in Eastern Europe and later with synagogue life in the United States. He was widely regarded—particularly within Jewish choral circles—as an extraordinary bass voice, and he was also known as a prolific storyteller of cantorial lore.

Early life and background​

Bass was born in a village in Bessarabia, described as near the Prut river. As a child he sang as a meshorer (choirboy) and, according to family testimony, was repeatedly “stolen” from one cantor’s choir to another because of the quality of his treble voice. In one account, his mother searched for him for two years before locating him and bringing him home for his bar mitzvah.

Musical career​

Bass’s career began in Eastern Europe in the choirs of leading cantors and choir leaders. Accounts place him in the orbit of prominent figures including Isser Belzer, Nisi Belzer, Yeruchem Hakoton, Rozumny, and later in Odessa with Pinye Minkowsky at the Broder Synagogue, where David Nowakowsky is described as conducting and Bass serving as bass soloist.

In later years Bass also served as an independent cantor in several locations in Europe, including Bucharest, and during wartime is described as having officiated in Lipcani (Bessarabia). Family testimony emphasizes that although he possessed an exceptionally large voice, he sometimes sang with restrained volume when leading services.

Bass emigrated to the United States in the early 1920s; one account gives 1922, while another gives 1923. After arrival he is described as living initially in New York, then spending time in Boston, and later holding a cantorial post in Providence, Rhode Island. In the United States he also continued work as an ensemble singer, a role in which he was particularly identified with the name “Yossel Bass.”

Voice and reception​

Bass was repeatedly characterized by contemporaries and family members as the pre-eminent synagogue bass of his time. Testimony emphasizes both his early reputation as a choir soloist and his later standing as a bass voice of unusual power, even into advanced age. At the same time, one narrative notes that the cantorial market often favored higher voices (tenors and lyric baritones), which may have limited his prominence specifically as a star cantor despite his vocal gifts.

Religious life​

Family testimony portrays Bass as intensely observant and particularly devoted to prayer, including the practice of wearing two pairs of tefillin (Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam). This religious commitment is cited as a major reason he chose the synagogue over an operatic career.

Family and legacy​

Bass’s family name was Sternberg, though he was almost universally known by the professional name “Bass.” Two of his sons, Harold and Sam Sternberg, became members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

According to family testimony, a body of music manuscripts and part-books associated with Bass (including multi-part choral materials) was later donated by Harold Sternberg to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where it is described as a dedicated collection.