Pozner, Meʼir, 1735-1807

Meyer Posner was a composer, arranger and conductor active in New York's Yiddish musical world from 1919 until his timely death in 1931. He was born in the Polish city of Plock, part of the Russian empire, ca. 1890. He was choirmaster of the Borough Synagogue in London, ca. 1910. Around this time Posner composed a popular musical setting of Morris Rosenfeld poem Herbst Bletlach (Autumn Leaves). He graduated from London Guild Hall Conservatory in 1914. By 1916 Posner was music director and conductor at the Great Synagogue in Duke Place. During these years he supposedly composed a Hebrew operetta entitled Ezra and Nehemia and a grand opera, Saul, though neither scores are extant. Posner emigrated to the U.S. in 1919 to conduct New York's Workmen Circle Choir (Arbiter Ring Kor). He composed and arranged many choral settings of Yiddish songs for this ensemble, several of them published by Metro Music, 1927-1930. Around 1922, he composed and conducted incidental music for two Yiddish plays, Amol iz Geven a Maise and Dos Groise Gevins. He published several music articles for the Yiddish newspaper Der Tog in 1923, and in 1930 he conducted a vocal quartet for Der Tog radio show. For a time he conducted choirs for Cantor Josef Rosenblatt at the Hungarian Congregation Ohav Zedek and for other cantors in concert. In addition to the Workmen Circle Choir, Posner directed the Synagogue Choral Alliance, The Children Choir at the Sholom Aleichem Schools, and, in 1928, he succeeded Leo Low as conductor of the historic Paterson Hebrew Singing Society. Around 1929, Posner's composition The Machine, set to a biting text by Morris Rosenfeld, caused a great stir when it was performed by the 200-voice Workmen's Circle Choir with orchestra. He also provided Yiddish folk song arrangements for the Vilna Troupe's show Der Regenbogen. (The Rainbow), during their 1930 New York tour. Meyer Posner was married in 1929. He died suddenly on February 8, 1931 of a heart attack, while preparing for an orchestral performance of Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah at New York's Town Hall

From the description of Music scores and papers, 1917-1950. (Jewish Theological Seminary of America). WorldCat record id: 166256605