Avrohom Himelstein, composer and conductor of the choir of the Great Synagogue in Johanesburg who was my teacher, was of Warsaw origin. He use to pray in the legendary Great Tolomatzky street Synagogue where Gershon Sirota was Chazan and he told me that when Gershon Sirota was starting the Yom Toyv evening service with the “Mah Toyvu” opening standing at the door entrance of the Synagogue with a powerful high D, people had the impression that the cupola of the Synagogue is going to blow away from the power of his voice. Not a mean feat seen that the same Himelstein told me that when Moishe Koussevitzky (which succeeded Sirota as Chief Chazan of the Tolomatzky Synagogue) first started there as Chazan, his voice sounded like a little bird chirping in the Synagogue.
Gershon Sirota had a real dramatic Tenor voice which was powerful even in it’s low register. Caruso who went to hear Sirota while Sirota was touring the US in concerts, said to Sirota after the concert: “We opera Tenors are lucky that you did not become a Opera singer yourself”.
He had a roaring voice but could sing very softly and indeed sometimes he was singing softly and suddenly without prior warning, he was bursting out in such high notes without transition that people where just dumbfounded on their seat not being able to move.