ˈæftɚ hɪz fˈɑːðɚ dˈaɪd, wˌɛn hiː wʌz ˈeɪdʒd twˈɛlv, hiː hˈɛlpt səpˈoːɹt ðə fˈæmɪli æz ɐ kˈɑːɹpəntɚz ɐpɹˈɛntɪs ænd baɪ sˈɪŋɪŋ səpɹˈɑːnoʊ ɪn lˈoʊkəl sˈɪnɐɡˌɑːɡz ænd ɪn bˌɛsɐɹˈeɪbiə nˈaʊ moʊldˈoʊvə ʌntˈɪl hɪz vˈɔɪs tʃˈeɪndʒd.
After his father died, when he was aged 12, he helped support the family as a carpenter's apprentice and by singing soprano in local synagogues and in Bessarabia (now Moldova) until his voice changed.