Majestic 19th-century Synagogue Choral Music
At the beginning of the 19th century we find for the first time an ongoing choral tradition of art music in European synagogues. For nearly two millennia the soundscape of a synagogue had consisted primarily of rhythmically free chanting of prayers and lections in traditional modes. Any choral singing had been informal and pre-literate. The notable exceptions in the 17th and 18th centuries (described in chapter 4) were individual rare cases. But now professional-level choral singing, which could rival that of neighboring churches, became a fixture in many synagogues in major urban centers.
Learn about this music
In Vienna, Cantor Salomon Sulzer (and Franz Schubert) (https://youtu.be/f9PGzzx_faI )
In Berlin, Louis Lewandowski https://youtu.be/oA5UaZzD4nY
In Paris, Samuel Naumbourg (and Jacques Halévy) https://youtu.be/yZq_FQMg50c
In London, Jules Israel Mombach https://youtu.be/9MHkWxGbeI4
In Odessa, David Nowakowsky https://youtu.be/9MHkWxGbeI4
In Munich, Maier Kohn, Max Löwenstamm, and Emanuel Kirschner https://youtu.be/-ep8cMkzIiU
In Frankfurt, Israel Japhet https://youtu.be/-ep8cMkzIiU
Watch videos of individual works by Lewandowski:
https://youtu.be/_oMfo5fOKZQ (Mah Tovu, Enosh, Hallelujoh).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXf7To0fhT8 (Psalm 150 – virtual choir performance, with historical narration).
https://youtu.be/-6EJnEHcaOA (Enosh and Ewiger).
Other composers
Sulzer, Psalm 111— Halleluyoh https://youtu.be/_E15-1bJbVA ()
Schubert, Tov LeHodos https://youtu.be/xRL5LxdHGGs
Nowakowsky, Adonay Zekhoronu https://youtu.be/0Vs0O518R90
Video concerts of this music:
https://youtu.be/knRk2lXSDPw (Divine Majesty)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZUIi6k5f-4 (The Majesty of Hallel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-6gPDJ6qlk (Masterworks of Majesty)
Articles
Jacobson, Joshua. "Great Synagogue Choral Classics You’ve Never Heard of (But You Really Should Have)" The Choral Journal (December, 2019, pp. 20-36) (download)
Jacobson, Joshua. “Franz Schubert and the Vienna Synagogue.” The Choral Journal, August, 1997. (download)