Born in Hohenemes, Austria, Sulzer officiated as a cantor in his hometown, and was later appointed cantor at the Seitenstettengasse Synagogue in Vienna, where he stayed for fifty-five years. He was an admired and imitated cantor of his time, appreciated beyond the Jewish community. As a composer and musician, Sulzer is considered by some as the father of modern cantorate. This is a result of his attempt to reform synagogue music by purifying existing melodies, and reconstructing them according to the rules of harmony. This reform, seen in his Schir Zion, was widely adopted by the modern synagogues of the mid-nineteenth century. He published a number of works that included his own compositions, and compositions by others.
Sources:
Goldschmidt, Ernst Daniel, and Akiva Zimmerman. 'Sulzer, Solomon.' Encyclopaedia Judaica
Concise Encyclopedia of Jewish Music (Macy Nulman)
'Sulzer, Salomon.' Jewish Encyclopedia.com
. 'Sulzer, Salomon.' Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
