Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue Music in Nineteenth-Century Reform Sources from Hamburg

A step towards a more comprehensive history of Sephardi liturgical music, this monograph examines a collection of transcriptions of traditional liturgical music prepared by the first congregation of Reform Jews in Hamburg in the second decade of the 19th century as part of its attempt to introduce Sephardi tunes into the synagogue services. These documents comprise the earliest tangible evidence of Sephardi liturgical music and allow for a reevaluation of historical issues and myths related to this musical tradition. Includes musical examples.