Song and Singers of the Synagogue in the Eighteenth Century

repr. in Journal of Synagogue Music, iii/2 (1971), 43–70.
During the 18th century, West European hazzanim came in close contact with non-Jewish music of the late baroque and rococo styles and composed new tunes in imitation of non-Jewish instrumental genres, to the great chagrin of the rabbis. The article describes the rise of this style. It begins with a short history of Ashkenazi liturgical chant up to the seventeenth century, and continues with an account of the penetration of foreign elements into synagogue music. Especially singled-out are Rossi's polyphonic works, the introduction of the organ into the Altneu Synagogue in Prague and the use of instrumental music in synagogues of other towns. Next comes a discussion of the establishment of the trio cantor-bass-discant in German synagogues, and of the rabbinic reaction to it. The influence of East European hazzanim on the German style is also examined. The last part of the article provides a detailed account of the mss. of the Birnbaum Collection and information about some of the outstanding cantors represented there. According to Idelsohn, the mss. 'betray a striking monotony of style and text,' but the efforts made by cantors to open up the synagogue to non-Jewish music had a lasting influence on synagogue music throughout Europe. The article contains four facsimiles of 18th century cantorial mss. and numerous Hebrew quotations for these mss. and from rabbinic responsa.