Born near Ansbach, Bavaria (now in Germany), Samuel Naumbourg was raised in a family connected to a long lineage of cantors. After receiving musical training in Munich, Naumbourg settled in Paris in 1843, establishing himself as an influential choirmaster among the city’s synagogue choirs. Over the course of his career, Naumbourg compiled and published synagogue music for a broad audience, drawing on both his southern German heritage and conventions of opera popular in France at the time to give his music wide appeal.
Salamone de Rossi (1570–1630), composer, singer, violinist, and musician in the Gonzaga court in Mantua, is best known for his introduction of polyphony into synagogue music. Composer Samuel Naumbourg…
The Gerush (Hebrew for “expulsion”) synagogue in Bursa, Turkey, dates back to the early sixteenth century and is unique in its dual-ark design; one upper section is located in the women’s gallery…
The whole of chapter three and part of four are taken up with the Divine call to Moses, his preparations for undertaking the mission, the overcoming of all his hesitations, from the historic promise…