Cantors Assembly Journal of Synagogue Music

J O U R N A L

OF SYNAGOGUE MUSIC

September 1967/ELUL 5727
VOLUME 1
Number 2

CONTENTS

Prayer: A LOST Art Samuel Rosenbaum 3

The Concept of Musical Tradition in

the Synagogue Dr. Eric Werner

A LANDMARK CASE 18

A Collector 's Random Notes on the

BIBLIOGRAPHY of J ewish M usic -Eric Mandel 28

From the Introduction to "KOL Israel" Morris Levinson 39

DEPARTMENTS

Pirkei HAZZANUT -Max Wohlberg 46

Review of New Music Charles Davidson 49

Adonoy Moloch by Lazar Weiner

Silent Devotion and May the Words by Walter Brenner

Forget Thy Affliction by Herman Berlinski

Hara N'halela by Tzipora J ochsberger

Melodies of Israel by Tzipora J ochsbcrger

Yiddishe Dichterin Gesang Edited by Mordecai Yardrini

Preliminary Service /or Sabbaths end Festivals by Pinchas SpifO

Music Section 51

Met halkel Chajim by Emanuel Kirschner
Mi Chomocho by Emanuel Kirschner

JOURNAL OF SYNAGOGUE MUSIC, Volume I, Number 2,

September 1967/Elul 5727
Published by The Cantors Assembly of America

editor : Charles Davidson

itor: Samuel Rosenbaum

>ard: Gerald Hanig, Joseph Levine, Morris Levinson,
Solomon Mendelson, Morton Shames, Morton Shanok, Kurt Silber-
mann, Hyman Sky, George Wagner, Max Wohlberg, Arthur Yolkoff.

OFFICERS OF THE CANTORS ASSEMBLY: HdZZCin SdUl M ei Sel S, P TeSi C^nt \

Hazzan Arthur Koret, Vice President; Hazzan David J. Leon, Vice
President; Hazzan Yehudah Mandel, Treasurer; Hazzan Solomon
Mendelson, Secretary; Hazzan Samuel Rosenbaum, Executive Vice

President.

journal of synagogue music is a quarterly publication. The sub-
scription fee is $5.00 per year; $10.00 per year for patrons. Second-
class postage paid at New York, New York. All articles, commun-
ications and subscriptions should be addressed to Journal of
Synagogue Music, Cantors Assembly of America, 3080 Broadway,
New York 10027.

Copyright © 1967, The Cantors Assembly of America.

PRAYER THE LOST ART

By Samuel ROSENBAUM
1. The Problem

Our time is hardly one of spiritual uplift.

It should not come as a surprise that many find it difficult to
pray. The fires of doubt and cynicism have been too well fed this
last half century. The immediate past history of the world and the
terror which has become common place in our time do not easily
nurture belief. Faith and hope, it would seem, went up in the
smoke of Auschwitz. Not only for those who still breathe the stench
of burning bodies but even for many of us who sat across an ocean
and ate and smiled and slept.

While we think the malady which besets prayer in our time is
deeper and more serious than it has ever been it is not unique to
our time. There were always those who could not or would not pray.
Those who had lost the way, those who never knew it. And those,
the fat, sleek ones, smugness fitting them like a glove, terribly
certain that having accumulated more than those around them
they did not need to pray.

So there are more than ample reasons why many no longer
pray.

And yet, Jews continue to come to the synagogue. Seemingly
unperturbed by the contradictions in their personal lives, in spite of
the state of the human situation, they come in greater numbers
than ever before. Not only do they come, but they work, they gather
money and they build magnificent, even opulent synagogues.

Jews come, more than ever, to bigger, more beautiful syna-
gogues and yet the synagogues remain strangely silent.

Can it be that in our thirst for decorum we have gone too far?
Possibly, but not not likely. It is not the absence of conversation
that disturbs us. Anyone who ever sat with his father or grand-
father in a shul knows that something else is missing. It was a sound
which you could almost feel between your teeth; the sound of prayer,
warm, exciting, sanctifying.

It hummed and droned and throbbed filling every corner of the
synagogue and overflowing to the outside.

They, our fathers and grandfathers, had a nigun to which they
walked to the synagogue; a nigun for washing the hands. There was
a nusah with which they unpacked the long tallis, unfurled it with
practiced grace and wrapped it around them. And there was melody
-quiet, sad, introspective, kedushah-evoking melody with which
they prayed as they prepared for prayer with prayer.

Today, the congregation sits, uncomfortably well dressed, faces
fixed, eyes shallow, focused on things far away from what is to come.
They are waiting to pray. And they wait for the rabbi to tell them
that it is time to pray.

Finally, it is time. The rabbi, the cantor and the choir are in
their appointed places. They perform their solos, duets, trios and
ensembles, but the hum of congregational prayer, the surge and the
breath of prayer are frozen as if in a far away wasteland. Once in a
while the congregation joins in a perfunctory response, or reading
or tune. But these are only barren islands scattered over a vast sea
of indifferent emptiness.

And the prayer, the prayer we so desperately need, it lies
buried deep in the untouched recesses of the heart.
11. Some Solutions:

Rabbis, cantors and concerned laymen have not been unaware
of the problem. A great number of cures have been suggested and
tried. Most of them have failed. Not for lack of sincerity or deter-
mination, but for lack of insight into the real source of the trouble.

If people do not, or cannot pray, the logic went, then there must
be something wrong with the service. Therefore, let us change the
service:

Have it started later, finish earlier. Make it shorter, make it
longer. Put in an organ, take out the organ. More English, less
Hebrew. More Hebrew, less English. Better refreshments, no refresh-
ments. Coffee hour, Kiddush, Oneg Shabbat and even collation.
Shorter sermon, longer sermon. More announcements, less announce,
ments, annual Torah cycle, tri-ennial Torah cycle.

Everything has been tried with the exception, perhaps, of
trading stamps.

Along with the experimentation with the service attempts were
made to bring the prayer book up to date, to make it a more useful
tool in prayer. The work on the prayer book was of a more thought-
ful and scholarly nature.

It was argued, with some justification, that modern theological
thought and investigation demanded a new translation in order to
bring the prayer book closer to contemporary language and outlook.
Such translations, the argument continued, would also better serve
the needs of this generation of worshippers; particularly those whose
command of Hebrew was limited and/ or non-existent.

As a result, a number of new translations appeared over the last
twenty years. In the attempt to bring timeliness, particularity and
finiteness to the meaning of the ancient texts the eternal ness, the
timelessness, the rhythm and the thrust of the liturgy were lost.

Whatever the value of the new translations they serve scholarship
and liturgical research more than they do the exercise of prayer.
Each new translation gives rise to more criticism as the experts
haggle over shades of meaning, nuances, poetic license, etc. The
would-be-worshipper finds only the new and strange language which
is still different from the language in which the traditional J ewish
service is conducted.
III. The Road Back:

The root of the problem is, of course, to be found in the
illiteracy and alienation of the would-be-worshipper. The attempts to
find a quick and easy solution could not help but fail since they
focused on changing the tools of the worshipper instead of changing
the worshipper himself.

Admittedly, the needs of the moment are urgent and the short
term nostrums beckon enticingly. But they cannot succeed. And each
failure brings even more frustration and disappointment to the would-
be Jew, driving him further away from the only path which will
bring success : study and preparation.

It is time we faced the problem honestly. Let us turn our
attention to the J ew. No one in his right mind would hope to enjoy
golf or bridge or skiing, or to pursue a profession or business without
the proper preparation, motivation, education and equipment.

And even these are not enough. There must also be the inspira-
tion gleaned from observing a skilled practitioner pursue his art or
profession.

For example, how does the concert hall, the ball park, the theatre
treat patrons? This is not to suggest that prayer can be assigned
to the category of entertainment. But there is something which can
be learned from these forms.

Each of these institutions exists only because of the loyalty
of its devotees, its fans. It is in the best interest of the concert hall,
the ball park, the theatre, to make its product as accessible, as
understandable as possible. Yet no one would suggest that a concert
artist, or an orchestra slow down the tempo of a composition so that
the novices can follow the score, or so that a patron, hearing a
Beethoven symphony for the first time, can fully grasp all of the
nuances and meaning of the work. Nor does the theatre expose its
back stage or its lighting equipment to the view of the audience so
that a new patron may better understand the play. The professional
ball team does not simplify the rules of the game in order that
the man who attends once a year will get something out of it.

On the contrary, the goal for these institutions is to present the
best, the most authentic performance no matter what difficulty this

may present to the uninitiated. In the normal course of events a
man who is really interested in music or the theatre or baseball will
read a book, take lessons, attend concerts or ball games so long
until he understands better what is going on, until he can participate
at a level which brings him growing satisfaction and pleasure.

A J ew cannot come to the service spiritually naked, intellectu-
ally bankrupt and liturgically unskilled and expect "to get something
out of it." Prayer cannot be achieved by merely being in a synagogue.
It takes wanting, it takes preparation, it takes knowing.

We cannot hope to revitalize prayer by pandering to the lowest
level, or by changing the rules or the liturgy to accommodate the
inept. We serve them better only by conducting the most authentic,
the most sincere, the most genuine service which can be mustered.
Such a service is not necessarily the most "beautiful" which can be
devised unless we define beauty as that which is natural and
authentic, uncontrived and uncluttered.

The test for the effectiveness of a service is the reaction of the
experienced worshipper, the knowledgeable one. How does it affect
him? Let the novice sit among davening J ews and sooner or later the
experiences of others will guide and infect him.

Prayer is achieved more by what we feel than by what we know.
During the very brief moments when we are truly moved we are
unaware of the literal meaning of the individual words of the text.
Rather we are affected by a tune, by the ancient words, by the
atmosphere, by the antiquity of the act in which we are participating.

This is not to imply that ignorance of the meaning of the text
is a desirable factor in prayer. On the contrary, one should know
what he is praying for. But this he should learn through study. At
the moment when a prayer is affective, the literal, line-for-line
translation is not only unnecessary but may even be a psychological
hindrance.

We have all seen J ews who know how to pray, who pray three
times a day. We even may have criticized them for the speed with
which they pray. It is not possible for such a man, rushing through
the Amidah, to be able to concentrate on the full meaning of the
text. But he does know-from long prayer experience, from study-
that the paragraph which begins with Refaenu is a prayer for good
health; that Barech alenu is a petition for sustenance and that
S'lach lanu is a prayer for forgiveness.

It is not the exact, immediate knowledge that makes prayer
meaningful but rather participation in the long-practiced prayer act
that is rewarding.

Think back to the most oft-met example of the J ewish illiterate
in the act of prayer. We have all been present at a funeral at which
a mourner was completely unskilled in prayer. For such mourners
the undertaker provides a pamphlet with the Kaddish in Hebrew,
in an English translation and in transliterated form as well.

When the time comes for the mourner to recite the Kaddish
which does he choose? The English translation which he can read
easily and understand? Or does he, embarrasing as it may be, choose
instead to stumble through the transliteration of "Yisgadal veyis-
kadash shmay raboh . . ."

Even a person of high intellectual achievement prefers to
struggle with the Hebrew rather than to read, "Magnified and sanc-
tified . ."

Why?

Because, somehow, deep within him the old unintelligible but
mystically inviting words evoke something which the English, with
all of its intelligibility, does not.

The illiterate cannot be taught during the service, except by
example. If he is sincere he may derive some benefit just from being
in the midst of other worshippers and identifying with them. When
this is no longer sufficient he should be provided with an opportunity
for study. Classes for adult J ewish study are available in virtually
every congregation in the country. If the illiterate does not care
enough to improve himself we should be courageous enough to with-
stand the temptation to lower standards in order to accommodate
him. Only in raising standards can we hope to survive in an alien
society. To lower them is to die.

One final caution.

In their attempt to help those who cannot pray many rabbis
succumb to the temptation to make a classroom out of the syna-
gogue. They reason: use the time of the service, if not for prayer,
at least for the undeniably good purpose of expounding J udaism.
This has led many rabbis to the practice of breaking into the service
to explain and to comment.

While at times this may be helpful, most of the time these
intrusions disturb the normal flow of prayer.

Prayer, even for the learned and the pious, is not an automatic
response. It involves an attitude, an atmosphere, a sound, an emotion,
a need. Like all complicated human responses it falls away, evapo-
rates under analysis.

A man, separated from his beloved, may think of many reasons
why he loves her. But when the two come together and embrace
he does not stop to count the reasons. He knows only that he loves

her. His embrace is his natural way of expressing that love. Should he
attempt to analyze it at that moment the fervor will cool.

This is true even on the more automatic level of physical
stimulus and response.

A healthy adult can reach down and pick up a reasonable load
and balance it on his shoulder. The expert in anatomy can isolate
and name the stresses and tensions in each muscle of the body as it
participates in this act. But should the anatomy expert attempt to
analyze and isolate each factor as he picks up the load he will never
lift it from the floor. The coordination which he has developed
from a lifetime of practice evaporates under such dissection and he
becomes as helpless as one who has never mastered the act.

It is the task of the rabbi, the hazzan and members of syna-
gogue ritual committees to provide the preparation for prayer. To
assist the man in the pew by making available a wide variety of
instruction in the factors which go to make up prayer: Hebrew,
the nature of the prayer book, nusah and congregational tunes,
Jewish history and Jewish thought. All of these, and more, are
involved in J ewish prayer.

But this cannot, should not be done during a service. At that
time, the full energies of those who lead, or better, guide the
service, must be directed to prayer itself. Like the Kohen Gadol of
old, the rabbi and hazzan must first, themselves, pray sincerely and
devoutly. Only then can they pray with and for a congregation. If
the rabbi and hazzan are distracted from prayer in order to teach
and to expound and to illustrate, no one in the congregation will
really ever get to pray.

In prayer, as in life, the best way to teach is by example. Until
J ews acquire the background, the knowledge and the spiritual in-
sights which are the vital components of prayer, they will not pray.

They will continue only to be the silent witnesses at the death
bed of prayer.

THE CONCEPT OF MUSICAL TRADITION IN HE SYNAGOGUE

Dr. Eric Werner

All facts and ideas fall into three different categories.

1. Verifiable and verified facts.

2. Their historical or scientific interpretation.

3. Personal opinions and hypothese not necessarily those of the

author.

These three categories must not be mixed together into one pot
from which you can pick your choice ad lihitum. A scientific structure
is not a supermarket, but an intellectual creation which must be
capable of being tested, criticized, tested again and improved by new
findings. There is no easy solution for a complex problem, and the
concept of a musical tradition of Judaism is a complex problem,
indeed. For we have many traditions differentiated regionally, or
historically, genuine and spurious ones. Traditions which were seen
as created by anonymous collectivities, and others which can be
traced to one or several individuals. Yet we generally start from two
assumptions which are widely taken for granted. One, that each tra-
dition contains certain authentic elements. Two, that all music
traditions are attributable to one Urtradition, to one basic tradition,
to a quintessence from which they all emerged in the course of time.

I do not see how such assumptions can be tested, let alone
proved. Therefore, we must not start with such axiomatic assump-
tions but with the strict, sharp critique and testing of the music
repertoire of the synagogue as it stands today. There we have to
learn what, are the facts, the very bare facts.

One, the intonation of the major and daily prayers have escaped
Arabic acculturation in the east; not so the piyyutim. That means:
in general the musical tradition of the daily prayers is considerably
older than anything of importance in the synagogue liturgy. It is
especially true when the prayers have the form of plain or ornate
psalmody. Daily prayers and canti Nation have not fully escaped Ger-
man and Slavonic acculturation but to a far greater degree than
piyyutim. Interpretation: the German and Slavonic influences have
changed more tonality of cantillation than its basic motifs, as we can
see from the earliest notations by Reuchlin and Muenster from 1518-
1530, compared with today's practice.

for years Professor of Jewish Music at the UAHC-JIR
; in New York, lecturer and musicologist, has recently
inue his work in Jewish Ethno-Musicology.

The deviation can be measured and amounts to about 18%. If you
consider that this notation is 450 years old then you will have to
admit that it is relatively well preserved, in spite of all acculturation.
There are no motifs fully common in the canti Nation of the three
main traditions, meaning Ashkenazic, Sephardic and Yemenite.

This fact seems to admit two consequences. First, although the
Tiberian accents, and even their names and shapes were adopted by
all Jews, the scriptural cantillation has no motifs common to all of
them. Hence we must assume that the various traditions in cantilla-
tion existed before the adoption of the masoretic accents. That is, it
goes back at least to the 8th century.

The second consequence: The fact that all the traditions were
totally different from each other in the field of cantillation did not
hamper the development of cantillation in each individual sector.
Certain archetypes, prototypes, or maintypes are common to all three
traditions. What is an archetype? The structure of a response, of
a melismatic chant, of an anti phonal performance, etc., etc., a paral-
lelistic performance, a litany, a pismon, etc.; these are archetypes.

The imposition of musical meter is much more frequent in the Ash-
kenazic orbit than in the two others. In those, rhymes and metric
structure of the poetry are often completely ignored by the singer or
improviser. That means that a Sephardic singer or improviser will
very often treat a piyyut as a free chant or as a recitative.

The Ashkenazic singer is inclined to do exactly the opposite.
When he has a prose text, like Birhat Hamazon, he forced it into
metrical melodies. Most of these tunes of the Birkat Hamazon are
German folksongs of the late 18th century. Each of them can be
easily traced. They have very sentimental texts. The most famous

is "Kein Feuer keine Kohle, kann brennen so heiss

This is typical West Ashkenazic. It is characteristic of the accul-
turation at the end of the 18th century. The principle of limited and
patterned improvisation is common to all Jewish singers and tradi-
tions but. also to the Byzantine, Arab, Kurdistan, Yugoslav, Persian
and Hindu singers and bards. It means that we are not the only ones
who have this type of limited and patterned improvisation.

That the Sephardis overlook the meter of a poem was discussed
already by Yehuda Halevi in his Kuzari. A number of melodic arche-
types and structures are common to Gregorian repertoire and certain
Jewish traditions. It is only possible in a rare case to determine, who
gave, who took, who borrowed, who lent. A typical case is the great
Menu of the High Holidays. It is one of the rare instances which we
can trace. It is traceable to the city of Blois (France), in the year
1097, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. The Jews were burned at

11

the stake and they sang that Alenu and the church took it over and
you can find it in its repertoire.

In most cases this is not possible. Only there are certain proba-
bilities to be discussed. Let's take the Barachu of the High Holidays.
This is almost identical with the Catholic hymn, Zste Confessor
Domini Colentes, Idelson already observed that, but what he did not
observe is that first of all this is metrical both in the Latin text and in
the music of the synagogue. In the Gregorian chant it is not metrical.
The rule, the law in the musical history is that non-metrical music
precedes metrical music. Consequently you have to assume in this
case that we Jews again the Ashkenazic Jews, borrowed the melody
but imposed meter upon it.

Before specifying the elements of our musical tradition we are
obliged first to investigate its continuity for with that question our
case stands and falls. In this question two opinions sharply contradict
each other. Saminsky championed the idea that with the fall of the
second Temple the entire tradition came to an end as it was based
upon professional singers and on instrumental music, neither of
which were permitted to function after the year 70.

Idelsohn, on the other hand, maintained that the factor of the
common tradition, which pre-dates the fall of the Temple, can be
demonstrated by certain identities within the music of distant Jewish
communities. Neither of them presented their case in a way con-
vincing for a historian, folklorist or musicologist. Both of them were
attacked and Saminsky's thesis was first refuted. This was easy since
he did not give any evidence for his statements. In the case of Idel-
sohn, whose great merits were recognized even by his sharpest critics,
such as the late Professor Handschin who would not recognize any
of his historical statements but was willing to listen to his great
collections, the following questions were asked:

1. Can we say that the elements common to the various Jewish books
go back to a time when the majority of Jewry was concentrated in
what was known as Palestine, that is, from 100 to 900?

2. Do the identities of the Gregorian and Hebrew chants go back
to the chant of the synagogue, not of the Temple? Why did Jewish
groups maintain the psalmody of the old synagogue but not its
cantillation? (for the Temple had none, as it did not have a regular
Torah-reading.)

The problem of continuity can be considered solved today.
Since a great deal of spade work has been done especially in Israel
among the various immigrant groups. Even so far peripheral groups
such as Indian Jews were compared with certain Greek Macedonian

Jews, etc., etc. This has been done by Doctors Avenary and Gerson-
Kiwi. Quite recently Dr. Amnon Shiloah, a very promising Israeli
scholar, has investigated the stability of Hebrew psalmody in Arabic
speaking communities and attained results which again show the
much older traditions of psalmody and cantillation, when compared
with piyyutim.

What is the rahbinic attitude toward the matter of musical
tradition?

First, is there a rahbinic concensus to this question? There is
not, but there was up to about 1700. The rabbinate concerned itself
with two aims regarding music.
(1.) The cantillation of the Torah should be correct.
(2.) The cantor should be subdued.

That was the sum total of rabbinic interest if I except the fol-
lowing glorious names: Rabbi Yehuda HaGaon; Rabbi Natronai
Gaon, Yehuda Halevi, Rabbi Solomon Mintz of Padua, Rabbi Elia
Levita, Rabbi Leon A rye da Mod eno, Rabbi Kirch Han-Henle, Rabbi
Joel Syrkes-eight men in 1,500 years! A paltry result in my opinion!

The situation in America, to bring it up to date, was and is
particularly ticklish because here the cantor historically preceded
the rabbi. A thing which the rabbi has not forgotten up to this
moment.

2. What last rabbinic decision about music was so authoritative
that it affected all Jews? We find it in the responsum of Rabbi
Natronai Gaon, around 830, concerning the chant of Scriptures.
Its contents will not interest us here. It is sufficient to note that
in this decree the Gaon stated certain principles of performance
in the synagogue just as the Pope decrees them today from Rome,
which were then binding for all Jewry and were observed.

3. What rabbinic decision was, at least in principle, the first one
to affect the cause of Jewish music?

The laws which prohibit instrumental music in the synagogue
are vague and unclear as far as one finds these terms in the Talmud.
The prohibition of instrumental music in the synagogue was coupled
with that of singing at banquets and with the denial of secular and
liturgical chant performed by men and women. It was, bluntly
speaking, a severe and complicated measure. For these three types of
musical performance demanded three different types of legal reason-
ing. Their prohibition did not stand on safe, legal ground. The moti-
vation had to be provided by Scripture, in-as-much as the rabbis by
themselves possessed only that much authority as they could muster
from their own interpretation of Scripture. They had to search for

scriptural passages which might be twisted and interpreted until they
would suit their purposes. As no such prohibition as the rabbi; had
in mind can be found in Scripture, the rabbinic laws concerning music
are inconsistent and full of loopholes, so that their interpretation of
the scriptural text is totally unconvincing.

In spite of this faulty reasoning, by the end of the first century,
Judaism, and to a certain extent Christianity, also entered an age of
anti-musical puritanism which completely ruined the future of our
synagogue music. The rabbinical laws restrict more and more the
musical performance inside th.e synagogue and outside. This sharp-
ening of the laws is especially noticeable in the various rabbinic codes
which represented the thinking of their compilers and their time, and
there is no doubt that from the Talmud up to the Shulhan Aruch the
laws concerning music became ever more stringent.

We have only to think historically to realize what it meant
that due, to rabbinic influence and rabbinic prohibition, a nation
that once had created a Levitical chorus famous for hundreds of
years; a nation that created psalmody, hymns, chants, responses,
and a nation whose psalmists and singers were celebrated even in
the non-Jewish world had almost totally lost its musical tradition.

I admit that laymen and hazzanim were not totally without
faults. But, for the historian, the main responsibility remains and
always will remain with the rabbi. Which rabbinic decision saved the
cause of Jewish music?

The decision of Rabbi Yehuda haGaon to continue the existence
of piyyutim in the face of halachic opposition. We know of this act
from various sources.

That means that hazzanim received this tradition from Rabbi
Yehudt Gaon as he received it from his teacher back to the time of
Moshe mi Sinai.

As the musical tradition of Judaism I suggest that we under-
stand only its musical folklore, no more and no less than that. We
shall later investigate the question whether or not hazzanut is to be
considered part of folklore. "Music in Judaism," however, refers in-
discriminately to both folklore and art music and again the nebulous
term "Jewish music," emerges without clear definition. Let us clean
up that terminological mess and ask when and where that term first
appeared and what it meant.

The expression, Jewish music, or something of that sort occurs
first in an account of Manuel ha-Romi, the Hebrew poet and con-
temporary of Dante. The important passage reads:

"What does the science of music say to the Christians: Stolen,

14

Yea stolen was I from the land of the Hebrew" which is of course a
quotation from Bereshit, and J oseph's answer to the question of his
home.

The term chochmat hamusika is, however, by no means clear.
In the Middle Ages the term encompassed musical theory and
if we translate it as "art of music" have we the first reference to
counterpoint, especially the mathematical theory of intervals. Only
Jewish music. Suppose we understand the verse in this sense.
What did the poet have in mind. What music existed among Italian
J ewry at this time? Synagogical chant, to be sure, scriptural canti Na-
tion, some romances in a kind of Italo-Jewish dialect similar to
Ladino, and that is all. Of these categories hazzanut certainly oc-
cupied the highest artistic rank. Did Manuel refer to the hax-
zanim of his time? Not at all! He had heard the music of the church,
which just at his time underwent a great development and he re-
minded himself and his brethren that Gregorian chant is based upon
ancient Hebrew tradition. His expression, chochmat hamusika, refers
thus to past glories, to the musical art as practiced in the Temple.
Again the image of "national Jewish music" has vanished before
critical investigation. And so it always does vanish until the early
19th century.

The earliest document which we possess of a Hebrew musical
manuscript, written in readable notes of the time, dates from about
1130. Its scribe and perhaps its composer has only been identified
during the past year and has caused a sensation. A young northern
knight, the son of a Norman baron in Southern Italy, who had a
mystical dream, converted to J udaism against all rabbinic dissuasion
and of course had to flee from Italy to the Near East. There he was
well-provided with letters to the leading rabbis and he sojourned in
Aleppo, in Bagdad, in Damascus, in Palestine, and finally he settled
in Cairo. His autobiography has been found and the name of the
man being established, J ohn (or Giovanni) who was given the name
of Ovadia ha-Ger. Of this Ovadia ha-Ger there is, in modern tran-
scriptions by Dr. Israel Adler, one of the three extant pieces which
have come down to us from the early 12th century.

This then is the earliest notated Hebrew music which we have.
It sounds, it smacks of Gregorian chant. But is is not identical. You
see there is a metric pattern in Hebrew. Since the composer ignores
the meter of the text, it is the first part which fairly resembles
Gregorian style. The end does not. It indulges in what you would
simply call melismata. These flourishes are not at all in Gregorian
style. The piece as a whole is a mixture of what you might call

Gregorian elements and Oriental -Jewish elements. Now is this Jewish
music? Is it Jewish tradition? What is it? I cannot answer these
questions. For what occasion was it written? It is still hotly debated.
Some people claim it was a eulogy on the death of Moses, it was for
Simhat Torah. It was my hypothesis, which was backed by an Israeli
scholar, Prof. Allony, that it was for the seventh of Adar, the
death day of Moses, which at that time, especially in Egypt, was the
end of the triennial cycle of Torah reading. You know that in Egypt
the triennial cycle was alive up to the end, even after the Rambam,
after 1200.

Another example of the problematic concept, not of musical
tradition in Judaism, but of Jewish music per se, is a piyyut by
Moshe Chaim Lusatto of Padua, who was himself a rabbi, hazzan and
poet, written in Amsterdam about 1742, for the famous Portuguese
synagogue, Etz Hayyim. The composer was Avraham de Caceres. The
piece, a duet between hatan Torah and hatan Bereshit accompanied
by Continuo, was destined for Simhat Torah.

This sounds exactly like a piece from a Handel opera. There is
no doubt that Caceres was familiar with some of them. But two
little motifs are not Handelian and can be traced to the Ashkenazic
tradition.

Now, let's go to the East. One can hear a cantillation by Persian
Jews and thereafter a secular Persian song composed by Firdausi.
The sharp difference in style is unmistakably evident, We have men-
tioned this typical distinction between the style of piyyut of folksong
on one hand and the recitation of ancient prayer or the cantillation
of Scripture as one of the absolutely sure facts in Jewish music
tradition.

From this premise Saminsky, Idelsohn, Rosowsky and their
followers have concluded the existence of a national Jewish music or
at least the existence of remaining traces of a music tradition which
once was common to all Jews. What was the starting point? The
starting point was the common belief in a musical Ur-tradition.
Equally strong was their belief in the theory which was first formu-
lated by the German romanticist classic poet, Herder. Herder was
the father of serious folklorist studies and thought. He claimed that
the basic essence of folklore is in music and never changes. Every-
thing that is best in a nation is expressed in its folklore. These two
principles were taken over uncritically and absolutely without any
investigation by all Maskilim including Marek, Idelsohn, Rosowsky
and Saminsky. They dominated the Yiddish theater of the last period
of the Haskala. The scholars accepted it, they lapped it up. As a

matter of fact, they added something to the two principles, mentioned
above. They insisted that basic folklore is not created by individuals
but arises anonymously out of the multitude. This question was even
brought to America. We discussed it, experimented with it, and played
a great role-but this is past history-and communal ists were a part
of American literary history and played a great role, but this is past
history, and the romantic claims are definitely rejected.

However, in our business, the field of Jewish music, these ideals
still appear as ghosts, the ghosts of collective authorship, which is
something totally refuted today.

Let us consider the important question, is hazzanut art or folk-
lore. Obviously, neither. For in musical art one version is preferred
by the composer to the exclusion of all others. Is it folklore?
Obviously not. For real folklore is limited to a relatively small region
and does not migrate over oceans and continents. Moreover, true
folklore is restricted to one language. If hazzanut is neither true
folklore nor art music, what is it? We come closest to its real essence
by an approximation: We might regard it as a stylized and accul-
turated tradition. What does this high-brow word "acculturated"
mean? It means, generally, the adjustment of a less developed
civilization to traits and concepts of a higher civilization.

One more element has to be considered before we can survey the
true nature of hazzanut: the legal status of the Jewish community.
Here in the United States the Jewish community has no legal status
whatever, due to the separation of church and state in the constitu-
tion. Only the individual congregation enjoys a strictly private legal
status. Yet the legal form of the kehillah could have survived; the
consistory, the consistoire still exist in Europe, Africa, Australia and
in part of South America.

A kehilla means considerable protection for both the rabbi and
the hazzan. Where a good musical training and an organized kehilla
come together there we find first acculturation, then a close link with
the art of music of the period. The examples of Paris, Vienna, Berlin,
and Frankfort during the 19th century come to mind.

Where there is little musical training and no kehilla but the
rabbi's power alone, there the music of the synagogue remains com-
pletely arid or petrified. Passive assimilation and musical decay set
in and neither tradition nor art music can unfold. This is the case of
Oriental Jewry and, alas, also that of Israel. There prevails a fake
tradition under the aegis of the rabbi which gradually fossilizes.
Excepted from this petrification are only a few elements of Oriental
Jewry which have saved traces of their old folklore, among the
Yemenites, the Iraqis, Kurdistanis, etc. Where there is high musical

17

training but no kehilla — only single congregations as is the case here
in America — we encounter occasional spurts and even concerted
attempts in the right direction. But we are not protected by the
rabbis; our cultural interests are not championed by our educators;
and in most cases the consequence is that the public remains indif-
ferent, or at best, lukewarm.

Where there was little music training but a lot of tradition and
a closely knit kehilla, as was the case in Eastern Europe, we find
active assimilation, acculturation, up to the point where musical edu-
cation becomes respectable. From then on the links with art music
increase. That was the situation in the great centers of Russia during
the 19th century. It led to the development of stylized tradition in
the cases of Gerovitch, Novakovsky, Minkowsky, etc.

What is our future? More than once I have pondered the ques-
tion. But, exactly as my small speculations on the stock exchange,
my predictions were rarely correct. Events have a confounded
way neither to follow predictions, nor to contradict them. They
usually go in a totally unexpected direction.

Yet I do think that one prediction is safe: You must please,
enthuse, interest, edify, and if possible inspire the public. I do not
think the peculiar pudding of Italian opera and Eastern nwah with
a gravy composed of dreydlach, sobs, and virtuoso coloratura singing
will still attract the Jewish masses much longer. The tastes have
changed, and hazzinim have done a fine piece of educating their
congregations. What next? Can we establish the link to art music
with the help of a professional chorus? Or introduce a good volunteer
chorus? The children's chorus, together with the hazzan, can do a
powerful job, as I have seen with delight in some places. There are
many vistas possible.

To me it seems important that for the enormously critical years
ahead-for we have had a renaissance of Jewish music which is passe,
and we have badly relapsed-that for the difficult future we pool our
forces; forget personal politics, vested interests, theological pilpul
for a while and think of actually influencing the Jewish public, not
via the congregation, not via the rabbis but through our own press,
our own publications. In other words, through a popular magazine
in which our spokesmen will have a regular place, a column, a review,
or whatever! Then and there we can fight for a tradition that is alive
and kicking; then we will have the chance to talk back, as man to
man, as craftsmen to protect and to develop our tradition; as men
devoted and dedicated to a mission which has always been held dear
and sacred, to the revival of the psalmist's lyre!

18

A LAND MARK CASE

On May 6, 1966 a decision was handed down by the Tax Court
of the United States. I n a case between the Commissioner of I nternal
Revenue and Hazzan and Mrs. Abraham A. Salkov, the Court
found, in essence, that Hazzan Salkov was indeed, as he had
claimed to be, a Minister of the Gospel, the term used by the
Government to identify a clergyman.

This was the first time to our knowledge that a major court in
the United States has confirmed the hazzan 's claim to the status of
a clergyman. Because it is a land mark case, the Editors felt that the
entire decision rendered by J udge Dauson should be published here.
46 T. C. NO. 16
TAX COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
ABRAHAM A. SALKOV AND EDITH H. SALKOV, Petitioners, v.

COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 5892-64. Filed May 6, 1966

Held, a full-time cantor of the J ewish faith, commissioned by
The Cantors Assembly of America and installed by a congregation,
is a "minister of the gospel" entitled to exclude the portion of his
remuneration received as a rental allowance from his gross income
under Sec. 107(2), I.R.C. 1954.

Herbert S. Garten, and Sheldon G. Dagurt, for the petitioners.
David T. Link, for the respondent.

DAUSON, J udge. Respondent determined the following deficiencies
in the income taxes of petitioners:

Year Deficiency

1960 $507.81

1961 574.23

The only issue for decision is whether Abraham A. Salkov, a fulltime
cantor of the J ewish faith who was commissioned by The Cantors
Assembly of America and installed by a congregation, is a "minister
of the gospel" entitled to exclude certain amounts received as a rental
allowance from his gross income under the provisions of section 107 (2)
of the I nternal Revenue Code of 1954.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts were stipulated and are so found.

Abraham A. Salkov and Edith H. Salkov are husband and wife
who reside at 2601 Manhattan Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland. They
filed their joint Federal income tax returns for the calendar years
1960 and 1961 with the district directors of internal revenue at Los
Angeles, California, and Baltimore, Maryland, respectively.

19

Abraham A. Salkov (hereinafter called petitioner) is a cantor in
the J ewish faith. He was employed as a cantor on a full-time basis
by the Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles from J anuary 1960 through
J une 1961. Since J uly 1961 he has served as cantor for the Chizuk
Amuno Congregation in Baltimore. During the year 1960 the peti-
tioner received $2,400 from the Temple Beth Am as a dwelling rental
allowance. During the year 1961 he received as a dwelling rental
allowance $1,300 from the Temple Beth Am and $1,250 from the
Chizuk Amuno Congregation. The entire amounts so received were
used to pay the expenses of providing a home for the petitioner and
his family in 1960 and 1961.

As a cantor the principal activity of the petitioner revolves
around his duties in the conduct of the J ewish liturgy. He officiates,
along with the rabbi, at the following public worship rituals: the
major Jewish festivals,' "high holidays,'? weddings, funerals, and the
regular weekly Sabbath services conducted each Friday evening and
Saturday morning. As their schedules required, either the petitioner
or the rabbi, or both, officiated at morning and evening services held
in the homes of deceased members of the congregation, called houses
of mourning. The petitioner was solely responsible for the training of
the boys in his congregation for their introduction into adult J ewish
life.' In addition, the petitioner controlled the entire musical program
of the congregation by providing the desired liturgical approach for
the choral director' and directly supervised the work of the youth
chorus.

Petitioner began his training for the cantorate under the direc-
tion of his father, who was also a cantor. From him the petitioner
learned the free improvisational style used by a cantor in much of
his liturgical work. He acquired his more formal choral music training
at Yeshiva University, where he also studied Talmudic law and J ew-
ish prayer,

After completing his formal training and securing his father's
opinion that he was ready to enter the cantorate, the petitioner was

Comprised of Pesach (Passover) in the spring. Shavuos (Pentecost) in
early summer and Succos (Tabernacles) in the fall.

2 Called Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kuppur (Day of Atonement).

3 This rite, called Bar Mitzvah, occurs when the J ewish male nears the age
of 13.

Chizuk Amuno has several choirs or choruses. A professional one is used
for the services held during the festivals and high holidays as well as each
Friday evening, a professional and volunteer choral society presents concerts
and a youth chorus is maintained. The choral director. Saul Lilienstein, has the
title of Director of Sacred Music.

20

accepted into The Cantors Assembly of America 5 and was granted the
following commission:

THE CANTORS ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
To all persons to whom these presents may come
and to all congregations of the J ewish Faith
GREETINGS:
Be it known that
REVEREND ABRAHAM SALKOV
having duly completed the studies and satisfied the requirements
for entry into the Hazzan Ministry known as the Cantorate, and
having met the personal and religious standards and qualifications
required by the Cantors Assembly of America and the J ewish Faith
for a Hazzan-Minister is hereby duly commissioned as a Cantor
Hazzan-Minister with full authority to exercise his ministry in the
conduct of religious services and in the performances of the sacer-
dotal rites of J udaism, and is hereby given all the rights, privileges
and immunities appertaining to that of a

HAZZAN-MINISTER OF THE JEWISH FAITH
"Our God and God of our Fathers inspire the lips of those
who have been designated by Thy people, the House of
Israel, to stand in prayer before Thee, to beseech and sup-
plicate Thy Presence for them."

IN WITNESS WHEREOF and by virtue of the authority

granted the Cantors Assembly of America by a Charter of the State

of New York, we have caused this commission to be signed by the

signatories of the Charter and our corporate seal to be affixed as of

the 23rd day of J une, 1947, corresponding to

the 5th day of Tamus, 5707.

At Chizuk Amuno the selection of the congregation's spiritual
leadership is controlled by the Ritual Committee with the final
approval of the Board of Trustees. When Chizuk Pmuno decided it
needed another canto? in the spring of 1961, the Ritual Committee
contacted the Placement Committee of The Cantors Assembly of
America. The Committee then processed the candidates recommended
by the Assembly through investigation and interviews in order to
determine their qualifications. The Committee unanimously recorm-

5There are three major branches of J udaism-Orthodox, Conservative and
Reform. The Cantors Assembly of America is attached to the United Syna-
gogue of America, the parent organization of the Conservative synagogues in
the United States.

6The Chizuk Amuno congregation has two places of worship, one in
downtown Baltimore and the other in a residential area of the city. The con-
gregation's senior cantor, Hazzan Weisgal, serves the former and petitioner
the latter.

mended the petitioner to the Board and it unanimously approved the
recommendation. The word used to characterize this process of
selection (and the notification of the spiritual leader involved) is
"calling." After accepting the "calling" of Chizuk Amuno, the peti-
tioner was formally installed in his position as cantor during a regular
Friday night service in which the rabbi of Chizuk Amuno "charged"
the petitioner with the duties and spiritual responsibiltes of his office.
Each congregation has jurisdiction over the methods by which it
installs its cantors and rabbis. At Chizuk Amuno the installation pro-
cedures for both are the same.

The Jewish religion is a lay religion. It has no theologically
required hiarachy having control, dominion or jurisdiction over its
sacerdotal functions or religious worship. The single element of
authority present in Judaism is completely juridical. It resides in
the members of the rabbinate who alone may issue binding inter-
pretations of Jewish law.

Within the synagogue there are equal pulpits for the rabbi and
the cantor. Both of them wear dark ecclesiastical robes (except on
certain holidays when white robes are worn) which distinguish them
from the rest of the congregation. In point of time the cantor is more
in the pulpit of the synagogue than the rabbi. Inscribed upon the
cantor's pulpit, in Hebrew, are the words, "Sing unto him-Sing
praises unto him, exult him, speak of all his wonders," which refer
to the cantor in his praise of the Lord.

The purpose of a cantor while he is officiating at services is to try
to express the longings of the congregation and their prayers before
their Father in Heaven rather than proving virtuosity as a singer or
artist. In order o be a cantor an extensive knowledge of Jewish law
and tradition is required.

The bulletin published by Chizuk Amuno regularly carries an an-
nouncment on the availability of its cantors and rabbis for pastoral
duties. An example of an announcement carried in the bulletin is
as follows:

The Rabbis and Cantors of the Congregation are avail-
able to the members and their families for any service which
they may be in a position to render.

While their calendars are sometimes filled for weeks
and even months in advance, they always recognize that
their first duty is to the Congregation. They visit the sick
at home or in the hospital, when notified by a member of a
family. They are available for counseling at hours which may
be arranged by a telephone call.
The petitioner has an office in the Chizuk Amuno Synagogue for

his use. He is listed in the yellow pages of the Baltimore telephone
directory under the title "Clergyman" as "Salkov, Abraham,
Reverend."

In his notice of deficiency dated September 28, 1964, the re-
spondent determined that the dwelling rental allowances paid to
petitioner in 1960 and 1961 are "not exempt from income tax" but
are "taxable as ordinary income."

OPINION.

To our knowledge there are no cases which have decided the
precise issue before us in this proceeding.' We are thus faced squarely
with a question of first impression.

Section 107(2), Internal Revenue Code of 1954, provides that,
in the case of a minister of the gospel, gross income does not
include the rental allowance paid to him as part of his compensation
to the extent used by him to rent or provide a home. Respondent
admits that the Temple Beth Am and the Chizuk Amuno Congrega-
tion designated the amounts received by the petitioner as rental
allowance and that he used them to provide a home for himself and
his family. Cf. Richard R. Eden, 41 T. C. 605 (1964). Consequently,
the respondent's narrow contention here is that the petitioner is not
a "minister of the gospel" within the intendment of the statute.
Petitioner, of course, takes the opposite view.

By definition a "minister" is one who is authorized to administer
the sacraments, preach and conduct services of worship. And "gospel"
means glad tidings or a message, teaching, doctrine or course of action
having certain efficacy or validity. "Gospel," when used with a
capital G, generally means the teachings of the Christian church as
originally preached by J esus Christ and his apostles or a narrative

The Commissioner, however, has issued several revenue rulings pertaining
to section 107. One deals specifically with a cantor. It is Rev. Rul. 61-213.
1961-2 C.B. 27. which states that an individual who performs the duties of a
cantor at a Jewish Community Center is not entitled to exclude his rental
allowance from gross income where he is not an ordained minister of the
gospel. But compare Rev. Rul. 58-221, 1958-1 C.B. 53, which allows the exclu-
sion to an individual at a community center and temple who conducts services
and performs sacerdotal functions according to the tenets of the Jewish faith
where he is ordained and performs the duties ordinarily performed by a rabbi.
See also IT. 3658, 1944 C.B. 71 (involving a theological seminary teacher):
Rev. Rul. 63-90, 1963-1 C.B. 27 (involving teachers and administrators of
religious bodies): Rev. Rul. 64-326, 1964-2 C.B. 37 (involving a traveling
evangelist): Rev. Rul. 65.124. 1965-1 C.B. 60 (involving unordained workers for
religious organizations); and Rev. Rul. 66-90. I.R.B. 1966-18 8 (holding that
individuals in executive positions in a religious denomination, which has no
formal ordination, commissioning or licensing procedure, do not qualify as
ministers of the gospel under section 107).

of Christ's life and teachings as exemplified by any of the first four
books of the New Testament. Although "minister of the gospel" is
phrased in Christian terms, we are satisfied that Congress did not
intend to exclude those persons who are the equivalent of "ministers"
in other religions.
Nomencature alone is not determinative.

Unfortunately the legislative history of the statute is brief and
not helpful. Paragraph (2) of section 107 appeared first in the
Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to clarify the discrepancy between
rental allowances paid by congregations and residences actually
furnished by them.8 Paragraph (i) of section 107 originated as section
213(b) (11)9 of the Revenue Act of 1927 without any explanation
of the phrase "minister of the gospel." It has remained unchanged
and unexplained 10 ever since.

The pertinent provisions of the Income Tax Regulations are set
forth below." In short, section 1.1402(c)-5(b) (2) of the regulations
mentions three types of services which are considered ministerial:
(1) the ministration of sacerdotal functions, (2) the conduct of
religious worship, and (3) the direction of organizations within the
church, The regulations do not attempt to say what a "minister" is,
but only what a "minister" does.

«H.Rept. No. 1337. to accompany H.R. 8300 (Pub. L. 591). 83d Cong., 2d
Sess., p. 15 (1954) ; S. Rept. No. 1622. to accompany H. R. 8300 (Pub. L. 591),
83d Cong., 2d Sess., 16 (1954).

'Sec. 213. That for the purpose of this title ** the term "gross income"-

(b) Does not include the following items, * * *

(11) The rental value of a dwelling house and appurtenances thereof

furnished to a minister of the gospel as part of his compensation;

Only one reference has been made to this phrase since its appearance
in the 1921 Revenue Act. During hearings on the Revenue Act of 1934 it was
suggested that the word "gospel" be changed to "religion." The discussion was
brief and no action was taken. See Confidential Hearings of the Senate Finance
Committee on the Revenue Act of 1934, pp. 30-31.
'Sec. 1. 107-1 Rental value of parsonages.

(a) In the case of a minister of the gospel, gross income does not include
(1) the rental value of a home, including utilities, furnished to him as a part
of his compensation, or (2) the rental allowance paid to him as part of his
compensation to the extent such allowance is used by him to rent or otherwise
provide a home. In order to qualify for the exclusion, the home or rental allow-
ance must be provided as remuneration for services which are ordinarily the
duties of a minister of the gospel. In general, the rules provided in 1.1402 (c)-5
will be applicable to such determination. Examples of specific services the per-
formance of which will be considered duties of a minister for the purposes of
section 107 include the performance of sacerdotal functions, the conduct of
religious worship, the administration and maintenance of religious organizations
and their integral agencies, and the performance of teaching and administrative

This record abounds with proof that the petitioner spent his
full time performing services of all three types, His responsibilities
in officiating at weddings, funerals and at houses of mourning clearly
fall within the phrase "sacerdotal functions" as applied to the
liturgical practices of the Jewish faith. Both the petitioner and
Rabbi Goldman with whom he serves testified at length as to the
manner in which they jointly conduct the weekly religious cere-
monies, festivals and high holidays. And, finally, the petitioner's
training of the young men of his congregation, his overall direction
of its musical program and the supervision of the youth chorus fail
into the last category.

Another requirement of the regulations is that only "a duly
ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister of a church or a mem-
ber of a religious order" can qualify for the statutory exclusion of
section 107. It is reasonably clear that the purpose of this reference
in the regulations is to exclude self-appointed ministers. Certainly the

duties at theological seminaries.

Sec. 1.1402(c)-5 Ministers and members of religious orders.

(a) In general. For taxable years ending before 1955, a duly ordained,
rommissioned. or licensed minister of a church or a member of a religious order
is not engaged in carrying on a trade or business with respect to service
performed by him in the exercise of his ministry or in the exercise of duties
required by such order.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (c) (3) of this section, service
performed by a minister in the exercise of his ministry includes the ministra-
tion of sacerdotal functions and the conduct of religious worship, and the
control, conduct, and maintenance of religious organizations (including the
religious boards, societies, and other integral agencies of such organizations),
under the authority of a religious body constituting a church or church denomi-
nation. The following rules are applicable in determining whether services per-
formed by a minister are performed in the exercise of his ministry:

(i) Whether service performed by a minister constitutes the conduct of
religious worship or the ministration of sacerdotal functions depends on the
tenets and practices of the particular religious body constituting his church or
church denomination.

(ii) Service performed by a minister in the control, conduct, and main-
tenance of a religious organization relates to directing, managing, or promoting
the activities of such organization. Any religious organization is deemed to be
under the authority of a religious body ronstituting a church or church de-
nomination if it is organized and dedicated to carry out the tenets and
principles of a faith in accordance with either the requirements or sanctions
governing the creating of institutions of the faith. The term "religious organi-
zation" has the same meaning and application as is given to the term for
income tax purposes.

(ii) If a minister is performing service in the conduct of religious worship
or the ministration of sacerdotal functions, such service is in the exercise of his
ministry whether or not it is performed for a religious organization.

minister must be ordained, commissioned or licensed. But there is no
regulation, no test, or even a suggestion of it that the ordination,
commissioning or licensing must come from some higher ecclesiastical
authority. In a religious discipline having lay democratic character
of Judaism and lacking any central ecclesiastical organization, this
ministerial authority can be conferred by the church or congregation
itself. If the statute and the regulations were so severely restrictive as
to exclude ministers elected, designated, or appointed by a religious
congregation, there would be a serious question in our minds as to
propriety of such an exclusion under the Constitution of the United
States.

Respondent maintains that Cantor Salkov is not a "minister of the
gospel" because he does not perform the one function reserved to the
rabbi, the only ordained minister of the Jewish religion, namely, de-
ciding questions of Jewish law. Consequently, the respondent presses
the point that the rabbi, and not the cantor, is the only Jewish
equivalent of a "minister." In a technical sense the petitioner is not
an "ordained" minister. He does not claim that he, like the rabbi, has
the right to judge, decide and authoritatively teach Jewish law.
Ordination has a restricted meaning in the Jewish faith. It is simply
the testimony of a recognized religious authority that the rabbi
ordained is worthy of being invested with the mantle of Jewish legal
authority. A cantor does not have the authority to sit on any Jewish
Court dealing with problems of divorce or real estate. Even though
the rabbinate possesses the sole authority over Jewish law, we fail
to see what difference this makes in determining whether the cantor
is a minister. Authoritative interpretation of religious law is not a
primary, much less essential element of the ministry. Rabbis have
long been regarded as ministers, not because they interpret Jewish
law but because they perform for their congregation the same sacer-
dotal function that are performed by their equivalents in non-
Jewish religions. The fact that Judaism assigns this work to two
classes of professionally trained and qualified men will not be used
by this Court to deny the benefits of section 107 to one (the cantor)
merely because other religions have merged such duties into a single
group.

Respondent stresses that "duly ordained, commissioned or li-
censed" is a conjunctive phrase. We disagree. The words are stated
in the disjunctive. The regulation does not say only "ordained."
It also says "commissioned or licensed." "Commission" means the
act of commiting to the charge of another or an entrusting; and
"license" means an official document giving permission to engage in
a specific activity. We have no doubt that the petitioner meets these

requirements. He is a duly qualified member of The Cantors Assem-
bly of America and he holds a commission as a cantor from that
body. The Assembly functions as the official cantatorial body for the
conservative branch of the Jewish religion in this country. Chizuk
Amuno is a representative conservative congregation. Since each
congregation is autonomous in its selection of spiritual leaders, the
members of Chizuk Amuno, acting through their representatives on
the Ritual Committee and the Board of Trustees, singled out the
petitioner as their choice for the cantorate of the congregation and
formally installed him in that position. Every possible procedure
consonant with the sacred traditions of Judaism was employed to
express in a formal and liturgical manner that the petitioner had
been chosen by the Chizuk Amuno congregation as cantor and that
he assumed his duties on a certain day as evidenced by a public and
specific installation ceremony. To read into the phrase "duly or-
dained, commissioned or licensed" a requirement that the petitioner's
authority to perform the sacred functions of Judaism is subject to
any further commissioning or licensing would deny to members of
the Jewish religion the right to structure the organization of their
congregations according to the principles and tenets of their faith.
Suffice it to say that in the Jewish religion the cantor is recognized
as a minister eo nomine. As such, we are unwilling to fit on him the
garments of Christian orthodoxy, for "if there is any fixed star in our
constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can
prescribe what shall be orthodox in *** religion." Board of Education
vs. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 642 (1942); and see also Pate vs. United
States, 243 F. 2d 99 (C. A. 5, 1957).

The brief of the respondent indicates that the petitioner has no
designation as a recognized religious and spiritual official in the
Jewish religion. This is not so. 12 Petitioner and persons with similar
responsibilities are called by such titles as "Cantor," "Hazzan" or
"Reverend." Surely these titles are not without meaning. Since

l2 See the "Guide to Congregational Standards" approved in 1952 by the
United Synagogue of America, which is the national organization of the
conservative synagogues in this country. Article 1 of the Guide reads, in part,
as follows:

B. The Congregation and Its Rabbi
Section 1. General Principles

The relation between a Congregation and its Rabbi is that ot a
religious rommunity and its chosen spiritual leader, It therefore
extends beyond the stipulations of a legal agreement. Accordingly, in
any contract between the Congregation and its Rabbi, and in the
interpretation, performance and termination thereof, the following
general principles shall be considered as part of said agreement and
shall apply thereto, without express statement in the contract or

ancient times the Cantor-H azzan has been recognized in Judaism as
a spiritual official. By tradition he is a sheliach tzibbur, viz., the
emissary of the congregation before the Almighty in prayer. Indicia
of his official recognition in a tangible way are his pulpit and his
office in the synagogue.

Regardless of the theoretical power of a Jewish layman, what
in fact does Cantor Salkov do and what are his functions? He is
a spiritual leader He teaches. He performs pastoral duties. He is
the minister- messenger of the Chizuk Amuno Congregation, com-
missioned and licensed by the congregation and by The Cantors
Assembly of America to officiate professionally and regularly in the
sacred religious service of thejewish people. His functions are beyond
any "minister of music." He performs what is regarded as the
sacerdotal functions of Judaism-the sanctifi cation of the Sabbath
and festival wine in the synagogue (compare the Christian Mass and
Communion ) ; he elevates and holds the sacred Torah (compare the
elevation of the Host); and he waves the sacred lulav (compare the
waving of the palms). For long periods of both prayer and service
he is the only person standing at the pulpit. At all times he and the
rabbi share the pulpit, Historically and functionally he is a sui generis
minister.

Hence, from the thicket of our factual and legal exploration of
this issue, we emerge with the conclusion that in these particular
circumstances the petitioner, a full-timed Cantor of the Jewish faith
qualifies as a "minister of the gospel" within the spirit, meaning and
intendment of section 107. Accordingly, we hold that the respondent
erred in his determination to the contrary.
Reviewed by the Court.

Decision will be entered for the petitioners.

reference thereto:

a. A Rabbi is not to be considered and should not consider himself

as having the status merely of an employer of the Congregation, but

is the spiritual leader of the Congregation, called to serve the religious.

educational spiritual and pastoral needs of its membership.
C.The Congregation and Its Cantor
The Cantor shall participate in all religious rites and services in

the synagogue under the supervisron of the Rabbi.***

> services shall include the

The provisions of this Guide under Article 1, subdivision B,
entitled. "The Congregation and Its Rabbi," are hereby made applic-
able to Cantors with the exception of the provision relating to attend-
ance at meetings of the Board of Directors or Trustees of the Congre-
gation. (Emphasis supplied).

A COLLECTOR'S RANDOM NOTES ON
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF JEWISH MUSIC

Eric MANDELL

It is almost inconceivable that only as recently as 1951 was the
first extensive bibliography of Jewish music published, for the science
of the bibliography of music has a long history. According to Dr.
Alfred Sendrey, an early reference to Jewish music already appears
in Bibliotheca instituta et colleeta primum a Conrado Cesnero edited
and augmented by Jacob Fries in 1583. During the following cen-
turies, a good number of the bibliographers of Judaica and Hebraica
did pay respect to items of Jewish music or recorded literature
dealing with this subject.

Finally in 1951, the first bibliography of Jewish music of breadth
and scope appeared. This is the work of Dr. Alfred Sendrey entitled,
Bibliography of Jewish Music, and published by Columbia University
Press, New York. The appearance of this volume was surely a revela-
tion to the music librarian who often was at a loss for information on
the subject of Jewish music. "It will be a surprise to most of its
readers," said the great Curt Sachs who called Sendrey's book an
"impressice corpus." Indeed, Sendrey's work marked a milestone in
the advancement of research in the history of Jewish music.

However, the contents of the above compilation was not a sur-
prise to this writer who through assembling a collection of Jewish
music, sacred and secular, has studied the field for many years. Col-
lecting was the only way to get a picture, even a scanty one, of a
vast subject which covers more than two thousand years. I will not
go into a critical detailed evaluation of Sendrey's bibliography at this
time. However, it should be pointed out that a "first" of this kind
cannot be without mistakes or omissions, About three fifths of the
10682 items listed refer to literature, so that only a little more than
four thousand numbers are listings of music, either in manuscript
or in printed form. About four thousand items, it is worth noting,
represent only a beginning of a bibliographical study of Jewish music.
Send rey h i msel f states, "It may be I eft to f utu re work to f i 1 1 i n al I
gaps that may exist." And they do exist! I can picture a supplement
of several thousand music items that are not listed in Sendrey and
were printed before the publication of his work in 1951. Parenthetic-

Eric MANDELL. Director of Music at Har Zion Temple in Philadelphia,
lecturer, composer, conductor and musicologist, recipient of Kavod Award from
the Cantors Assembly of America and founder of The Mandell Collection, one
of the largest private libraries of Jewish Music in the World.

ally, Sendrey overlooked a brief, but important attempt of a biblio-
graphy of Jewish music, written in Hebrew by Mashe Gorali and
published in Tel Aviv in 1950. This booklet lists only about 575
items including music and literature on the subject. Also, Sendrey
apparently did not list the complete holdings of the great music
libraries in Europe which relate to J ewish music, but only refers to
them occasionally. Though he did work in some private collections of
J ewish music in America, he missed a number of collections in the
hands of composers or cantors in America and elsewhere. In fact,
many volumes and sheet music editions in my library bear the nota-
tion, "NIS"-not in Sendrey, a term which might serve as the title
for any supplement which may be compiled in the future.

In addition, a supplement could include the material of the
Central Music Library in Tel Aviv, of the Haifa Music Library, and
of the music section of the J ewish National and University Library
in J erusalem. A study of the collection of the J ewish Department of
the Royal Library in Copenhagen may shed further light on the
bibliography of J ewish music, and intensive studies could be made in
the music library of the British Museum and in the music depart-
ments of the Biblioth^que Nationale in Paris. Searches in the music
archives of Italy and Spain would certainly complement this inter-
national investigation.

Still, Sendrey's bibliography is a very important beginning for
the bibliography of J ewish music. The many omissions and the num-
ber of actual mistakes should not be taken as a minimization of
Sendrey's work. However, it should be stated that, generally speaking,
investigations into the subject of the bibliography of J ewish music are
only in the infant stage.

Sendrey notes that he omitted music which deals with the Yid-
dish theatre. However, he did recommend a special study of this field.
Music written for Yiddish operettas and plays is of significance for
J ewish culture and deserves a special treatment. There are the many
so-called "operettas" by Abraham Goldfaden which were performed
in various J ewish communities throughout the world and attracted
a great number of certain masses of the J ewish people. A number of
songs of these productions and of other composers in this field,
written in folkstyle, became very popular and are still alive. Founda-
tions for bibliographical research were laid in the book (written in
Yiddish), Yiddish Playwrights and Theatre-Composers by Sholem
Perlmutter, published in New York in 1952.

The vast range of J ewish music in its various divisions forms an
international picture. As J ewish music was written in many countries,
only a world traveler could attempt to compile a comprehensive bibli-

ography on this subject. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century
Jewish music was printed regularly, although early printing of Jewish
music began in 1518. This brief essay does not provide space to deal
with this period. (See Herbert Lowenstein, Notations of Jewish Music
before 1800, in: Kirjath Sefer, Vol. XIX, Jan. 1943, Jerusalem.)

The true collector is an eternal student. (And sometimes vice
versa; the serious student is an avid collector!) Only a collector,
driven by the quest for undiscovered territory-a collector, who has
seen and actually handled thousands of items of Jewish music, will
come to this conclusion: the real expert never can make the statement
that he knows his subject, As a collector since my student years, I
always have been aware of this f act-that any layman, any musician,
any music dealer can produce material that almost defies the imagi-
nation. This experience pertains especially to Jewish music, which
because of the Jews' wanderings through diverse lands, may turn up
in any country, in the smallest town, in the most unexpected places.
Who will not be exited to find the Lamentation on the Death of Dr.
Herzl in a small London bookstore? This Hebrew elegy was published
in Rakitno, near Kiev, Russia, in 1904. It was written and set
to music by N, M. Jasnogorodsky and arranged for the piano by
M. Melnikow, who later changed his name to Milner. (About Moses
Milner see Albert Weisser, The Modern Renaissance of Jewish
Music, New York, 1954.)

Who thinks of a Hebrew songbook, text only, printed in Bagdad in
1925? Who expects a printed lecture with the title, Hebrew Music,
published in Cape Town in 1914? Who preserves a leaflet of the
Hatikvah printed in Munich, Germany in 1947 for distribution in a
Displaced Persons Camp? Who is familiar with the facts that the first
printed music of the Hatikuah was published probably in the city of
Breslau, Germany in 1895? Who will not be moved when leafing
through a small book, Songs and Poems from the Ghettos and Con-
centration Camps, published in Bergen-Belsen in 1946? Who will not
be surprised to find the former European writer, Max Brod, as a com-
poser? Incidentally, Brood also published a booklet titled Israel's Music
in Tel Aviv in 1951. These are only a few random notes on the
bibliography of Jewish music.

Let me describe now, briefly, selected items from my collection.
For some years a catalogue, arranged according to topics, has been
in the making, but it is far from its final form. Further study is needed
on the subject of the publishing houses of Jewish music, especially
those formerly active in Europe. And here begin the difficulties which
arise in collecting sheet music. Music, published in book form, often
protected by covers, has a better chance to survive; but sheet music,

used by performers, will deteriorate and often, finally, be thrown
away. And the presses are, partly as a result of World War II, no
longer in existence. The remainder of their publications either have
been destroyed or, when saved are hidden in unknown places.

Yet the present writer found a few music catalogues of the
various European publishing houses. These lists provide not only
valuable bibliographical material, but also titles to look for. In my
card catalogue are represented, among others, the following publish-
ing houses and their publications:

Gesellschaft FURJUDISCHE VOLKSMUSIK IN PETERSBURG,

active from 1909-1918, printed about 80 items of music, vocal and
instrumental.

JUWAL VERLAGS-GESELLSCHAFT FURJUDISCHE MUSIK, BERLIN,

active about 1923-1927, publishing house numbers going up to 180.

Jibn eh- Musikverlac, Jerusalem- Be rlin-Wi en- NewYork,

active about 1922-1943, catologue numbers starting with 301-420.

Universal-Edition, Wien

also published music by J ewish composers; a number of their items
are of J ewish content, as indicated by title. Universal-Edition took
over the remainder of J ibneh-J uwal and published a special catalogue
under this heading.

Edition Omanut, Zagreb, Yugoslavia,

active from 1933-1939, about 20 items only published.

Collection "MIZMOR," Editions Salabert-Paris,
starting in 1932.

MUSIKSEKTI0N des Staatsverlages, Moskau,
music in my library printed from 19251964.

I conclude this partial listing with the names of other publishing
houses of Jewish music, all formerly in Europe and not in existence
any more.

R.MAZIN &Co. f LOndon.

mostly Yiddish songs( The company is still operating as a bookstore,

but stopped publishing music.)

Nigun, Warsaw (small, but important edition).

Musikverlac furNationale Volkskunst, Berlin-H alensee,
published many artistic arrangements of Yiddish folksongs with
piano accompaniment.

J. Kaufmann, Frankfurt a. Main and M. W. Kaufmann, Leipzig,

both specilized in publishing synagogue music.

With the exception of the last three mentioned companies, all
items are being arranged in my library under the name of the publish-
ing house. Some of these editions are nearly complete, wanting are
still publications from the Gesellschaft Fur Judische Volks-
musik in Petersburg. (The writer would like to have information
where a complete set can be found.) Naturally, existing publishing
houses of Jewish music cannot be listed here. But serious investiga-
tions about non-existing and active Jewish music publishing houses
would be of importance for further bibliographical studies.

Often Jewish composers have arranged catalogues of their works.
One of the most fascinating examples of this type is a complete list-
ing of all compositions by the late Joseph Achron. His wife, the late
Marie Achron, compiled this catalogue with 140 numbers. (This is the
life work of Achron, including many musical settings in Hebraic
style.)

My card catalogue is arranged according to subjects; let me list
a number of them now:

Kol Nidre, a collection of over 100 sheet music editions, vocal and
instrumental, of this famous sacred chant. (Sendrey lists only
about 65 titles. My listings do not include Kol Nidre arrange-
ments published in volumes or anthologies of synagague music.)

Eli- Eli, a collection of about 60 sheet music arrangements of this
popular Yiddish song, starting with an American print in 1906.
Even Mischa Elman could not escape writing a Concert Trans-
cription of this melody for violin and piano.

Hatikvah, the Jewish national anthem is represented in my library
with about 40 different sheet music arrangements. Mention
should be made here of the leading Israeli composer Paul Ben-
H aim's choral setting and of the work of a lesser known musician
of American origin, Mischa Portnoff, Variations on the theme of
Hatikvah for piano solo, a work of thirty-one pages!

Folksongs of any nation mirror its history and culture. The col-
lector of Jewish music, assuming that he also is a student of his
particular subject, through the years acquires a good picture of the
longings, the sufferings, the wanderings and finally, the fulfilled hope
of the Jews. In studying the songs of the Jewish people, written in
Hebrew, in Yiddish or even in Ladino, a filing of specialized topics is
very helpful.

These are a few more topical sections in my library:
The Idea of lion

These songs express the longing for the return to Zion. They are
printed in many countries. From the contemporary composers, we
quote only Darius Milhaud whose song, Hymne de Sion, was dedi-
cated to Chaim Weizman, published in Vienna in 1926.
Israel

There are a great number of Yiddish songs dealing with the
establishment of a new Israel; many of them were published long
before 1948.
Pales tine and Israel

Many Hebrew songs, depicting the rebuilding of the ancient
homeland were composed before 1948. Among the modern arrangers
of these songs we quote Aaron Copland, Paul Dessau, Ernst Toch,
and Erich Walter Sternberg.
Theodor Herzl in Music

These songs either deal with the founder of modern Zionism or
are dedicated to him.
Jewish Workers Songs -Jewish Wedding Music

This is a selection primarily of piano arrangements of folkdances
from Eastern Europe.

Alexander Krein, the Russian composer, arranged the popular
Hebrew song Hava Nagilah for piano as a wedding march.
Jewish Marches

Most of the marches are arranged for piano. Mihail Jora com-
posed Marche Juive pour Grand Orchestra, published in Vienna in
1931.
Jewish History in Song

Some titles may be indicative:
Dreyfus March (1899)
Kishineff Massacre (1904)
Der Pogrom (1906)
The Wandering Jew (1924)
Eternal Refugee (1939)
Hitler's Downfall (1941!)
Songs of the Jewish Partisans (1946)

Since my arrival in America, I have made special efforts to col-
lect Jewish music printed in the United States. A small part of this
collection was displayed through February and March of 1961 in the
Exhibit Hall of the B'nai B'rith Building, Washington, D.C. and was

the first showing of this type in America. Special attention was given
to a section, Americana in Yiddish Songs. The exhibition was a col-
lection of popular sheet music that touched the lives of American
J ewry during the last sixty years, recollecting such events such as the
Titanic Disaster, the depression, and the Triangle Fire. B'nai B'rith
printed a small catalogue. Parts of the Eric Mandell Library were on
exhibit in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York.

The subject of organized displays of J ewish music deserves a
special study. Mention can be made here only of the music shown as
a small part of the Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition held in
London in 1887.

The largest exhibit of J ewish music ever held was arranged by
the present writer in the Free Library of Philadelphia, February-
March 1947. Three hundred items were on display. Examples from
the vast range of sacred and secular music were shown, including
manuscripts and literature on the subject in various languages. The
exhibit spanned several centuries and illustrated the printing of
Jewish music in many countries. The mimeographed "Guide" lists,
in addition tothedisplays in wall-cases, 27 showcases, illustrating the
history of J ewish music from Biblical times to the present.

The J ewish Museum in New York arranged a special room for
the display of Jewish music from the Eric Mandell Collection in
October, 1948. This exhibit, originally intended for a short time, was
shown for more than two years, without being changed. Special atten-
tion was given to the music of the synagogue, including manuscripts.

Smaller exhibitions were held on the occasion of the "Three
Hundred Anniversary of Jewish Settlement in the United States of
America" in the J ewish Museum in New York and in the Smithsonian
Institute in Washington. Also the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia
displayed J ewish art music, vocal and instrumental.

In arranging his bibliography, Dr. Sendrey did not make a special
classification for "manuscripts." Rather, they are included in their
respective topical sections. (Perhaps Dr. Sendrey did not intend to
make intensive studies about the locations of manuscripts.) The
greatest accumulation of manuscripts of synagogue music is preserved
in the "Birnbaum Collection" which forms a part of the Library of
the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati; here may I draw attention
to Dr. Eric Werner's article, Manuscripts of Jewish Mwic in the
Eduard Birnbaum Collection, published in the Hebrew Union College
Annual, XVIII, 1944. In this study, Dr. Werner especially points out
the great importance of Birnbaum's musico-liturgical catalogue, listing
all melodies of synagogal songs printed or written in Europe between

1700-1900. Old original manuscripts of synagogue music are hard to
find today; Eduard Birnbaum did a great job of search in Europe and
was lucky to acquire many of them.

A. Z. Idelsohn published a number of manuscripts in his monu-
mental work often volumes, Thesaurus of Hebrew Oriental Melodies.
May I note here, for bibliographical purposes, that only the German
version of the Thesauraus is complete in ten volumes. They were
published between 1914 and 1932. Seven volumes have introductions
in English, published between 1923 and 1933. Only five volumes,
printed in the years 1922-1928, have introductions in Hebrew. (It is
significant that the first volume of the Thesaurus was published in
1914, the year the First World War started. Volume VII, in English,
appeared in 1933, the year Germany slipped officially into the hands
of the National Socialistic regime!) The introductions to the ten
volumes of the Thesaurus are a storehouse of bibliographical anno-
tations, and Idelsohn was a reliable bibliographer.

When I left Germany in 1939, still in manuscript was the great-
est anthology of synagogue music ever undertaken. The compiler was
Arno Nadel (1878 Wilna, 1943 Auschwitz). Space does not permit
even a very brief biographical sketch. Nadel, a man of many talents,
was a creative writer and a poet, an artist, a writer on J ewish music
and an arranger of Yiddish folksongs. He also composed for the syna-
gogue. I would like to draw attention to the great anthology of syna-
gogue music, seven heavy folios, titled by Nadel, Compendium-
Hallelujah. He started to work on this compendium about 1923. It
was finished on November eight, 1938, with a composition by the
compiler, excerpts from psalm 150, for a choir of 13 voices, horn,
two pianos, and organ. The original manuscript of this final compo-
sition was given to me by Nadel when I left Germany in 1939. It is
still preserved in my library.

Nadel's Compendium was the work of collecting and a study of
a lifetime. I do not know whether a complete index of the work has
survived. The anthology deals with the whole cycle of the J ewish
musico-liturgical year, quoting excerpts of the most important com-
posers of synagogue music, including Eastern and Western Europe.
Although he considered mostly printed works, Nadel also presented a
good number of manuscripts which never were published. Nadel's
own compositions, among them synagogue music and arrangements of
Yiddish folksongs, are preserved in manuscript in my collection. They
were passed by Nadel into the hands of gentile friends before his
deportation to Auschwitz and have survived World War II. I
acquired the estate from the family after the war. These manuscripts

are today documents of an attempt to write synagogue music based
on traditional chants.

I also acquired the musical estate of the late Cantor Heinrich
Fischer, formerly of Vienna. He was fortunate enough to escape to
England in 1938, and he was also fortunate to be able to take his
whole collection along. Fischer died in 1948 in Leeds, England. I
bought this estate from Fischer's son. Heinrich Fischer was the last
cantor of the famous synagogue Seitenstettengasse in Vienna. In his
collection, besides rare prints of music, Fischer's personal scores and
the synagogue's choir books are preserved.

During the night of November ninth to tenth, 1938, hundreds of
synagogues in Germany were burned, and, with them, their manu-
script scores, mostly kept in the choir loft, were destroyed. Only those
scores survived which either were printed or whose manuscripts copies
were taken out of Germany before November, 1938. So the official
scores of the Berlin Congregation, printed, have survived. The pub-
lished music of the Berlin Reform Congregation is also available. I
have in my library manuscript copies from a number of congregations:
of Vienna, as mentioned before, of Koenigsberg, East Prussia, com-
piled by Eduard Bimbaum, three folio volumes of synagogue music
written around 1900 in Odessa, Russia, and music books used in
Hungary. Among the printed scores of larger Jewish communities, I
would like to mention London, Paris, and Brussels.

Sendrey compiled under the heading Jewish Musical Life, by
place, only scanty literary information. (Names of countries or cities
are arranged in alphabetical order.) Of great help for bibliographical
studies would be a special research into the available scores of syna-
gogue services, as well as into manuscript scores, listing countries and
cities. This compilation also could be included in a supplement to
Sendrey.

Let me now draw attention to a few manuscripts in my own
library which in my opinion are of significance. They deal with
synagogue music, especially with cantorial recitatives.

Manuscript Aschkenas is a folio volume of 94 pages, written on
heavy ragpaper. Neither the name of the writer nor a date nor a place
is indicated. The music is arranged for 3-part or 4-part choir, a
cappella. The transliteration follows mostly the Aschkenasic pronun-
ciation, indicating, nevertheless, in some places the Sephardic articula-
tion. The 3-part arrangements are to be sung by a male choir, the
4-part settings are written for a mixed chorus. There are a good
number of compositions for various synagogue services, which are,
in so far as I can ascertain, not yet in print. It is well to cite for

example a 3 -part setting of Kol Nidre, the famous Hebrew chant. The
manuscript may have been written about 1830. The writer or copyist
was a trained musician, acquainted with Italian musical terms as
"Solo Terzetto," "Da capo," " Volti subito," and equally familiar with
the writing of the titles in fine Hebrew characters.

Chasanuth Mihol Haschanah, another manuscript, is a complete
yearly compendium of old original synagogue melodies, written in
Munich, Germany, by the "Bass-Singer," L. Kellermann, in the
beginning of the nineteenth century. According to a note in the
volume, Kellermann died on August 18, 1843. Of special interest are
"die Tabulaturen der Torah und MegHloth fiir die Sabbate, Fest- und
Busstage." This manuscript copy was reprinted by I. Z. Idelsohn
in vol. VII of the Thesaurus of Hebrew-Oriental Melodies.

At this point I would like to introduce five manuscript volumes
of cantorial recitatives which this writer has titled the Mendel
Manuals.

The size of these volumes, oblong octavo, indicates that they
were used during services; the cantor sang from the copy lying on his
desk. I acquired the first of these manuscripts from a New York
dealer in 1947. According to a statement of the last owner, it came
from the city of Heilbronn, Germany and was used there more than
one hundred years ago. Of special interest is the fact that the music
is written from right to left, as the Hebrew. The text is transcribed
in Hebrew letters, not in transliteration. The Hebrew lettering also
reveals that the writer was a fine scribe, called in Hebrew, "Sofer." He
must have been an excellent musician, too; otherwise, he could not
have written down the music from right to left. No name of the
writer is to be found in the volume which I acquired in 1947. About
ten years later, I bought four more manuscripts in oblong octavo.
I recognized immediately a close relationship to the volume just
described. There again was the beautiful Hebrew writing, the music
running from right to left. This time, the manuscripts revealed the
name of the writer and also the place. One of the four volumes was
written in Esslingen, Southern Germany. The name of the writer
was Mendel. (This, incidentally, was my name in Germany, where I
was a cantor.) In one of the volumes is a date of the year 1849. One
can assume, judging from the music-writing paper, that some of the
volumes were started a good number of years earlier. The writer must
have had a remarkable musical memory which enabled him to notate
complete services. Together, these five manuscript volumes cover the
cantorial chants for the High Holy Days, also an Afternoon Service
for the Sabbath, and for the Three Pilgrimage Festivals.

I have checked theMende/ Manuals against the manuscripts pub-
lished in Idelsohn's Thesaurus, and I came to the conclusion that
they must have escaped the great collector, Eduard Birnbaum as well
as A. Z. Idelsohn.

TheMende/ Manuals not yet described in detail, are, in my opin-
ion, important documents of Westem-Ashkenazic Chazanuth. Any
composer, who would like to employ traditional synagogue melodies
of this provenance will find here a treasure of basic material. I visual-
ize this also in terms of larger orchestral forms. May I close my brief
description of these manuscripts with a short note on the writer's
artistic abilities. He could not, refrain from illustrating one of the
parts with pictures of musical instruments. He even made a miniature
picture of a synagogue, possibly his own. In this respect, this par-
ticular manuscript may be an "unicum."

There are many more manuscripts of Jewish music in my library
which, taking into consideration the nearly complete destruction of
Jewish culture in Europe, are today already historical documents and
important as source material in investigating a lost musical lore.

Space limits this writer to just a kaleidoscopic survey of his
library, introduced by a few random notes on bibliography.

Only a combined effort of a number of bibliographers working
in the main music libraries of the world, including the great deposi-
tories of Jewish institutions, can create a more comprehensive biblio-
graphy. The establishment of an international center for the biblio-
graphy of Jewish music would stimulate interest and produce studies
in a much neglected stratum of Jewish culture.

Bibliography along with philosophy may be called the mother of
all wisdom. And the bibliographers, with their patience, endurance,
and diligence deserve a preferred place in heaven, so that they can
rest and listen to the music of the spheres sung by the angels. The
final "Hallelujah" in reference to the bibliography of Jewish music,
is still in the far distant future.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION TO "KQLYISRAEL"*

Translated by: Morris LEVINSON

The Hazzan or "Sh'liah Tzibbur in Halacha

The Shulhan Aruch occupies an honored place in religious
literature because it. is considered the basic book of Jewish law that
codifies the religious life of the Jewish people. The Shulhan Aruch
of our precepts and laws by presenting them in a clear, concise and
has the explicit function of bringing order to facilitate the study
abbreviated manner.

The laws concerning the Hazzan or the Sh'liah Tzibbur, are
found throughout the various chapters of the Shulhan Aruch, in
addition to the central chapter that deals with him alone. Those laws
do not deal with the theoretical aspects of Hazzanut. Hazzanic theory
has no relationship to religious law. The laws in the Shulhan Aruch
pertaining to Hazzanut govern the study of that art, and the attitude
of the Hazzan towards the various prayers during services on week-
days, Sabbath, festivals and High Holydays. The Hazzan occupies a
major portion of the Shulhan Aruch of the Rabbi of Liadi. Many
chapters in the first part are devoted to the requirements necessary
for one who aspires to stand at the Amud. Laws governing the
Sh'liah Tzibbur who erred, the demeanor of the Hazzan during the
eighteen benedictions and the answering of "Amen." There is an
entire chapter in the second part devoted to the "Shatz" who chants
the Havdala. Part three contains special chapters devoted to the
order of the prayers on Rosh Hashanah and the the Days of
Penitence; the readings of the Torah on Rosh Hashanah; the Mussaf
service and the blowing of the shofar and various other laws con-
cerning the Festive Holidays.

Objectivity demands that we dwell, somewhat, upon the "laws"
governing the profession that were never included in a Shulhan
Aruch. A good Hazzan or Sh'liah Tzibbur is the soul of the
synagogue. If the Hazzan is qualified; if he possesses a pleasant and
cultured voice; is a sensitive musician and a master of nusah; is a
serious person and an observant Jew, he is capable of being the
force that will draw the congregants to the synagogue-the very
religious as well as the not very observant. They will all come to the
synagogue and pray together with the entire congregation. The
Hazzan is the Sh'liah Tzibbur who serves as the pleading barrister
for his congregation and the entire people of Israel at the tribune of
the Almighty. The true Hazzan must reach down to the congregation

and inspire it. He must awaken within the breast of each congregant
the sparks of holiness and repentance and raise him aloft through
celestial prayer. That is the essence of the Rabbinic saying: "D'varim
ha yotzim min ha-lev nichnassim el ha- lev" (that which comes from
the heart finds entrance to the heart).

The spiritual stance (amidah) at the A mud is of the utmost
importance in Hazzanut. Our Rabbis demanded: "Da lifnemi atta
omed" (Know before whom you stand). The Hazzan must stand at
the Amud with an attitude that is completely serious and pleasant;
without an iota of pride but also without dejection or degradation.
He should also take advantage of pauses in order to rest, renew
the strength in his lungs and avoid dryness in his mouth and throat.
The short pauses also enable the Hazzan to clear his mind, thereby
adding lustre and beauty to his song.

Declamation (Recitative) is the foundation of Hazzanut. That
is the unmetered Amirah or Zogechts of the Hazzan, without
choral accompaniment, that is done with particular attention to the
text and accents of the prayer, very often by improvisation. That is
a sort of Hazzanic cadence that serves as a true test of the Hazzan's
ability to "feel" the prayers and to instill the proper fervor into its
words. It also serves as a measure of his knowledge of the proper
traditional nusah as well as of his vocal ability. The recitative is of
primary importance in Hazzanut. The melody occupies second place.
Heartfelt and sincere thoughts can be articulated only through the
medium of intimate conversation. The melody is only an embellish-
ment. The Hazzan must therefore pronounce the words of the prayers
clearly and distinctly, with his heart and soul, never allowing them
to be swallowed in the flow of a melodic line.

Congregational singing is very desirable to the Hazzan. Besides
adding a loftiness of spirit to the service, it aids the Hazzan in his
duties, particularly during the High Holydays. Those members of
the congregation who enjoy participating in the synagogue songs
should not be deprived of that pleasure. It would even be worthwhile
to teach them various parts of the service beforehand.

And now to the "Laws":

A. We know that prayer takes the place of sacrifices. The
Hazzan, standing before the Ark, represents the image of the Kohen
as he sacrificed the offering of the people. It therefore follows
that his virtues should be akin those of the Kohen and that he be
deservant of carrying on that holy service. He should be a modest
person, pure in conduct and thought, crowned with a good name
and approved of and loved by the congregation. He should have a

sweet and pleasant voice and, above all, he must be adept at reading
the Scriptures and the Prophets and know the meaning of all the
brachot, prayers and piyuttim of all the days of the year.

B. The Hazzan should review the prayers and piyuttim from time
to time for their meaning and melody, in order that he be ever
fluent and unhestitating in their recitation.

C. The Hazzan must not go to the Amud in soiled or torn
clothing. As a matter of fact, he should possess a special garment
and head-covering to be worn while officiating at prayer. He should
be wrapped in a talit whenever at. the amud, including evenings.

D. The Hazzan must be more careful than the ordinary individual
in observing the laws of prayer. He must never sit down but should
stand in an attitude of reverence and respect, his feet together and
his hands folded, the right over the left. He should not lean to either
side or shake his body, look directly at any person or entertain
any impure thought. His complete concentration must be directed
towards his prayers so that, they may be unsullied and pure enough
to absolve the congregation from its collective obligation. His prayers
should be delivered with complete composure and gentleness, each
word distinct and audible, in strict accordance to its meaning.

E. When reciting the brachot, the Hazzan must be careful to
stop after mentioning the Holy Name so that the congregation may
answer: "Blessed by He and blessed His Name" (Baruch Hu
Uvaruch Sh'mo). He should also pause at the conclusion of each
"bracha" so that the congregation may answer: "Amen." He should
pause whenever the congregation is called upon to interpolate, as in
the "K'dusha." He must not begin "L' umatam" until after the con-
gregation has answered: "Kadosh." During the prayers that are
recited responsively, the Hazzan should not begin a new sentence
until after the congregation has responded to the previous one.

F. The Hazzan should be careful not to multiply the concluding
portions of the prayers and the brachot. That is to say, he should not
recite a prayer silently with the congregation to its conclusion and
then repeat the last, portion aloud. He should, rather, in the silent
prayers, proceed more slowly so that when the congregation has
finished, he will have reached that point in the prayer which he must
conclude aloud. He should also consciously try to begin aloud at the
section of the prayer that is closest to the end. When concluding
Yotzer Or" he should begin at "Or Hadash" or close to that sentence,
in order not to weary the congregation.

G. If the Hazzan is a Kohen and there are other Kohanim in the
synagogue, he should not raise his hands in blessings, nor should he
recite: "Elohenu . .. barchenu, etc." He should remain silent and
one who is neither a Kohen nor a Levi should stand at his side, say
"Elohenu ... barchenu" softly, call out "Kohanim" and articulate
the priestly benediction. When the Kohanim have finished the
Hazzan should resume with "Sim Shalom," etc. Where the Hazzan
is the only Kohen present, he should move once from his appointed
spot when he begins to recite "R'tze," continue until "Ul'cha na-eh
I'hodot." go up to the rost-urn and recite the Blessings of the
Priests. Someone else should call out "Yevarechecha,. etc." after
which the Hazzan should conclude with "Sim Shalom."

H. If a Hazzan should suddenly become weak and be unable to
continue, another should stand in his place and begin at the point
where the Hazzan stopped. If the Hazzan stopped during the inter-
mediate prayers of the Shmoneh Esre, he who continues should
commence at the beginning of the benediction during which the
Hazzan stopped. If it occurred during the first three brachot of the
"Shmoneh Esreh," he should start from the beginning. If during the
last three brachot he begins with "R'tze."

I. When the Hazzan reads the Torah, he should be careful not
to recite even one syllable by heart, hut to read from the scroll.

J. The Hazzan who prolongs the prayers with melody for the
sake of heaven and in honor of the special day, thereby giving thanks
and praise to the Creator, is to be blessed. He who lets his voice be
heard for his own honor and to gain favor in the eyes of the listeners,
is indecent and ugly and fit to be called "an impious hypocrite."

K. When the Hazzan is engaged in song he should be very care-
ful not to separate those syllables that should be joined nor to join
those syllables that should be apart. He should not inordinately
stress or lengthen certain syllables so that the text may lose its
meaning. He should not prolong the melodic cadence at the conclusion
of a prayer so that the congregation will not answer "Amen" pre-
maturely. He should, however, so arrange his melodies, with good
taste and intelligent reflection, so that they will correspond precisely
with the syllables and the true meaning of the text of each prayer.
He should, in any event, not prolong his singing to excess in order not
to overburden the congregation.

L. Our brothers in the Sefardic communities observe the ancient
forms The Hazzan recites all the brachot, piyuttim and t'fi I lot aloud

and the congregation follows him softly: two prominent men of the
congregation stand at the Hazzan's right and left as did Aaron and
Hur at the side of Moses when he stood in prayer during the war
with Amalek. The Ashkenazim do not have that custom. The Hazzan
only begins and concludes. The congregation recites the prayers
aloud and not in unison. Everyone must therefore be careful to
keep abreast of the place in the Siddur and the procedure of the
service. Those congregations that have instituted congregational
singing have done well indeed for they have brought order into the
cacophony and given a unified direction to the individual prayers of
the many.

M. The return of the Exiles that commenced with the rebirth
of the State of Israel has brought the Ashkenazic and Sefardic com-
munities closer one to the other. It is to be hoped and greatly desired
that we may learn from one another that which is good and correct
according to the Halachic precepts formulated by our Rabbis in the
Talmud. We hope, too, that the exchange of information may lead
to the correction of many errors in our nushaot that were caused,
through the years, by unknowing printers and were perpetuated
inadvertantly and unthinkingly. We shall then, perhaps, become once
again, one community, all members of one synagogue and users of
one Book of Prayers.

N. It is desirable, on Friday afternoon, to read the Torah portion
of the week-twice directly from the scripture and once in translation
(targum). There are many who customarily read the "Song of Songs"
afterward.

0. "Kabbalat Shabbat" is the Song of Praise to the Sabbath
Queen. Its hymns are cries of rejoicing and glory. The song "L'cha
Dodi" is full of the longing of the congregation of Israel for its
beloved, the Sabbath.

P. It is customary to increase the songs on Sabbath Eve and
thereby to thank the Almighty for the great gift of the Sabbath.

Q. We prolong the chanting of "V'hu Rahum" and "Barchu" at
the conclusion of the Sabbath in order to lengthen the holiness at
the expense of the secular. After Havdalah is chanted over a cup of
wine, we escort the Sabbath Queen with songs that were composed
especially for that occasion.

R. It is also customary to arrange a special feast at the con-
clusion of the Sabbath, called M'laveh Malkah (Escorting the
Queen) during which all the songs of that special evening are sung.

The Lows of Rosh Hodesh:

S. Rosh Hodesh is separate from the other days of the month.
Special sacrifices were offered on that day when the Holy Temple
existed in J erusalem. Today we recite the "Mussaf" in place of those
sacrifices.

T. On the Sabbath preceding Rosh Hodesh the Hazzan an-
nounces the day of the week on which Rosh Hodesh will be celebrated.

The Laws of the Festivals:

U. When the evening of a festival occurs on the Sabbath, the
Hazzan does not recite the hlaariv and the Piyyut from the Mahzor
by the light of a candle.

V. On the morning of a festival we go to the synagogue a bit
later than usual in order to afford more time for the preparation of
the festival meal in the morning rather than upon returning home.
The prayers in the synagogue are not lengthened so that we may
emerge early and rejoice in the festival at greater length. Hazzanim
who prolong the service past the noon hour should be admonished.

W. The reason for reciting Hallel on the night of Passover in
the synagogue, including the opening and closing benedictions, is that
the opening b'racha is not recited prior to Hallel during the reading
of the Haggadah. Hallel is recited in the synagogue so that the
benediction need not be recited at home. The psalms recited at the
table are not meant to be the Hallel but merely individual songs
of praise. The opening benediction is therefore not then recited.

X. The Hazzan begins with "Ha-EI B'ta-atzumot" on festivals
because that prayer is a reminder of the exodus from Egypt and tells
us of the mightiness of His strength.

Y. The Hazzan dons his white robe (Kitl) at the Prayer for Dew
(Tal, on the first day of Pesach) and at the Prayer for Rain
(Geshem, on Shmini Atzerat). The white robe is calculated to bring
the Hazzan to a state of religious fervor and to arouse within his heart
compassionate feelings for his fellow man and his daily needs.

The Sh'liah Tzibbur has aroused a great deal of interest in the
Responsa literature. Rabbi Moshe Mintz devoted a special response

to the question concerning the Sh'liah Tzibbur in his "Sefer Sh'elot
lit shuvot L'harav Moshe Mintz, Lwow 1851" that was directed to
him by the community of Babenberg. The question concerned the
deportment of the Sh'liah Tzibbur, how he should be judged, the
goal of prayer, order of service, the adjustment of his clothing during
prayer, his concentration on the prayers, his fluency in them, his
complete belief in the efficacy of his prayers, etc. Rabbi Mintz
answered all the questions and he concludes with an explanation
questions that were asked of him. He concludes with an explanation
of how the Sh'liah Tzibbur should be judged and his relationship to
the congregation. After a great deal of earnest deliberation, in accord-
ance with Halacha, and an appraisal of the Hazzan, he confers upon
the latter the responsibility of carrying out the duties of his holy
office in relationship to his congregation.

The prayers of the Sh' liah Tzibbur at the Amud have always
required extra preparation. There is a special supplication for the
Sh'liah Tzibbur in one of the prayer hooks that the Hazzan is
required to say prior to his going up to the Amud. It reads as follows:

"I beseech Thee, my God and God of my fathers. Be of assist-
ance to me as I stand in prayer for myself and for Thy people, the
House of Israel, and removefrom my mind all varieties of strange
thoughts and anxieties so that my thoughts be not confused. And
strengthen my heart so that my devotion may be directed to Your
Holy Name and my service be consecrated; that I should have only
good impulses and not be ruled by the evil inclination. And let my
heart love and revere Thee so that I may stand before Thee to serve
and to sing in Thy name. And may the words of my mouth and the
meditations of my heart be acceptable before Thee, my Rock and my
Redeemer. Amen."

• "Kol Yisrael" is a two volume anthology of hazzanic material for the liturgi-
cal year published by the'Bilu" Synagogue and Cantorial Seminary in Tel
Aviv, Israel in 1964. The Introduction is, in fact, a comprehensive review
of the history and development of hazzanut.

The editor of the anthology is the well known expert on hazzanut and
cantillation, M. S. Geshury. Much of the music is the work of the late
revered hazzan and teacher of hazzanim, Solomon Rawitz.

PIRKEI HAZZANUT

M AX WOHLBERG

It was, of course, inevitable that since the survival of our Siddur
was due, in the main, to the retentive memories of the ancient
Shelihei Tsibbur, variations in version would result. Even after the
codes of Natronai, Saadyoh and Amram were completed, the Babel
of minhagim continued because these codes remained in precious
few manuscripts and were not easily accessible. Still another reason
for the profusion of local customs was the productive period of the
Payetanim following in the wake of Yammai, Yosi ben Yosi and
Kallir. Thus we had minhagim of Roma, Roumania, Frankfort a. M.,
Troyes, Provence, Sepharad and its sub-divisions: Castilla, Cataluna,
Aragon, the Oriental Sephardic in Constantinople, the Austrian and
its branches: Bohemian, Moravian, Polish (Little and Great), Lith-
uania and Reisen (White Russia), etc.

Analyzing the synagogue music of Ashkenazic Europe, we are
surprised at the comparatively few shinuyei nushaot (variations).
Especially is this surprise justified because (i) The infusion of new
music into the synagogue through the centuries is historically proven;
(2) general notating of synagogue music did not begin until the
eighteenth century.

The explanation of this curious phenomenon lies, I believe, in
the following: (1) A strong attachment and strict adherence to tra-
ditional nusah; (2) The new melodies were applied mainly to the
incidental and poetic sections of the prayer book, its structural core
remaining untouched; (3) Where a violation of proper mode was
threatened, the new music was altered to fit into its frame; (4) The
I i beral and friendly exchange of music among the travel i ng H azzani m.

However, even a superficial view will reveal a distinct difference
between West European and East European Synagogual music.
Closer scrutiny will uncover finer deviations in Germany, Hungary
and France on one hand, and in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and
Bessarabia on the other. Due to persecutions and migrations, these
variations were later transplanted into lands other than their origin.

We thus have today portions of the week-day Shaharit and
Minha, the Friday evening service, the V'shamru, etc., in both
major and minor modes. The Yishtabah is placed in the Ahavah
Rabbah mode by Singer, Sulzer, Deutsch and Wodak, while Lach-
man, Minkowsky, Bernstein and Lewandowsky, place it in the
Magen Avot mode.

What is, however, of even greater curiosity, is the fact that
the Adonay Malakh itself, whose name was utilized to designate a
major mode, is written in a minor mode by such men as Nisi Belzer,
Rozumni, Nesvizki and Kalechnik. Weisser and Kwartin instinctively
modulated from major into minor; Alman and Zemachsohn employ
both modes. If this were not enough, Chagy and Schnipelisky write
it in the Ahavah Rabbah mode.

Outside of Baer, I recall no Adonay Malakh in minor among
German and Hungarian Cantors. The fact that its major mode was
prevalent in Eastern Europe, is attested to by its use by Gerowitch,
Nowakowski and Dunayevski.

Bimbaum logically suggested that a proper study of our nushaot
ought to be preceded by a thorough consideration of the history of
the specific liturgic portions to which they are applied.

Such a procedure, alas, is beyond our abilities, due to the lack
of sufficient ancient musical material. And even this material is still
awaiting scientific study.

From the material at our disposal, it is fair to assume that, for
example, the nusah for the Friday evening service, as recorded in
Baer, Sulzer, Wodak, etc., is the correct one. When and how the
Friday evening service came to be sung in minor in the Ukraine and
in part of Poland, remains uncertain. The preference in the Slovak
countries for the minor was no doubt instrumental in this change.
It is also probable that the minor mode first used only during Sefira
or around Tisha B'Av was later carried over for the entire year. The
fact remains that wherever two versions exist, one in major and the
other in minor, the former is almost invariably that of Western
Europe, the latter of the East.

As a further aid in understanding the variations in nusah, I
venture to suggest the following hypothesis: Throughout Jewish
literature we find a stress upon hakhana-preparation, anticipation.
To mention but a few examples: The Three Days of Separation
preceding the Revelation at Mount Sinai; the Talmudic precept- 30
days preceding a Festival one is to start studying the laws pertaining
thereto; the many Piyutim serving as introductions to the prayers
that follow them; the numerous Hineni Mukhan's introduced in the
16th Century by Ari Hakodesh (Yitschok Lurie) and his followers,
the Pietists of Safed.

This may explain why the chanting of the Haftarah ends on a
major note, serving as an introduction to the following benedictions.

For this reason also, I daresay, the last few words of the Torah
reading end on a minor note, anticipating the Haftarah which follows
in the minor mode. (At first, perhaps, only the passage immediately
preceding the Haftarah was ended in this manner. Later this was
adopted for the ending of the other portions.)

Similarly, the Yekum Purkun, which is sung in major, ends in
minor, introducing the minor Ml Sheberakh. The latter used to be
concluded in major, leading us into the major Hanoten Teshuah and
the Yehaldu. However, on days when it was followed by the minor
Au Harahamin or the Yehi Ratson, the Mi S/ieberah was concluded
in minor.

Accepting this theory, we find a ready explanation for some of
the discrepancies in the subject of nusah The Adonoy Malakh was
sung in minor mode for the evening service. Especially would this
be true in congregations where the M'khalket Hayim, was followed
by the minor Kogauno.

There are, of course, numerous problems of nusah which re-
quire solutions founded on different considerations. Thus, for ex-
ample, passages like the M'khalkei Hayim, because of their context,
were often sung in minor, although the paragraphs preceding and
following them were done in major. Discoveries of additional his-
toric material, as well as thorough study of the available ancient
manuscripts, will undoubtedly throw more light on this intriguing
subject.

REVIEW OF NEW MUSIC

ADONOY MOLOCH (Psalm 97) For
Cantor and Mixed Voices (S. A.
T. B.) and Organ Accompaniment

by Lazar Weiner. Mills Music, Inc.,

N. Y.

Lazar Weiner has been able, in this
short piece to combine the best of
traditional nusah and the sometime
harsh dissonances of contemporary
musical thought with his own personal
style.

Commissioned by Temple Emanu-
El in N. Y. and dedicated to Cantor
Arthur Wolfson the piece will call for
uncompromising accuracy with a good
chorus and much strength in the can-
torial line. It is strictly constructed
music with the many-patterned se-
quences acting as a strong unifying
link.

he has assumed as his personal re-
sponsibility the creation of grand
works for the enrichment of Jewish
Music, works of a religious character.

We are grateful that in his position
as Organist and Choir Master of the
Washington Hebrew Congregation he
has singers and musicians of such
professional calibre as to give him an
expanded workshop in which to ex-
periment, to create and to provide us
with musical materials that take a
back-seat to no one.

One might surmise from the above
that "Forget Thy Affliction" is a dif-
ficult piece to perform, and it is. But
it will certainly be worth the effort
and when its intervals and angular
lines are mastered it will be found to
have a logic and concreteness that is
exceptionally satisfying.

SILENT DEVOTION AND MAY
THE WORDS by Walter Brenner.
Transcontinental Music Publica-
tions. N. Y.

Mr. Brenner has written a delight-
fully restrained organ solo for his
"Silent Devotion" with beautiful reg-
istration for Pipe as well as Hammond
Organ. The short "May the Words"
uses an implied Ahava Rabba mode
in both melody and accompaniment
that may sound somewhat pseudo-
oriental, but the writing is effective.

FORGET THY AFFLICTION: In-
trodurtion to the Sabbath for Mixed
Choir. Solo Voices and Organ by

Herman Berlinski. Transcontinental

Music, N.Y.

With a text by Solomon Ibn Gabi-
rol. written in the 11th Century, and
a style of composition definitely be-
longing to the 20th Century Dr. Ber-
linski shows again that he is much
attracted to this fusing of the ancient
with the most contemporary and that

HAVA N'HALELA (A Method for
the Recorder, Based upon Israel
Folk Tunes) by Tzipora Jochsber-
ger. American Zionist Council.

MELODIES OF ISRAEL (Duets and
Trios for Recorders or Other Mel-
ody Instruments) Edited by Tzipora
Jochsherger. Shengold Publishers.
Both of these effective methods
use composed and folk material of
Israel to good purpose. It was a
natural process by which this adopted
melody instrument of the Israelis,
through courses taught by Miss Jochs-
berger in her own Hebrew Arts School
for Music and the Dance in New
York, was linked to the present vol-
umes in a series planned by Miss
Jochsberger They are arranged for
use by students taking formal lessons
or studying independently. The songs
can be used bv teachers to create
musical associations to Israeli folk-
ways, natural surroundings, the towns
and cities, the Sabbaths and holidays
and the general culture of Israel.
Most of the melodies are a bit dated

50

for those who have been exposed land when it is a Shaker song ar-

through the years to Israeli songs but ranged by Copland.

are good additions, even in those it is a worthwhile collection that

cases, to Synagogue and School Music should be available to every Hazzan.

Libraries.

PRELIMINARY SERVICE FOR
SABBATHS AND FESTIVALS:
Composed and Arranged According
to Traditional Sources by Pinchas
Spiro, Published by Beth Am Syna-
gogue, Cleveland, Ohio.
Hazzan Spiro, in his introduction
to this pamphlet, speaks of its prime
purpose as providing a unified and
authentic version of the chanting of
"Birkot Hashahar" and "P'suke
D'zimra" for J unior Congregations
and Bar Mitzvah candidates.

He explains each of the sections
and adds that the version which is
followed here belongs to the East
European Tradition.

A musical analysis of the different
modal chants used in each section is
clear and specific and can he used to
good effect when teaching the chant
to either Adults or Children.

The table of contents is in Hebrew
characters and each textual musical
example in the body of the booklet
gives two transliterations, Sefaradit
and Ashkenaz. as well as the page,
paragraph and line of the text in the
United Synagogue Prayerbook for
Sabbaths and Holidays.

The appendix lists original texts in
H ebrew.

It is an exceptionally helpful and
useful work, one which we can all use
in teaching the chanting of the Pre-
liminary Service to our congregations.
C. D.

YIDISHE DICHTER IN GESANG
(Yiddish Poets in Song), Edited by
Mordecai Yardeini and An Editorial
Board. Jewish Music Alliance, N.Y.
Morderai Yardeini and the J ewish
Music Alliance have made available a
handsomely bound collection of poems
by the great Yiddish poets of the late
19th and early 20th Centuries as set
to music by a number of composers
Among the poets will be found Bialik.
Teitelboim, Leivik, Reitzen, Tcherni-
rhovsky, M. L. Halpern and Peretz.
The settings are by H elf man, V. Hei-
fetz Emanuel Barkan, Low Rauch.
Srhaeffer, Gelbart, Silver, J asinovsky.
Kon, Olshanetzky. Secunda and Ell-
stein. The majority of settings are by
the Editor. Mordecai Yardeini.

Many of the arrangements are
practical and among them should be
found suitable material for solo voice
and piano as well as some good choral
settings. One is able to see in as varied
a collection as this what has com-
monly been termed the 'Jewish-
ethnic" approach to simple arrange-
ments of folk-character melodies as
well as the great difference in their
musical worth, depending upon the
ability and talents of the arranger.

There are some errors in text as
well as in sources; i.e., "Simple Gifts"
on page 306 being attributed to Cop-

MUSIC SECTION

Two selections in the mode for Yamim Noraim by Emanuel
Kirschner comprise the Music Section of this issue. Future issues
will contain a section devoted to reprinting music which is not
ordinarily available to the hazzan.

Mechalkel chajim.

Mi chomocho.