Eduard (Asher Anshel) Birnbaum (1855–1920) was a Polish-born German ''
hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.
In English, thi ...
'' (cantor) and one of the first explorers of
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originate ...
.
[
]
Life and Work
Birnbaum was born in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
.
He studied
synagogal music
Origin of Jewish music in the Temple
The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system as that used in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how ...
for three years in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
with
Salomon Sulzer
Salomon Sulzer ( he, סלומון זולצר, March 30, 1804, Hohenems, Vorarlberg – January 17, 1890, Vienna) was an Austrian ''hazzan'' (cantor) and composer.
Biography
His family, which prior to 1813 bore the name of '' Levi'', remove ...
. In 1872 he was appointed deputy cantor of the community of
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label= Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Mag ...
. Two years later he became the chief cantor in
Beuthen
Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capit ...
, where he began to collect printed and manuscript music, literature and source material, which became the basis for his research, as well as for his critical treatise on ''Baal T'fillah'', a collection of 1,500 Jewish ritual melodies and
recitative
Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...
s by Cantor Abraham Bär (1834–1894), published in 1877. In 1879, Birnbaum succeeded Zvi Hirsch Weintraub as the main cantor in the Jewish community of
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...
and held this position until his death in 1920.
[
Birnbaum published two volumes of ''Liturgische Übungen'' (Liturgical Exercises) (1900 and 1912). He also composed liturgical works, some of which were published posthumously in ''Der jüdische Kantor'' (The Jewish Cantor) 1927–1931. His writings were acquired as the ''Birnbaum Collection'' by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in ]Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...
. They contain his thematic catalogue, which lists synagogal melodies on about 7,000 cards, as well as his collection of references to music in rabbinical texts.[
Birnbaum died on ][ in Königsberg.
]
References
External links
Digitized works by Eduard Birnbaum
at the Leo Baeck Institute, New York
The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birnbaum, Eduard
1855 births
1920 deaths
Hazzans
Musicians from Kraków