Solomon (Salomo) Rosowsky (1878,
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
–1962) was a
cantor (hazzan) and composer, and son of the
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
n cantor,
Baruch Leib Rosowsky
Baruch Leib Rosowsky ( lv, Baruhs Leibs Rozovskis, 1841 – 1919) was a famous cantor of the Great Choral Synagogue in Riga and a composer of religious music in Riga, at the time a city in Imperial Russia. Rosowsky's time of death was d ...
.
Early life
Rosowsky began to study music only after he graduated from the
University of Kyiv, with a degree in law. Among his teachers at the
St. Petersburg Conservatory was
Rimsky-Korsakov. Together with the pianist Leonid Nesvishsky (Arie Abilea), the singer Joseph Tomars, the composer
Lazare Saminsky, and several other musicians Rosowsky organized the
Society for Jewish Folk Music in 1908. In 1918 he became music director of the
Jewish Art Theater (GOSET).
Professional career
Rosowsky returned to Riga in 1920 and founded the first Jewish Conservatory there. After a five-year stay, he left for
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, where at that time he at first was one of the few professional musicians. The folk music of
Palestinian Jews became a major new inspiration for his compositions. Despite the enthusiastic work of the pioneers, the material living conditions in Palestine at that time were still extremely arduous. And for an artist who was used to the rich musical life of
St. Petersburg, the land had little to offer in those early days except for a few amateur orchestras and two music schools. However, Rosowsky stayed on. He composed stage music for the workers' theater "
Ohel", gave lessons and began his path-breaking research into the music of the Bible, which later made his name known all over the world. He even tried, together with David Schor and David Mirenburg, to continue the concert activities of the
New Jewish School The New Jewish School (Russian: Новая еврейская школа (НЕШ)) was a movement in Russia of the 1900s to create a national Jewish art music. It was connected with the founding of the Society for Jewish Folk Music.
Selected discog ...
, founding the music society "
Hanigun".
Later years
His latter years he spent in New York, where he taught at the Cantors' Institute of the
Jewish Theological Seminary. His magnum opus, "The Cantillation of the Bible: Five Books of Moses", was published in 1957.
Publications
* ''"The Cantillation of the Bible: Five Books of Moses"'', published 1957
See also
Notable Relatives
*
Yuri Rasovsky
Yuri Rasovsky (July 29, 1944 – January 18, 2012) was an American writer and producer working in radio drama in the United States.
He founded and operated The National Radio Theater of Chicago from 1973 to 1986 and later formed the Hollywood ...
*
Barney Ross
*
Baruch Leib Rosowsky
Baruch Leib Rosowsky ( lv, Baruhs Leibs Rozovskis, 1841 – 1919) was a famous cantor of the Great Choral Synagogue in Riga and a composer of religious music in Riga, at the time a city in Imperial Russia. Rosowsky's time of death was d ...
External links
musica-judaica.com Rosowsky bio
AN INVENTORY OF THE SOLOMON ROSOWSKY COLLECTION The Library of The
Jewish Theological Seminary New York, 1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosowsky, Solomon
1878 births
1962 deaths
Musicians from Riga
People from the Governorate of Livonia
Latvian Jews
Latvian composers
Jewish American composers
Hazzans
Latvian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Jewish musicologists
Israeli emigrants to the United States