Louis Lewandowski
Louis Lewandowski ( born April 3, 1821 in Wreschen, Posen, Prussia Province, now Poland, † February 4, 1894 in Berlin) was a German - Jewish composer who was best known for the revitalization and opening of the Jewish liturgy.
Life
Childhood and youth
Louis ( Lazarus ) Lewandowski came from very distressed family situations. His father was a cantor in the synagogue servant and auxiliary Wreschen and was therefore the financial means to feed his five children barely muster. For this reason it was decided that the young Louis with only 12 years of age should leave the family and go to Berlin in order to earn his own living. This was not entirely unusual, since many ages and fellow Lewandowski studied so to escape the domestic poverty. In Berlin arrived, Lewandowski came under in the local Jewish community. There they quickly became aware of his extraordinary musicianship and his beautiful voice. Cantor Asher Lion (1776-1863) has therefore hired him as his musical assistant for designing the service. This position as a so -called " Singerl " had already filled out as an assistant to his father's success Lewandowski. In return, the community took care of his livelihood and enabled him to attend high school.
As assistant Lions Lewandowski was part of an orthodox expression of synagogue music, which was trapped in the traditional principles before the introduction of the Haskalah. From the synagogue all musical instruments were banned, admitted was alone the line of worship by the prayer leader who could possibly assisted by a Gabbai. Subject of theoretical sciences or written reflection was Jewish music never been but was only transmitted orally.
Education in Berlin
This would Lewandowski, he would not be in the city of Berlin was, only his old life elsewhere continued. But he had the diverse influences of the residence almost appear to be a culture shock compared to his previous life in the province: the Berlin Jews were not, as in Wreschen, in the ghetto and also did not speak Yiddish, but high German. Furthermore, quite a few of the Berlin Jews belonged to the intellectual elite of the city. A teacher Lewandowski, the Hebrew scholar Salomon Plessner, led his disciples into the house of Alexander Mendelssohn one, a grandson of Moses Mendelssohn and cousin of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
Here perverted and made music the most important artists of the residence. Lewandowski was given the opportunity to be part of talks and concerts there, and was able to expand his horizons considerably. Alexander Mendelssohn, who recognized his musical talent, funded him a thorough violin and piano lessons. It would seamlessly connect to a university education, but this was not allowed the Jews in Prussia at that time without further notice. For two years, heard Lewandowski therefore Lectures on counterpoint and harmony at the Stern Conservatory. It was only through the intercession of Alexander Mendelssohn and after an excellent passing entrance examination to enroll Lewandowski could be the first Jew at the Berlin Academy of Arts. Lewandowski now started with success, to compose and perform secular music; he was awarded the Composition Prize of the known, was founded in 1791 Sing-Akademie zu Berlin.
Disease and Reflection
A four-year nervous nervous disease forced Lewandowski, however, to finish his studies. He was in this period without employment and without job prospects there, but could reflect on his family and musical roots: the synagogue music. After Lewandowski in the recent years in Berlin know the European classical music tradition and had come to love, arose in him the desire to combine the two traditions together.
In their quest after fertilization of the Jewish and Christian culture at that time considered many members of the Jewish communities of Prussia also the synagogue worship in need of reform. Both representatives of Reform Judaism, as well as Samson Raphael Hirsch, the founder of Neo - orthodoxy, sat committed to deliver the sermon in the national language and to change the liturgical chant fundamentally. In this regard, it was hoped ultimately a renewal of synagogue music by the adaptation rate of technical fundamentals of Western music (this was of course a long time a utopia or could be realized only very slowly, see the article The organ in the synagogue and the synagogue singing ).
Liberalization of synagogue worship
A concert of the Konigsberg Cantor Hirsch Weintraub, that this was in 1838 in Berlin and in which he not only traditional prayer songs also harmonized psalm melodies, works of Salomon Sulzer and even vocal arrangements of string quartets of Mozart and Haydn recited with his singers, was an enormous success, since in this opportunity was a combination of orthodox and liberal elements of the song produced.
Many members of the Berlin community of Ash Lion, who was Lewandowski as before, now began to massively to oppose the obsolete respected practice of synagogue music of their cantor. Works of Sulzer wanted to hear in worship, but looked Lion unable to understand this music, let alone teach them his singers. Now this was the opportunity for the newly convalescent Louis Lewandowski to bring his knowledge and skills: He transcribed the works of Sulzer in the treble clef - the only clef, could read the ashtray Lion - and gained thereby a trust relationship with the aging Kantor. For this, he was appointed conductor of the for the performance of Sulzer's works newly established four-part synagogue choir. It was also Lewandowski Kantorenbildner and singing teacher at the Jewish Free School, and received by the opportunity to educate the young parishioners didactic in terms of his desire for reform.
His big dream, however, publish his own compositions and they can implement in worship, he could not realize at this time. Rather, he produced works for four-part choir with organ or for soloists or instrumental accompaniment in large quantity for the bank, because it was not an appropriate audience for a performance of these works are available.
However, this changed from 1845: Ash Lion retired for reasons of age as a cantor back. New cantor was Abraham Jacob Lichtenstein, did better with a classical music training and was open to new musical ideas in worship. Lewandowski was thus still not bring his own compositions in the church, but still edits the works of Sulzer, further great reformer of Synagogalgesangs.
Lewandowski was appointed in 1865 on the occasion of his 25-year service anniversary as a choral conductor of the Jewish community to the Royal Music Director - a position of honor that he would certainly never dreamed of.
Conductor in the New Synagogue Berlin
Even more positive for his development as a musician was, of course, that a year later, in 1866, inaugurated a large new synagogue in the Oranienburger Straße in Berlin, where you undertook Lewandowski as conductors. In contrast to his workplace in the synagogue on the road Heidereuterstraße the New Synagogue also had an organ, so that for Lewandowski finally opened up the opportunity to rehearse their own, with instrumental accompaniment works, perform and publish them to.
The inauguration of the organ in the new synagogue was celebrated with a big party. An eyewitness, cantor Bernhard Jacobsohn, reported this: " The highlight undoubtedly was the great Hallelujah, Psalm 150, Lewandowski. The composer had this four-part mixed choir provided for this purpose with organ accompaniment, to which still occurred at certain points trumpets, triangle and timpani in the most effective manner. The audience must have been powerfully affected by this adulation. [! Sic] Even the then Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck, who attended the ceremony, to the impression could not help; because as soon as the final chord had died away, the Lewandowski was modest to him and shook his hand with words of gratitude for the pleasure he had just received. "
From this point on was Lewandowski as "the" genius of the synagogue chant. One last big climax represented its 50th anniversary with the Jewish community in December 1890, which was celebrated with a big party, concerts with sacred and secular works Lewandowski and a feast. The Academy of the Arts honored Lewandowski for the occasion by appointed him professor of music.
Louis Lewandowski died on February 3, 1894, less than two years after his retirement. His grave is located in the Jewish Cemetery Weissensee.
Work
Lewandowski joined in his compositions the traditional Synagogalgesang with the modern European musical development. The fact that the New Synagogue worked on Oranienburger Straße, in the Lewandowski since 1864 as a choral conductor, an organ possessed, gave him the opportunity for a perfect novelty in Jewish sacred music: he developed a new liturgy with organ accompaniment for the Jewish worship.
Lewandowski 1871 published his most famous book, Kol Rinnah, a cycle of compositions for solo cantor and two voices, intended for the musical by designing the service in the course of an entire year. With this work Lewandowski explained his about regional popularity. 1882 followed by six years of work, his two -part composition Toda Wesimra (thanks and vocals) for cantor solo, four part choir and congregational singing. Both works still belong to the standard repertoire of Jewish sacred music. More synagogue compositions Lewandowski which are still sung today often, Uwenucho Jomar, Zacharti laughter are for the Jewish Rosh Hashanah and We'al Chatajim for the feast of Yom Kippur. Except synagogue music set to music Lewandowski also psalms and composed symphonies, cantatas and songs. His 18 Liturgical psalms for soloists, four -part choir and organ Lewandowski put the German psalm texts based. Thus they are not directly linked to the use in the synagogue, but may be included some of these works in the synagogue worship, since they also appear in the Jewish prayer book. The Liturgical psalms published in 1879 by Breitkopf & Härtel and enjoy (after the re-release in 1994 also by Breitkopf & Härtel) until today great popularity even in Christian choirs.
New to Lewandowski's compositions was the inclusion of congregational singing; he had the audience thereby to, artists are '. New was the fact that the choir took with him yet more space than has been the case already at Sulzer: Lewandowski it was about the simplicity and singability the melodies, so he often integrated the forms of German art songs in his works. Especially his choral compositions follow the stylistic choral works and oratorios of Mendelssohn, a circumstance which has Lewandowski nicknamed " The Mendelssohn synagogal the " registered.
In addition, Lewandowski was also the first to the organ zuwies a convincing role in Jewish worship, without, however, use it as a virtuoso instrument. He was feeling rather to give the choir, soloists and congregational singing a solid foundation. However, he composed solo also works for organ. Finally, Lewandowski was also the first who introduced the previously unknown form of the duet, trio or instrumentally accompanied solo song in the synagogue, and also composed the music for this German texts.
One can therefore say that Lewandowski's music played a bridging role. On the one hand, he enriched the traditional Jewish religious music by Western shapes, sounds and occupations. On the other hand, he promoted through his arrangements of traditional Jewish themes popularization Jewish singing in the surrounding societies.