“So Wild and Strange a Harmony” Synagogue Choral Music of Salomon Sulzer Coreen Duffy
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“So Wild and Strange a Harmony” Synagogue Choral Music of Salomon Sulzer Coreen Duffy Anthony Antolini is senior lecturer in music at Bowdoin College, and Artistic Director of Down East Singers and Lincoln Festival Chorus. <[email protected]> any of Western music’s most infl uential individual citizenship in a state.”6 Inhabitants of the composers are inextricably linked with Jewish ghetto in Vienna commenced the building of M Vienna: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven infrastructure, including a hospital, a Hebrew printing in the fi rst Viennese School; and Schoenberg, Berg, press, and plans for a new synagogue building, which and Webern in the second. Jewish music scholar Peter would be called the Seitenstettengasse. This syna- Gradenwitz argued that a new category of “Viennese gogue—with its renowned cantor/composer Salomon School” should be added: the school of Jewish music Sulzer—would soon become the European leader in by Salomon Sulzer (1804–1890). Jewish liturgical music. Sulzer’s birth in Hohenems, Austria, coincided with To complement the marked improvement in quality a fl urry of growth in Jewish business and culture in of life in Vienna at the turn of the nineteenth century, Austria, especially Vienna. Eighteenth-century Aus- Jewish reformers sought to join the Jewish Enlighten- tria had been particularly ment movement that was inhospitable to its Jewish gaining followers in Western residents, when Holy Ro- Europe. Reformers opined man Empress Maria The- that worship services should resa (reigned 1740–1780) evolve to refl ect Jews’ new- imposed severe financial found immersion in secular and cultural restrictions society. German-Jewish re- against all Jews. Under formers began integrating the Empress’s orders, Aus- vernacular prayers, use of trian Jews were largely the organ, and congrega- constrained to ghettos; they tional singing into regular could not own land or build services.7 Israel Jacobson a synagogue, were subject (1768 –1828) established to heavy taxation, and were the fi rst Reform temple in required to wear yellow Seesen, Germany, where he arm badges. These restric- instituted an extreme reform tions largely prevented of music for worship: Jews from partaking in or [Jacobson] provided the contributing to Austrian temple with a bell for calling musical culture of the En- the worshipers to prayer; he lightenment period. introduced German chorale tunes set to Hebrew and An Edict of Toleration, German texts; he abolished the implemented in 1781 by chanting of Torah cantillation Maria Theresa’s son, Jo- as well as synagogue prayer modes [nusach ha-tefillah], seph II (reigned 1780– 90), and with this last change went eradicated many restrictive the abolition of the hazzan [cantor].8 policies, making the new Holy Roman Emperor “one of the fi rst European mon- In Vienna, the Jewish community recruited Rabbi archs to relax anti-Jewish legislation.”4 What would Isaac Noah Mannheimer (1793–1865) to devise for its become known as “Jewish emancipation” soon spread synagogue “an order of divine service in keeping with across Europe as nations began to abolish discrimina- the era of Enlightenment,” which later became known tory laws, tear down ghetto walls, and allow Jews to as the “Mannheimer Rite” or “Vienna Rite.”9 However, participate in society.5 “For the fi rst time since the the Seitenstettengasse members required Mannheimer, destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the termina- a radical reformer from Copenhagen, to modify his tion of Jewish autonomy in Israel, Jews could claim CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 53 Number 7 29 “So Wild and Strange a Harmony” outlook somewhat to suit their views, Sulzer strongly disagreed with re- His convictions contrasted sharply with which were far more conservative than formists’ “opinion that the regeneration that of other Jewish youth in Europe, Jacobson’s.10 In 1826, Mannheimer dem- of the service can be achieved only who found “Christian-style worship an onstrated his break from the severity of by a complete break with the past, by attractive alternative to ‘out-moded’ Jacobson’s musical model by inviting a abolishing all traditional and inherited Jewish rituals.”14 Sulzer believed that tra- young cantor from Hohenems named historically-evolved liturgy.”11 He be- ditional Jewish chant was not only worth Salomon Sulzer to work with him in lieved that Jacobson’s limitations of “the saving, but also deserving of integration reforming the Seitenstettengasse service. entire service to a German hymn before into a new musical format with choral Whereas Jacobson had eliminated tradi- and after the sermon” amounted to harmony, given his strong background tional chant and the cantor’s role entirely giving “a certifi cate of divorce to tradi- in three areas of study: Jewish ritual, from Jewish worship, Mannheimer, the tion.”12 Rather, Sulzer advocated that vocal performance, and music compo- son of a cantor, chose to appoint the “Jewish liturgy must satisfy the musical sition. That Sulzer ultimately managed best Jewish baritone voice in Austria to demands while remaining Jewish; and it to accomplish his goal in an extremely reform synagogue music at the Seiten- should not be necessary to sacrifi ce the infl uential manner was a result of his stettengasse. Jewish characteristics to artistic forms.”13 strong religious and musical training; his exquisite baritone voice; his com- mitment to building, maintaining, and providing music for an excellent choir; and his charismatic personality. According to legend, Sulzer, a mis- chievous child, once wandered off and nearly drowned in a fl ooded creek in his native Hohenems.15 His mother, thank- ful that he was spared, dedicated her son to a life of rabbinic service.16 The boy, however, already showed interest Let your music in music and preferred to study to be a cantor rather than a rabbi. By the time of his Bar Mitzvah at age thirteen, Sulzer be heard… regularly led prayer services at his home synagogue and formally applied for the in Italy! position of cantor.17 The government regulated the appointment of religious “I can’t thank you enough offi cials; in this case, the Emperor Franz for all of your hard work in Josef “personally endorsed the thirteen- preparing our concert tour year-old Sulzer’s appointment as can- of Italy. We had a great tor of Hohenems community on the time!! The whole trip was express condition that he fi rst devoted wonderful!! I look forward to himself to further cantorial studies.”18 another trip with Witte” For three years, Sulzer “embodied the — Justin Addington, Director post-Emancipation preference for at- Skidaway Island United Methodist taining both Judaic and worldly knowl- Church Chancel Choir edge”19 by studying at the Yeshiva in Endigen, Switzerland, the musical center of Karlsruhe, Germany, and then as an Witte has been arranging exceptional apprentice to cantors in Switzerland, concert tours through Italy and the 800 GO WITTE France, and Germany.20 Upon his re- rest of the world since 1975. wittetours.com turn to Hohenems, Sulzer developed a reputation as an exceptional singer, a 30 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 53 Number 9 Synagogue Choral Music of Salomon Sulzer founder of a choir at his synagogue, and and compose choral responses to them; if to emphasize that the king’s strength as an athlete and thrill seeker: (3) to compose new choral-cantorial comes from above. At measure four- works for the liturgy; and (4) to commis- teen, on the word melech [king], the Anecdotes are told of Sulzer at sion new choral-cantorial works from phrase cadences in the relative minor, this time which picture him as a well-known Viennese composers. The harmonically underlining the relation- combination of physical vivacity and results of this monumental undertaking ship between God (C major) and king serious piety. He was passionately appear in two volumes of music for the (A minor). fond of riding, and would often be met galloping madly into town to synagogue, entitled Schir Zion [Songs Schir Zion contains a vast array of be in time for afternoon prayer. He of Zion], published in 1839 and 1865, cantorial chants and choral responses is said once to have plunged wildly respectively. for all types of services in the liturgical down a precipitous mountain side Many of Sulzer’s newly-composed year; some of these are unaccompanied, in order to reach the synagogue in choral works are dramatic, well-crafted some include optional organ accompa- 21 time. settings that largely employ Western niment, and others feature signifi cant tonal harmony.23 For example, in Sulzer’s organ solo passages.25 The best of these Sulzer became cantor at the Seit- C-major setting of Psalm 21 for mixed integrate traditional chant melodies enstettengasse in 1826, at the age of choir, baritone, and organ (Figure 1), in their proper prayer modes (nusach twenty-two. He confronted the chaotic majestic choral entrances proclaim that ha-tefi llah) with complementary choral state of synagogue music directly, seeking “the king shall rejoice in the strength writing featuring Western harmony to overhaul what he saw as a buildup of of the Lord.”24 The outer voices enter molded to follow the modal contour “foreign accretions and popular styles” imitatively, beginning at the pickup to of the nusach. For example, Sulzer’s in synagogue chant while integrating measure nine, each proclaiming the haunting setting of B’rôsch haschonoh Western harmonizations into newly- word Adônoj [God] twice, using pitches yikkosewun [On Rosh Hashanah It is 22 composed choral responses. Sulzer outlining the C-major