Re: Lewandowski

[elkahn <elkahn...>]

Daniel:

There are only two volumes of Toda w'simrah (1876-1882). There were up to
12 editions I believe, so that's where you probably got the figure.

The original sources on Lewandowski are in German and written by Aron
Friedmann, who worked with him as cantor at the Oranienbergerstrasse
synagoge in Berlin. Two of them are Lebensbilder der beruemter Cantoren
and 50 [fuenfzig] Jahre in Berlin.

Try the section on Lewandowski in Eric Werner's A voice still heard.

To my knowledge no lengthy American bio has been written, although Neil
Levin, professor at the cantorial school here is really the expert on
Lewandowski and I'm sure knows several sources I don't.

Hope that helps,

Eliott Kahn
Music ARchivist
JTS Library
New York, NY


On Tue, 19 Jan 1999, Daniel B. Schwartz wrote:

> One may wish to look at the 12 volume Todah VeZimroh, Lewandowski's magnum
> opus of his music  for auto biographical information as well as his views of
> music in general.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: robert wiener <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
> To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 1:30 PM
> Subject: Re: Lewandowski
> 
> 
> >Larry,
> >
> >A quick look through my library reveals that the Jewish Encyclopedia,
> >Nulman's Concise Encyclopedia of Jewish Music, and Binder's Studies in
> >Jewish Music all have entries of at least a page on Lewandowski, but I
> >found no reference to a biography.
> >
> >Also, Gesange aus Der Synagoge (Chants of the Synagogue), Koch Schwann
> >Aulos 3-1549-2 (CD), largely devoted to Lewandowski's music, has a
> >biography.
> >
> >Bob
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Larry Goldfinger <l-goldfinger (at) nwu(dot)edu>
> >To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> >Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 12:37 PM
> >
> >
> >>Actually, Idelsohn's book is where I first read about Lewandowski.
> >>Idelsohn devotes a large portion of his chapter on Western European
> >>chazzanim during the advent of the Reform movement to the guy,
> >describing
> >>how he rose from virtually no musical background or yiches, plus an
> >>impaired nervous system, to become one of the more well-regarded
> >composers
> >>of modern synagogue music during his lifetime.  Unlike some of his
> >>contemporaries who applied German Lied style tunes and Church music
> >to
> >>their settings of synagogue prayers, he is described as incorporating
> >>elements of traditional Jewish music in what was then a modern style,
> >such
> >>as four-part singing with and without organ accompaniment. Apparently
> >once
> >>he reached his high position, he became despotic and squelched any
> >>up-and-coming potential competitors.  This just seems like the stuff
> >a
> >>biographer interested in Jewish music might see as a worthwhile
> >project.
> >>So far, though, I've been unable to find anything substantial.
> >>
> >>-Larry
> >>
> >>At 05:39 PM 1/19/99 +0200, you wrote:
> >>>Idelsohn's "Jewish Music - Its Historic Development" has several
> >pages
> >>>on Lewandowski.
> >>>
> >>>Is there an actual biography in existence?
> >>>
> >>>Stephen
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