This book examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. The author chronicles the history of the organ in Jewish culture from the earliest references in the Talmud through to the 19th century, by which time it had established a firm and lasting presence in Jewish sacred and secular spaces in central Europe. She demonstrates how the introduction of the organ into German synagogues was part of the significant changes that took place in Judaism after the Enlightenment, and posits the organ as a symbo ... More

This book examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. The author chronicles the history of the organ in Jewish culture from the earliest references in the Talmud through to the 19th century, by which time it had established a firm and lasting presence in Jewish sacred and secular spaces in central Europe. She demonstrates how the introduction of the organ into German synagogues was part of the significant changes that took place in Judaism after the Enlightenment, and posits the organ as a symbol of the division of the Jewish community into Orthodox and Reform congregations. Newly composed organ music for Jewish liturgy after this division became part of a cross-cultural music tradition in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Germany, when a specific style of organ music developed that combined elements of Western and Jewish cultures. Concluding with a discussion of the organ in Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, the book presents case studies which illustrate how the organ has been utilized in the musical life of specific Jewish communities in the twentieth century. Based on extensive research in the archives of organ builders and Jewish musicians, it offers descriptions of specific organs as well as portraits of Jewish organists and composers. The book's extensive companion website features full color illustrations and over 200 organ dispositions.