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Organs and Organ Music in Victorian Synagogues: Christian Intrusions or Symbols of Cultural Assimilation?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Walter Hillsman
Walter Hillsman*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Music, University of Oxford
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Extract

The rise and decline of organs in British synagogues from about 1850 to the present day is intrinsically linked to social, political, and religious developments. It therefore provides a fascinating focus for studying some of the complexities of change in Anglo-Jewry, the extent to which Victorian British Jews were affected by developments in Judaism elsewhere, and the adoption of, and reaction against, certain cultural phenomena perceived by Jews as Christian.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Church History , Volume 29: Christianity and Judaism , 1992 , pp. 419 - 433
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1992

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References

1 I am very much indebted to the following for help with the research for, and presentation of, this essay: Edward Cross, of the Hertsmere Progressive Synagogue in Elstree, Herts., Sydney Fixman, of the West London Synagogue, Ezra Kahn, of Jews’ College, London, Alexander Knapp, of Cambridge, Michael Kramer-Mannion, of Stockport, Peter Ward Jones and Susan and Lionel Wollenberg, of Oxford.

2 Elbogen, I., Der jüdische Gollesdienst in seiner geschiclitlichen Entwicklung (Leipzig, 1913), p. 427.Google Scholar

3 New Grove Dictionary of Music (hereafter NG], ‘Organ’, pp. 724-5.

4 Mosely, B. L., ‘The magrepha’, Jewish Chronicle (London) [hereafter JC] (25 Jan. 1878), p. 7.Google Scholar

5 McKinnon, J., ed., Music in Early Christian Literature (Cambridge, 1987), pp. 1–4, 26, 97–8, 137 CrossRefGoogle Scholar; NG, ‘Christian Church, music of the early’, p. 368.

6 NC, ‘Organ’, p. 727.

7 Ibid., pp. 728-9.

8 EJ, ‘Organ’, col. 1453.

9 DrLehmann, , Die Orgel in der Synagoge (Mainz, [1864]), p. 15.Google Scholar

10 Jüdisches Lexikon, ‘Orgelstreit’, col. 602; Protokolle und Aktenstücke der zweiten Rabbiner-Versammlung, abgehalten in Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt-on-Main, 1845), p. 147.

11 Marks, D. W., Sermons Preached on Various Occasions (London, 1862), pp. 176–7.Google Scholar

12 EJ, ‘Music’, col. 644; Cohen, F. L., ‘The rise and development of synagogue music’, in Papers Read at the Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition, Royal Albert Hall, London (London, 1888), pp. 129-30.Google Scholar

13 Leigh, M., ‘Reform Judaism in Britain 1840-1970’, in Marmur, D., ed., Essays on Reform Judaism in Britain (London, 1973), p. 4.Google Scholar

14 For dull and monotonous, see Katz, J., The Social Background of Jewish Emancipation, 1770-1870 (Cambridge, Mass., 1973), p. 120.Google Scholar

15 For ghettos/Enlightenment/French Revolution, see Leigh, ‘Reform Judaism’, pp. 3-6.

16 Ibid., p. 6.

17 EJ, ‘Reform Judaism’, col. 23.

18 Jewish Encyclopedia [hereafter JE], ‘Reform Judaism’, pp. 349, 351.

19 EJ, ‘Music’, cols 642-4.

20 Ibid., cols 645-50.

21 EJ, ‘Reform Judaism’, cols 23-4.

22 For Jacobson (1768-1828, wealthy banker and agent of King Jerome of Westphalia) and Seesen, see Leigh, ‘Reform Judaism’, pp. 6-7.

23 M. Ydit, ‘The controversy concerning the use of organ [sic] during the 19th century in Europe and in America’—Prize Essay, Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1962, p. 2.

24 Philipson, D., The Reform Movement in Judaism (New York, 1907), pp. 42–176–9.Google Scholar

25 See Sendrey, A., Bibliography of Jewish Music (New York, 1951), pp. 104–6.Google Scholar

26 Protokolle und Aklenslücke, pp. 147-50.

27 Marks, Sermons, pp. 176-9; for mistakenly, see Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae (Rome, 1962), p. 1474. I am grateful to Dr Edward Yarnold of Campion Hall, Oxford, for confirming that Thomas was here using the word organum to mean musical instrument in the generic sense.

28 L. Löw, Gesammelte Schriften, 2 vols (Szegedin, 1889, 1890), 2, p. 353.

29 Curwen, J. S., Studies in Worship Music, Chiefly as Regards Congregational Singing (London, 1880), p. 190 Google Scholar; JC (1880-1901), passim.

30 Sharot, S., ‘The social determinants in the religious practices and organization of English Jewry with special reference to the United Synagogue’ (Oxford D.Phil, thesis, 1968), pp. 302–3, 351.Google Scholar

31 For dress and titles, see Sharot, , ‘The social determinants’, p. 310 Google Scholar, and Kramer-Mannion, M., ‘The growth and development of Reform Judaism in Manchester 1940-1985’ (Manchester Ph.D. thesis, 1989), p. 470.Google Scholar

32 Sharot, S., ‘Reform and Liberal Judaism in London: 1840-1940’, Jewish Social Studies (1979), p. 211 Google Scholar; for 1903 see Mudie Smith, R., The Religious Life of London (London, 1904), pp. 15, 265, and Jewish Year Book 1903-4, pp. 219, 223.Google Scholar

33 ‘Our provincial congregations. Manchester.—VII.’, Jewish World (9 Nov. 1877), p. 5, and The Jews in Manchester’, JC (10 Oct. 1879), p. 7; Kramer-Mannion, ‘Growth and development, p.ii.

34 Leigh, ‘Reform Judaism’, pp. 20-4.

35 Diamond, A. S., ‘120th Anniversary: West London Synagogue’, JC (7 June 1963), pp. 23, 26 Google Scholar; ‘The West London Synagogue of British Jews. A history of fifty years’, JC (29 Jan. 1892), Supplement, p. 20.

36 London, West London Synagogue, Safe, ‘West London Synagogue British Jews 5602-1842 Minutes’ [hereafter WLSM] (15 Dec. 1858), p. 374.

37 On Verrinder (?-1904), see ‘Obituary’, Musical Times (1 Aug. 1904), p. 533; WLSM (12 Sept., 18 Dec. 1859), pp. 390, 396-8.

38 WLSM (18 Dec. 1859), pp. 398-9; ‘Consecration of the new West London Synagogue’, JC (23 Sept. 1870), pp. 13-14; ‘Obituary. Dr. Verrinder’, JC (1 July 1904), p. 25.

39 Hopkins, E.J. and Rimbault, E. F., The Organ: its History and Construction, 3rd edn (London, 1877), repr. (Hilversum, 1965), p. 503 Google Scholar; G. Benham, The Organ in the West London Synagogue, Upper Berkeley Street, W.’, The Organ, 18 (1938-9), pp. 45-50.

40 Chadwick, O., The Victorian Church Part II, 2nd edn (London, 1970), p. 327.Google Scholar

41 Sharot, ‘Reform and Liberal Judaism’, p. 216.

42 For Meyerbeer, see ‘The Jubilee. The synagogues. Berkeley Street’, JC (24 June 1887), p. 13; for Mendelssohn, ‘Wedding at Berkeley Street Synagogue’, JC (13 July 1883), p. 10.

43 For Handel, see ‘Berkeley Street’, JC (8 July 1887), p. 14; for Schumann, ‘Berkeley Street’, JC (31 Oct. 1884), p. 2.

44 W. Hillsman, Trends and aims in Anglican church music 1870-1906 in relation to developments in churchmanship’ (Oxford D.Phil, thesis, 1985), pp. 230-6.

45 Manchester, Central Library, Local Studies Unit, M153/10, ‘Correspondence of Mrs. Dorothy Quas-Cohen re origin of the [Manchester] Reformed [sic] Synagogue [1932-?]’, ‘Notes on the history and origin of the Reform Synagogue, and hence the origin of the Park Place Synagogue Choir’ (1936) [hereafter MCL], p. 1.

46 Goldberg, P. S., Manchester Congregation of British Jews 1857-1957: A Short History (Manchester, 1957). PP. 13, 34 Google Scholar; V. D. Lipman, ‘The Anglo-Jewish community in Victorian society’, in D. Noy and I. Ben-Ami, eds, Studies in the Cultural Life of the jews in England—Folklore Research Center Studies, no. 5 (Jerusalem, 1975), p. 161.

47 Goldberg, Manchester Congregation, pp. 12-13, 26.

48 MCL, p. 3.

49 For Samson, see ‘Consecration of a synagogue’, Manchester Courier (27 March 1858), p. 9; for Saul, London, University College, Jewish Studies Library, Mocatta Boxed Pamphlets, RP77, Memorial Service…Park Place Synagogue…Manchester…Queen Victoria (Cheetham, [1901]), p. 4.

50 ‘Bradford Hebrew Congregation’, JC (25 March 1881), p. 12.

51 Lipman, ‘Anglo-Jewish community’, p. 161; ‘Notes of the week. Bradford Congregation’, JC (16 April 1880), p. 4; ‘Consecration of the Jewish Synagogue’, Bradford Daily Telegraph (30 March 1881), p. 3; ‘The new Bradford Synagogue. Consecration ceremony’, Bradford Observer (30 March 1881), p. 3.

52 Information from conversations with Rudi Leavor of Bradford (25 Nov. 1991) and Douglas Charing of Leeds (4 Sept. 1991).

53 On 1902 and assimilation, see Sharot, ‘Reform and Liberal Judaism’, pp. 218-19, 222-3; on decorum, Kramer-Mannion, ‘Growth and Development’, p. 5. Much of the information from this point to the end of the essay is drawn from personal letters to the author from Ena Black of London, 22 Jan. 1992; Edward Cross of Radlett, Hertfordshire, 25 Nov. 1991, enclosing ‘Music of the Service [that is, of the Rededication Service of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, St John’s Wood, London, 23 Sept. 1951]’; and Michael Kramer-Mannion of Stockport, 26 Nov. 1991. I am also indebted to the following for verbal information: Sydney Fixman of London, Alexander Knapp of Cambridge, and Michael Kramer-Mannion of Stockport.

54 Kramer-Mannion, ‘Growth and Development’, p. 470.

55 Knapp, A., ‘Aspects of Jewish music in contemporary Britain’, in Buckley, A. et al., eds, Proceedings of the Second British-Swedish Conference on Musicology: Elltnomusicology, Cambridge, 5-10 August 1989 (Göteborg, 1991), p. 215.Google Scholar

56 Kramer-Mannion, ‘Growth and Development’, p. ii.

57 Cross, letter of 25 Nov. 1991.