Music of Silesian Synagogues

When we first encountered the works of Ehrlich, Tintner, and Hamburger, they did not evoke any particular emotions. I regarded them yet another collection of synagogue music that had been lying unnoticed on archival shelves for years. After several years of intensive work in discovering, studying, performing, and recording this repertoire, each new finding seemed less like a breakthrough and more like a natural consequence of the path we had chosen.

I had always associated Silesia with its breathtaking landscapes, woven together by a dense network of hiking trails leading to countless historical monuments. Yet I had never viewed the region through the lens of Jewish culture. In this respect, it reminded me of my hometown of Szczecin (Stettin), where, amid numerous discussions about the past and contemporary identity, there seemed to be little room for that part of the cultural heritage from which not a single stone has remained upon another.

It was only when we began browsing an album of photographs of Silesian synagogues that our imagination was truly awakened. These monumental houses of worship – most of which housed choirs and organs – testified to something far greater than the influence of the nineteenth-century liturgical reforms that introduced such ensembles into synagogue services. They spoke of grand ideas, ambitions, and aspirations. They reflected a belief that modernity and openness could coexist with tradition and identity. Over time, we realised that this reflection was not ours alone. In recent years, interest in this seemingly niche subject has grown significantly.

The works selected for this recording comprise psalms, hymns, and prayers drawn from the synagogue liturgy. A special place is occupied by a composition by Salomon Ludwig Ehrlich, the chief cantor of Opole when Leo Baeck served there as rabbi. Tefilat ṭal va-geshem (Prayer for Dew and Rain), published in 1892, expresses the idea of divine power sustaining life through water and undoubtedly formed part of the liturgy of the New Synagogue in Opole.

To present the full diversity of the music of the Silesian synagogues, we have also included works by Moritz Tintner (Gebetordnung zur heiligen Weihe, Bunzlau, 1889) and Eduard Hamburger (Gesänge zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch, Liegnitz, 1879). Both composers served as cantors in these cities. To the best of our knowledge, work on this repertoire remains pioneering.

The program is complemented by a composition by Moritz Deutsch (1818–1892) of Breslau (Wrocław), already known to scholars of Silesian musical life, and by a brilliant organ work by Louis Lewandowski (1821–1894), the Berlin cantor and one of the founders of modern synagogue music. This recording is also my personal tribute to Silesia’s remarkable organ culture.

Wojciech Parchem, Lilianna Krych, and the Match Match Ensemble bring this music’s richness to life, taking on the roles of the cantor, his assisting singers, the mixed synagogue choirs – in Silesian synagogues, women also sang in these ensembles – and the congregation itself. In choosing the recording venue, we once again trusted the intuition of the genius loci. Spending long hours in St. Mary’s Church in Legnica, we experienced the centuries-old atmosphere of Silesia—the very atmosphere that once surrounded the creators of this music.

Over time, the music of the Silesian synagogues has become deeply meaningful to us. Neither the buildings nor the instruments survive today. There are no plaques, monuments, or tangible traces. Of that entire world, only the music remains – music, often described as the most ephemeral of all the arts. Yet our work on this recording has shown us that it may also be the art form that endures the longest.

We can never predict which aspects of our own era will be forgotten and which will survive. What music are we leaving behind? Will it, too, prove timeless?