“Lecho dodi” from Hallel w’simrah

Abraham Ber Birnbaum (1865–1922)—not to be confused with Eduard Birnbaum, the famous cantor of Königsberg, who amassed the collection now at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati—trained in Łódź, and, starting in 1893, became the chief cantor of the progressive congregation in Częstochowa, a position he held for 20 years. During his tenure, he spearheaded countless initiatives, including the establishment of a cantorial school at Częstochowa’s stately New Synagogue and the founding of two choral societies—the Jewish “Hazomir” and the nondenominational “Lira.” Like his counterparts in Reform synagogues abroad, Birnbaum adopted a choral style that emulated Protestant choral traditions for his setting of the beloved poem “Lecho dodi” by the mystic Solomon Alkabetz (ca. 1505–1584), sung during the weekly ritual of the kabbalat Shabbat, “the welcoming of the Sabbath.” Following the published score of this setting, this performance uses the traditional Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew.

Abraham Ber Birnbaum (1865-1922)

1897

Solomon Alkabetz (ca. 1505-1584)

Siddur Lev Shalem (amended)

Rutgers Kirkpatrick Choir
Patrick Gardner, Conductor
Joshua Gonzalez, Solo
Paul Conrad, Accompanist