A Fusion of Traditions: Liturgical Music in the Copenhagen Synagogue

Danish Jewry is the oldest minority in Denmark, with a history reaching back 400 years. The music still used in the Copenhagen synagogue was an offshoot of 19th-century developments in the synagogues of Vienna and Berlin that accompanied the general reform of religious life. These modern harmonized musical arrangements were imported to Denmark, where they remained undisturbed by the Holocaust. This book explores the debates and compromises that led to the current form of Jewish liturgical music in Denmark. Based on unique 1967 recordings, interviews, and published and un-published historical material, A Fusion of Traditions presents a history of the cantors and the choir and provides an analysis of the tradition that evolved, with transcriptions and a CD.