Jewish Music Morning

On the eve of Shavuot a Jewish Music Morning was held and workshops were organized for singing and the playing of instruments. Much excitement was created by the Klezmer band 'Shir' (Maurice Chernick, clarinet and Ivor Goldberg, guitar) that gave a master class to the adult discussion group and later played for all of the participants with the help of the children.
To learn more about the 'Shir' Klezmer Band with a list of their upcoming performances just click on this link. Shir music

Two composers dominate the music of this Synagogue, Salomon Sulzer (b.1804) a contemporary and friend of Franz Schubert and Louis Lewandowski (b.1821) a contemporary of Felix Mendelssohn. Of the two, while acknowledging the influence of Sulzer on Lewandowski, it is the latter who provides the greater proportion of this Synagogue’s music. The preservers and shapers of this tradition have been primarily the four Cantors, Rev. Magnus Davidsohn, Rev. Joseph Dollinger, Rev. Louis Berkman and Lawrence Fine.
In 1993 the congregation as part of a re-development of its liturgy, introduced its own Shabbat prayer book. This was followed by the High Holyday Machzorim, a Festivals prayerbook and most recently an Evening Siddur. The introduction of the new Machzorim provided the opportunity to reintroduce compositions that had fallen into disuse, as well as provide music for prayers that had previously been read either aloud or silently.

Here are some extracts of the High Holyday Music. We hope these give you a taste of the beauty of the CD/cassette, which covers highpoints from Selichot through to the Neilah service.

Listen to the extracts by clicking on the coloured links below.

The CD/cassette features:
The Belsize Square Synagogue Choir,
Lawrence Fine, Sue Heimann, soprano
David Lawrence, organ
Ronald Rappoport, conductor

  The High Holyday Music of Belsize Square Synagogue is available from the Synagogue Office: on CD at £12.99 or on cassette at £6.99 plus postage and packing.