A Song of Dedication
Baroque Splendor in Portuguese Jewish Amsterdam—350th Anniversary
Chamber Series
From the 17th century until World War II, the Portuguese Israelite Synagogue of Amsterdam served as the heart of the Western Sephardic diaspora. This program commemorates the synagogue’s 350th anniversary with music written for or by this unique community, drawn from the archives of the Ets Haim Library of Amsterdam—the oldest active Jewish library in the world—alongside other gems of 18th-century European Jewish music.
An architectural marvel, the Esnoga stood as a striking symbol of religious freedom for Jews in a Protestant republic, unparalleled anywhere in Europe. This concert will also feature the North American premiere of Shir Hanukat Beth Hamiqdash. Reconstructed and sumptuously set by musicologist Alon Schab for the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, the piece is based on vocal music preserved in the manuscripts of 18th-century Rev. Hazzan Joseph ben Isaac Sarfati. With an inauguratory text by the Portuguese-born Rabbi Rev. Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, it stands as a lasting testimony to tolerance, the Dutch Golden Age, and the resilience of the Portuguese Jewish community.
Chamber Series
From the 17th century until World War II, the Portuguese Israelite Synagogue of Amsterdam served as the heart of the Western Sephardic diaspora. This program commemorates the synagogue’s 350th anniversary with music written for or by this unique community, drawn from the archives of the Ets Haim Library of Amsterdam—the oldest active Jewish library in the world—alongside other gems of 18th-century European Jewish music.
An architectural marvel, the Esnoga stood as a striking symbol of religious freedom for Jews in a Protestant republic, unparalleled anywhere in Europe. This concert will also feature the North American premiere of Shir Hanukat Beth Hamiqdash. Reconstructed and sumptuously set by musicologist Alon Schab for the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, the piece is based on vocal music preserved in the manuscripts of 18th-century Rev. Hazzan Joseph ben Isaac Sarfati. With an inauguratory text by the Portuguese-born Rabbi Rev. Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, it stands as a lasting testimony to tolerance, the Dutch Golden Age, and the resilience of the Portuguese Jewish community.
Shir Hanukkat Beit HaKnesset (Song for the Dedication of the Portuguese Synagogue, reconstructed by Alon Schab from the manuscripts of Joseph ben Isaac Sarfati, text by Rev. Isaac Aboab da Fonseca (1605–1693)
Hizki Hizki, music by Abraham de Caceres (d.1740), text by Rev. Isaac Aboab da Fonseca (1675)
Western Yiddish songs by R. Elhanan Hendel Kirchan
Festival Kedusha, attr. to Rev. Hazzan Joseph de Farro (c.1608–1689) and Rev. Hazzan Imanuel Abenatar Mello
Synagogue Cantatas by Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti (1730-1795)
Liturgical Chamber Music by Abraham de Cáceres (d.1740)
