Forbidden Music of Salamone Rossi

Salamone Rossi was a composer ahead of his time, navigating two worlds that rarely intersected. As a celebrated Jewish musician at the Gonzaga court in Renaissance Italy, he composed elegant madrigals and instrumental works for the Christian elite. Yet within his own community, sacred music had long been rooted in a monophonic chant tradition, preserving a centuries-​old liturgical practice.

His Ha-​Shirim Asher li-​Shlomo (The Songs of Solomon) was groundbreaking—introducing polyphony into Hebrew worship for the first time. While polyphony flourished in Christian sacred music, it had never been part of Jewish ritual, and its use in synagogue settings was uncharted territory. Rossi’s work, though innovative and masterfully crafted, was met with hesitation, as it challenged deeply held traditions that had preserved Jewish identity through centuries of diaspora. As a result, his compositions were not widely embraced in his lifetime and nearly faded into obscurity.

This concert explores the beauty and historical significance of Rossi’s music—sacred compositions that stood at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Alongside his Hebrew polyphonic settings, the program also features modern Jewish choral works, reflecting the continued evolution of Jewish sacred music and its rich artistic tradition.

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