THE MUSIC OF DAVID EISENSTADT, CHOIRMASTER OF THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE ON TŁOMACKIE STREET
In 2024, Match Match Ensemble recorded the first-ever monographic album of music by David Eisenstadt, the choir master of the Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street. On November 17, a concert promoting this album will take place at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
The Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street in Warsaw was officially opened on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, in 1878. It became the most important center of Jewish life in the city and one of the most beautiful buildings constructed in Poland at the end of the 19th century. The synagogue is also noted in history for the music that resonated within its walls. The most prominent cantors of the time served there, and there was also a choir led by distinguished directors, performing to the accompaniment of organs or a fisharmonium. The Great Synagogue on Tłomackie Street was destroyed by the Germans on May 16, 1943, marking a symbolic moment in the crushing of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the leveling of the Jewish district to the ground. Since then, the musical tradition has not returned to this place.
David Eisenstadt, a distinguished musician, composer, arranger, conductor, educator, and music writer, was also the author of a popular Jewish musical encyclopedia. This is how Professor Marian Fuks described him, who in his books not only chronicled the activities of the Great Synagogue Choir under Eisenstadt’s leadership, but also shared his personal memories of their performances.
David Eisenstadt went down in history as one of the most prominent figures in choral music in Poland. The most famous musicians of the time came to hear the virtuosity of his ensemble, both during liturgical services and secular concerts. Privately, Eisenstadt was described as a man of contrasts – emotional, joyful, mysterious, mystical, and non-conformist. When working with the choir, he was reportedly meticulous, paying close attention to breath control, tonal richness, diction, and flawless performances.
As we read about David Eisenstadt and his journey – from small Nasielsk, through Riga, Vilnius, Rostov, and Berlin, to achieving the height of fame in Warsaw – a desire, then a dream, awoke in us to hear his music again. In every book, article, and memory, he was described as the most perfect Jewish artist of pre-war Poland. But where was his music? Nowhere to be found in our country. It seemed that with the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto by the German forces, and the death of the Eisenstadt family – his daughter at Umschlagplatz, and David and his wife in the Nazi concentration camp at Treblinka – these sounds had disappeared forever.
Yet, after persistent searching through archives on three continents, we once again laid our hands on his scores. We heard once more the liturgical hymns, the perfect recitatives, and even the song “A jak poszedł król na wojnę” (And when the King Went to War), written to the words of Maria Konopnicka, one of Poland’s greatest writers. Today, as these works have returned in the form of the first-ever recording, the memories of David Eisenstadt have not only been fulfilled but also confirmed.
In the 20th century, countless things were destroyed, erased, wiped off the face of the earth. Today, we show that they can still be rebuilt, remembered, and resurrected. As we entered the 21st century, it seemed that something like war would never happen again. Yet, before our eyes, people are dying once more, cities are being destroyed, and heritage is turning to dust. By presenting the music of Eisenstadt, we show that rebirth is possible. For every person who destroys something, there should be one who rebuilds. Destruction, no matter who or what it affects, cannot win. We hope that in the centuries to come, people will remember this.
Recording supervision & sound engineering, editing, mastering
ANTONI GRZYMAŁA, AGNIESZKA SZCZEPAŃCZYK
Graphic design and typesetting
GABRIELA GOLIŃSKA
Content coordinator, author of text
JAKUB STEFEK
Translation
ZOFIA SOCHAŃSKA
Editor
MACIEJ PRZYBYLSKI
Project Manager
KACPER NOWACKI
Production
TOMASZ OLSZEWSKI POLVINYL Sp. z o.o.
© Warsaw Scenic Society WTS-01-2024
Recorded at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw in 2024
https://plytygramofonowe.pl/pl/products/music-of-david-eisenstadt-2024-vinyl-53185.html
Subsidized by the funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund, within the framework of the Musical Footprint programme carried out by the National Institute of Music and Dance