The Liberal Jewish Synagogue
Music
Cathy Heller-Jones, Director of Music
Tim Farrell, Organist
William Falk, Conductor of Members Choir
Music
Music has always played an integral part in the spiritual and social life of the LJS community. Since its inception the LJS has had a professional choir and organist leading the music for services. A professional quintet still sings for most Shabbat and Festival morning services and a professional soloist leads the singing on Friday evenings.
Our Members' Choir sings on the first Saturday of each month. They rehearse on alternate Monday evenings.
The Synagogue boasts an enthusiastic Children's Music Group. They meet each Saturday morning from 9:25 – 9:45 a.m. before Religion School classes commence. They are led by the Director of Music. All children between the ages of 6 – 14 are welcome to join. The children lead the singing at Family Services and also sing with the adult choirs for special services. Many of the children who become Bar or Bar Mitzvah decide to chant their scroll portion and receive expert tuition from the synagogue's rabbis.
The style of music in the services is eclectic. Drawing from our roots in European Reformed Judaism of the 19th century, we continue to sing classical settings of the liturgy by Lewandowski and Sulzer. The style combines Western style choral writing with age-old traditional chants sung by a cantorial soloist. Composers from Europe and the United States such as Janowski, Mombach, Schalit, Schlesinger and Hoffman, who picked up the 19th century Romantic mantle, also feature in our services.
The more contemporary Israeli and American style folk tunes by such composers as Friedman, Klepper and Carlebach are also regularly included in the services.
At all times we try to keep a balance between congregational and choral singing. In this way congregants are encouraged to join in with the singing, whilst at the same time maintaining Liberal Judaism's unique choral heritage at a time when most synagogues have dispensed with both cantors and choirs.
The LJS has produced a Musical Companion to our prayer book Siddur Lev Chadash. The booklet contains most of the melodies sung at our services with the transcribed Hebrew text. Copies of the Musical Companion can be ordered from the synagogue.
Listen to the Choirs
The LJS Choirs were part of the BBC Radio 3 celebration of Mendelssohn's bicentenary celebration. Listen to them sing.
Music from the Choir for the Liberal Jewish Synogogue
Music by the Choir of the LJS is now available on CD.
A Musical Companion to Siddur Lev Chadash
Music and transliteration of the most popular songs in our service.
