Bidspirit auction | The Masterpiece for Chazzanim! Siddur

The Masterpiece for Chazzanim! Siddur Baal Tefillah with Musical Notes for Prayers Frankfurt, 1883 * A large volume, Baal Tefillah, containing musical notes for nearly 1,500 (!) passages of prayer from the entire Jewish yearly cycle, for use by the chazzan and choir, authored by the renowned chazzan Abraham Baer. The melodies are remarkably varied — ancient and new — and are drawn from the customs of the Jews of Poland, Germany, and even the Jews of Spain! This composition has long been regarded as the pinnacle of chazzanic creativity, and many synagogues used it regularly. It is truly a treasure trove for chazzanim and lovers of Jewish liturgical music. Some of the pieces printed here are sung to this very day in synagogues. The sefer is divided into four parts, each with its own title page: Weekdays, Shabbos, the Three Festivals, and the Yamim Noraim. This sefer was intended to be placed upon the chazzan’s amud or the bimah, and he would sing the prayers from it. Chazzan Avraham Baer (1834–1894) was born in Poland, and from 1857 served as chazzan of the synagogue in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he labored for fifteen years on the preparation of this great work. Included are his own compositions as well as those of the great chazzanim Solomon Sulzer, Louis Lewandowski, and Samuel Naumbourg. Frankfurt am Main, 1883. Page Count: 1,358, XL pages. Size: 31.8 cm. Condition: Good, with stains. Light wear on the final leaf. Original binding, used. New spine. ––––– Due to its great importance, the sefer was printed four times — an exceedingly rare phenomenon for such works. First printed in 1877, the present is the second edition, containing many additions and changes by the author himself, and is the definitive and most significant edition. The two subsequent printings (1894, 1901) are exact reprints of this edition. At the beginning are two important introductions from the author — one of them printed here for the first time — followed by numerous letters of blessing he received from distinguished chazzanim and musicians worldwide after he published the first edition.