The Songs Of Solomon, Volume 1: Music For The Sabbath

Released in 1996 by PGM (Pro Gloria Musicae), this recording presents a selection from Salomone Rossi's seminal 1622 collection, 'Ha-shirim asher li-Shelomoh' (The Songs of Solomon). Rossi, a virtuoso violinist and composer at the court of the Gonzaga family in Mantua, was a pioneer in integrating the sophisticated Italian polyphonic style of the early Baroque with traditional Hebrew liturgical texts. This synthesis marked a significant milestone in Jewish musical history, representing one of the first times Jewish choral music adopted the complex, multi-voiced structures typical of the European Renaissance and Baroque eras.

The New-York Baroque Ensemble, under the direction of Eric Milnes, sought to capture the intimacy and specific acoustic requirements of synagogue performance in the 17th century. By utilizing period-appropriate instrumental support and vocal techniques, the ensemble aimed to balance the rigorous discipline of Rossi's counterpoint with the spiritual gravity of the Sabbath liturgy. The recording was well-received by early music scholars and critics for its dedicated scholarship and its commitment to highlighting this unique intersection of Jewish cultural tradition and the burgeoning Italian Baroque movement.