Samuel Naumbourg

Who was Samuel Naumbourg?

Samuel Naumbourg, French composer.

After having held the office of chazzan and reader at Besançon and directed the choir of the synagogue at Strasburg, he was called, in 1845, to officiate in the synagogue of the Rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth at Paris, where he became professor of liturgical music at the Séminaire Israélite. Shortly before his death he was elected Officier d'Académie. The more important of his compositions are: "Chants Liturgicals des Grandes Fêtes"; "Zemirot Yisrael", comprising psalms, hymns, and the complete liturgy, from the most remote times to the present day; "Shire Qodesh", new collection of religious songs for use in Jewish worship; "Aguddat Shirim", collection of religious and popular Hebrew songs, from the most ancient times to the present day; "Shir ha-Shirim Asher li-Shelomoh", with an essay on the life and works of Solomon de Rossi. The last-mentioned work is dedicated to Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who discovered a portion of the songs of Rossi and who encouraged Naumbourg in his efforts to revive the musical productions of the old master.