Hasharim asher lish'lomo (The Songs of Solomon) was printed at Mantua in 1623. This was the work of Jewish court musician Salomone Rossi, and the first major cycle of Sacred polyphony to be published in Hebrew. Venetian Rabbi Leon Modena was the main supporter of this publication which Rossi was a little skittish about undertaking; there was much controversy in that day about the suitability of art music in the synagogue and Rossi was not enthusiastic about the prospect of leading the charge against tradition. It was also Modena who supervised the published edition and dealt with the issue that Hebrew as written ran from right to left, whereas Western music was normally read from left to right.

Its 33 pieces are settings of short texts taken from the biblical book of Psalms, rendered in an Italian, late-Renaissance style and scored for between 3 to 8 voices. Although one might expect Rossi to include a text drawn from the Song of Solomon, no such setting appears in the book, and the "Solomon" in the front title of the publication seems to refer to the composer. The style of these choral works are often persuasive and expressive, particularly in a good performance, and the use of the Hebrew language does create an entirely different rhythmic profile than is familiar in vocal music from this period.

© Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi