Herman Mayerowitsch was a key figure in London Jewish life for some 24 years, during which time he served as Reader at the Great Synagogue, Duke's Place.

He was born in Derazina, Ukraine, in 1882, and studied music at the Conservatoire in Vienna.He later occcupied the position of Professor of Singing at the Seminary, and was  for eight years chief cantor at one of the principle Synagogues in Vienna. He was also at one time, President of the Music Lovers' Orchestral Society of Vienna.

Throughout the First World War he served in the army and subsequent to that, when conditions became unsettled in Vienna, he came to England and was appointed Second Reader at the Great Synagogue, in succession to the Rev A. E. Gordon.
 
Herman Mayerowitsch came to be regarded as one of the most authoritative of Chazanim in his knowledge of the traditions and development of Chazanut. He was Lecturer in Chazanut at Jews' College and President of the Chazanim Association.

In collaboration with the Rev G. Prince he prepared musical notation to the cantillation of the Torah and the Haftara, which is appended to Chief Rabbi Hertz's Commentary to the Pentateuch.

In 1937 he published 'Oneg Shabbos' an Anthology of Ancient Hebrew Table Songs (Zemiroth). [see below for the introduction to this book].

He was in great demand as lecturer on Jewish music at both Jewish and non-Jewish societies. At the Great Synagogue he often occupied the pulpit at a moment's notice, and so became Chazan-Minister at Duke's Place.
 
A large number of communal organizations benefitted from his keen support. He founded the Jewish Communal Restaurant in Whitechapel Road, was Chairman of the East London branch of the Federation of Jewish Relief Qrganisations, a member of the Welfare Committee of the United Synagogue, and Vice-President of the Central London Young Israel Society. During war he acted as air-raid warden in the danger zone of the City, and took part in rescuing some of the property of the Great Synagogue when it was destroyed.

He and his wife were foster parents to two of the sons of the late Rev A Katz, a former colleague at the Great Synagogue.

Herman Mayerowitsch died after a very short illness at the early age of 63.  After his death his music collection came to the library of Jews' College, and is still known as the Myerowitsch Collection.

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'Thy Statutes have been my songs
In the home of my pilgrimage. - Ps. cxix, 54.

In publishing this volume of original tunes to a complete, correct , and presentable setting of the ancient Hebrew tablesongs (Zemiroth) for the Sabbath, my primary aim is, to rescue from oblivion some musical waifs and strays of the Wandering Minstrels, which are too beautiful to be " washed in the Lethe and forgotten."

I am gratified that it has fallen to my lot to put into permanent shape and form gems of melodies handed down for centuries from authorities such as the Baal Shem Tow, R. Nachman Bratzlav, the Koznitzer Maggid, the Czortkower* and other Rabbis, and also tunes which have been preserved by families steeped in Jewish traditions of various countries like the families of the late Mr. Lewis Deyong, and of Mr. I. W. Goldberg, Mr. H. Schiff and Mr. P. Solomons. It will be noticed that several new tunes, specially composed by my friends S. Alman, J. Bialsky and myself to more or less popular poems have been included in this collection. Moreover the choice has been limited to pieces which answer to the popular idea of a song - a thing that by its melody and rhythm catches the ear and the heart - and which blend satisfactorily with the words of the ancient poetry, thus singing the character of the Jewish people of many lands in a way that the world at large can hear with pleasure and interest. Indeed it should be borne in mind that poetry and music of this type imply a culture which has taken centuries to attain. Other people have centuries to go to get there. This is why the Jewish table songs "have nothing in common with table songs of other nations," - they are spirituals as well as folk-songs.

The presentation of these songs without accompaniment (and without English translation) has been dictated not merely by want of space, but by a desire to present them in their original form. I am however hoping, that musicians, teachers and laymen, alike will welcome this volume as a humble contribution to the revival and preservation of ancient Hebrew songs, I feel sure they will do their part to familiarize the Jewish home, and especially the Jewish child, * with Jewish songs of such simple and pure beauty which are bound to help to re-discover the Ong Shabbos, that simple source of faith and cheerfulness, symbolic of many that have helped Jewry to survive as a race.

I now gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to those I have already named, as well as to Rev. J. K. Goldbloom, Rev, L. M. Goidwasser, Rev. A. Gottlieb, Mr. M. Lieberman, Mr. Zwi Orenstein, for singing to me the various (family) tunes and for permitting me to include them in this volume. My thanks are also due to Dr. Israel Feldman (Warden of the Great Synagogue) for his generosity in connection with this publication.

H. MAYEROWITSCH.

London. May 1937

* Of the Song without Words by the Czortkower (p. 21) the Chassidim used to say: It was a song of Torah, of Trust in God and of love for Him.

* To facilitate the learning of the Tunes the Tonic Sol-fa has been added to the Staff Notation.

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