Rare Surviving Manuscript of the Imrei Emes’ Library!
Manuscript: Anthology of Poems, Piyutim and prayers
The Imrei Emes of Gur amassed a collection of seforim and manuscripts forming a library that was regarded as one of the largest privately held Jewish libraries in the world. However the library endured more than its share of troubles. In 1901, a fire erupted in the town of Gur destroying most of the library, yet the Imrei Emes did not despair and set to the task of rebuilding and expanding it. The second loss occurred during World War II when his entire sacred library was destroyed or lost.
Only a handful of works were salvaged, and these gradually made their way, one by one, through devoted Holocaust survivors to the Holy Land.
One of the rare relics of the Imrei Emes’ library that survived the inferno is the present manuscript. It is intriguing to note that even an anthology of poems, songs and entreaties authored by Sephardic scholars was of interest to the legendary Admor Imrei Emes of Gur who sought to include it in his library.
The manuscript encompasses 105 songs, liturgical poems, songs of praise, and prayers for special occasions, all arranged by maqam (a system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music).
The maqams noted in the manuscript include: Ajam, Sikah, Bayati, Nahawand, Rast, Hikaz, Saba, Kurd, Nawa Athar and more.
Arabic maqam is a system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic and Turkish music. It is an improvisation technique defining pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music that is unique to Arabian art, with each maqam built on a scale that carries a tradition defining its habitual phrases, important notes, melodic development and modulation. Each maqam has a structure that defines its style, such as happy or melancholy. The maqam system was also used among Jews of the Arab countries, and was used by the legendary poet Rabbi Yisrael Najara in his book Zemiros Yisrael (Venice, 1599).
Page 44 features a song in Ladino.
Turkey, 19th century. 47 leaves + 22 blank leaves. Long, thin pamphlet with thick paper and neat penmanship. The end of the manuscript includes a partial index of the liturgical poems in alphabetical order. Good condition.
Original half-leather binding with menorah stamped on center of book cover. Spine slightly damaged.
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