Hebrew Melodies

Byron wrote the Hebrew Melodies to accompany music by the composer Isaac Nathan which he claimed derived from Synagogue tunes used at the time of the Temple in Jerusalem, although it is likely that most of the music was from more recent European sources. While some of the poems are based on stories from the Book of Job most have no specific religious or Hebrew connotations. The poems were widely admired, influencing works by Heine and Lermontov and being set to music by composers including Mendelssohn, Schumann and Mussorgsky. (Summary by Alan Mapstone)