Isaïe Schwartz

Isaïe Schwartz was born on 26 August 1833 in Strasbourg (France, at that time part of the Kingdom of France). He was the son of Elias Schwartz (1782–1840), a merchant, and Judith Levy (1791–1858). As a young man he studied singing and piano and became active in the musical life of the Jewish community in Strasbourg. He served as a cantor at the local synagogue and earned his living as a piano teacher.
In 1860 Schwartz moved to Mulhouse, where he became director of the synagogue choir. Three years later, on 25 November 1863, he married Henriette Marx (1836–1930) in Bad Homburg. The couple had four children.
Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 and the annexation of Alsace by the German Empire, Schwartz chose to retain his French nationality. In 1872 he moved with his family to Paris, where he became associated with the choir of the synagogue in the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth. He occasionally played the organ at religious ceremonies and continued to work as a teacher of singing and piano.
Alongside his teaching activities, Schwartz composed numerous musical works. His early compositions were mainly devoted to Jewish religious music, including settings of Hebrew psalms and prayers for voices, choir and organ or piano. He also wrote secular songs, piano pieces and patriotic compositions. His attachment to his native Alsace remained particularly strong, and several of his works reflected his sympathy for the Alsatian population following the German annexation.
Among his published compositions are Dieu, protège-nous! (1875), Hommage à Mulhouse (1875), Le Chant du proscrit (1876), La Grandeur de Dieu for four-part choir (1877), Maître de l'Univers! (1887) and Chant d'allégresse (1890). In 1892 he published La Voix d'Isaïe, a collection of five religious compositions for voices, choir and organ or piano.
During his later years Schwartz increasingly composed secular and patriotic music, often inspired by contemporary political events. His patriotic song Paris, with words by Camille Soubise, was performed in 1900 and published in 1901. It was dedicated to the French politician Henri Brisson.
Isaïe Schwartz died on 6 February 1902 at his home in Saint-Mandé near Paris (France). 

Isaïe Schwartz should not be confused with the French Chief Rabbi of the same name (1876–1952), who served as Chief Rabbi of France from 1939 until his death.

In my possession are two autograph music manuscripts attributed to Isaïe Schwartz, titled "Psaumes CXVIII" and "Rosh Hashana". Both compositions are scored for mixed choir and organ (or piano) and are dedicated to Léopold Bauer, president of the Jewish community in Strasbourg. The second composition also bears a dedication to the memory of the late Arnaud Aron, Chief Rabbi of Bas-Rhin, who died in March 1890. This suggests that Rosh Hashana was composed after that date, probably in the early 1890s.