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Mombach, Julius Lazarus

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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Musician and composer; born in Pfungstadt 1813; died at London, England, Feb. 8, 1880. In 1828 he went to London and received a good musical education under Enoch Eliasson. On the election of Simon Ascher to the position of reader at the Great Synagogue, Mombach entered the choir. Subsequently he became director of the choir, and held this position till his death. He took part in all the services at the Great Synagogue for a period of fifty-two years; and threw all his energy into the task of improving the musical portion of the service. He acquired the reputation of a skilful pianist, and of a clever composer of synagogue music. Nearly all the music in use in the German synagogues of England and the English colonies was composed by him.

Mombach's services as choirmaster were sought on almost every occasion of special importance in the history of the London and chief provincial synagogues; and many of the readers in English and colonial synagogues owed their training to him. He taught the singing of ḥazzanut to the students of Jews' College; was a member of the Committee for the Diffusion of Religious Knowledge; and directed the singing of the senior pupils of the Sabbath classes of the Association for Religious Instruction. For several years he conducted the concerts at the Jewish Workingmen's Club, Aldgate.