This thesis examines Sephardic melodies that were adopted into the liturgy of the Ashkenazic Jews in London during the early twentieth century. The work begins by presenting a history of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews from the time they settled in England to the end of the nineteenth century. Through an analysis of social and religious changes taking place among English Jews of the nineteenth century, this thesis explicates reforms in the synagogue service that led to the inclusion of polyphonic music into the synagogue and eventually, to the incorporation of Sephardic melodies into Ashkenazic synagogue practice. The attempt to canonize the music of Ashkenazic Jews in England was manifested in the widely successful Handbook of Synagogue Music (1889, revised 1899). The second edition is the focus of this thesis. Edited by Francis Lyon Cohen and David M. Davis under the auspices of the United Synagogue and the Chief Rabbi, this volume included Ashkenazic pieces by English as well as non-English Jewish composers. Fifteen melodies of Sephardic origin from the Sephardic compilation The Ancient Melodies, compiled by David de Sola and Emanuel Aguilar in 1857, as well as from The Music Used in the service of the West London Synagogue of British Jews, compiled by Charles Verrinder in 1880 were included in the 1899 edition of the Handbook. This thesis examines the reasons these Sephardic melodies were chosen for inclusion by the editors of the Ashkenazic Handbook during a period of reform.

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