From the beginning of the 20th century, Vilna-born Jewish poet, painter and musician Arno Nadel (1878-1943) was at the heart of Berlin's German-Jewish cultural scene. Despite his exceptionally diverse range of artistic talents, Nadel has been largely forgotten after he was murdered in Auschwitz. This publication focuses on his contribution to the evolution of Jewish music. He was among the first musicians invested in furthering Jewish folk music in a culturally Zionist context. Commissioned by the Jewish Community in Berlin, he put together a seven-volume compendium of Jewish liturgical music that would completely reform how music was used in services of worship. While some of Nadel's works could be saved in spectacular ways by friends of his, most of them including the compendium, were destroyed.

Jascha Nemtsov is a pianist and musicologist of Russian-Jewish origin, since 1992 he lives in Germany. In 2013 he was appointed Professor for History of Jewish music at the Liszt School of Music Weimar. He also leads the Cantorial School of the Abraham Geiger College and is member of the School of Jewish Theology of the Potsdam University and the Editorial Board of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music (New York / Santa Monica). Numerous publications, including several monographs, are a result of his extensive research in the field of Jewish music. As a pianist he has recorded by now almost 30 CDs, several of which have been awarded, among others the German Record Critics Prize. He has performed throughout the world as a soloist and with chamber music partners David Geringas, Tabea Zimmermann or Kolja Blacher.