Jewish Composers

[San Antone]

There is a thread for Jewish American Composers - but the composer I wished to spotlight today is not American, and I thought there should be a general thread for Jewish composers since there are many from other countries besides the US.

Such as ...

Ödön Pártos : Israeli composer, string player and teacher of Hungarian origin



Partos arrived in Palestine steeped in contemporary European traditions, particularly those of Bartók and Kodály. From them he had come to see folk music as a source of inspiration and to develop his personal style by enlarging Western tonality through a mixture of modal, oriental and chromatic elements; the best example of his work under their influence is the Concertino for strings (1932).

In 1960 there came a change with Partos's turning towards 12-note technique; this is best exemplified in Tehillim ('Psalms') for string quartet or chamber orchestra and Dmuyot ('Images') for orchestra, both of which date from that year. It is important to stress, however, that his use of 12-note principles was never strict: fragments of three to six notes from the series were often cast as motifs or melodic cells and certain notes were also duplicated at the octave, thus implying a tonal hierarchy.

The complete text and audio examples can be found here.

[Jay F]

Does Gustav count? I think of him as Jewish, even though he converted.

[San Antone]

Does Gustav count? I think of him as Jewish, even though he converted.

Of course.

[Mandryka]

Schoenberg of course. And Feldman and Reich and Ligeti and Kurtag. 

[San Antone]

Schoenberg of course. And Feldman and Reich and Ligeti and Kurtag.

Yes.  There are a number of 20th century composers whose Jewish identity may not be widely known.  For example:

Alfred Schnittke
György Ligeti
György Kurtág

[vandermolen]

I like this CD very much:
[asin]B005H8APRI[/asin]
I also like much of the music by Bloch and Finzi, also the Symphony by Arthur Benjamin. Others include Rudolf Simonsen a Danish/Jewish composer whose 'Zion' and 'Hellas' symphonies I enjoy very much. Weinberg also, especially Symphony 5 and the Piano Quintet.

[San Antone]

I like this CD very much:
[asin]B005H8APRI[/asin]
I also like much of the music by Bloch and Finzi, also the Symphony by Arthur Benjamin. Others include Rudolf Simonsen a Danish/Jewish composer whose 'Zion' and 'Hellas' symphonies I enjoy very much. Weinberg also, especially Symphony 5 and the Piano Quintet.

Thanks.  I only just discovered that Finzi was Jewish and recently posted something about him on the anniversary of his death, 9/27.

I will listen to some music by Rudolf Simonsen since his name is new to me.

[vandermolen]

Thanks.  I only just discovered that Finzi was Jewish and recently posted something about him on the anniversary of his death, 9/27.

I will listen to some music by Rudolf Simonsen since his name is new to me.

This is a great CD which you are likely to enjoy.
[asin]B001RX3KPG[/asin]
Years ago there was a book and a film called 'The Garden of the Finzi-Continis' about an Italian Jewish family caught up in the Fascist era in Italy. I think that Finzi was related to that family. His Judaism is a surprise to many listeners I think.

[Wanderer]

Also, Alkan, Korngold, Zemlinsky and Schreker.

[San Antone]

This is a great CD which you are likely to enjoy.
[asin]B001RX3KPG[/asin]
Years ago there was a book and a film called 'The Garden of the Finzi-Continis' about an Italian Jewish family caught up in the Fascist era in Italy. I think that Finzi was related to that family. His Judaism is a surprise to many listeners I think.

I remember the film.  Thanks for the recommendation.

[Scion7]

Religious conversion does not end one being a Jew, only "Jewish."  There are many Christian Jews. And atheist Jews, for that matter.  Now, Jews who follow orthodox Judaism consider a converted Jew to no longer be one, but that's a doctrine, not the scientific definition of ethnicity/nationality.

So Mahler, Mendelssohn, etc., are still Jews.

The contribution of Jewish composers has been pretty amazing to the genre.

[Wieland]

Ernest Bloch is one of my favourite jewish composers, he still is not recognized as much as he should. His five string quartets are a major achievement and are still awaiting a top-notch recording in modern sound. I hope the Swiss Galatea Q will do it, since their recording of some other quartet music is wonderful.
And his symphony c-sharp minor is one of my dearest "genial first attempt" of a young composer. If you don't know it you have to check it out, especially if you are drawn to Mahler, Rott etc.

[asin]B00E3ISHMI[/asin][asin]B005D4Y450[/asin]

[Mandryka]

Was Peter Sculthorpe a jew? The reason I ask is that I vaguely remember noticing that he died in a Jewish hospital.

[Mandryka]

Religious conversion does not end one being a Jew, only "Jewish."  There are many Christian Jews. And atheist Jews, for that matter.  Now, Jews who follow orthodox Judaism consider a converted Jew to no longer be one, but that's a doctrine, not the scientific definition of ethnicity/nationality.

So Mahler, Mendelssohn, etc., are still Jews.

The contribution of Jewish composers has been pretty amazing to the genre.

How can you stop being a jew? It's not a DNA thing is it?

[Daverz]

Karl Goldmark, son of a cantor, who wrote the Rustic Wedding Symphony and a Violin Concerto that Milstein made famous.

Osvaldo Golijov, an Argentinian composer.  I don't know his music; I'll have to remedy that.

[Wieland]

We should not forget those Jewish Composers who vanished in the Nazi death camps:

Hans Krasa
Erwin Schulhoff
Pavel Haas
Viktor Ullmann

[North Star]

We should not forget those Jewish Composers who vanished in the Nazi death camps:

Hans Krasa
Erwin Schulhoff
Pavel Haas
Viktor Ullmann

And Gideon Klein!!

Władysław Szpilman, famous from the movie The Pianist, was also a composer.

[San Antone]

We should not forget those Jewish Composers who vanished in the Nazi death camps:

Hans Krasa
Erwin Schulhoff
Pavel Haas
Viktor Ullmann

Agreed.  There is this site which is devoted to remembering composers who either perished or were persecuted during the Holocaust. 

[Mirror Image]

Was Peter Sculthorpe a jew? The reason I ask is that I vaguely remember noticing that he died in a Jewish hospital.

If was it would be news to me. Maybe he converted to Judaism? I seriously doubt it --- Sculthorpe wasn't a religious man.

[vandermolen]

Ernest Bloch is one of my favourite jewish composers, he still is not recognized as much as he should. His five string quartets are a major achievement and are still awaiting a top-notch recording in modern sound. I hope the Swiss Galatea Q will do it, since their recording of some other quartet music is wonderful.
And his symphony c-sharp minor is one of my dearest "genial first attempt" of a young composer. If you don't know it you have to check it out, especially if you are drawn to Mahler, Rott etc.

[asin]B00E3ISHMI[/asin][asin]B005D4Y450[/asin]

Me too with Bloch.  that early Symphony in C sharp minor has a wonderfully redemptive or doom-laden ending, depending on how you want to look at it. I think that the BIS CD is best but the Naxos and Marco Polo (not the same versions) are excellent too. Schulhoff's 5th Symphony is a terrific score and terribly poignant in view of the circumstances of its creation. If you like Bloch you'll probably enjoy the two Ben-Haim symphonies.