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Alexander "Sasha" Argov ( he, סשה ארגוב, born Alexander Abramovich;
Argov was born Alexander Abramovich in Moscow, Russia in 1914; later changing his last name to its Hebrew version, Argov, in 1946. His father was a dentist and his mother a concert pianist. He began studying the piano with his mother at the age of three, and at the age of six he began to compose music by ear which his mother transcribed into music notation for him. He had no formal education in music outside of his lessons with his mother.
He migrated to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, 26 October 1914 – Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, 27 September 1995) was a prominent Israeli composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
.
Life and career
Argov was born Alexander Abramovich in Moscow, Russia in 1914; later changing his last name to its Hebrew version, Argov, in 1946. His father was a dentist and his mother a concert pianist. He began studying the piano with his mother at the age of three, and at the age of six he began to compose music by ear which his mother transcribed into music notation for him. He had no formal education in music outside of his lessons with his mother.
He migrated to British Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
from Russia in 1934 with his parents. He never made a living with his music, working first as a bank clerk and later owning and operating a bookshop.
Argov composed many popular songs, producing approximately 1,200 works. Among them were "Hareut
Hareut (''friendship'', ''fellowship'', ''comradeship'' in English, here esp. ''brotherhood in arms'') is a Hebrew language, Hebrew poem written by Haim Gouri and set to music by Sasha Argov. The song was written a year after the outbreak of the ...
" and songs for the Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
, film, and theater. In 1948 he published ''Ha’Chizbatron'', a collection of his songs written for the entertainment of Israeli troupes. He collaborated with Chaim Hefer and Matti Caspi
Matti Caspi ( he, מתי כספי) is an Israeli composer, musician, singer, arranger, and lyricist. Born in 1949, he is regarded as one of Israel's top popular musicians.
His music's style is informed by classical music, Brazilian and Latin mu ...
, two of whose albums feature melodies written exclusively by Argov. He also composed several film scores and musicals for the stage; of which the most successful was ''Shlomo hamelech ve’Shalmai hansandlar'' (‘King Solomon and the Cobbler’) which premiered in 1964. In 1988, he was awarded the Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
in Hebrew song.
Dramatic works
*''Rak lo be’Shabat'' (film score, 1964) *''Shlomo hamelech ve’Shalmai hasandlar'' (musical, 1964) *''Harpatka bakirkas'' (children’s play with music, 1965) *''Androceles ve’ha’arie'' (children’s play with music, 1966) *''Ester hamalka'' (musical, 1966) *''Hu halach basadot'' (film score, 1967) *''Chagigat kaiz'' (musical, 1972) *''Doda Klara'' (film score, 1977)See also
*List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argov, Sasha 1914 births 1995 deaths Composers in the Palestine mandate Israeli composers Israel Prize in Hebrew song recipients Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Burials at Yarkon Cemetery Musicians from Moscow 20th-century composers Chizbatron members Israeli male songwriters