Joseph Yulyevich Achron, also seen as Akhron (Russian: Иосиф Юльевич Ахрон, Hebrew: יוסף אחרון) (May 1, 1886April 29, 1943) was a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n-born

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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 ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist, who settled in the United States. His preoccupation with Jewish elements and his desire to develop a "Jewish"

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

and contrapuntal idiom, underscored and informed much of his work. His friend, the composer

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

, described Achron in his obituary as "one of the most underrated modern composers".

Biography

Achron was born in Lozdzieje,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(now

Lazdijai Lazdijai () is a small town in Lithuania located about east of the border with Poland. History It was established by Sigismund II Augustus in 1570 and granted Magdeburg Rights by Sigismund III Vasa in 1587. During World War II, Lazdijai was unde ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

) to Julian and Bertha and began the study of the violin under his father, an amateur violinist, at the age of five. His first public performance followed three years later at age seven in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. This was followed by a prodigious childhood career including performances throughout

. Between 1899 and 1904 he studied violin under

Leopold Auer Leopold von Auer ( hu, Auer Lipót; June 7, 1845July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, academic, conductor, composer, and instructor. Many of his students went on to become prominent concert performers and teachers. Early life and career Au ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

under

Anatoly Lyadov Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (russian: Анато́лий Константи́нович Ля́дов; ) was a Russian composer, teacher, and conductor (music), conductor. Biography Lyadov was born in 1855 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersbur ...

, at the

Saint Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...

. He joined the

Society for Jewish Folk Music The Jewish art music movement began at the end of the 19th century in Russia, with a group of Russian Jewish classical composers dedicated to preserving Jewish folk music and creating a new, characteristically Jewish genre of classical music. The ...

in 1911 and from that point occupied himself in theory and practice with the

Jewish music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originate ...

tradition. His first "Jewish" work, ''Hebrew Melody'', became immediately recognized through the interpretation of violinist

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

. In 1913, Achron became the head of the violin and

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

departments at the Kharkiv Conservatory in Ukraine, and served in the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

between 1916 and 1918. In the years after World War I, he toured extensively as a concert artist in Europe, the Near East and Russia, performing over 1000 concerts between 1919 and 1922. During this period he was appointed head of the violin masterclass and chamber music department at the Leningrad Artists' Union. In 1922, Achron moved to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where together with Mikhail Gnessin he ran the Jewish music publishing company Jibneh. In 1924, Achron spent some months in

Mandatory 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 ...

. In 1925, he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York, where he taught the violin at the Westchester Conservatory. He performed his Violin Concerto No. 1 with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

in 1927. His

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

suite from H. Leivick's '' The Golem'', also written during this period, was chosen by the

International Society for Contemporary Music The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is a music organization that promotes contemporary classical music. The organization was established in Salzburg in 1922 as Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM) following th ...

(ISCM) for performance in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in 1932. In 1934, he moved to Hollywood, where he composed music for films and continued his career as a concert violinist. He performed his Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1936 and his third – commissioned by Jascha Heifetz – with the same orchestra in 1939.

Atonality Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

and

polytonality Polytonality (also polyharmony) is the musical use of more than one key simultaneously. Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time. Polyvalence or polyvalency is the use of more than one harmonic function, from the same key ...

are among the techniques used in his later works. His final work was the Concerto for solo piano, Op. 74. He died in Hollywood in 1943 and is buried in

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles ...

. A year after his death the Joseph Achron Memorial Committee was formed, which included twenty well-known composers, instrumentalists, conductors and critics.New York Times Article
/ref> He was the older brother of the concert pianist and composer

Isidor Achron Isidor Yulyevich Achron (russian: Изидор Юльевич Ахрон) (November 11, 1892 (Julian calendar; November 24 on the Gregorian calendar) - May 12, 1948) was a pianist, composer and music teacher. Birth and early childhood Isidor Achr ...

, who became Jascha Heifetz's accompanist for more than ten years.

Selected works

Orchestral

*''Hebrew Melody'', Op. 33, for violin and orchestra (1911) *''Hazzan'', Op. 34, for cello and orchestra (1912) *''2 Hebrew Pieces'', Op. 35 (1913) *''Dance Improvisation'', Op. 37 (circa 1913) *''Epitaph to the Memory of Alexander Scriabin'', Op. 38 (1915) *''Shir'', Op. 42, dance for clarinet and orchestra (1917) *''2 Pastels'', Op. 44, for violin and orchestra (1917) *''The Fiddle's Soul'', Op. 50 (1920) *Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 60 (1925) *''Konzertanten-Kapelle'', Op. 64, for violin and orchestra (1928) *Two Tableaux from ''Belshazzar'' (1931) *''The Golem'', suite for chamber orchestra (1932) *''Dance Overture'' (1932) *''Little Dance Fantasy'' (1933) *Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 68 (1933) *Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 72 (1937)

Choral

*''Epitaph (in memory of Skryabin)'', Op. 38, for four voices and orchestra (1915) *''Salome's Dance'', Op. 61, for mixed voices, piano and percussion (1925) / (1966) *''Evening Service of the Sabbath'', Op. 67, for baritone voice, four voices and organ (1932) – commissioned by Congregation Emanue-El of New York City, published by Bloch Publishing Company.

Chamber and instrumental

*''Suite No. 1 en Style Ancien (Première Suite en Style Ancien)'', Op. 21, for violin and piano (circa 1914) / (1923) *''Chromatic String Quartet'', Op. 26 (circa 1915) *Sonata No. 1, Op. 29, for violin and piano (circa 1915) *''Stimmungen'', Op.32, Two Pieces for violin and piano (circa 1915/16) *''Symphonic Variations and Sonata on a Palestinian Theme'', Op. 39, for piano (circa 1916) *''Suite Bizarre'', Op. 41, for violin and piano (circa 1917) *Sonata No. 2, Op. 45, for violin and piano (circa 1917) *''Children's Suite'', Op.57, for clarinet, string quartet and piano (circa 1925) *''Elegy'', Op. 62, for string quartet (1927) *''4 Improvisations'', Op. 63, for string quartet (1927) *''2 Pieces'', Op. 65, for viola and piano (1932) *''Statuettes'', Op. 66, for solo piano (1930) *''The Golem'', for cello, trumpet, horn and piano (1931) *Sinfonietta, Op. 71, for string quartet (1935) *''Concerto for solo piano'', Op. 74 (1941)

Miscellaneous

*''Spring Night'', ballet music for a short film (1935)

Notes

References

* Glanville-Hicks, P. "Achron, Joseph"
''Grove Music Online''
. Macy, L. ed. Retrieved March 26, 2006). * *

External links

Joseph Achron SocietyJoseph Achron Biography
Milken Archives

on Jewish Music Research Centre * {{DEFAULTSORT:Achron, Joseph 1886 births 1943 deaths People from Lazdijai 19th-century Lithuanian Jews Soviet emigrants to the United States American classical violinists Male classical violinists American male violinists Russian classical violinists Jewish classical violinists 20th-century classical composers Jewish classical composers Jewish American classical composers Child classical musicians Violin pedagogues American music educators Russian music educators Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American violinists