Menachem Avidom ( he, מנחם אבידום) (January 6, 1908 – August 5, 1995) was an Israeli composer. His Hebrew surname is the combination of the names of his daughters Daniella and Miriam (Avi - the father of; D - for Daniella; O - and; M - for Miriam).
Biography
Avidom was born Mendel Mahler-Kalkstein in
Stanislaviv
Ivano-Frankivsk ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вськ, translit=Iváno-Frankívśk ), formerly Stanyslaviv ( pl, Stanisławów ; german: Stanislau), is a city located in Western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Obl ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
on January 6, 1908.
This put him in Poland after World War I. He
emigrated
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to
Mandate 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 ...
in 1925 and, soon after, went to study at the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
(from 1926 to 1928). After further studies at the
Paris Conservatory
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
(from 1928 to 1931) with
Henri Rabaud
Henri Benjamin Rabaud (10 November 187311 September 1949) was a French conductor, composer and pedagogue, who held important posts in the French musical establishment and upheld mainly conservative trends in French music in the first half of t ...
, he moved to
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 ...
, where he taught music theory. From 1945 through 1952 he served as general secretary of the
Israeli Philharmonic
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is an Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert venue ...
.
In 1955 he was named director of the
(ACUM); a post he remained in for twenty five years.
He was also chair of the Israel Composer's League from 1958 through 1971.
He died in
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 ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, on August 5, 1995.
Awards
* In 1961, Avidom 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 ...
for music,
in recognition of his opera ''Alexandra ha'Hashmonait''.
Works
;Vocal
*''In Every Generation'', opera, 1955
*''Alexandra ha'Hashmonait'', opera, 1961
*''The Farewell'', opera, 1971
*''The First Sin'', opera, 1980
*''Me'Arat Yodfat'', opera
*4 other operas
*''Kantatat t'hilim'', cantata, 1955
*''12 Hills'', cantata, 1976
;Orchestral
*''Symphony No. 3: Yam tichonit'', 1952
*9 other symphonies
*''Flute Concerto''
*''Concertino'' for violin and orchestra
;Chamber music
*''Suite on B-A-C-H'', chamber ensemble, 1964
*''Brass Quintet'', 1969
*Sonata for unaccompanied viola, 1984
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
Further reading
*
Don Randel Don Michael Randel (born December 9, 1940) is an American musicologist, specializing in the music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Spain and France. He is currently the Chair of the Board of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a trustee ...
. ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''. Harvard, 1996, p. 32.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avidom, Menachem
1908 births
1995 deaths
People from Ivano-Frankivsk
People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Ukrainian Jews
Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Jews in Mandatory Palestine
Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
20th-century classical composers
Israeli composers
Male classical composers
20th-century male musicians
American University of Beirut alumni
Israel Prize in music recipients