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Moshe Wilensky ( he, משה וילנסקי, also, "Vilensky"; 17 April 1910 – 2 January 1997) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

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 ...

i composer, lyricist, and pianist. He is considered a "pioneer of Israeli song" and one of Israel's leading composers, and was a winner of 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 ...

, the state's highest honor.

Life

Wilensky, who was Jewish, was born in

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

, the son of Zelig and Henia (née Liebman). He studied music at the

Warsaw Conservatory The Chopin University of Music ( pl, Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe.

in Warsaw, specializing in conducting and composition, and immigrated to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

in 1932. He married Bertha Yakimovska in 1939. Wilensky died in 1997.

Music career

A pianist and composer, Wilensky wrote music for theaters and musical troupes of 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 ...

, including the

Nahal Nahal ( he, נח"ל) (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training ...

choir in the 1950s. He worked with the

Kol Yisrael ''Kol Yisrael'' or ''Kol Israel'' ( lit. "Voice of Israel", also "Israel Radio") is Israel's public domestic and international radio service. It operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Service from 1951 to 1965, the Israel Broadcastin ...

orchestra. Wilensky's music combines Slavic music and

Eastern music Asian music encompasses numerous musical styles originating in many Asian countries. Musical traditions in Asia * Music of Central Asia ** Music of Afghanistan (when included in the definition of Central Asia) ** Music of Kazakhstan ** Music o ...

. He composed for films, plays, hora dances, cabaret songs, and children's tunes, writing nearly 1,500 songs in his lifetime. Among his songs are "''

Kalaniyot ''Kalaniyot'' (English: "anemones") is an Israeli song that became popular in the days leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel and has remained an Israeli classic. The lyrics, by Nathan Alterman, describe a little girl who dreams she ...

''" ("Anemones"), "''Hayu Zmanim''" ("In Those Times)", "Autumn," "Ring Twice and Wait," "Each Day I Lose," "The Last Battle", and "''Mul Har Sinai''" ("Opposite Mt. Sinai"). He wrote music for many of

Natan Alterman Nathan Alterman ( he, נתן אלתרמן, August 14, 1910 – March 28, 1970) was an Israeli poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Though never holding any elected office, Alterman was highly influential in Socialist Zionist politics, ...

's poems. In 1962, Israeli Esther Reichstadt won second prize at the Polish international song festival, which Wilensky hosted, with his song "Autumn". In 1983, Wilensky was awarded the

, for Hebrew song (melody). In 1990, a special concert in honor of his 80th birthday was given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1998, the

Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel The Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel ( he, אגודת קומפוזיטורים, ומחברים ומו"לים), known by the acronym ACUM ( he, אקו"ם), is a non-profit copyright collective which engages in collectiv ...

(ACUM) named its Song of the Year Award the "Moshe Wilensky Prize".

References

External links

Jewish Agency bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilensky, Moshe 1910 births 1997 deaths Composers in the Palestine mandate Israeli composers Israeli lyricists Israeli pianists Israel Prize in Hebrew song recipients Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Chopin University of Music alumni Jewish composers Polish composers 20th-century Polish pianists Musicians from Warsaw Israeli military musicians Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery 20th-century Polish Jews

Life

Music career

See also

References

External links