Chaya Arbel was an Israeli composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

. She is one of Israel's best known female classical composers and the recipient of the ACUM Prize.

Biography

Arbel studied piano and composition in Germany, until she immigrated to the British mandate of Palestine (1936), where she worked in agriculture at kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

 HaMa'apil

HaMa'apil

HaMa'apil is a kibbutz in central Israel. It is located near Ahituv within the jurisdiction of the Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 499....

. Only 25 years later, Arbel could resume her composition studies, with professor Leon Schidlowsky

Leon Schidlowsky

Leon Schidlowsky is a well known Chilean-Israeli composer and painter. He has written music for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, and instruments including the piano, violin, cello, flute, mandolin, guitar, harp, organ, as well as about sixty-five pieces of music with graphic notation...

. Arbel remained a kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

 member for the rest of life. She won the Israeli ACUM Prize for Dialogue for Clarinet and Orchestra.

Orchestra

• 19?? Concerto for cello and string orchestra (IMC)
• 1983 A Toy Symphony Here and Now for string orchestra, toys and percussion (IMC)
• 1984 Lament for string orchestra (IMI
  Israel Music Institute
  The Israel Music Institute is the first publicly owned music publishing house in Israel. It is devoted primarily to the publication of Israeli art music, but also publishes books and booklets on Israeli music and composers, CDs of Israeli art music, and a periodical, IMI News...
  
  , IMC)
• 1990 Dialogue for clarinet and chamber orchestra (IMI, IMC)
• 1996 For Old Times Sake for orchestra (IMC)
• 2003 Third Tale for string orchestra (IMI, IMIC)

Large ensemble

• 1992 The Diary of Anne Frank, for string quartet, piano and mezzosoprano (Neue Musik)
• 1992 Agada for woodwinds, brass and percussion (IMC)
• 1995 Conzertino for double bass solo, winds and percussion (IMC)
• 1996 Time Beats, Quartet for harp, flute, viola and percussion (IMC)

Small ensemble

• 19?? Roots, Ballad in 2 parts for violin, cello and piano (IMC)
• 1986 Drama for clarinet, cello and piano (IMC)
• 1987 Roundarounds for tuba and piano (IMC)
• 1990 In Memory of Our Soldiers for trombone and piano (IMC)
• 1991 The Turtles Voice for horn, violin, cello and piano (IMC)
• 1995 Intermezzo for viola and piano (IMC)

Solo instruments

• 1984 Lament for piano (IMC)
• 1985 Remembrance for piano (IMC)
• 1983 Fantasia for violin solo (IMC)

In anthologies

• 1985 Kibbutz Composers: Piano Music for Two and Four Hands, pianist Bart Berman
  Bart Berman
  Bart Berman is a Dutch-Israeli pianist and composer, best known as an interpreter of Franz Schubert and 20th century music....
  
   on a record by Duo Beer Sheva (Jerusalem)
• 2003 Psanterin, CD 6 out of 9, by pianist Michal Tal (IMC
  Israel Music Institute
  The Israel Music Institute is the first publicly owned music publishing house in Israel. It is devoted primarily to the publication of Israeli art music, but also publishes books and booklets on Israeli music and composers, CDs of Israeli art music, and a periodical, IMI News...
  
  )

External links

• Ronit Seter, Chaya Arbel in the Jewish Women Encyclopedia
• Chaya Arbel in the Israeli composer database