Joseph Achron
Encyclopedia
Joseph Yulyevich Achron, also seen as Akhron (Russian: Иосиф Юльевич Ахрон) (May 13, 1886April 29, 1943) was a Russia
n composer
and violin
ist of Jewish origin, settled in USA. His preoccupation with Jewish elements and his desire to develop a 'Jewish' harmonic
and contrapuntal idiom
, underscored and informed much of his work. His friend the composer Arnold Schönberg
described Achron in his obituary
as "one of the most underrated modern composers".,
(now Lazdijai
, Lithuania
) 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
. This was followed by a prodigious childhood career including performances throughout Russia. Between 1899 and 1904 he studied violin under legendary teacher Leopold Auer
and composition under Anatoly Ljadov, at the Conservatory
in St. Petersburg.
He joined the Society for Jewish Folk Music (formed in 1908) in 1911 and from that point occupied himself in theory and practice with the Jewish music
tradition. His first 'Jewish' work ’’Hebrew Melody’’ became immediately recognised through the interpretation of violinist Jascha Heifetz
. In 1913 Achron became the head of the violin and chamber music
departments at the Kharkiv Conservatory in Russia, and served in the Russian Army
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
, where he, together with Michail Gnesin, ran the Jewish music publishing company "Yivneh". In 1924 Achron spent some months in Palestine.
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
in 1927. His incidental music
suite
from H. Leivick
's The Golem
, also written during this period, was chosen by the ISCM for performance in Venice
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 Philhamonic Orchestra in 1936 and his third (commissioned by Jascha Heifetz) with the same orchestra in 1939. Atonality
and polytonality
are among the techniques used in his later works. His final work was the Concerto for solo piano, Op. 74. He died in Hollywood, CA in 1943.
He was the brother of the pianist and composer Isidor Achron, who became Jascha Heifetz's accompanist.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 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...
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist of Jewish origin, settled in USA. His preoccupation with Jewish elements and his desire to develop a 'Jewish' harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
and contrapuntal idiom
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, underscored and informed much of his work. His friend the composer Arnold Schönberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
described Achron in his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
as "one of the most underrated modern composers".,
Biography
Achron was born in Lozdzieje, Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now Lazdijai
Lazdijai
Lazdijai is a city in Lithuania located about east of the border with Poland. In 1990 Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union, and new check points between the borders Poland and Lithuania were established and Lazdijai became the center that oversees and continues to regulate these...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
) and began the study of the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
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
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. This was followed by a prodigious childhood career including performances throughout Russia. Between 1899 and 1904 he studied violin under legendary teacher Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
and composition under Anatoly Ljadov, at the Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
in St. Petersburg.
He joined the Society for Jewish Folk Music (formed in 1908) in 1911 and from that point occupied himself in theory and practice with the Jewish music
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish People which have evolved over time throughout the long course of Jewish History. In some instances Jewish Music is of a religious nature, spiritual songs and refrains are common in Jewish Services throughout the world, while other times, it is...
tradition. His first 'Jewish' work ’’Hebrew Melody’’ became immediately recognised through the interpretation of violinist Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
. In 1913 Achron became the head of the violin and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
departments at the Kharkiv Conservatory in Russia, and served in the Russian Army
Military history of Imperial Russia
The Military history of the Russian Empire encompasses the history of armed conflict in which the Empire participated. This history stretches from its creation in 1721 by Peter the Great, until the Russian Revolution , which led to the establishment of the Soviet Union...
between 1916 and 1918. In the years after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he toured extensively as a concert artist in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
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
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he, together with Michail Gnesin, ran the Jewish music publishing company "Yivneh". In 1924 Achron spent some months in Palestine.
In 1925 he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and settled in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he taught the violin at the Westchester Conservatory. He performed his Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
in 1927. His incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
from H. Leivick
H. Leivick
H. Leivick was a Yiddish language writer, known for his 1921 "dramatic poem in eight scenes" The Golem...
's The Golem
The Golem (Leivick)
The Golem is a 1921 "dramatic poem in eight scenes" by H. Leivick. The story is a reworking of a legend of Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as the Maharal, a great rabbi of Prague. In the legend, he animates a golem, a being crafted from inanimate material...
, also written during this period, was chosen by the ISCM for performance in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
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 Philhamonic Orchestra in 1936 and his third (commissioned by Jascha Heifetz) with the same orchestra in 1939. Atonality
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
and polytonality
Polytonality
The musical use of more than one key simultaneously is polytonality . Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time...
are among the techniques used in his later works. His final work was the Concerto for solo piano, Op. 74. He died in Hollywood, CA in 1943.
He was the brother of the pianist and composer Isidor Achron, who became Jascha Heifetz's accompanist.
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)
- 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
- 1ère 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)
- 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. 65, for string quartet (1927)
- 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
See also
- The forgotten work of Joseph Achron in Hagai ShahamHagai ShahamHagai Shaham is an acclaimed Israeli violin virtuoso. He began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher...
.