Menachem AvidomMenachem Avidom ( (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, Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

, in 1908. He emigrated

Aliyah

Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...

 to Mandate Palestine in 1925 and, soon after, went to study at the American University of Beirut

American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...

 (from 1926 to 1928). After further studies at the Paris Conservatory (from 1928 to 1931), he moved to Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, where he taught music theory. From 1945, he served as general secretary of the Israeli Philharmonic; in 1955 he was named director of ACUM, the Israeli Performing Rights Society.

He died in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, on August 5, 1995.

Awards

• In 1961, Avidom was awarded the Israel Prize
  Israel Prize
  The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
  
   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

Further reading

• Don Randel. The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard, 1996, p. 32.