Joseph Achron
| Joseph Yulyevich Achron | |
|---|---|
Joseph Achron
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
May 13, 1886 Lozdzieje, Suwałki Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 29, 1943 (aged 56) Hollywood, California |
| Genres | Jewish art music; classical music; film music |
| Occupation(s) | violinist and composer |
| Years active | 1908–1943 |
Joseph Yulyevich Achron, also seen as Akhron (Russian: Иосиф Юльевич Ахрон) (May 13, 1886 – April 29, 1943) was a Russian composer and violinist of Jewish origin, who settled in the United States. 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 Schoenberg, described Achron in his obituary as "one of the most underrated modern composers".
Achron was born in Lozdzieje, Russian Empire (now Lazdijai, Lithuania) to Julian and Bertha 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 Leopold Auer and composition under Anatoly Ljadov, at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
He joined the Society for Jewish Folk Music 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 recognized 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 together with Mikhail Gnessin he ran the Jewish music publishing company Yivneh. In 1924, Achron spent some months in Palestine.
...
Wikipedia