Joseph Achron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Achron
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 1, 1886 Lozdzieje, Suwałki Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 29, 1943 (aged 56) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jewish art music, classical music, film music |
| Occupation(s) | Violinist, composer |
| Years active | 1908-1943 |
Joseph Yulyevich Achron (born May 1, 1886 – died April 29, 1943) was a talented Jewish composer and violinist. He was born in Russia but later moved to the United States. Joseph Achron loved to include Jewish musical ideas in his compositions. He wanted to create a special "Jewish" sound in his music. His friend, the famous composer Arnold Schoenberg, once said that Achron was "one of the most underrated modern composers." This means Schoenberg thought Achron was a very good composer who didn't get enough recognition.
Contents
Biography
Joseph Achron was born in Lozdzieje. This town was part of the Russian Empire at the time. Today, it is called Lazdijai and is in Lithuania. His parents were Julian and Bertha. Joseph started learning the violin when he was just five years old. His father, who played the violin as a hobby, was his first teacher.
Joseph gave his first public performance at age seven in Warsaw. This was the start of an amazing childhood career. He performed many concerts all across Russia. From 1899 to 1904, he studied violin with Leopold Auer. He also learned how to compose music from Anatoly Lyadov at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
In 1911, Achron joined the Society for Jewish Folk Music. From then on, he focused on Jewish music traditions. His first piece with a Jewish theme was called Hebrew Melody. It became very famous thanks to the violinist Jascha Heifetz.
In 1913, Achron became a leader at the Kharkiv Conservatory in Ukraine. He was in charge of the violin and chamber music departments. He also served in the Imperial Russian Army from 1916 to 1918. After World War I, he traveled a lot. He performed over 1000 concerts in Europe, the Near East, and Russia between 1919 and 1922. During this time, he also led the violin masterclass at the Leningrad Artists' Union.
In 1922, Achron moved to Berlin. There, he helped run a Jewish music publishing company called Jibneh. He worked with Mikhail Gnessin on this project. In 1924, Achron spent a few months in Mandatory Palestine, which is now Israel.
In 1925, he moved to the United States. He settled in New York City and taught violin at the Westchester Conservatory. In 1927, he performed his first Violin Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His music for the play The Golem was chosen for a performance in Venice in 1932. This was a big honor from the International Society for Contemporary Music.
In 1934, Joseph Achron moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles. He started composing music for films. He also continued his career as a concert violinist. He performed his second Violin Concerto in 1936. His third Violin Concerto was asked for by Jascha Heifetz. Achron performed it with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1939.
In his later works, Achron used modern music techniques. These included atonality (music without a clear key) and polytonality (music with more than one key at once). His last piece was a Concerto for solo piano, Op. 74. He passed away in Hollywood in 1943. He is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery. A year after he died, a special committee was formed to honor him. It included many famous musicians and critics.
Joseph Achron was the older brother of Isidor Achron. Isidor was a concert pianist and composer. He played piano for Jascha Heifetz for over ten years.
Selected Works
Joseph Achron wrote many different kinds of music. Here are some of his most important pieces.
Orchestral Music
This is music written for a large group of instruments, like a symphony orchestra.
- 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 (around 1913)
- Epitaph to the Memory of Alexander Scriabin, Op. 38 (1915)
- 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 Music
This music is written for a choir, which is a group of singers.
- 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)
Chamber and Instrumental Music
Chamber music is for a small group of instruments. Instrumental music is for one or a few instruments.
- Suite No. 1 en Style Ancien (Première Suite en Style Ancien), Op. 21, for violin and piano (around 1914) / (1923)
- Chromatic String Quartet, Op. 26 (around 1915)
- Sonata No. 1, Op. 29, for violin and piano (around 1915)
- Stimmungen, Op.32, Two Pieces for violin and piano (around 1915/16)
- Symphonic Variations and Sonata on a Palestinian Theme, Op. 39, for piano (around 1916)
- Suite Bizarre, Op. 41, for violin and piano (around 1917)
- Sonata No. 2, Op. 45, for violin and piano (around 1917)
- Children's Suite, Op.57, for clarinet, string quartet and piano (around 1925)
- Elegy, Op. 62, for string quartet (1927)
- 4 Improvisations, Op. 63, for string quartet (1927)
- 2 Pieces, Op. 65, for viola and piano (1932)
- 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 (1941)
Other Works
- Spring Night, ballet music for a short film (1935)
See also
Images for kids
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Achron as a youth
