Sarah Feigin facts for kids

Sarah Feigin (born July 1, 1928 – died April 24, 2011) was a talented music teacher and composer from Latvia. She later moved to Israel and created many beautiful musical pieces there.

Her Early Life

Sarah Feigin was born in Latvia. She loved music from a young age. She studied piano and how to compose music at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. This school was also known as the Riga Conservatory of Music. She earned two degrees from this academy.

In 1972, Sarah moved to Israel. The very next year, in 1973, she started a music school in a city called Holon. She was the director of this school until 1983. Sarah also worked for an organization called "Jeunesses Musicales d'Israel" from 1973 to 1990. Her job was to arrange concerts especially for young people. Her music has been played in many countries around the world.

Her Musical Works

When Sarah lived in Israel, she taught music to children. She also taught at other music schools. When she composed music, her favorite instruments to write for were the organ and the piano. The Israel Music Institute has published her work. Her music was often played on Israeli radio.

Sarah Feigin wrote many different kinds of music. This included:

• Music for small groups of instruments (called chamber music)
• Pieces for the piano
• Songs for teaching music
• Music for ballets
• Songs for singers (vocal music)

In the year 2000, Sarah won an award for her piece called "Thoughts On Playing". She received this award at an International Composition Competition in Miami, Florida.

Sarah also wrote special piano songs that needed four hands or even six hands to play at once! This means two or three people would play on one piano together. Some of these fun pieces include:

• Shoshana, for piano with 6 hands (composed in 1995)
• Tumbalalaika, for piano with 4 hands (composed in 1995)
• Yism'chu Hashamayim, for piano with 4 hands (composed in 1996)
• Four Hits, arranged for piano with 4 hands (composed in 2001)

In 2012, an album called Clarinet Repertoire Of Women Composers was released. The very last song on this album is Sarah Feigin's "Fantasia for Clarinet and Piano." She wrote this piece in 1996 in Israel.

Later, in 2018, another album came out called "Piano Works by Sara Feigin." This recording features her music written just for solo piano. Many of these songs had never been played or recorded before. A lot of them were based on traditional folk songs. A pianist named Benjamin Goodman, who is from Britain and lives in Israel, performs these pieces.

Her Personal Life

Sarah's birth name was Sarah Kugel. She changed it when she married Oscar Feigin. He was a professor who studied polymer chemistry, which is about how large molecules are made.

Sarah had two daughters, Ilana and Carmela. In 1972, she left Latvia to help her family move to Israel. This big change gave her new ideas for her music. Because of this, some of her compositions have parts that sound like Israeli folk music.

Sarah Feigin passed away in Holon, Israel, on April 24, 2011, after an illness.

Some of Her Compositions

Sarah Feigin published many musical works. She created new ways to teach music (called pedagogical studies). Here are a few examples of her many compositions and when she wrote them:

• Autumn Song, for alto-saxophone & piano – 2003
• Awakening, for 2 clarinets and Piano – 2005
• Caravan, for flute, clarinet & piano – 1995
• Concerto for Clarinet & String Orchestra – 2001
• Elegie in Memoriam Yitzhak Rabin, for piano trio – 1995
• Fantasia for Clarinet & Piano – 1996
• Kaleidoscope, for orchestra – 2002
• Listen, symphonic poem, for solo voice & symphony orchestra – 1973
• Russian Dance for symphony orchestra – 1969
• Sonata for piano – 1972
• The Cat's House, Opera for Children – 1987
• When Peace Comes, for two violins – 1997