Ernest Bloch

(born July 24, 1880, Geneva, Switz. — died July 15, 1959, Portland, Ore., U.S.) Swiss-born U.S. composer. He conducted and lectured at the Geneva Conservatory before moving in 1916 to the U.S., where he served as director of the San Francisco Conservatory (1925 – 30) and taught at the University of California, Berkeley (1942 – 52). He worked in tonal, atonal, and serialist idioms (see also tonality; atonality; serialism); his works, many of them inspired by Jewish themes, include the opera Macbeth (1910), Schelomo for cello and orchestra (1916), the large choral works America (1926) and Avodath hakodesh (1933), and a violin concerto (1938).

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Ernest Bloch

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(b Geneva, 24 July 1880; d Portland, or, 15 July 1959). American composer. He studied with Dalcroze in Geneva, in Brussels (1897-9) and with Knorr in Frankfurt (1900). In 1916 he went to the USA, thereafter spending most of his time there (he took citizenship in 1924). He also taught at Cleveland (1920-25), San Francisco (1925-30) and Berkeley (1940-52). His early works are eclectic: the opera Macbeth (1910) draws on Strauss, Musorgsky and Debussy. Then came a period of concern mostly with Jewish subjects (Schelomo for cello and orchestra,1916), followed by a vigorous neo-classicism (Piano Quintet no.1, 1923; Concerto grosso no.1 for strings and piano, 1925). He returned to epic compositions in the 1930s with the Sacred Service (Avodath hakodesh, 1933) and the Violin Concerto (1937). His last works represent a summation of his career and lean towards a less subjective style.

Gale Encyclopedia of Biography:

Ernest Bloch

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The Swiss-born American composer and teacher Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was noted for orchestral and chamber music of highly individual style. He directed two music conservatories in the United States.

Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva on July 24, 1880. Showing musical gifts at an early age, he studied violin with Louis Rey and theory with Émile Jacques-Dalcroze. In 1897 Bloch went to Brussels, where he studied violin with Eugène Ysaye, and then to Frankfurt, studying composition with Iwan Knorr.

Bloch composed his first important work, the Symphony in C-sharp Minor, at the age of 21. In 1904, after having written some songs and a symphonic work, Hiver Printemps, he began to work on his opera, Macbeth, with a libretto by Edmond Fleg, and it was premiered in Paris in 1910. Bloch became a professor at the Geneva Conservatory in 1911. Among his pupils was the conductor Ernest Ansermet.

The compositions Bloch wrote between 1912 and 1916 - Three Jewish Poems; settings of Psalms 137, 114, and 22; Schelomo; Israel; and String Quartet No. 1 - when premiered during his first visit to the United States in 1917, brought him spectacular recognition. He soon settled in New York City with his family, teaching and lecturing. Among his pupils were Roger Sessions, George Antheil, Douglas Moore, Quincy Porter, Randall Thompson, Frederick Jacobi, Herbert Elwell, and Leon Kirchner.

In 1919 Bloch won the Coolidge Prize (Suite for Viola and Piano), in 1926 the Carolyn Beebe Prize (Four Episodes for Chamber Orchestra), in 1928 the Musical America Prize (an orchestral rhapsody, America), and in 1930 the Victor Prize (Helvetia).

As director of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1920-1930), Bloch made a strong impact. He continued to compose works, such as the Concerto Grosso No. 1, which are tonal, classical in form, and conservatively modern. Bloch vitalized the atmosphere with his enthusiasm, informality, and rather stubborn opinions.

After 1930 Bloch returned to Europe to live, where he composed a sacred service, a piano sonata, a violin concerto, and some large orchestral works. The events leading to World War II affected him deeply, and he stopped composing for some time.

On his return to America, Bloch and his wife, Marguerite, settled in Agate Beach, Ore. He gave master courses for several summers at the University of California at Berkeley and became professor emeritus in 1952. Many of the 25 works he wrote during his final years are considered his peak achievements. They include four String Quartets, Symphony in E-flat, Sinfonia Breve, Piano Quintet No. 11, works for trombone, trumpet, and flute with orchestra, and several suites for unaccompanied stringed instruments.

In 1958, after a long illness, Bloch submitted to surgery; on July 15, 1959, he died. He had received many honors, medals, and honorary degrees, but he always remained unworldly, preferring the solitude of nature to the social life of big cities.

Ernest Bloch

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Bloch, Ernest (blŏk, Ger. blôkh), 1880-1959, Swiss-American composer. Among his teachers were Jaques-Dalcroze and Ysaÿe. He taught at the Geneva Conservatory, 1911-15, and at the Mannes School, New York, 1917-19; he was director of the Cleveland Institute of Music, 1920-25, and of the San Francisco Conservatory, 1925-30. His music is based in the classical tradition, but it has a peculiarly personal intensity of expression and often a distinct Hebraic quality, as in the Hebrew rhapsody Schelomo and the symphonic poem Israel (both 1916). Other outstanding works are an opera, Macbeth (1909); a concerto grosso, for string orchestra and piano (1925); the symphonic poems America (1926) and Helvetia (1929); a modern setting of the Jewish Sacred Service (1933); and A Voice in the Wilderness, for cello and orchestra (1937).

AMG AllMusic Guide to Classical Music:

Ernest Bloch

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Genres: Chamber Music, Choral Music, Concerto, Keyboard Music, Orchestral Music, Symphony, Vocal Music

Biography

Swiss-born American composer Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) established his reputation in music on Hebraic themes in works such as the cello concerto Schelomo (1916). That year, Bloch first traveled to the United States, became a U.S. citizen, and ultimately composed his prize-winning cantata, America: An Epic Rhapsody (1926). Bloch's return to Switzerland was interrupted by the rise of Nazism, and he permanently settled in the U.S. in 1938. Bloch was an important teacher and composed numerous operas, symphonies, concertos, and chamber music, though his works exploring Hebrew concepts, such as Baal Shem (1923) and Suite hébraïque (1951), remain the most popular. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi

Discography

Bloch: Sacred Service Auodath Hakodesh

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Ernest Bloch

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This article is about the composer. For the philosopher, see Ernst Bloch (philosopher).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

Ernest Bloch with children

Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer.

Contents

1 Life
2 Music
3 Works
4 Family
5 Photography
6 Sources
7 Notes and references
8 External links

Life

Bloch was born in Geneva and began playing the violin at age 9. He began composing soon afterwards. He studied music at the conservatory in Brussels, where his teachers included the celebrated Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. He then travelled around Europe, moving to Germany (where he studied composition from 1900-1901 with Iwan Knorr at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt), on to Paris in 1903 and back to Geneva before settling in the United States in 1916, taking American citizenship in 1924. He held several teaching appointments in the U.S., with George Antheil, Frederick Jacobi, Bernard Rogers, and Roger Sessions among his pupils. In December 1920 he was appointed the first Musical Director of the newly formed Cleveland Institute of Music, a post he held until 1925. Following this he was director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music until 1930.

In 1941, Bloch moved to the small coastal community of Agate Beach, Oregon^[1] and lived there the rest of his life. He died in 1959 in Portland, Oregon, of cancer at the age of 78. The Bloch Memorial has been moved from near his house in Agate Beach to a more prominent location at the Newport Performing Arts Center in Newport, Oregon.^[2]

Music

Bloch's early works, including his opera Macbeth (1910) show the influence of both the Germanic school of Richard Strauss and the impressionism of Claude Debussy. Mature works, including his best-known pieces, often draw on Jewish liturgical and folk music. These works include Schelomo (1916) for cello and orchestra, which he dedicated to the cellist Alexandre Barjansky (of Barjansky Stradivarius fame), the Israel Symphony (1916), Baal Shem for violin and piano (1923, later version for violin and orchestra), the "From Jewish Life" suite for cello and piano, and Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service, 1933) for baritone, choir and orchestra. Other pieces from this period include a violin concerto written for Joseph Szigeti and the rhapsody America for chorus and orchestra, which won a 1927 prize (sponsored by Musical America) for the best symphonic work on an American theme by an American composer. (Bloch qualified because he was a naturalized American citizen.)

Leopold Stokowski and the Symphony of the Air made the first stereo recording of America for Vanguard Records, which included a short speech by Bloch that explained why he wrote the piece; in June 1993, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra recorded the work for Delos.

Pieces written after World War II are a little more varied in style, though Bloch's essentially Romantic idiom remains. Some, such as the Suite hébraïque (1950) continue the Jewish theme; others, such as the second concerto grosso (1952), display an interest in neo-classicism (though here too the harmonic language is basically Romantic, even though the form is Baroque); and others, including the late string quartets, include elements of atonality.

Works

Stage

Macbeth, Opera in 3 acts (1909 Geneva-Paris)

Orchestral

Symphony in C♯ minor (1902)
Hiver-Printemps (1905 Paris-Geneva)
Trois Poèmes Juifs for large orchestra (1913 Satigny)
Israel, Symphony for orchestra (1916 Geneva)
In the Night: A Love Poem (1922 Cleveland)
Poems of the Sea (1922 Cleveland)
Concerto Grosso No. 1 for string orchestra with piano obbligato (1925 Santa Fe - Cleveland)
Four Episodes for chamber orchestra (1926 San Francisco)
America: An Epic Rhapsody for Orchestra (1926 San Francisco)
Helvetia, Symphonic Poem (1929 Frankfurt - San Francisco)
Evocations, Symphonic Suite (1937 Châtel, Haute Savoie)
Suite Symphonique (1944 Agate Beach)
In Memoriam (1952 Agate Beach)
Concerto Grosso No. 2 for string orchestra (1952 Agate Beach)
Sinfonia Breve (1953 Agate Beach)
Symphony in E♭ (1955 Agate Beach)

Concertante

Schelomo, Rhapsodie Hébraïque for cello solo and large orchestra (1916 Geneva-New York)
Suite for viola and orchestra (1919 New York)
Voice in the Wilderness, Symphonic Poem for orchestra with cello obbligato (1936 Châtel, Haute Savoie)
Concerto for violin and orchestra (1938 Châtel, Haute Savoie)
Baal Shem for violin and orchestra (1939)
Concerto Symphonique for piano and orchestra (1948 Agate Beach)
Scherzo Fantasque for piano and orchestra (1948 Agate Beach)
Concertino for flute, viola and string orchestra (1948, 1950 Agate Beach)
Suite Hébraïque, for viola (or violin) and orchestra (1951 Agate Beach)
Symphony for trombone and orchestra (1954 Agate Beach)
Proclamation for trumpet and orchestra (1955 Agate Beach)
Suite Modale for flute and string orchestra (1956 Agate Beach)
Two Last Poems for flute solo and orchestra (1958 Agate Beach)

Vocal and choral

Historiettes au Crépuscule for mezzo-soprano and piano (1904 Paris)
Poèmes d'Automne for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (1906 Geneva)
Psaume 22 (1913 Satigny)
Deux Psaumes pour soprano et orchestre, précédés d'un prélude orchestral (1914 Satigny)
Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service) (1933 Roveredo-Ticino)
America: An Epic Rhapsody for chorus and orchestra (1926 San Francisco)

Chamber

Piano Quintet No. 1 (1923 Cleveland)
Piano Quintet No. 2 (1957)
String Quartet
- String Quartet in G (1896)
- String Quartet No. 1 (1916 Geneva - New York)
- String Quartet No. 2 (1945 Agate Beach)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1952 Agate Beach)
- String Quartet No. 4 (1953 Agate Beach)
- String Quartet No. 5 (1956 Agate Beach)
- In the Mountains (1924 Cleveland)
- Night (1923 Cleveland)
- Paysages (1923 Cleveland); the first movement Night was inspired by Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North
- Prelude (1925 Cleveland)
- Two Pieces (1938, 1950 Châtel, Haute Savoie - Agate Beach)
Three Nocturnes for piano trio (1924 Cleveland)

Instrumental

Violin
- Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano (1920 Cleveland)
- Baal Shem (1923 Cleveland)
- Poème Mystique, Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (1924 Cleveland)
- Nuit Exotique (1924 Cleveland)
- Abodah (1929 San Francisco)
- Mélodie (1929 San Francisco)
- Suite Hébraïque for violin and piano (1951 Agate Beach)
- Suite No. 1 for violin solo (1958 Agate Beach)
- Suite No. 2 for violin solo (1958 Agate Beach)
Viola
- Suite for viola and piano (1919 New York)
- Suite Hébraïque for viola and piano (1951 Agate Beach)
- Meditation and Processional for viola and piano (1951 Agate Beach)
- Suite for viola solo (unfinished) (1958 Agate Beach)
Cello
- Méditation Hébraïque (1924 Cleveland)
- From Jewish Life (1925 Cleveland)
- Suite No. 1 for cello solo (1956 Agate Beach)
- Suite No. 2 for cello solo (1956 Agate Beach)
- Suite No. 3 for cello solo (1957 Agate Beach)
Suite Modale for flute and piano (1956 Agate Beach)

Piano

Ex-voto (1914 Geneva)
In the Night: A Love Poem (1922 Cleveland)
Poems of the Sea (1922 Cleveland)
Four Circus Pieces (1922 Cleveland)
Danse Sacrée (1923 Cleveland)
Enfantines, 10 pieces for children (1923 Cleveland)
Nirvana, Poem (1923 Cleveland)
Five Sketches in Sepia (1923 Cleveland)
Sonata (1935 Châtel, Haute Savoie); written for Guido Agosti
Visions et Prophéties (1936 Châtel, Haute Savoie)

Organ

6 Preludes (1949 Agate Beach)
4 Wedding Marches (1950 Agate Beach)

Family

Ernest Bloch and his wife Marguerite Schneider had three children: Ivan, Suzanne and Lucienne. Ivan, born in 1905, became an engineer with the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Oregon. Suzanne Bloch, born in 1907, was a musician particularly interested in Renaissance music who taught harpsichord, lute and composition at the Juilliard School in New York. Lucienne Bloch, born in 1909, worked as Diego Rivera's chief photographer on the Rockefeller Center mural project, became friends with Rivera's wife, the artist Frida Kahlo, and took some key photos of Kahlo and the only photographs of Rivera's mural (which was destroyed because Lenin was depicted in it).

Photography

The Western Jewish History Center, of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, California has a small collection of photographs of Ernest Bloch which document his interest in photography.

Many of the photographs Bloch took—over 6,000 negatives and 2,000 prints—are in the Ernest Bloch Archive at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson along with photographs by the likes of Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Richard Avedon.[2]

Sources

Ernest Bloch: Composer in Nature's University by Nancy Steinberg. Oregon Coastal Council for the Arts. July, 2006

Bloch's photography was discovered by Eric B. Johnson in 1970. Johnson researched, edited and printed many of Bloch's photographs. 40 of these prints from Bloch's negatives are now in the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson AZ along with the entire collection of his negatives and prints. Johnson is currently Professor of Art and Design at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo Ca. An account of his discovery can be found on his website. ^[3]

Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers, by Walter Simmons. (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004) ISBN 0-8108-5728-6

Notes and references

External links

Art of the States: Ernest Bloch String Quartet No. 2 (1945)
Extensive discography (and work list), by Claude Torres
Ernest Bloch's maximum card from Israel
Ernest Bloch International Jubilee Concerts 2009
The Robert Straussburg Collection of Ernest Bloch at the Belknap Collection of Performing Arts, University of Florida.
Images of the Ernest Bloch House from the University of Oregon digital archives
(French) A biography of Ernest Bloch, from IRCAM's website.
Free scores by Ernest Bloch at the International Music Score Library Project

Persondata
Name	Bloch, Ernest
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 24, 1880
Place of birth
Date of death	July 15, 1959
Place of death

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