H. Jacoby – Commitment to Humanity        

In 1934, a year after the Nazis rose to power in Germany, Hanoch (then Heinrich) Jacoby immigrated to Palestine (Eretz-Israel). Musical life in the old-new homeland was just beginning to emerge and Jacoby himself was just at the beginning of his way as composer and performer. He had one mature work to his name, Concerto for Strings, and his settlement in the Eretz-Israel was for him both the beginning of a new life and of realization of his artistic and creative ambitions. The impressive list of his works bears witness to his development as composer. As with other composers of his generation who arrived in Israel from Europe at that time, Jacoby’s list of works reflects both his personal achievements and the development of art music in the country in general. Every single work was perceived not only as a personal but also as a collective statement. Jacoby and his peers are the founding fathers of the musical culture of Israel – not only have they bequeathed us a treasure trove of splendid music, but by their very creativity they have laid the foundations and added layer upon layer to building a new culture.

Changing his German name ‘Heinrich’ to the Hebrew ‘Hanoch’ (the biblical Enoch) is symbolic of his identification both with the Hebrew language – the ancient tongue revived in Eretz-Israel – and with the national awareness which was steadily emerging in the new Jewish settlement in the country, an awareness that combined old principles with modern, revolutionary ideas. Like all composers of his generation, Jacoby became acquainted with traditional music of the Middle East, in particular the music of the Jewish oriental communities. An important part in this encounter was played by the Yemenite singer Bracha Zefira who exerted great influence on the direction musical development took in the country, and for whom Jacoby as well as Paul Ben-Haim, Oedoen Partos and others, wrote arrangements of traditional melodies. Each one of the composers reacted differently to this encounter with the traditional oriental tone-world.  One of the more fascinating aspects of the music composed in the course of those years, is the manner in which it reflects their personal and unique perception of it and this, of course, also applies to Jacoby’s compositions.

On the one hand Jacoby remained faithful to the teachings of Hindemith. He was one of the relatively few composers who consistently adhered to the master’s ways – be it in practice in the field of composition or in its ideological aspects. In Israel, Jacoby was THE specialist for the Hindemith method and younger composers were instructed by him in the subject. In numerous of his compositions traces of the method can be found as taught by Hindemith in “The Craft of Musical Composition”. Jacoby also used Hindemith’s characteristic combination of neoclassical (and neo-baroque) principles with post-romantic ones (which might be described as a continuation of the tradition of Brahms to which also belong composers older than Hindemith such as Reger, Zemlinski and others). Here and there Jacoby’s music brings to minds Russian neoclassicism (Prokofiev and those who followed, composers in whose music there are obvious post-romantic elements, at times almost post-Mahlerian). But all these stylistic references do not blur the characteristic personal line of Jacoby’s compositions. Using the technical skills he had learned from Hindemith and maintaining a strictly defined aesthetic direction, he succeeded to write music that bears the indelible stamp of an authentic creative artist.

In respect of his specific creative personality as an artist, one must touch upon the traditional non-European elements in his music. The musicologist Dr. P. E. Gradenwitz determined that Jacoby’s oeuvre can be divided into two main sections: “Concert compositions of powerful expression and pieces of lighter, almost popular character”. Works in the first section tend to chromaticism and complex harmony (e.g. the two quartets, three symphonies and other pieces); while the works which belong in the second group are clearly diatonic, modal-like and in some of them we find arrangements of traditional melodies (to this group belongs his King David’s Lyre, Capriccio israelien, Pastoral and others). These works are not obviously folkloristic, what is characteristic for them is their intelligibility and their communicative nature; their clear and flowing tonal language and the use of traditional material. It seems that the composer used these works to fulfill his need to express his personal identification with the national ‘together’ and the collective experience. Yet it is possible that, beyond the national aspect, the realization of the important Hindemithian concept of ‘applied music’ is actually at the core of it. Jacoby’s methodic compositions are based, in the main, on Jewish-Oriental folklore though the technique used for their arrangements is in the European tradition (with an accent on the polyphonic element). These works also express the methodic perception that maintains that folk melodies in which the collective memory is preserved, is the most fitting means for musical education and is its foundation stone. Indeed, Jacoby entitled his two methodic series Building Bricks. These are arrangements of his two suites of Jewish Oriental Folk Tunes and it goes without saying that even the simplest pieces in these works manifest the high quality of his art. 

The ability to compose most excellent music at two different stylistic levels is common to Jacoby and a considerable number of composers of the 20th century such as Copland, Skalkottas, Roberto Gerhard, Hans Eisler and numerous others – many more, in fact, than it is usually assumed. Among the Israeli composers who were close to Jacoby in age this was also a frequent phenomenon, to mention only Joachim Stutschewsky, Menahem Avidom, Verdina Shlonsky etc. What is characteristic for Jacoby, and where he differs from other composers, is the fact that he composed in different styles in parallel and not necessarily at different periods in his life.

It is important to note, however, that there is clear evidence of mutual influence of the two stylistic paths and the ties between them are often noticeable. Just as the accent in folk compositions is on the artistic arrangement techniques, so the thematic content of the more personal music is pervaded with melodic and rhythmic foundations that stem from folk and traditional music. In addition, as the Hindemith method on which Jacoby’s art is founded is basically tonal, it makes possible the inclusion of diatonic modal motifs. The overture O Fortress, Rock of My Salvation can serve as the perfect example of the fusion of these two trends and so can his other work Mutatio (both in the chamber and the orchestral version). In Mutatio the composer uses two traditional prayer versions: one is of the Jews of Kurdistan, the other of the Jews of Baghdad, both of which serve as a kind of canti firmi, even though the first is in major and diatonic and the second in minor and tends to chromaticism but, according to Jacoby, both have a common master-pattern.  This work is an excellent example of the fusion of diatonic fundamentals (in this case archaic-diatonic) and of Jacoby’s ability to achieve compositional complexities based on the most simple, elementary Building Bricks which the composer believed to have great musical potential.

One of the most prominent characteristics of Jacoby’s compositions is his predilection for the form of variations – be it the defined form of a theme and a series of variations, or ‘variation’ that might be more generally considered as ‘metamorphoses of a theme’. This trend is revealed in all stages of his creativity and, in fact, embraces his entire oeuvre. Jacoby is a true master of the art of variation as is well illustrated both by his little suite for two recorders and by his more profound work Variations for SO. Poetic ideas often also take on the form of variations. In his Musical Candelabra, a new instrument joins each variation, in parallel with the gradual addition of a candle in the course of the 8 days of Hanukah, and in the final one all eight instruments together play an animated hora. In King David’s Lyre – one of the most popular of Jacoby’s works of which there are several versions - the history of Jews from the beginning and until the establishment of the State of Israel is told in a chain of variations. He finished writing it on May 15, 1948, the day on which Israel’s independence was proclaimed and it expresses the composer’s emotions in response to this historic event. At the heart of the work is the homiletic tale of the King’s lyre that was heard to play a melody at midnight by itself. The diatonic modal theme, reminiscent of biblical cantillation, undergoes here a number of transformations and each variation takes on a different character. At first it is a pastoral tune of David the shepherd; then follow – one after the other – a battle song; a lament for the destruction of the Temple; a lullaby of a Hebrew mother awaiting the coming of the Messiah; a song of the pioneers and, finally, a triumphal hymn in which the melody of the City of David is repeated. Jacoby’s mastery of the art of variation finds here its complete expression: not only in the superb compositional control but also in the creative imagination that manages to build, in sound, a richly varied emotional world. We shall come across these features time and again in all the variations composed by Jacoby, as well as in those among them which are passacaglia-like and clearly show his partiality for the Brahmsian tradition as can be seen in the second movement of his Concertino for viola and orchestra. An outstanding example of Jacoby’s art of variation can be found in his Symphony No. 1. A chromatic expressive theme and 13 diversified, imaginative variations constitute the 3^rd and 4^th movement of the symphony.  

As noted, Jacoby also excels in the more free arrangements of subjects by using the metamorphose technique. There his powers of invention are even more clearly revealed and can be distinguished in the original shaping of the form. Let us mention some of the more prominent examples: the Partita concertata, based on the opening ‘Hymn’ (which also includes a variation movement); the Sinfonietta, the four  sections (or sub-movements) of which are played attacca; the Capriccio israelien, folk-like in character, in which the artistry of development and arrangement of its themes is particularly noteworthy in the pastorale section, the dance-like section and in the concluding hora, in which all the motives are exquisitely blended. There is also his Serio giocoso, in one movement, where contrasting sections illustrate to perfection how a theme churns around in the creative imagination of a composer such as Jacoby: expressivity and solemnity in the opening Adagio; verve and energy in Tempo di marcia; humour and mischief in Tempo di valse. The use that Jacoby makes of the ‘allegro-sonata’ form is also connected to his artistry in metamorphosis. This can be seen in his symphonies and quartets as well as in such of his works as the a.m. Capriccio israelien or the Symphonic Prologue written in the classic overture form, i.e. introduction and sonata movement based on the introduction (the second theme of the movement being retrograde of the introduction in rhythmic variation).  

It is impossible to discuss Jacoby’s music without reference to the polyphonic element in his work. This too is a trait of his personality as a creative musician and it shows Jacoby again as a pupil of Hindemith – a pupil with a most independent character – who used the knowledge and the good sense he had learned from his master to give expression to his own self. We have already noted the polyphonic aspects of his educational works as well as of his arrangements. An overall review of his music shows that this leaning to polyphony affects all and every genre of his oeuvre. Thus we find canons in the Seven Miniatures, in Pastoral, as well as in the complex fugato passages of the Mutatio. The sixth variation in the fourth movement of Quartet No. 1 is a small fugue into which the second motif of the first movement is artfully woven. The third movement of the Woodwind Quintet includes a series of polyphonic variations on the bass line that also undergoes some changes. At times, the homophonic and polyphonic sections are contrasted. His extraordinary instinct for voice leading shows clearly in the homophonic parts which are also marked by his great sense of harmony.

Jacoby’s art of orchestration also grows out of polyphony and embraces timbre and texture in the arrangement of his musical material (contrary to the ‘impressionistic’ kind of orchestration in which timbre is treated as an independent factor). This also may possibly be ascribed to the Brahmsian tradition. And yet, there are some spectacular (in the best possible meaning of the word!) moments in his symphonic orchestrations as well as in his quasi-chamber ones, in which timbre holds absolute pride of place. However, generally speaking, it is not the color for its own sake that interests the composer but rather the effect timbre may have on resolving structural and problematic ideas. Even when Jacoby’s orchestration is stunningly beautiful, the source of its beauty lies in listening to details of texture, since like all composers who had also been violists, Jacoby learned all too well to hear inner voices and currents. This applies equally to his chamber and his symphonic works.

The latter seem to occupy a special place in the catalogue of Jacoby’s oeuvre. Though he did compose some really worthy and memorable songs and some very beautiful chamber music in which his great skill as a violinist and violist is reflected, Jacoby is first and foremost a symphonist. He seems to have poured all of himself and of his rich musical world into his symphonic works: the three symphonies and other works for symphony or chamber orchestras we have already mentioned. The symphonies deserve special attention and are most impressive compositional achievements. Each one shows Jacoby to be a master ‘builder’, one who has the large form and the relatively longer time well under control (the duration of each symphony is slightly over 30 min.). But there is more than mere tectonics in these works for they also give expression to an intense emotional world that fascinates by its inner contrasts and all that happens within it. The First Symphony is remarkable for its form: the last two movements, as already mentioned, exemplify Jacoby’s art of variation, while the first movement can be seen as an example of cyclic structure: founded on a 4 tone motto (two fifths, a semitone apart) and in its course there appear, alternatively, sections of Grave, Adagio and Allegro moderato containing two themes, like in sonata-form. In his Second Symphony there is a variety of expressions, beginning with the initial sombre Grave and ending in Allegretto vivace, through the passionate Allegro movement and the Adagio movement in which the Agitato part is a model of sound architectonics. The Third Symphony comes closest of the three to the neo-classical trend and we find there an attractive blending of diatonic and chromatic principles as well as motivic unity. The latter is achieved, once again, through metamorphoses of themes and motives (especially noteworthy is the humorous use in the Scherzo movement of chromatic material).

Those who knew Jacoby as a mild and pleasant man, will undoubtedly be amazed to discover the intensity of the symphonic drama, full of contrasts, that raged in his inner world and was so convincingly expressed in his symphonic works.  We can also assume that the vicissitudes of the period have affected his music. In his notes on Serio giocoso, Jacoby writes: “in a world in which ever more mechanical and electronic music is created, namely the music of the space era, and in which musical composition assumes the form of either an intellectual pursuit or of uncontrolled improvisation par excellence, I deem it important to demonstrate by the title of this piece, that I still seek the feel of true humanity in art”.

One may not, of course, agree or accept the rather conservative viewpoint of the composer, but one must admit that, in his music, the attentive listener will experience musical and human sensations that will grow ever more profound with each repeated listening. 

Joseph Peles

English translation: Miriam Morgan

Biography

1909                     born in Königsberg, Prussia, Germany

1915 – 1927        Hufen-Gymnasium, Königsberg

1927 – 1930       studies in composition, viola and chamber music at the ‘Staatliche Hochschule für Musik’, Berlin-Charlottenburg, with Paul Hindemith, Emil Bohnke, Hans Halke, Josef Wolsthul a. o.

1927 – 1928        musicology studies at Berlin University

1929 – 1930        member of the Michael Taube’s Chamber Orchestra in Berlin; accompanying pianist Edwin Fischer on his tournées

1930 – 1933        member of the orchestra of ‘Süd-west-deutsche Rundfunk A.G.’, Frankfurt a.H.

1933 – 1934        moving to Istambul, Turkey; member of the ‘Deutsches Streichquartett’ there

1934                            immigration to Eretz Israel (Palestine)

1934 – 1959       teacher for composition, violin, viola, chamber music, orchestration, counterpoint and musical forms at the Jerusalem Academy of Music

1934 – 1939        member of the ‘Jerusalem String Quartet’ (“Hauser-Quartet”)

1936 – 1958        with several interruptions – first viola player in the Israel Broadcasting Orchestra, Jerusalem

1940 – 1958        violinist in different piano trio ensembles

1943 – 1951        conductor, working with all important orchestras in Palestine/Israel

1949 – 1958        assistant director, from 1954 director of the Jerusalem Academy of Music

1956                     Engel Prize for the cantata “The Day will Come”

1958 – 1974        member of the Israel PO (until retirement); viola player in different chamber music ensembles

1958 – 1979        guest lecturer in different musical institutions

1974                     teacher at the Jerusalem Academy of Music; member of the ‘Pro Musica in Israel Orchestra’

1974 – 1975        artist-in-residence and guest professor at the Technion, Haifa

1990                            dies in Tel Aviv

Selected premieres

1940                     Concertino for viola and orchestra, with the composer as soloist and the Israel PO conducted by George Singer

1945                     Concerto for violin and orchestra, with Oedeon Partos, violin and the Israel Broadcasting Orchestra conducted by the composer

1946                     Symphony No. 1, by the Israel PO with the composer as conductor

1946                     Woodwind Quintet, by members of the Israel Broadcasting Orchestra

1948                     Early versions of King David’s Lyre

1955                     Symphony No. 2, by the Vienna PO conducted by Ze’ev Priel

1960                     Symphony No. 3, by the Israel Broadcasting Orchestra conducted by Heinz Freudentahl

1964                     Serio giocoso, by the Israel PO conducted by Paul Parray

1975                     Mutatio I, by the Haifa Technion Orchestra conducted by Dalia Atlas