Hanoch Jacoby
Hanoch (Heinrich) Jacoby was born on March 2, 1909, in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
He studied composition, viola and chamber music at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Berlin-Charlottenburg (1927-1930) with Paul Hindemith, Emil Bohnke, Hans Halke, Josef Wolsthul and others. Before Immigrating to Israel in 1934,
he was a member of the Michael Taube’s Chamber Orchestra in Berlin, and a member of the Sinfonieorchester
des Südwestrundfunks. Upon arrival to Israel, he became a faculty member of the Jerusalem Music Academy
and served as its head from 1954 until 1958. He was a guest lecturer in many institutions, such as the Technion
in Haifa – of which he was the resident artist (1974/5). He became first violist of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (1936-1958) and was also a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1958-1974). He had performed as a conductor with the leading orchestras in Israel (1943-1951). During 1934-1939 he was a Member of the Jerusalem String Quartet and performed as a violinist and violist with many chamber ensembles.
He had composed numerous symphonic pieces (Including three symphonies, a violin concerto; a viola concerto; symphonic suites; among them King David’s Lyre); chamber music for many ensembles; solo pieces (for piano and harp); vocal music and arrangements for folk tunes. His piece King David’s Lyre has multiple versions for a variety of ensembles such as solo instrument (violin, viola or violoncello) with a string orchestra or piano; and for chamber orchestra. The cantata a Day Will Come was awarded the Engel Prize in 1956.