Composer
Biography:
Paul Ben Haim was born in Munich in 1897 as Paul Frankenburger. His father Heinrich was a lawyer and deputy chairman of the Jewish community in Munich. From 1915 Ben-Haim studied piano and composition at the Munich Academy of Music. His studies were interrupted in 1916 when he was deployed in the war. In 1920 he became a répétiteur at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Four years later he received the post of Kapellmeister at the opera in Augsburg, where he conducted numerous works.
In addition to his work as a conductor, Ben-Haim composed chamber music and works for choir and orchestra. At the suggestion of the composer Heinrich Schalit, he composed sacred hymns based on Bible texts and celebrated great success in 1931 with the setting of Psalm 126 to music. A few months later he was dismissed from his job in Augsburg, and because of anti-Semitism he was unable to find a new job.
In October 1933, Paul Frankenburger emigrated to Palestine, where he changed his name to Paul Ben-Haim. There he became a co-founder of a new school of Jewish composers, all of whom had emigrated from Europe. From 1946 he taught composition at the Music Academy in Jerusalem and at the Music Teachers' College in Tel Aviv, training a whole generation of Israeli composers. Ben-Haim received numerous composition commissions from all over the world, for example the commission from Yehudi Menuhin for the Sonata in G for violin solo. In 1968, Paul Ben-Haim was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, in Germany.
In 1972 he accepted an invitation from his native city of Munich on the occasion of his 75th birthday. During this visit he was the victim of a traffic accident, the consequences of which confined him to a wheelchair until his death in 1984.
Albums:
