Moshe Wilensky

Moshe Wilensky (Hebrew: משה וילנסקי, also, "Vilensky"; 17 April 1910 – 2 January 1997) was a Polish-Israeli composer, lyricist, and pianist.[1][2][3][4] He is considered a "pioneer of Israeli song" and one of Israel's leading composers, and was a winner of the Israel Prize, the state's highest honor.[5][6]

Moshe Wilensky
Born17 April 1910
Warsaw, Poland
Died2 January 1997 (1997-01-03) (aged 86)
NationalityPolish
Israeli
Alma materWarsaw Conservatory
Notable workSongs: "Kalaniyot" ("Anemones"), "Hayu Zmanim" ("In Those Times)", "Autumn," "Ring Twice and Wait," "Each Day I Lose," "The Last Battle", and "Mul Har Sinai" ("Opposite Mt. Sinai")
AwardsIsrael Prize
Moshe Wilensky playing piano, entertaining people in DP camps in Cyprus (ca. 1947–48)

Life

Wilensky, who was Jewish, was born in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Zelig and Henia (née Liebman).[1][7][8] He studied music at the Warsaw Conservatory in Warsaw, specializing in conducting and composition, and immigrated to Palestine in 1932.[1][4][7] He married Bertha Yakimovska in 1939.[8] Wilensky died in 1997.[9]

Music career

A pianist and composer, Wilensky wrote music for theaters and musical troupes of the Israel Defense Forces, including the Nahal choir in the 1950s.[10] He worked with the Kol Yisrael orchestra.[1]

Wilensky's music combines Slavic music and Eastern music.[1] He composed for films, plays, hora dances, cabaret songs, and children's tunes, writing nearly 1,500 songs in his lifetime.[1][3][4][11][12] Among his songs are "Kalaniyot" ("Anemones"), "Hayu Zmanim" ("In Those Times)", "Autumn," "Ring Twice and Wait," "Each Day I Lose," "The Last Battle", and "Mul Har Sinai" ("Opposite Mt. Sinai").[1][2][6][13][14][15] He wrote music for many of Natan Alterman's poems.[1] In 1962, Israeli Esther Reichstadt won second prize at the Polish international song festival, which Wilensky hosted, with his song "Autumn".[16]

In 1983, Wilensky was awarded the Israel Prize, for Hebrew song (melody).[1][17] In 1990, a special concert in honor of his 80th birthday was given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.[6] In 1998, the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel (ACUM) named its Song of the Year Award the "Moshe Wilensky Prize".[18]

See also

References
  1. "Moshe Vilensky". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  2. Dan Baron (February 23, 2006). "Shoshana Damari, 83". The Jewish Exponent. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  3. Penn, Lea (July 22, 2011). "All keyed up". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  4. Hirschfeld, Ariel (July 30, 2010). "All hail the king". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  5. Schweitzer, Erez (July 22, 2011). "And the twain shall meet". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  6. Michael Ajsenstadt (January 5, 2000). "Moshe Wilensky – shaping the national soul". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  7. Marsha Bryan Edelman (2003). Discovering Jewish music. ISBN 9780827610279. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  8. Harry Schneiderman, Itzhak J. Carmin (1978). Who's who in world Jewry. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  9. "Composer Moshe Wilenski dead at 86". The Associated Press. 3 January 1997. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. Handelzalts, Michael (July 22, 2011). "In the shadow of the cannons". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  11. Amy Kronish, Costel Safirman (2003). Israeli film: a reference guide. ISBN 9780313321443. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  12. Oliver Leaman (2001). Companion encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African film. ISBN 9780203426494. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  13. Selwyn Ilan Troen, Noah Lucas (1995). Israel: the first decade of independence. ISBN 9780791422595. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  14. Zohar, Itamar (August 20, 2010). "Sublime experience". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  15. Jack Gottlieb (2004). Funny, it doesn't sound Jewish: how Yiddish songs and synagogue melodies influenced Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780844411309. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  16. Handelzalts, Michael (June 7, 2007). "Comfortable in her own skin". Haaretz. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  17. "Israel Prize Official Site – Recipients in 1983 (in Hebrew)".
  18. Helen Kaye (January 1, 1998). "And the winners are ..." The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
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