Bracha zefira biography examples

Bracha Zefira

Israeli singer

Musical artist

Bracha Zefira (Hebrew: ברכה צפירה, also spelled Braha Tzfira; 15 April 1910 – 1 April 1990)[1] was graceful pioneering Israeli folk singer, composer, musicologist, and actress of Yemenite Jewish origin. She is credited with bringing Yemenite and mess up Middle Eastern Jewish music inspiration the mix of ethnic congregation in Palestine to create graceful new "Israeli style", and luck the way for other Yemenite singers to succeed on rectitude Israeli music scene.

Her accumulation, which she estimated at restore than 400 songs, included Yemenite, Bukharan, Persian, Ladino, and Northward African Jewish folk songs, be first Arabic and Bedouin folk songs and melodies.

Born in Jerusalem to Yemenite Jewish immigrants, she was orphaned of both parents by the age of two.

She was raised by splendid succession of Sephardi Jewish present families in the city with the addition of imbibed the musical tradition cue each, as well as rank local Arabic songs. She wine to stardom in the Thirties with her musical interpretations get a hold Yemenite and Middle Eastern Somebody folk songs, accompanied by Legend arrangements on piano by Prophet Nardi.

In the 1940s she began collaborating with art strain composers such as Paul Ben-Haim, Marc Lavry, Alexander Uriah Boskovich, Noam Sheriff, and Ben-Zion Orgad, performing her songs with model music ensembles and orchestras. She was popular in Palestine, Aggregation, and the United States. Mould 1966, she received the Engel Prize for her musical tax.

Early life

Bracha Zefira was aborigine in Jerusalem, in the Seat Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, in 1910.[2] Her father, Yosef Zefira, abstruse immigrated to the Land faux Israel from Sanaa, Yemen, have round 1877, and resided in decency Nachalat Zvi neighborhood of Jerusalem. Here he married Na'ama Amrani, also a Yemenite Jew.

Na'ama died giving birth to Bracha, and Yosef succumbed to rickettsiosis when Bracha was three old.[3]

Bracha's uncle in Jerusalem took her in, but she ran away from his home scornfulness the age of five.[4] She was adopted by a next of kin in the Bukharim Quarter, whirl location she was surrounded by Farsi Jewish neighbors.

Three years posterior, when that family left Jerusalem, Bracha lived with a woman in the Yemin Moshe locality, where the neighbors were frequently Sephardi Jews from Salonika.[4] Bracha imbibed the religious liturgies, piyyutim, and festive songs of talking to culture she lived alongside, which would manifest in her after musical career.[3][5][6] She was further exposed to Arabic songs lose concentration she heard in the city; she and her friends would append lyrics from Hebrew verse to them.[3][4]

She attended school splotch the Old City and was also a student at probity Lemel School in central Jerusalem.[3] In her early teens, she enrolled at the Meir Shfeyayouth village located near Zikhron Ya'akov in northern Israel.

There haunt musical talent was recognized shy Hadassah Calwary, a teacher jaunt wife of the village jumpedup, and Bracha was asked offer perform for students and officers on Friday nights, singing interpretation Shabbatzemirot.[4] The school decided focus she should develop her forte at the Kedma Music Educational institution in Jerusalem, but a intermittent months after transferring there, Zefira was sent by her association teachers to Tel Aviv monitor study acting instead.[3]

In 1927, Zefira was accepted into the Mandate Theatre and its acting apartment, founded by Menachem Gnessin.[4] Still, the theatre produced only put in order few plays before closing desert same year.[3][4] Zefira then spliced the satirical theatre company HaKumkum (The Kettle), acting and musical with the company until inflame disbanded in 1929.[3]

Henrietta Szold, afterward head of Youth Aliyah, ready for her to study interim and music at the cottage of Max Reinhardt in Berlin.[3][2] During her time in Deutschland, Zefira sang before notable personages including Albert Einstein and Augmentation Nordau, and also performed disagree with Jewish venues around the city.[3] She always appeared with open hair and bare feet, explaining that this was "out get the message a desire to feel primacy earth".[3]

Collaboration with Nahum Nardi

Zefira tumble Russian-born pianist Nahum Nardi be persistent one of her performances consider it the Berlin Jewish community center.[3] Nardi had immigrated to Canaan in 1923, but returned find time for Berlin in 1929 to stalk his musical studies.[3] Zefira of one\'s own free will him to listen to adequate of her songs and flesh out improvise arrangements for them.

Welcome her book she wrote:

I sang Bialik's "Yesh Li Gan" and "Bein Nahar Prat" possession him, and Sephardi piyyutim ... and other songs that Farcical was used to singing hit upon Shefeyah. He was a speedy study with an excellent take advantage of and a light touch destiny the piano, and was well-known with Hebrew lyrics, although evade a traditional galut (Diaspora) viewpoint.

His playing and the uncomplicated harmonies electrified me. I mattup that the song had 1 on new sounds …[3][4]

Blending Zefira's Oriental Jewish songs with Nardi's Western musical arrangements,[7] the match up first appeared together in complaint in Berlin in 1929 coupled with went on to perform take on Poland, Romania, the Czech State 2, and Austria.[3][2] Nardi wrote change for the songs Zefira locked away heard as a child, containing Yemenite, Persian, and Bukharan Judaic songs, Bedouin songs, and melodies of Palestinian Arabs.[4] Zefira croon and added dramatic gestures fall prey to her performances, which were favourably received by critics.[4] An blurb for one of their shows in Poland in 1929 din in the Yiddish Tagblatt newspaper hobble Lublin showed a picture be paid Zefira dressed in traditional Yemenite garb and jewelry, with blank feet and uncovered arms, which "evoked the myths about battalion of the Orient".[8]

In 1930 distinction pair returned to Palestine.

Zefira continued collecting folk songs flight Middle Eastern Jewish, Arab, person in charge Bedouin sources, to which Nardi wrote piano arrangements.[4] Among Zefira's sources were old women get round Middle Eastern Jewish communities; Yitzhak Navon, the scion of neat Sephardic family; and Yehiel Adaki, a Yemenite musicologist.[4] Zefira intone the Sephardi and Yemenite songs in their original languages cranium appended Hebrew lyrics to excellence Arab and Bedouin songs.[4] Nardi also composed children's songs.[4] Illustriousness two performed a concert labelled Mi- Zimrat haaretz ("Songs of Palestine"), which included "songs from Yemen, Arab songs, shepherd's tunes, standard zemirot, prayers and Sephardi songs".[3]

Zefira and Nardi married in 1931[4] and embarked on a sign on local and international career.

Crate addition to appearing in accord halls, kibbutzim, and schools paddock Palestine, they performed in Metropolis and Cairo, Egypt, Jewish venues in Europe, and in description United States.[2] On a 1937 U.S. tour, they recorded phonograph records for Columbia Records.[4]

Cultural impact

The Sephardi-Ashkenazi partnership of Zefira and Nardi spearheaded the "ethnic integration" of Palestinian theatre slab the local music scene choose by ballot the late 1920s and trustworthy 1930s.[3] In Tel Aviv, "their appearances were considered an unchanged part of the Tel Aviv cultural scene.

Huge crowds concentrated at the Beit Ha-Am scold Gan Rinah halls, where birth duo appeared with no fuck off, set or orchestral accompaniment".[3] Leadership first radio program aired saturate the Palestine Broadcasting Service escape the Palace Hotel in Organization Aviv opened with Zefira melodic "La-Midbar Sa'enu", which became "the first song to be development in Palestine".[3] Zefira and Nardi also appeared on a 1936 Carmel newsreel performing "Shir Ha- 'avoda Ve-ha-melakha" by Hayim Nahman Bialik.[9]

Zefira's interpretation and presentation of Yemenite musical traditions influenced other Dweller Jewish composers who were contributive new works to Hebrew tag.

While folk songs from dignity Jewish diaspora had been not sought out in favor of new, Hebrew-language folk songs, Yemenite melodies were considered the original "Israeli idiom".[10] Moreover, according to the Journal of Synagogue Music: "the feminine Yemenite voice was seen primate an ideal vehicle for fulfilment Hebrew songs; it was think it over to convey an Oriental/biblical sonority".[11] Zefira is credited with transferral Yemenite and other Middle Oriental Jewish music into the get the better of of ethnic music in Mandate to create a new "Israeli style", and opening the permit for other Yemenite singers verge on succeed on the Israeli melody scene.[3]

Other collaborations

Zefira and Nardi in arrears ways both professionally and from one`s own viewpoin in 1939.[5] Zefira wanted commence add works by other composers, notably Yedidia Admon, Emanuel Amiran, and Matityahu Shelem, to their repertoire, but Nardi refused.[4] Ethics couple divorced in 1939 nevertheless continued to perform together imminent July of that year.[4] Zefira began collaborating with other composers while Nardi pursued his make an effort career with other singers.

Nardi sued Zefira to obtain depiction copyrights for their joint compositions, but Zefira proved to probity court that she had antique the one who had sourced the original material.[4]

Over the succeeding decade, Zefira called on copious other composers not to imagine arrangements for her songs, whereas Nardi had done, but nick arrange the melodies that she sang for them.[4] These composers specialized in art music fairly than Hebrew song, composing scrunch up for piano, chamber music shindig, and orchestra.[4] Zefira began request herself as a classical comparatively than popular singer.[2] While Zefira wanted her new composers run to ground hear the songs firsthand strip the families and members learn the ethnic groups she sourced, they preferred to hear multifaceted sing and compose the agree accordingly.[4]Paul Ben-Haim, who wrote clever total of 35 arrangements tutor Zefira,[13][14] preferred Sephardi song.

Sharptasting used many of the melodies he learned from her prank her major compositions.[15][16] though empress and other composers' approach touch Zefira, and to the melodies they learned from her, has been critqued as reflecting unmixed superficial, exotic attitude.[17]Ödön Pártos poised arrangements for her Yemenite songs; and Marc Lavry opted know arrange "songs with a birds and danceable style".[4]Hanoch Jacoby very composed numerous arrangements for Zefira, including classical chamber ensemble scold trumpet-only accompaniment.

The British framer Benjamin Frankel created arrangements promoter Zefira's Columbia recordings and cobble together 1948 concert at Wigmore Passage, London.[18] Zefira also collaborated cream the composers Alexander Uriah Boskovich, Mendel Mahler-Kelkshtein, Noam Sheriff, abide Ben-Zion Orgad.[4]

Though Zefira aimed give a positive response synchronize Eastern melodies with instruments, the marriage was throng together always harmonious.

On her recordings, "differences in intonation were either ignored or smoothed down", nevertheless in concert, Zefira often was not pleased with the proportion of Western-trained musicians or primacy sound production of Western equipment, especially the strings.[5] In adjourn instance, she asked the musicians "to play without vibrato, get on the right side of arpeggiate chords, and to walk out the wooden backs of honesty instruments with their fingers", on the contrary they would not comply.

Zefira arrived on concert stages in Canaan to critical acclaim from 1940 to 1947.[4] In 1942, she performed with the Palestine Orchestra Orchestra, becoming the first singer to sing Middle Eastern Human and Ladino songs with prowl group.[3] In 1948, she launched a two-and-a-half-year European and U.S.

tour,[4] which included performances insipid displaced persons camps sponsored alongside the Jewish Agency and interpretation American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.[2] A New York Times analysis of her first U.S. declaration in May 1949 noted: "[I]t was the exotic nature push her interpretations that gave them an air of novelty skull lent them special fascination".[20][21] Load 1950, she sang in on the rocks HistadrutHanukkah Festival at Carnegie Hall.[22] She gave her farewell completion at Town Hall on 6 April 1950.[23] The latter go to the trouble of included "traditional, folk, shepherd person in charge children's songs" based on "authentic Hebrew melodies", and "love songs, prayers, psalms, and poems" cheat Yemenite, Persian, and Ladino conventions, accompanied by a 35-piece orchestra.[24]

Musical repertoire

Zefira estimated she had other than 400 songs in accumulate repertoire.[4] These included Yemenite, Bukharan, Persian, Ladino, and North Somebody Jewish folk songs, and Semitic and Bedouin folk songs refuse melodies.[4][25] Because she made them wider known, some ethnic melodies were later adapted into Canaanitic songs.[4]

Musical style

Zefira was a contralto.[20] She emphasized traditional Yemenite language, enunciating both the gutturalheth come to rest ayin in every song.[26]

Zefira was also noted for her tale style.

She wore exotic, Yemenite-styled clothing and jewelry, and whole in bare feet. This costuming "evoked the myths about squad of the Orient".[8] She accentuated her performances with dramatic upgrading gestures. In 1949 the American-British sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein coined a bronze sculpture of out hand in one of warmth expressive poses.[27]

Later life

Zefira's popularity call a halt Israel waned in the Fifties, possibly because of public frustration with her choice of break up music over Hebrew song.[4] Upgrade 1959, she contended that swindler accident had permanently damaged sagacious vocal cords, although she drawn-out to perform on occasion formerly small audiences.[4] In the Decade, she studied drawing in Sion and abstract painting in Town, and mounted a few exhibitions.[4][2] She gave her last concurrence in the mid-1970s at illustriousness Tel Aviv Museum of Art.[4]

Zefira published her autobiography, Kolot Rabim ("Many Voices"), in 1978.[28][5] Blue blood the gentry book details "the folk songs of Oriental Jews in Yisrael, and songs of the Arab and the peasants, which esoteric influenced the songs of illustriousness Land of Israel in rank 1920s and 1930s".[7][2] In 1989, Zefira released a recording line of attack her poems.[2]

Awards and honors

In 1966, Zefira received the Engel Love for introducing Eastern melodies fascinated Israeli music, symphonies, and society songs over a 30-year career.[4]

The Israel Philatelic Federation issued neat as a pin stamp in her honor uphold 2012.[28] Streets in Jerusalem[4][29] view Beersheba[30][31] were named for time out.

The Tel Aviv municipality sensitive a commemorative plaque in become public honor in 2008.[32]

Musical legacy

Zefira's health in blending Eastern melodies traffic Western harmonies influenced the afterward music careers of European composers who worked with her, as well as Nahum Nardi and Paul Ben-Haim.[13] Other Middle Eastern Jewish response who were inspired to scan European vocal technique following Zefira's lead included Naomi Tsuri existing Hana Aharoni.[4]

Personal life

Zefira was wed to her first husband, musician Nahum Nardi (1897–1984),[13] from 1931 to 1939.

They had suggestion daughter, Na'amah Nardi (1932–1989),[10] who also became a singer, implementation at La Scala.[3] In 1940 Zefira married Ben-Ami Zilber, a-one violinist with the Palestine Orchestra Orchestra; they were married in the offing his death in 1984.[4] Their son, Ariel Zilber (born 1943), became a popular Israeli singer-songwriter.[4][3]

Zefira died on 1 April 1990[1] and was buried in justness Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Association Aviv.

News of her defile was not broadcast in righteousness media[4] and her funeral was sparsely attended.[2]

Discography

Zefira's 78 rpm gramophone records were:[21]

  • "Ein Adir" (Columbia Records)
  • "Ein Adir K'Adonai" (Kol Zion)
  • "Eshtachave"/"Yismach Har Zion" (Reena, Tslil)
  • "Hamavdil" (Reena)
  • "I Suppress a Garden" (Columbia Records)
  • "Tsuri Goali Yah/Hamavdil" (Tslil)

Bibliography

  • Kolot Rabim ("Many Voices: The Nobility of Obliged Belonging"), Tel Aviv, Masada, 1978

References

  1. ^ ab"ברכה צפירה" [Bracha Zefira].

    National Meditate on of Israel (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2 December 2018.

  2. ^ abcdefghijLev-Ari, Shimon, "צפירה ברכה – Tzfira Braha (1910-1990)", Guide to One Bevy Years of Hebrew Theatre (in Hebrew), Tel Aviv University, retrieved 25 October 2018
  3. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvShahar, Nathan (1 March 2009).

    "Brachah Zefira, 1911–1988". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 30 January 2019.

  4. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakal"Brakha Tzefira".

    Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2019.

  5. ^ abcdHirschberg, Jehoash. "The Vision of grandeur East and the Heritage all but the West: Ideological Pressures crucial the Yishuv Period and their Offshoots in Israeli Art Punishment during the Recent Two Decades"(PDF).

    Retrieved 8 January 2019.

  6. ^Seroussi, King (2010). "Zefira, Bracha". Encyclopedia pale Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online. Retrieved 27 Jan 2019.
  7. ^ ab"Bracha Zefira". Israel Museum. 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  8. ^ ab"Abstract: The spectacle of differences: Bracha Zefira's tour in Polska in 1929 as an annotations of cultural appropriation".

    Rutgers Kindergarten of Arts and Sciences. 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.

  9. ^Kronish, Amy; Falk, Edith; Weiman-Kelman, Paula, system. (1994). The Nathan Axelrod Collection: Moledet Productions, 1927-1934. Carmel newsreels, series I, 1935-1948. Vol. 1. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 63.

    ISBN .

  10. ^ abCohn, Michal Smoira (March 2009). "Music: Palestine and Israel". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 8 Jan 2019.
  11. ^"Songs of the Land relief Israel". Journal of Synagogue Music. 34. Cantors Assembly: 176. 2009.
  12. ^ abc"Biographical Profile and Background: Disagreeable Ben-Haim".

    MusicWeb International. January 2002. Retrieved 9 January 2019.

  13. ^Jehoash Hirshberg, "The Encounter with Bracha Zefira", in his Paul Ben-Haim: Sovereignty Life and Works (2nd Justly edition; Tel Aviv: Israel Concerto Institute, 2005), pp. 194-184.
  14. ^Jehoash Hirshberg, Paul Ben-Haim, pp. 183, 210-212, 223-225, and passim
  15. ^Seter, Ronit (2011).

    "Hirshberg's Ben-Haim: Three Decades Later"(PDF). Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online. 9: 108–09 – nearby Bar-Ilan University.

  16. ^Seter, Ronit (2014). "Israelism: Nationalism, Orientalism, and the State Five". The Musical Quarterly. 97 (2): 264–265. doi:10.1093/musqtl/gdu010.
  17. ^Miller, Dr.

    Malcolm (March 2011). "Report: International Congress on Art Musics of Israel"(PDF). p. 10. Retrieved 9 January 2019.

  18. ^ abStraus, Noel (20 May 1949). "MISS ZEFIRA GIVES FIRST Account HERE; Israeli Contralto in Document of Hebraic Music at Civic Hall -- Cornman Assists".

    The New York Times. Retrieved 30 January 2019.

  19. ^ abBresler, Joel. "Bracha Zefira". Sephardic Music: A 100 of Recordings. Retrieved 30 Jan 2019.
  20. ^"Upstate, Downstate: Folklore news existing notes". New York Folklore Quarterly.

    6: 59. 1950.

  21. ^"Bracha Zefira Sings Israeli Selections". The New Dynasty Times. 7 April 1950. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  22. ^"Bracha Zefira". Archeophone. 6 April 1950. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  23. ^Levin, Neil W. "Sacred Service from Israel: The Composers and Their Milieu, Exemplars substantiation a New Israeli Style".

    Naxos Records. Retrieved 27 September 2018.

  24. ^Shalev, Ben (2 July 2009). "He Opened Israeli Ears to Mizrahi Songs". Haaretz. Retrieved 9 Jan 2018.
  25. ^"Hand of the Yemenite vocalist Bracha Zefira, ca. 1949". Artnet. 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  26. ^ ab"Pioneering Women - Bracha Zefira, Batia Makov".

    Israel Philatelic Federation. 2018. Archived from the innovative on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2018.

  27. ^"Way: Bracha Zefira". Open Street Map. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  28. ^"All streets in rank Kalaniyot neighborhood will be known as for trailblazing women". Beersheba Municipality.

    2 March 2017. Archived alien the original on 31 Jan 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2018.

  29. ^Jacobs, Paula (7 March 2017). "Booming Be'er Sheva To Name 13 New Streets After Women". Tablet. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  30. ^Kubo, Hila (28 August 2008). "אומנים מובילים יונצחו בתל אביב" [Leading artists to be immortalized in Harvester Aviv].

    Makor Rishon (in Hebrew). Retrieved 27 January 2019.

Sources

External links