Alberto Hemsi
Encyclopedia
Alberto Hemsi was a composer
of the 20th Century Classical era
. His work in the field of ethnomusicology
and integration of Sephardic melodies
has been noted as parallel to Béla Bartók's collection of traditional Hungarian music and consequent integration to his music.
in the Ottoman Empire
, Alberto Hemsi's family roots can be traced back to the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian peninsula. From an early age, Alberto's parents detected a keen sensitivity and interest in music, especially during prayers sung in synagogue, and decided to send him to stay with his uncle in Smyrne (now Izmir). Hemsi studied at the school of the Alliance Israélite Universelle
(A.I.U.) from 1908 - 1913. At the A.I.U., he studied flute, trombone, cornet, and the clarinet, but his true passions were for the piano and for composition.
. At the conservatorio, Hemsi was taught by internationally acclaimed professors such as Bossi Pirinello (composition, harmony, and counterpoint), Galli (orchestration), Pozzoli Delochi (theory and solfeggio), and Giusto Zampieri (music history). During his studies, Alberto Hemsi asked his music history professor about Jewish music. The response given was that although Jewish music is important, he could not recall any melodies because few existed. Perplexed and sceptical of this response, largely due to his exposure to many Jewish melodies in childhood, Hemsi proceeded to ask the cantor of his synagogue back in Kasaba for more information about traditional Jewish melodies.
. He focuses on the Hispano-Judeaic traditional music of his ancestors. The traditional Hispano-Judeaic melodies were transmitted orally for generations by the women of the communities and infused with the medieval Spanish literature. Hemsi proceeded to dedicate more than 17 years of his life to collect traditional chants throughout the former Ottoman Empire, particularly in Smyrne, Salonica, Rhodes
, Istanbul
, and Alexandria
. At the end of these travels, Hemsi wrote out harmonizations for piano of sixty traditional melodies. This work was the first of the ten books known as "Coppola Sefardies."
Harmonization of the traditional Sephardic chants proved to be a challenge since the harmonization of monodic modal chants is not possible in a tonal sense. Hemsi did not wish to alter the traditional melodies nor utilise modern harmonic techniques of the epoch.
In addition to the Coplas Sefardies, Hemsi composed numerous other works for a variety of ensembles including orchestra, string quintets, choir, cello, and piano. He drew inspiration equally from liturgical music of the synagogue as well as music from Egypt, Turkey, and Greece.
to escape the political agitation in Egypt. Compositional output at this time began to slow as Hemsi adjusted to the Parisian lifestyle. He found work as music director in synagogues as well as a solfeggio teacher for Sephardic liturgy at the École Cantoriale du Séminaire Israélite de France (S.I.F.) Hemsi continued to travel regularly to spread his musical compositions until later in his life, when his health began to degrade. He died in Paris in October 1976.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of the 20th Century Classical era
20th century classical music
20th century classical music was without a dominant style and highly diverse.-Introduction:At the turn of the century, music was characteristically late Romantic in style. Composers such as Gustav Mahler and Jean Sibelius were pushing the bounds of Post-Romantic Symphonic writing...
. His work in the field of ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
and integration of Sephardic melodies
Sephardic music
There are three types of Sephardic songs—topical and entertainment songs, romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs. Lyrics can be in several languages, including Hebrew for religious songs, and Ladino....
has been noted as parallel to Béla Bartók's collection of traditional Hungarian music and consequent integration to his music.
Family and early years
Hemsi was born in 1898 in KasabaKasaba
Kasaba or Kasabaköy is a small town 17 kilometres from Kastamonu, Turkey. Its population in 1905 was about 23,000, but the village has shrunk to only a few dozen households. The town does not occupy any ancient site of importance but there is a mosque, the Mahmut Bey Camii, built by a...
in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, Alberto Hemsi's family roots can be traced back to the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian peninsula. From an early age, Alberto's parents detected a keen sensitivity and interest in music, especially during prayers sung in synagogue, and decided to send him to stay with his uncle in Smyrne (now Izmir). Hemsi studied at the school of the Alliance Israélite Universelle
Alliance Israélite Universelle
The Alliance Israélite Universelle is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 by the French statesman Adolphe Crémieux to safeguard the human rights of Jews around the world...
(A.I.U.) from 1908 - 1913. At the A.I.U., he studied flute, trombone, cornet, and the clarinet, but his true passions were for the piano and for composition.
1913-1919: Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppi Verdi
In 1913, at the insistense of the director of the A.I.U., Hemsi moved to Italy after receiving a scholarship to study at the Conservatorio Royal di MilanoMilan Conservatory
The Milan Conservatory is a college of music which was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It opened the following year with premises in the cloisters of the Baroque church of Santa Maria della Passione. There were initially 18 boarders,...
. At the conservatorio, Hemsi was taught by internationally acclaimed professors such as Bossi Pirinello (composition, harmony, and counterpoint), Galli (orchestration), Pozzoli Delochi (theory and solfeggio), and Giusto Zampieri (music history). During his studies, Alberto Hemsi asked his music history professor about Jewish music. The response given was that although Jewish music is important, he could not recall any melodies because few existed. Perplexed and sceptical of this response, largely due to his exposure to many Jewish melodies in childhood, Hemsi proceeded to ask the cantor of his synagogue back in Kasaba for more information about traditional Jewish melodies.
1919-1957: Ethnomusicology and Integration of Jewish Melodies
After returning from Italy to his homeland, Hemsi followed in the folkloric footsteps of Bartók and Constantin BrăiloiuConstantin Brăiloiu
Constantin Brăiloiu was a Romanian composer and internationally known ethnomusicologist.He was born in Bucharest. He studied in Bucharest , Vienna , Vevey and Lausanne as well as Paris...
. He focuses on the Hispano-Judeaic traditional music of his ancestors. The traditional Hispano-Judeaic melodies were transmitted orally for generations by the women of the communities and infused with the medieval Spanish literature. Hemsi proceeded to dedicate more than 17 years of his life to collect traditional chants throughout the former Ottoman Empire, particularly in Smyrne, Salonica, Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. At the end of these travels, Hemsi wrote out harmonizations for piano of sixty traditional melodies. This work was the first of the ten books known as "Coppola Sefardies."
Harmonization of the traditional Sephardic chants proved to be a challenge since the harmonization of monodic modal chants is not possible in a tonal sense. Hemsi did not wish to alter the traditional melodies nor utilise modern harmonic techniques of the epoch.
In addition to the Coplas Sefardies, Hemsi composed numerous other works for a variety of ensembles including orchestra, string quintets, choir, cello, and piano. He drew inspiration equally from liturgical music of the synagogue as well as music from Egypt, Turkey, and Greece.
1957-1976: Paris
On August 22, 1957, the Hemsi family moved to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to escape the political agitation in Egypt. Compositional output at this time began to slow as Hemsi adjusted to the Parisian lifestyle. He found work as music director in synagogues as well as a solfeggio teacher for Sephardic liturgy at the École Cantoriale du Séminaire Israélite de France (S.I.F.) Hemsi continued to travel regularly to spread his musical compositions until later in his life, when his health began to degrade. He died in Paris in October 1976.
Further reading
- Mechoulan, Henry (1992) Les Juifs d'Espagne histoire d'une diaspora 1492-1992, Liana Levi, Paris.
- Hemsi, Alberto (1924) La Musique traditionnelle chez les juifs sefardim d'Orient, Hamernora, Constantinople, Organe du Bene Berith du District d'Orient.
- Hemsi, Alberto (1974) SEPHARAD ou d'une Espagne méconnue, Paris.
- Adonay, Santo (1959) Judaïsme Sepharadi, Organe mensuel de l'union universelle des communautés séphardites, Paris.
- Benbassa, Esther and Aron, Rodrique, (2002) Hisoire des Juifs sépharades de Tolède à salonique, Paris, Du Seuil.
- Hemsi, Alberto (1929) La Musique Orientale en Egypte, Études et Polémiques, Alexandria, Edition orientale de Musique.
- Séroussi, Edwin, Díaz-Mas, Paloma, Pedrosa, José Manuel, and Romero, Elena (1995) Alberto Hemsi Cancionero sefardî, Jerusalem.