Israel Horowitz (producer)
Encyclopedia
Israel Horowitz was an American
record producer
who became an editor and columnist on classical music
at Billboard
magazine.
Horowitz was born in New York City
on September 6, 1916. He attended the Juilliard School
where he studied the violin. He was drafted in 1943 into the United States Army Air Forces
, where he was an ordinance technician. His commanding officer had him write a history of his battalion after having seen the quality of his writing while censoring his mail. He remained in the Army Air Forces as a writer and historian until 1947.
After leaving military service, he was hired as a reporter by Billboard
in 1948, where he first covered the coin-operated machine beat and moved on to cover music.
He was hired by Decca Records
in 1956. When Horowitz was hired by Decca, the label had not been producing classical music, and it was Horowitz's efforts that enabled Decca to compete with Columbia Records
and RCA Records
. He served as director of classical artists and repertory
from 1958 to 1971. In this role he produced recordings by organist Virgil Fox
, violinists Erica Morini and Ruggiero Ricci
, conductor Leopold Stokowski
, New York Pro Musica
and classical guitar
ist Andrés Segovia
.
Some of Horowitz's best known recording were the works he did with Segovia at Decca and as an independent producer. The albums they produced included lute
and vihuela
pieces, as well as original works written for Segovia by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
, Manuel María Ponce
and Alexandre Tansman
. Segovia won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
at the Grammy Awards of 1959
for the Golden Jubilee album they worked on.
Segovia and Horowitz also collaborated on The Guitar and I, which was to include records with music on one side and autobiographical material on the other. The pair had produced the first two volumes in the planned series by 1971, when Decca ended its production of classical recordings.
He returned to Billboard in 1973, serving variously as the publication's New York bureau chief, classical music editor and executive editor. After retiring from his editing responsibilities in the 1980s, he continued to write Keeping Score, a weekly column covering classical music until the early 1990s. After his retirement in 1994, Timothy White
, then editor-in-chief at Billboard described Horowitz as "one of the most distinguished and admired figures in the music industry, but also one of its modern architects, helping pioneer contemporary music journalism and criticism, as well as playing a consummate role as A&R executive and astute producer of some of the foremost classical artists of our era. Horowitz exemplifies the finest aspects of journalism and the arts.
Horowitz died at age 92 on December 26, 2008 at his home in Closter, New Jersey
. He was one of four survivors of American Airlines Flight 383
that crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport on November 8, 1965 with 62 people on board. Israel Horowitz was survived by his wife of 62 years, Mildred Horowitz, and two sons Robert, of Manhattan, New York, and Michael, of Bern, Switzerland.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who became an editor and columnist on classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
at Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine.
Horowitz was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 6, 1916. He attended the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
where he studied the violin. He was drafted in 1943 into the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, where he was an ordinance technician. His commanding officer had him write a history of his battalion after having seen the quality of his writing while censoring his mail. He remained in the Army Air Forces as a writer and historian until 1947.
After leaving military service, he was hired as a reporter by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
in 1948, where he first covered the coin-operated machine beat and moved on to cover music.
He was hired by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in 1956. When Horowitz was hired by Decca, the label had not been producing classical music, and it was Horowitz's efforts that enabled Decca to compete with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. He served as director of classical artists and repertory
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
from 1958 to 1971. In this role he produced recordings by organist Virgil Fox
Virgil Fox
Virgil Keel Fox was an American organist, known especially for his flamboyant "Heavy Organ" concerts of the music of Bach. These events appealed to audiences in the 1970s who were more familiar with rock 'n' roll music and were staged complete with light shows...
, violinists Erica Morini and Ruggiero Ricci
Ruggiero Ricci
Ruggiero Ricci is an Italian-American violinist known for performances and recordings of the works of Paganini. He was born in San Bruno, California. Ricci's brother was cellist and his sister Emma played violin with the New York Metropolitan Opera.He is the son of Italian immigrants. His...
, conductor Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
, New York Pro Musica
New York Pro Musica
New York Pro Musica was a vocal and instrumental ensemble that specialized in Medieval and Renaissance early music. It was co-founded in 1952, under the name Pro Musica Antiqua, by Noah Greenberg, a choral director, and Bernard Krainis, a recorder player who studied with Erich Katz.The ensemble is...
and classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
ist Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia
Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...
.
Some of Horowitz's best known recording were the works he did with Segovia at Decca and as an independent producer. The albums they produced included lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
and vihuela
Vihuela
Vihuela is a name given to two different guitar-like string instruments: one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the other, the Mexican vihuela, from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in Mariachi bands.-History:The vihuela, as it was known...
pieces, as well as original works written for Segovia by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italian composer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In 1939 he migrated to the United States and became a film composer for some 200 Hollywood movies for the next...
, Manuel María Ponce
Manuel Maria Ponce
Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar was a Mexican composer active in the 20th century. His work as a composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert scene with a usually forgotten tradition of popular song and Mexican folklore...
and Alexandre Tansman
Alexandre Tansman
Alexandre Tansman was a Polish-born composer and virtuoso pianist. He spent his early years in his native Poland, but lived in France for most of his life...
. Segovia won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance was awarded from 1959 to 2011. From 1967 to 1971 and in 1987 the award was combined with the award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance and awarded as the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist or...
at the Grammy Awards of 1959
Grammy Awards of 1959
The inaugural Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Domenico Modugno, Henry Mancini, Ella Fitzgerald and Ross Bagdasarian, Sr...
for the Golden Jubilee album they worked on.
Segovia and Horowitz also collaborated on The Guitar and I, which was to include records with music on one side and autobiographical material on the other. The pair had produced the first two volumes in the planned series by 1971, when Decca ended its production of classical recordings.
He returned to Billboard in 1973, serving variously as the publication's New York bureau chief, classical music editor and executive editor. After retiring from his editing responsibilities in the 1980s, he continued to write Keeping Score, a weekly column covering classical music until the early 1990s. After his retirement in 1994, Timothy White
Timothy White
Timothy White was a noted American rock music journalist and editor.White began his journalism career as a writer for the Associated Press, but soon gravitated towards music writing...
, then editor-in-chief at Billboard described Horowitz as "one of the most distinguished and admired figures in the music industry, but also one of its modern architects, helping pioneer contemporary music journalism and criticism, as well as playing a consummate role as A&R executive and astute producer of some of the foremost classical artists of our era. Horowitz exemplifies the finest aspects of journalism and the arts.
Horowitz died at age 92 on December 26, 2008 at his home in Closter, New Jersey
Closter, New Jersey
Closter is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,373. After the turn of the century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into a middle and upper middle class suburban town...
. He was one of four survivors of American Airlines Flight 383
American Airlines Flight 383
American Airlines Flight 383 was a nonstop flight from New York to Cincinnati on November 8, 1965. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-123 aircraft with 62 people on board. The aircraft crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport...
that crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport on November 8, 1965 with 62 people on board. Israel Horowitz was survived by his wife of 62 years, Mildred Horowitz, and two sons Robert, of Manhattan, New York, and Michael, of Bern, Switzerland.