Zvi Keren
Encyclopedia
Zvi Keren was a New York
-born Israeli pianist, musicologist
and composer. Upon his death was the last living pupil who was personally authorized by Joseph Schillinger
. Considered to be among the pioneers of jazz
playing in Israel, and the pioneer in an academic approach to jazz education in Israel, where he settled in 1951. Played an important role in the Israeli music scene as a composer, arranger and educator for generations of Israeli musicians.
. His mother was an amateur "classical" pianist, and therefore she was his first music teacher. Having graduated from high-school at the age of 16, he took up studies at New York University
, where he received his B.Sc in Chemistry
in 1937.
and his rhythm attracted him to jazz, and he decided to make music his profession. He resumed serious piano study (1935–36) with Nadia Reisenberg
(Teddy Wilson
's teacher) and Paolo Gallico, and studied composition and theory (1939–43) with Joseph Schillinger
, who authorized him personally to teach his system. Among his favorite pianists: Billy Kyle
, AI Haig, Andre Previn
and Bob James
.
During the 1940s Keren was professionally known as Howard Kirn. He conducted much musical activity throughout the US, and served as a pianist and arranger with the bands of Reggie Childs and Ray Kinney
; as an accompanist and coach of singers in both jazz and popular music; as an arranger for bands, night-club acts and singers; as a teacher of arranging and composition in schools and privately; as a teacher of piano technique; as a pianist in New York night-clubs and hotels; as a Pianist for the television station WPIX
, New York City; as a Conductor-pianist for U.S.O. (United Service Organizations
) during World War II - on which occasion Keren extensively toured continental US and Alaska playing with bands accompanying well known singers.
In 1946 Keren received his M.A. in composition from Columbia University
. In those years he also studied musicology with Curt Sachs, Paul Henry Lang and Gustave Reese.
, Pardes Hana and finally Tel-Aviv. There he took over educational jobs at local high-schools (Thelma Yelin high-school; the "Oranim" seminar for teachers) and served as musical director of Lod
youth music center (1956–58). In 1958, he moved to London
, to study at London University. During his years in England, Keren became a lecturer of the Jewish Agency in England (1958–61), and the Hebrew branch of the BBC (1959). He received his Ph.D., titled “The Sources and Stylistic Development of Israeli Art Music Since 1930”, in 1961 (his advisor being Dr. Wilfrid Dunwell), and subsequently returned to Israel.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Keren made multiple appearances as pianist, composer and arranger on radio and television, and was featured in numerous performances as a pianist in nightclubs. Between the years 1961-70 Keren worked as an arranger and composer for the Israeli radio broadcasting station ("Kol Yisrael", a part of the Israel Broadcasting Authority
, IBA). Especially notable was his work with the light music orchestra of IBA (known as "Tizmoret HaBidur" and working during the years 1962-64), during which Keren wrote the first jazz big-band arrangements to be performed in Israel. He was chairman of Israeli Arrangers Union for 8 consecutive years (1962–70) and was a most sought after private teacher of professional pianists, musicians and arrangers for over 30 years. In addition, Keren was a member of the publishing committee of the Israeli Composers Union (ICU; 1961–69); a lecturer at the cantorship school headed by Leib Glantz (1965–66); a lecturer in front of music teachers as part of a project organized by the Histadrut (1966–68); one of the leaders of the "Musical Youth" organization (1962); a member of the judjing committee for the ACUM composition prizes (1966) and the Liberson competition (1969); a founding member of the Israeli Musicologists Organization.
In 1970, Keren was one of the founding members of the Musicology Department in Bar-Ilan University
. He served as a professor in this department until retiring at 1986. During this period he completed a book on the subject of contemporary Israely music. Among his interests of research were the mentioning of music in the commentary of the bible, the Mishna and the Talmud, and contemporary Israeli music. During the 1960s (1964–65) and 1970s (1973–74), Keren also taught jazz composition at the music academy of Tel-Aviv University.
As well as a musicologist and educator, Keren was also an active composer for over half a century. Many of his Jazz compositions were recorded by the light-music orchestra of the Israeli radio broadcasting station and other ensembles. His composition "Rabbi Isaac Said", inspired by traditional texts from Genesis, for mixed chorus, vibraphone, piano, cello and percussion appeared on an LP record on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Department of Musicology at Bar-Ilan University.
After retiring from Bar-Ilan University in 1986, Zvi Keren divided his activities between Jewish studies and music. He died in 2008.
An Interview in Honor of his 85th Birthday, Edited by Alona Keren-Sagee)
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-born Israeli pianist, musicologist
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
and composer. Upon his death was the last living pupil who was personally authorized by Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and died in New York City.-Life and career:...
. Considered to be among the pioneers of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
playing in Israel, and the pioneer in an academic approach to jazz education in Israel, where he settled in 1951. Played an important role in the Israeli music scene as a composer, arranger and educator for generations of Israeli musicians.
Early life
Keren was born Howard Ralph Kirshenbaum in 1917 in New York City, U.S.A. He was the only son of Charles Kirshenbaum (born 1889 in Poland. Came to U.S.A. 1909. Died in NYC, 1958) and Sara Samalman (born in 1891 in Poland. Came to U.S.A. 1909. Died in Israel, 1981). He spent his childhood in New York city as well as in his parents' holiday home at Atlantic Beach, New YorkAtlantic Beach, New York
Atlantic Beach is an affluent village off the South Shore of Long Island in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. It is located on Long Beach Barrier Island, one of the outer barrier islands which it shares with Long Beach, East Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach Estates, Lido Beach and Point...
. His mother was an amateur "classical" pianist, and therefore she was his first music teacher. Having graduated from high-school at the age of 16, he took up studies at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he received his B.Sc in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
in 1937.
Education and performance career
Zvi Keren started to learn piano at the age of 7. In high-school he started to play popular songs. A record of Fats WallerFats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
and his rhythm attracted him to jazz, and he decided to make music his profession. He resumed serious piano study (1935–36) with Nadia Reisenberg
Nadia Reisenberg
Nadia Reisenberg was an American pianist of Lithuanian birth.-Life and career:Born in Vilnius, Reisenberg studied under Leonid Nikolayev at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Due to the upheavals of the October Revolution, she and her family came back to Vilnius, then travelled to Warsaw and...
(Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson
Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...
's teacher) and Paolo Gallico, and studied composition and theory (1939–43) with Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and died in New York City.-Life and career:...
, who authorized him personally to teach his system. Among his favorite pianists: Billy Kyle
Billy Kyle
William Osborne "Billy" Kyle was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Kyle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began playing the piano in school and by the early 1930s worked with Lucky Millinder, and later the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. In 1938, he joined John Kirby's band, but was drafted in...
, AI Haig, Andre Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
and Bob James
Bob James (musician)
Robert McElhiney James is a jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in establishing the smooth jazz genre. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date...
.
During the 1940s Keren was professionally known as Howard Kirn. He conducted much musical activity throughout the US, and served as a pianist and arranger with the bands of Reggie Childs and Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney was a singer, musician, composer, orchestra leader and performer on radio, stage and screen.-Biography:...
; as an accompanist and coach of singers in both jazz and popular music; as an arranger for bands, night-club acts and singers; as a teacher of arranging and composition in schools and privately; as a teacher of piano technique; as a pianist in New York night-clubs and hotels; as a Pianist for the television station WPIX
WPIX
WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...
, New York City; as a Conductor-pianist for U.S.O. (United Service Organizations
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
) during World War II - on which occasion Keren extensively toured continental US and Alaska playing with bands accompanying well known singers.
In 1946 Keren received his M.A. in composition from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In those years he also studied musicology with Curt Sachs, Paul Henry Lang and Gustave Reese.
Educational, musicological and arranging career in Israel
When Keren drew closer to the traditional Jewish customs, he decided to end his professional activity in the US. In 1951 he immigrated to Israel, settled in HaifaHaifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Pardes Hana and finally Tel-Aviv. There he took over educational jobs at local high-schools (Thelma Yelin high-school; the "Oranim" seminar for teachers) and served as musical director of Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
youth music center (1956–58). In 1958, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to study at London University. During his years in England, Keren became a lecturer of the Jewish Agency in England (1958–61), and the Hebrew branch of the BBC (1959). He received his Ph.D., titled “The Sources and Stylistic Development of Israeli Art Music Since 1930”, in 1961 (his advisor being Dr. Wilfrid Dunwell), and subsequently returned to Israel.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Keren made multiple appearances as pianist, composer and arranger on radio and television, and was featured in numerous performances as a pianist in nightclubs. Between the years 1961-70 Keren worked as an arranger and composer for the Israeli radio broadcasting station ("Kol Yisrael", a part of the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
, IBA). Especially notable was his work with the light music orchestra of IBA (known as "Tizmoret HaBidur" and working during the years 1962-64), during which Keren wrote the first jazz big-band arrangements to be performed in Israel. He was chairman of Israeli Arrangers Union for 8 consecutive years (1962–70) and was a most sought after private teacher of professional pianists, musicians and arrangers for over 30 years. In addition, Keren was a member of the publishing committee of the Israeli Composers Union (ICU; 1961–69); a lecturer at the cantorship school headed by Leib Glantz (1965–66); a lecturer in front of music teachers as part of a project organized by the Histadrut (1966–68); one of the leaders of the "Musical Youth" organization (1962); a member of the judjing committee for the ACUM composition prizes (1966) and the Liberson competition (1969); a founding member of the Israeli Musicologists Organization.
In 1970, Keren was one of the founding members of the Musicology Department in Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
. He served as a professor in this department until retiring at 1986. During this period he completed a book on the subject of contemporary Israely music. Among his interests of research were the mentioning of music in the commentary of the bible, the Mishna and the Talmud, and contemporary Israeli music. During the 1960s (1964–65) and 1970s (1973–74), Keren also taught jazz composition at the music academy of Tel-Aviv University.
As well as a musicologist and educator, Keren was also an active composer for over half a century. Many of his Jazz compositions were recorded by the light-music orchestra of the Israeli radio broadcasting station and other ensembles. His composition "Rabbi Isaac Said", inspired by traditional texts from Genesis, for mixed chorus, vibraphone, piano, cello and percussion appeared on an LP record on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Department of Musicology at Bar-Ilan University.
Legacy
As an arranger and teacher, he figures prominently in the spread of jazz appreciation and in the establishment of jazz education in Israel. He was the first in Israel to give jazz courses ("Introduction to Jazz" and "Jazz Composition") at an Israeli university. He was the first composer in Israel to compose original jazz pieces for orchestra which were broadcasted and performed in Israel as well as in Europe ("Electronic Brain," "Riot in Russia," "Regards to Igor" and others). A review of Keren's eighty-year career and many contributions to the Israeli jazz scene can be found in an interview and article written by his daughter Alona Sagee for Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online.Personal life
In 1954, Keren married Rina Koplowitz. The couple had 3 daughters: Shoshanna, born in Israel, 1957; Ziviah, born in England, 1959; and Alona, born in Israel, 1962. Shoshanna has 4 children, and Alona has 2 children, all born in Israel. His daughter Alona carried on the musical tradition of the family and is a professional musician (pianist) and musicologist. She holds a Ph.D. specializing in jazz, and has been teaching at the Music Department of Bar-Ian University since 1990.After retiring from Bar-Ilan University in 1986, Zvi Keren divided his activities between Jewish studies and music. He died in 2008.
External links
- http://www.biu.ac.il/HU/mu/min-ad/index.htm, (Zvi Keren: His Contribution to Israel’s Music Scene
An Interview in Honor of his 85th Birthday, Edited by Alona Keren-Sagee)
- http://www.biupress.co.il/website/index.asp?id=22