Born on 9 August 1877 in
Sovolivke (Sobolevka), Podolia Gubernia, Ukraine. Father
-- a Chasid, his mother -- the rabbi's daughter, used to
write songs in Yiddish which were known in the town, but
were not published.
He learned in a cheder, sang
with cantors as an "alto", at age thirteen knew notes,
and he began to write synagogal compositions that the
local cantor sang. Until age eighteen, he learned in a
Beit HaMedrash, then traveled to Odessa and entered into
a conservatory. During his military service of four
years as a military kappelmeister, he returned --
entering into the Kishinev conservatory, and completed
compositions.
During the pogrom of 1903 he
migrated away to London, and here again he studied in
the Royal College. He was prevented from becoming a
conductor in a Yiddish theatre, but as well he had not
been able to reach(?), and he became there a chorister,
and first began to study the songs with the chorus. He
worked for five years with Feinman as a choral master.
When, in the Pavilion
Theatre there was founded the Yiddish dramatic and opera
theatre, (called "Kunst templ"), on 16 March 1912 there
was staged for the first time in the history of Yiddish
theatre, A.'s original opera in Yiddish "Melekh akhz"
(libretto taken from Avraham Mapu's novel "Ashms shumrun").
The opera was performed twenty-three times, and was very
well received by the English press. |
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