Boris_Levenson

Boris Levenson

Boris Levenson

Russian composer

Boris Levinson (Loewensohn) (1884-1947) was a Russian-born American composer.

Levenson was born on 22 March 1884[1] in Akkerman, Bessarabia (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Ukraine, then a province of Russian Empire).[2] Levenson became a pupil of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and was awarded a doctorate from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1907. Between 1907 and 1915 and conducted in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, and Odessa.[3]

He became a composer of his own right. A Bessarabian Jew, Levenson focused his work on Jewish folk songs.

He accompanied a March 2021 performance of his work in London's Aeolian Hall by the Philharmonic String Quartet and assorted guests.[4]

His first U.S. concert was given in New York's Aeolian Hall in 1922. He performed and conducted his own works frequently in New York, including an annual concert at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall.[5] Among his collaborators included bassonist Simon Kovar, Lorenzo Sansone, and Nina Koshetz.[6][7]

His musical output also includes a string quartet among other works. This was performed in a concert of his works in London, England in April, 1920.[8]

He died in March 1947 in New York City.[1][2]

Selected compositions

  • Danse Orientale, op. 66 for violin and piano[9]
  • The Dawn, song
  • Dreams (Episodes from Life: Youth, First Love, Struggles, Peaceful Old Age)[4]
  • A Fantasy on Two Hebrew Folk Tunes
  • Gaily Lived the Tiny Mouse
  • The Greedy Mousie, op. 87, Russian fable, song
  • Hebrew Grand Fantasia
  • Hebrew Suite for eight solo instruments[10]
  • Let There Be Music, op. 83, a prayer for SSAA chorus, words by Sydney King Russell.
  • A Night in Bagdad
  • Night in Hamadan, song
  • The Nights and Days Unbroken Stream, song
  • Oriental Fantasie for cello and orchestra
  • Palestine, a Hebrew suite in four movements, premiered in 1926 in New York's Aeolian Hall.[11]
  • Quartet in B-flat
  • The Sad Birch Tree, song
  • Schir Bres, an ancient Palestinian cradle song arranged for SSA choir.
  • Serenade, song
  • Song of Orient[7]
  • The Volga[7]
  • Three Folk Songs for string quartet and piano, premiered March 1st, 1921 in London. 1. Jewish/Palestine, 2. Armenian (Crimean Haitarma), 3. Russian (Boatmen on the Volga)

Notes

  1. [1]
    converting from Julian 10 March 1884 here: http://www.musicsack.com/PersonFMTDetail.cfm?PersonPK=100045614 - MusicSack, accessed January 31, 2014.
  2. [2]
    "VIAF". Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  3. [3]
    "BORIS LEVENSON, 63, LONG A CONDUCTOR". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  4. [4]
    "1920 to 1923 – A transition period for Samuel Kutcher | Samuel Kutcher (violinist) 1898-1984". 2010-09-12. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  5. [5]
    "BORIS LEVENSON HEARD; Gives Annual Concert at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  6. [6]
    "Boris Levenson Directs Own Works". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  7. [7]
    "COMPOSERS' CONCERT.; Boris Levenson and Charles Maduro Hear Their Music Applauded". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  8. [8]
    Also included, in addition to the string quartet in B♭, were a set of Lyric Pieces for cello, and a set of fantasies on Russian Folksongs for piano quintet. See The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, p. 392, at Google Books, June 1, 1920 issue.
  9. [9]
    Levenson, Boris (1924). Danse orientale: for violin and piano, op. 66. G. Schirmer.
  10. [10]
    "Boris Levenson in Recital". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  11. [11]
    "HEAR CHAMBER SYMPHONY.; Members of Audience Applaud New Work by Boris Levenson". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-06.


This article about a United States composer born in the 19th century is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Boris_Levenson, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.