Biography
Paul Ben-Haim (or Paul Ben-Chaim, Hebrew, July 5, 1897 – January 14, 1984) was an Israeli composer. Born Paul Frankenburger in Munich, Germany, he studied composition with Friedrich Klose and he was assistant conductor to Bruno Walter and Hans Knappertsbusch from 1920 to 1924. He served as conductor at Augsburg from 1924 to 1931, and afterwards devoted himself to teaching and composition, including teaching at the the Shulamit Conservatory.
Ben-Haim emigrated to the then British Mandate of Palestine in 1933 and lived in Judea, in an area to the east of Jerusalem. He Hebraized his name, becoming an Israeli citizen upon that nation's independence in 1948. He composed chamber music, works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments, and songs. He championed a specifically Jewish national music: his own compositions are in a late Romantic vein with Middle Eastern overtones, somewhat similar to Ernest Bloch.
His notable students include Eliahu Inbal, Henri Lazarof, Ben-Zion Orgad, Ami Maayani, Shulamit Ran, Rami Bar-Niv, Avraham Sternklar and Noam Sheriff.
Ben-Haim won the Israel Prize for music in 1957.
