Partos, Oedoen
Partos, Oedoen
Partos, Oedoen (actually, Ödön), Hungarian-born Israeli violinist, violisi, pedagogue, and composer; b. Budapest, Oct. 1, 1907; d. Tel Aviv, July 6, 1977. He was a student of Hubay (violin) and Kodály (composition) at the Budapest Academy of Music (1918–24). He served as concertmaster of the Lucerne City Orch. (1924–26) and the Budapest Concert Orch. (1926–27; 1937–38), and also toured throughout Europe as a soloist. In 1938 he emigrated to Israel, where he was 1st violinist in the Palestine Orch. (later the Israel Phil.) until 1956. He also was the violist in the Israel Quartet (1939–54). In 1951 he became director of the Tel Aviv Academy of Music (later the Rubin Academy of Music of the Univ. of Tel Aviv), where he was a prof, from 1961. In 1954 he was awarded the 1st Israel State Prize for composition for his symphonic fantasy Ein Gev. In many of his works, he utilized eastern Jewish folk modalities. In 1960 he embraced 12-tone composition. Late in his life he experimented with the 31-tone scale.
Works
orchRondo on a Sephardic Theme for Strings (1939); Yizkor (In memoriam) for Viola or Violin or Cello and Strings (1947; also for Viola or Violin or Cello and Piano); 2 viola concertos: No. 1, Shir Tehillah (Song of Praise; 1948; Tel Aviv, Jan. 22, 1949) and No. 2 (1957); Ein Gev, symphonic fantasy (1951–52; Ein Gev, Oct. 1, 1953); Mourning Music (Oriental Ballad) for Viola or Cello and Chamber Orch. (1956; also for Cello or Viola and Piano); Violin Concerto (1958); Iltur (Improvisation) for 12 Harps (1960); Dmuyoth (Images; 1960); Tehilim (Psalms) for Strings (1960; also as String Quartet No. 2); Sinfonia concertante for Viola and Orch. (1962); Symphonic Movements (1966); Netivim (Paths), symphonic elegy (1969); Shiluvim (Fusions) for Viola and Chamber Orch. (Tel Aviv, June 21, 1970); Music for Chamber Orch. (1971); Arabesque for Oboe and Chamber Orch. (1975). chamber: 2 string quartets: No. 1, Concertino (1932; rev. 1939; N.Y., May 24, 1941) and No. 2, Tehilim (Psalms; 1960; also for String Orch.); Rondo for Violin and Piano (1947); 4 Israeli Tunes for Violin or Viola or Cello and Piano (1948); Maqamat for Flute and String Quartet (1959); Agada (A Legend) for Viola, Piano, and Percussion (1960; London, June 6, 1962); Arpiliyot (Nebulae) for Wind Quintet (1966); Concertino for Flute and Piano (1969); 3 Fantasies for 2 Violins (1972; composed in the 31-tone system); Elegy for Violin and Piano (1973); Ballad for Piano Quartet (1977); Fantasia for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1977); Invenzione a 3 (Homage a Debussy) for Flute, Harp, and Viola (1977). Piano: Prelude (1960); Metamorphoses (1971). vocal:4 Folk Songs for Alto and String Quartet (1939); Daughter of Israel, cantata for Soprano or Tenor, Chorus, and Orch. (1961); 5 Israeli Songs for Tenor, Oboe, Piano, and Cello (1962); choruses; other songs.
Bibliography
W. Elias, O. P. (Tel Aviv, 1978).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire