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Fantasy for Viola and Piano (1941)
Frederick Jacobi (1891-1952) has written of his compositional aesthetic:
"My conscious aim has been to write music which is clear, definite, and concise: I am an anti-obscurantist. I am a great believer in melody; a believer, too, that music should give pleasure and not try to solve philosophical problems. I believe that art and craft have much in common and that art, to be valid, must be more than the manifestation of a passing mode: in short, that there are some eternal values which transcend period and time." (Jacobi)
Jacobi's music draws upon his Jewish heritage and the Classical and Romantic traditions, manifested in such works as Sabbath Evening Service (1930-1931) and the opera The Prodigal Son (1943-1944). Many of his early pieces reflect his study of Native American music of the southwest United States; these include the orchestral work Indian Dances (1929) and String Quartet on Indian Themes (1924).
Born in San Francisco in 1891, Jacobi studied composition in New York with Raphael Joseffy, Rubin Goldmark, and Ernest Bloch, and in Berlin with Paul Juon. He was appointed assistant conductor with the Metropolitan Opera in New York at the age of 21. In the early 1920's Jacobi lived with the Pueblo Indians in Arizona and New Mexico, studying their musical traditions and incorporating them into his own work. Following that he was based primarily in New York, where he taught composition at the Juilliard School of Music (1934-1950) and directed the American section of the ISCM. He also wrote a number of articles on modern music and lectured at University of California at Berkeley, Mills College in Oakland, California, and the Julius Hartt Musical Foundation in Hartford, Connecticut.
Jacobi's compositions have been recorded on the Cedille and CRI labels.
Violist Cathy Basrak has appeared as soloist with major orchestras in Europe and North America including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Symphonie Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Basrak studied viola at the Curtis Institute with Michael Tree and Joseph dePasquale, and has also worked with Richard Young, Jeffrey Irvine, and Roland and Almita Vamos. In 1995 she won first prize at the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the first violist ever to do so; other top prizes include the William Primrose Memorial Competition, Julius Stulberg Auditions, and second prize in the 46th International Music Competition of the ARD in Munich. An avid chamber musician, Basrak has performed at the Marlboro, Norfolk, Kammermusik-tage Mettlach, and Banff Chamber Music Festivals. In 2000, she was appointed assistant principal violist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal violist of the Boston Pops.
A member of the piano faculty at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois since 1985, William Koehler has appeared as piano soloist with orchestras in a number of US cities. His awards include first prize at the San Antonio International Keyboard Competition and the New Orleans International Piano Competition. Koehler has performed chamber music with the Vermeer, Prague, Pro Arte, and Arianna string quartets and with members of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera orchestras. He has collaborated with a number of soloists including bass-baritone William Warfield, violinist William Preucil, and oboist Alex Klein. Koehler originally studied with Moreland Roller, Adele Marcus, and William Race at the University of Texas at Austin.
related websites
http://www.cedillerecords.org/basrak.html
http://www.niu.edu/music/people/bios/wkoehler.shtml
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