Tal, Josef

(born Joseph Gruenthal, Pinne), prominent German-born Israeli composer, pianist, and pedagogue; b. Pinne, near Posen, Sept. 18, 1910. Tal took courses with PAUL HINDEMITH, CURT SACHS, and others at the Berlin Staatliche Hochschule für Musik from 1928 to 1930.

In 1934 Tal emigrated to Palestine, settling in Jerusalem as a teacher of piano and composition at the Conservatory two years later. When it became the Israel Academy of Music, he served as its director from 1948 to 1952. Beginning in 1950, he also lectured at the Hebrew University, where he headed the musicology department from 1965 to 1970 and then served as a professor, beginning in 1971.

Tal directed the Israel Center of Electronic Music from 1961, and appeared as pianist and conductor with the Israel Philharmonic and European orchestras. He was awarded the State of Israel Prize in 1971 and made an honorary member of the West Berlin Academy of Arts. In 1975 he received the Arts Prize of the City of Berlin and in 1982 became a fellow of its Institute for Advanced Studies.

A true musical intellectual, Tal applies in his music a variety of techniques. Patriotic Jewish themes often appear in his productions. He composed ten operas and dramatic scenes, among them Ashmedai, with electronics, in 1968. He also composed orchestral works, including four SYMPHONIES, three piano CONCERTOS, and concertos for viola, cello, violin and cello, flute, duo piano, and clarinet. His chamber music works include sonatas for violin, oboe, and viola, three string QUARTETS, a WOODWIND quintet, piano trio, and piano quartet. He has also written numerous keyboard works and vocal and choral works.

An active electronic composer, Tal often composes entire works or accompaniments on tape. These include five dance pieces, piano concertos Nos. 46 (1962, 1964, 1970), HARPSICHORD concerto (1964), HARP concerto (1971), and Frequencies 440-462: Hommage à Boris Blacker (1972).