Maayani, Ami

(b Ramat-Gan, 13 Jan 1936). Israeli composer and conductor. He studied at the

New Jerusalem Academy of Music (19513), including conducting with EitanLustig, and
composition privately with Ben-Haim (195660) and at Columbia
University, New York, where he specialized in electronic music with Ussachevsky
(19612, 19645). In addition he studied architecture and urban planning at the
Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (BA 1960), and at Columbia (19612), and
philosophy at Tel-Aviv University (MA 1974). He was a founder and conductor of
the Israel National Youth Orchestra (19537, 19704), the Tel-Aviv Municipality
Youth Orchestra (195660) and the Technion SO (195860). He was also
chairman of the Israeli League of Composers and the ISCM Israel section (19704,
19818) and taught at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance (1972
3), later becoming assistant director (19759) and head of the Tel Aviv Rubin
Academy of Music (appointed 1993). From 1983 to 1988 he was on the board of
the Israel National Council of Culture and Art. Maayanis music makes use of Near
Eastern elements, such as melisma, traditional Bible cantillation, Jewish prayer
traditions, tone-colour and some formal and tonal aspects of Arab music. These he
has tried (from about 1970) to combine with classical European forms and French
Impressionist orchestration; at the same time Near Eastern rhythmic patterns are
still prominent though of less importance than in the early works. Other
characteristics include experiments with word-painting and new sound
combinations. His Toccata for harp was a test piece at the Second International
Harp Contest (Israel, 1962) and from then on Maayanis harp music became well
known among harpists throughout the world. Among many awards, he received the
Engel Prize (1963) for Harp Concerto no.1, the Israel Composers and Authors
Association Prize (1974) and the Workers' Union Prize for the Arts (1988).
WORKS
(selective list)
Vocal: Mizmorim [Songs of Thanksgiving and Praise] (Pss, lxxi, lxxxi), S/T, chbr
orch, 1965; Regalim [Festivals] (Bible: ps lxxii, Isaiah), S/T, orch, 1966; Milhemet
Bnei Or bi-Vnei Hoshech [The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of
Darkness] (op-orat), 1971; Jiddische Lieder, cycle no.1, S/Bar, orch, 1973, cycle
no.2, Mez, orch, 1974; Sym. of Psalms, S, Bar, childrens chorus, S chorus, orch,
1974; Ahmeds Razor (op dance-drama), 1974; Hebrew Requiem, Mez, chorus,
orch, 1977
Orch: Hp Conc., 1960; Music for Str, 1962; Teamim, 1964; Conc. symphonique,
hp, orch, 1966; Vn Conc., 1967; Qumran, sym. metaphor, 1970; Sym. concertante,
ww qnt, orch, 1972; Va Conc., 1974; Sym. no.2, 1975; Gui Conc., 1976; Legend of
Threes and Fours (ballet), 1978; Hp Concertino, 1980; Sinfonietta on Popular
Hebrew Themes, 1982; Overture solenelle, 1982; Scherzo mediterranen, 1983;
Arabesque no.4, fl, hp, str orch, 1983
Chbr and solo inst: Maqamat-Arabesque no.1, hp, 1961; Toccata, hp, 1961;
Improvisation varie, hp, va, fl, 1966; Conc., perc, 8 wind, 1966; Arabesque no.2, fl,
hp, 1973; Arabesque no.3, 4 hp, 1973; 5 Easy Pieces for Young Harpists, 1974;
Impromptu, pf, 1974; Passacaglia dans le style oriental, hp, 1975; 3 Movts, hp, str
trio, 1975; Impromptu, pf, 1976; Brass qnt, 1977; Sonata, vn, 1978; Sonata, vc,
1979; Sonatina, gui, 1979; Sonata no.1, hp, 1979; Sonatine en trio, cl, vc, pf, 1985;
Sonata no.2, hp, 1990
Songs, elec music
MSS in IL-JPrincipal publishers: Israel Music Institute, Israeli Music Publications, Lyra, Or-Tav
WRITINGS
Ernest Bloch, Musical Prose, no.1 (1973), 4

Schoenberg: anarchist musikali, Musical Prose, nos.34 (1973), 22

Wagner Sibelius, Musical Prose, no.2 (1973), 4
Richard Wagner (Jerusalem, 1995) [Hebrew]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
B. Bar-Am: Al ha-kesher mila tzlil bi-Regalim le-tizmoret gedola ve-tenor
meet Ami Maayani [On the relation between word and sound in Maayanis
Regalim], Musical Prose, nos.34 (1973), 14
Y.W. Cohen: Werden und Entwicklung der Musik in Israel (Kassel, 1976) [pt ii
of rev. edn of M. Brod: Die Musik Israels]
Z. Keren: Contemporary Israeli Music (Ramat Gan, 1980), 97, 101 only
A. Tischler: A Descriptive Bibliography of Art Music by Israeli Composers
(Michigan, 1988), 1648
W.Y. Elias, ed.: Comprehensive List of Works A to Z, 19611989 (Tel-Aviv,
1989) [music of Israel]
Y. Cohen: The Heirs of the Psalmist (Tel-Aviv, 1990), 31523
R. Fleisher: Twenty Israeli Composers: Voices of a Culture (Detroit, 1997),
15061
URY EPPSTEIN