From Jewish Life

• Bloch composed this 3-movement work in 1924, for cello and piano.¹
• Bloch composed this piece for cellist Hans Kindler.² Kindler was principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and had premiered Bloch’s cello work Schelomo ³ and edited the published edition.⁴
• This is one of many works Bloch composed regarding his Jewish heritage. He would eventually flee Europe for American in 1939 because of growing anti-semitism.⁵
• Rather than quoting specifically Jewish melodies, Bloch brought many styles to bear on his Judaic works, creating a personal rather than nationalistic impression of Jewish experience.
• Ernest Bloch described his own Judaic works as “Bloch meditating on a Jewish subject.”⁶

Movements

1. Prayer. According to Neil W. Levin (Milken Archive of Jewish Music), this movement “has the flavor of a fervently sung prayer, or a hymn of petition, in a traditional Ashkenazi synagogue.”
2. Supplication
3. Jewish Song⁷

1. David Z. Kushner, “Bloch, Ernest,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed July 31, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000003287.
2. Neil W. Levin, “From Jewish Life,” Milken Archive of Jewish Music (2019),accessed July 31, 2019, https://www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/intimate-voices/work/from-jewish-life/.
3. Jeffrey Solow, “Ernest Bloch: Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody for Violoncello Solo and Full Orchestra,” Jeffrey Solow, Cellist, accessed July 31, 2019, http://jeffreysolow.com/writingnew.html.
4. “Music for Cello and Piano, Edited by Hans Kindler,” Carl Fisher Music, accessed July 31, 2019, https://www.carlfischer.com/shop/ernest-bloch-music-for-cello-a.html.
5. Kushner, “Bloch, Ernest,” Grove Music Online.
6. A.I. Elkus, W.D. Denny and E.B. Lawton, Jr., “Ernest Bloch, Music: Berkeley,” from 1961: University of California: In Memoriam (1961), University of California Digital Archives (2011), accessed July 31, 2019, http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb2t1nb146;NAAN=13030&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00003&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=calisphere. 
7. Neil W. Levin, “From Jewish Life,” Milken Archive of Jewish Music (2019), accessed July 31, 2019, https://www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/intimate-voices/work/from-jewish-life/.