Yedidyah Admon

Yedidya Admon was born in Yekaterinoslav, Ukraine in 1894. He emigrated to Palestine in 1906 and received his formal education at the Teacher's Seminary in Jerusalem under musicologist Abraham Zvi Idelsohn. From 1923 to 1927 Admon studied Music Theory and Composition in the United States. Upon his return to Palestine in 1927 he published his first songs, among them the popular 'Gamal Gamali' (Camel Drivers Song). Admon was a pioneer in the field of Israeli song and served as an inspiration for the generation of composers that followed him. His unique style combined elements from Yemenite, Persian, Arab, and Hassidic music as well as Biblical cantillation. From 1950 to 1967 Admon served as the chair and general secretary of the Israeli Society of Composers and Authors (ACUM). His book of songs and choral arrangements, Shedemati ('My Field'), was published in 1973 and he received the Israel Prize for Music the following year. His corpus includes theatrical works, cantatas, oratorios, songs, choral arrangements, instrumental works and music for children.