Musical Cultural Identity: What Is It? A Composer’s Perspective on Music Schools and Tendencies
Ofer Pelz, Credit: Preston Beebe
When I studied with Philippe Leroux in Paris, he said to me once that he knows three Israeli young composers (who have been in his class), and he finds it weird that we do not have a common musical language. At this time his observation sounded very weird to me — why should we have a common musical language just because we are Israelis? Leroux’s question makes a lot of sense when one is looking at a French composer (or maybe any European composer), since the long tradition of the French culture can be easily observed in different schools throughout history and even with younger composers today. Since Israel is a new country, with immigrants coming from everywhere (mainly Europe and north Africa), the musical identity of composers is definitely less clear, and was completely obscure to me at the point Leroux mentioned his observation.
Raised in Haifa and of Polish descent, I possess French and Canadian citizenship as well as an Israeli passport. Embodying three various cultures myself (Israeli, French and Canadian), I share brief descriptions of these identities and demonstrate how I relate to them. I must mention that these observations are based on my personal point of view as a composer, and are not based on proper research.
Israeli Identity
The first generation of composers in Israel, mainly European new immigrants, such as Paul Ben-Haim, have tried to define a clear Israeli musical identity. Generally speaking, they have tried to bring the European traditions by adding some ‘local ornaments' arriving from the Arab and Mediterranean cultures of the area. Personally, I found their research very interesting, but at the same time unnatural and for me a bit forced to find this Israeli musical language.
A few generations later the composer Arie Shapira gave a definition of the Israeli musical culture. He defines it as related mainly to the “rough” conditions of this country - the wars, the tensions, the heat, the desert landscape, etc., and this identity can be clearly heard in his music. I personally agree with this observation and think that Israeli culture is this huge melting pot of all the Jewish immigrations from Europe, Arab nations, etc., and the Arab\Palestinian cultures. Religions play an important role in defining the Israeli culture since it is so present in the foundation of the country, its conflicts, history, politics, etc. Personally, I consider myself an Israeli person\composer, and less a Jewish one, since I can relate to people of all beliefs, the languages, the landscape, etc., and less so to fate and the traditions related to it. As I recently told The Jewish Telegraph, “I consider myself an Israeli quite easily, although I do feel that many people confuse Jewish and Israeli cultures. For me, Judaism is more related to faith and religion, even though there is a strong culture that comes with it.”
French Identity
The French musical tradition or school can be seen as a straight line from Fauré to Debussy and Ravel to Messiaen, Grisey, and to the post-spectral younger composers. All these aesthetics have some general commonality. They all play very distinctly with orchestral colors. The harmonic colors, which were later “scientifically” created by the spectral school, can be seen already in Debussy’s or Messiaen’s work in a more intuitive, less “scientific” approach. I assume the same can be said about many other European cultures such as the Germans or the Italians which have a long history of important composers who have designed the aesthetic even in today’s schools. Having spent three years in France, I have noticed the influence on my music quite immediately. When I have been exposed to spectral approaches in such great detail, it is nearly impossible to neglect it, since one starts to listen to the composites of a sound and “must” deal with it.
Canadian Identity
As for Canada, I need to admit that I know little about western Canada composers and am aware mainly of the Quebec scene. Canada is a younger country, not as young as Israel, but populated mainly with older and newer immigrants. I don’t know if the country has succeeded already in having a long enough tradition to form a proper musical school. The Quebec scene is composed of French traditions, since there is a strong relationship between the countries, and American ones, by its proximity to the United States and to Anglophone Canada. These identities are mixed all together and can be heard by Quebec’s composers. In this sense I feel that Israel and Quebec share commonalities since both are less shaped and therefore are more flexible to have external influences.
I do not know whether Israel or Quebec will ever establish a strong tradition as European countries, since we live in different times, where globalization is the main tendency, and all cultures start to fuse, subsequently becoming less and less defined or important. In France today, I find that the new influences are dissolving and modifying the musical scene, but are being strongly influenced by tradition or history. While in Quebec or Israel these new influences have a larger impact on the musical aesthetic itself because it is less manifested.
Identity is also formed by politics and general living conditions as artists. Israeli composers today are coming from many different schools, since most of the young composers like myself will study and live outside of the country, and will receive education and be influenced by it. It has a lot to do with the fact that Israel is a small, isolated country that does not contribute enough to the arts or the artists. It forces most of them to pursue artistic careers abroad, and in some cases to bring their experiences back to Israel. In general, it is much less the case of French, or Quebec composers, since it is relatively possible to make a living as an artist in these places. It is hard for a non-Canadian (or permanent resident) composer to be funded by the country, while France has fewer restrictions. I believe that all of these political decisions shape the musical scene because it either attracts or repulses artists, and consequently impacts the influence and identity they might or might not have contributed to the country by their talents and artistic visions.
As for me, I feel I have been nourished from all these three experiences. My music might fall somewhere without any distinct school, but have definitely been influenced by these three cultural identities. I think that being in this position of learning, getting inspired, then influencing the local scene, is a cycle, and I hope that it will be an endless one.
Ofer Pelz (b.1978) is an Israeli-born, Montreal-based composer/pianist/improviser. He holds a doctorate in Composition from the University of Montreal. He also studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, as well as at the CNR Blanc Mesnil, CNSM, and IRCAM in Paris. The work of Ofer Pelz has been recognized by the reception of many international prizes including two ACUM awards, French ‘Commande d’état’ and the Ernst Von Siemens Grant. He recently released his second solo album, Trinité, on New Focus Recordings. oferpelz.com
