Hemsi, Alberto (EN)

Hemsi Alberto, *23 December 1896 Turgutlu (formerly Kasaba, Turkey), †8 October 1975 Aubervilliers (near Paris), Italian composer, ethnomusicologist, teacher, music writer and organiser of musical life. Between 1911 and 1913, he attended the Scuola Commerciale Italiana in Izmir; at the same time, he studied composition and synagogue chant. Between 1914 and 1919, he studied at the Milan Conservatoire under C.A. Bossi (composition), Zavaldi (music theory, solfège), C. Gatti (instrumentation), G. Zampieri (music history) and G. Andreoli (piano). After completing his studies, which had been interrupted by the war, he returned to Izmir, where, amongst other things, he conducted the Jewish Philharmonic Orchestra. Between 1923 and 1927 he lived in Rhodes, and subsequently spent many years in Alexandria, engaging in a variety of activities: in 1927 he founded the first Egyptian publishing house there, Edition Orientale de Musique, which published works by composers associated with Middle Eastern culture; from 1927 to 1957 he was musical director of the Great Synagogue. On his initiative, the Alexandria Philharmonic Orchestra was established, which he led from 1928 to 1940. In addition, he worked as a professor of music at an Israeli music school and at the Liceo Musicale Italiano, and lectured on composition and harmony at the conservatoire. During his stay in Alexandria, he continued the research into the music of Spanish Jews (Sephardim) that he had begun in the early 1920s. In 1957, he moved to Paris; he became a professor of music at the Séminaire Israélite de France and musical director of the Berith Shalom synagogue. Between 1961 and 1965, he studied ethnomusicology under C. Marcel-Dubois, and later collaborated with a French radio station.

Hemsy’s interests centred on the musical culture of the East. He contributed to its dissemination through his teaching and publishing activities. His studies of Eastern music, conducted over a number of years, were reflected in his writing and compositional output. In his works, when characterising the essence of this music, he draws attention to the significance of various melodic and rhythmic patterns and the original harmonies. In his compositions, he attempts to capture the atmosphere of Eastern music, yet he eschews specific Oriental microtonality in favour of the equal-tempered system, seeking, as it were, a compromise between the traditions of Eastern and Western music. An important place in his oeuvre is occupied by the collection of Sephardic Jewish folk songs, Coplas sefardíes, with harmonic arrangements.

Literature: I. Molho Alberto Hemsi, “Tesoro de los Judios Sefardies” II, Jerusalem 1959.