Ernest Bloch was a composer who was profoundly influenced by his Jewish faith. He was born in Switzerland and later took American citizenship, serving as director of the Cleveland Institute from 1920 to 1925 and later of the San Francisco Conservatory.

Stage Works

Bloch’s only opera, Macbeth, was first staged in Paris in 1910.

Orchestral Music

Bloch’s most characteristic compositions are of Jewish inspiration, in particular his Suite hébraïque (‘Hebrew Suite’) for viola/violin and orchestra, Baal Shem for violin and piano but later orchestrated, and Schelomo for cello and orchestra. His Concerto grosso No. 1 and Concerto grosso No. 2 represent another, neoclassical aspect of Bloch’s music.

Vocal Music

Bloch’s vocal music includes the epic rhapsody America and the sacred Avodath Hakodesh, in addition to settings of Psalms and the choral symphony Israel.

Chamber and Instrumental Music

Bloch wrote a relatively small amount of piano music, much of it in the 1920s. Trained as a violinist himself, he wrote five string quartets and two piano quintets, and added significantly to viola repertoire by his Meditation and Processional, a Suite for viola and piano, and his Suite hébraïque for viola or violin, also arranged for cello. Other music of direct Jewish inspiration includes Baal Shem, originally for violin and piano (later for violin and orchestra), and From Jewish Life for cello and piano.