Drawn Up out of a Mute Wellspring: The Revival of Paul Ben-Haim’s Early String Quintet (1919)

Abstract

Ben-Haim’s music changed radically after his move from Germany to Israel in 1933, reflecting the change of name from the German Frankenburger to the Hebrew Ben-Haim in a shift from a German post-Romantic idiom to a distinctly Israeli nationalist style. And, while this dichotomy has been recently challenged by some researchers, who propose to identify Jewish roots in certain pre-emigration works, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the works by Paul Frankenburger by and large are typical of those of a German Romantic composer, while those of Paul Ben-Haim are quintessentially Israeli and self-consciously nationalist in character. The recent revival by the Carmel String Quartet (where the author of this article plays viola) of Ben-Haim’s early String Quintet from 1919 provides us with a unique opportunity to become acquainted with the composer’s first mature large-scale work, the culmination of his apprenticeship, and the piece that was to pave his way into musical life in Germany.