Born July 24, 1880, in Geneva; died July 16, 1959, in Portland, Oregon. Swiss and American composer, violinist, conductor, and teacher.
Among Bloch’s teachers were E. Jaques-Dalcroze and E. Ysaye. He was a professor at the Geneva Conservatory (1911–15), and an orchestra conductor in Switzerland (1909–10) and in the USA (conducting his own works). In 1917, Bloch settled in the USA. He was director of the Cleveland Institute of Music (1920–25) and professor and director of the San Francisco Conservatory (1929–30). From 1930 to 1938 he lived in Europe.
As a composer, Bloch worked with many genres, including opera (Macbeth, produced in 1910 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris); two symphonies; symphonic poems and suites; rhapsodies; concertos (including pieces for violin and orchestra); works for string orchestra, chamber ensembles, and various instruments; and vocal compositions, most of them religious. In his more important works, which are characterized by their vivid melodic quality and great variety of rhythmic effects, Bloch has skillfully put into modern musical settings typical features of ancient and contemporary Jewish melody (the symphony with voices Israel, the rhapsody for cello and orchestra Schelomo, a religious service for baritone, choir, and orchestra, and others). Bloch was the author of various articles, including “Man and Music” (1933).