Ernest Bloch

A highly individual composer, Ernest Bloch did not pioneer any new style in music but spoke with a distinctive voice into which he could assimilate folk influences, 12-tone technique, and even coloristic quarter tones. In a stylistically atomized century, his interests were universal, and his music was both beloved by the public and inspirational for a younger and more academically oriented generation. He established his reputation in music on Hebraic themes in works such as the cello concerto Schelomo (1916). Bloch was also an important teacher. His output comprised numerous ...