Braun Ioakhim Israilevich (1929)

Braun Ioakhim (Ioachim) Israilevich (born 11 August 1929) – violinist and musicologist. Son of D. Braun and brother of G. Braun.

As a child, Ioakhim Braun studied violin with Ya. Gurvich. From 1941, he lived in Siberia. He studied at the Novosibirsk Music School (1941–1943), then in Ivanovo (1943–1945). In 1946, he returned to Riga and was admitted directly into the third year of the Riga Music School (class of K. Bruckner). He graduated from the Latvian State Conservatoire in 1951 (class of K. Bruckner).

In 1954, Braun entered postgraduate studies in Moscow, where he wrote a dissertation titled The Development of Violin Art in Latvia under the supervision of Professor L. Ginzburg. He was awarded the degree of Candidate of Art History in 1964.

Between 1950 and 1956, he was a member of the Latvian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and from 1952 to 1970, he taught violin at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School (his pupils included Oleg Kagan). He also performed solo concerts and wrote extensively as a music critic for Latvian newspapers and journals.

In 1970, Braun emigrated to Israel. From 1987, he served as Professor in the Department of Musicology at Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan), and from 1992 to 1994, he chaired the department. Since 1997, he has held the title of Professor Emeritus.

His research interests include the history of musical institutions, art history, Soviet, Russian, Jewish, and ancient Middle Eastern music, as well as music archaeology and iconography. He has lectured at universities worldwide, including in Latvia.

Until 2006, Ioakhim Braun was Israel’s representative to the International Repertoire of Music Literature (RILM). He is a member of the archaeology and iconography section of the Study Group on Music Archaeology of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM). He has authored numerous books, articles, and entries for encyclopaedias and academic journals across many countries, and served as music editor for the Short Jewish Encyclopaedia (Jerusalem).

Selected Works:

Vijole un alts. Riga, 1961

Vijolmākslas attistība Latvijā. Riga: LVI, 1962

Vijoļspēles metodika. Riga: Liesma, 1969

Shostakovich’s Jewish Songs: From Jewish Folk Poetry, op. 79. Tel Aviv, 1989

Raksti / Mūzika Latvijā. Riga: Musica Baltica, 2002

Articles in: Latviešu mūzika (1964, 1966), Musik des Ostens (1971, 1982), Jews in Soviet Culture (1984), Israel Studies in Musicology (1987), Essays on the Musical Culture of Soviet Latvia (Leningrad, 1971), Soviet Music

Literature:

SKV, p. 32

[Interview with I. I. Braun] in Muzikas Saule, 2003, No. 1

Padomju Latvijas mūzikas darbinieki, Riga, 1965, pp. 74–75