Simon Parmet
Born26 October 1897
Helsinki, Finland
Died20 July 1969
Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Occupation(s)Composer, conductor
SpouseVera Smolensky

Simon Parmet (né Pergament) (Hebrew: שמעון בן יהדוה פּארמעת) (26 October 1897 – 20 July 1969) was a Finnish conductor, composer, and pianist who studied under famous composer Jean Sibelius.[1]

Education and career

Education and formative years

Parmet began his career as a musician at the age of 15, when he was a dedicated pianist for the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra,[2] although he would later study under Alexander Glazunov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory,[3] and later at the Helsinki Music Institute and the Berlin Conservatory following the Russian Revolution. His teachers in Helsinki were Erik Furuhjelm and Erkki Melartin. He spent many of his early years in Finland studying under composer Jean Sibelius.[4][5] Parmet was heavily influenced by his teacher, and would conduct many of Sibelius's works throughout his career, such as the American premiere of Luonnotar in 1952.[6]

Opera

Earlier in his career, Parmet worked as an opera conductor in Germany, for the Finnish National Opera, and as conductor of the Finnish Symphony Radio Orchestra.[7] He also co-founded the Akateeminen Laulu, of which he was the first director from 1953 to 1954. During his period in America, he was a director for the Finnish Male Chorus of New York City.[8]

Conducting

In 1938, Parmet was invited by Polish violinist Bronisław Huberman to conduct the Palestine Symphony Orchestra.[9][10] Parmet conducted many orchestras throughout the United States during the 1940s, such as repeat conducting of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall,[11][12] the El Paso Symphony Orchestra,[13][14] and the Louisville Philharmonic.[2] In addition to presenting Sibelius's works to America, he often shared many works by Finnish artists that were culturally obscure to Americans, such as his 1952 Philadelphia conducting of Symphonic Sketches by Ahti Sonninen.[15]

Composing

One notable debut of Parmet's was a 1952 performance by Abraham Chavez, who performed an unpublished impromptu by Sibelius that Parmet had transcribed to ensure it would not be lost.[16]

Recording and writing

Parmet conducting, 1945

Parmet recorded his first compositions and conductions in Berlin in 1929. Recordings made under his direction can be found in the Yle recording archive, including Einar Englund's Symphony No. 2 (1951), Bengt Johansson's Expressions for Orchestra (1953), and Toivo Kuula's Stabat mater (1953). In 1962, he composed film music for Little Presents with the Radio Entertainment Orchestra.[17] He also composed film music for the film The Doll Merchant (1955), directed by Jack Witikka. Parmet additionally published many musical and music theory books in Swedish.

Education

During his time in the United States, Parmet worked as the music department head at the Margaret Hall School in Versailles, Kentucky.[18]

Personal life and family

In the 1940s, Parmet temporarily moved from Finland to Elmira, New York[19] and Washington, D.C. while conducting orchestras in the United States.[2] Although he did not live out the rest of his life in the United States, he became a naturalized citizen in 1942 with his wife Vera.[20]

His brother was Moses Pergament,[21] a Finnish-Swedish composer and music critic.[9] He is also the uncle of Swedish pianist Erna Tauro through her father, Isak Pergament.

Parmet died on 20 July 1969, and is buried in the New Jewish Cemetery in Helsinki.[22]

Bibliography

  • Sibelius symfonier: en studie i musikförståelse (1959) (The symphonies of Sibelius: a study in musical appreciation)[23][24][25]
  • Con amor om musik och mästare (1960) (With love: on music and teachers)[26]
  • Sävelestä sanaan: esseitä (1962) (From verse to word: essays)[27]
  • Genom fönsterrutan: essäer om konst och musik och andra uppsatser (1964) (From the looking glass: essays on art and music)[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ala-Könni, Erkki; Kaurinkoski, Tuula; Granholm, Heidi (1978). Otavan Iso Musiikkitietosanakirja (in Finnish). Helsinki: Sohlmans musiklexikon. ISBN 9789511047636.
  2. 1 2 3 "MUSIC: The Problems of the Louisville Philharmonic are Far from Unique". The Courier-Journal. 11 Jan 1948. p. 35. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  3. ↑ "Jewish Music and Theatre - Simon Parmet". Jewish Music and Theatre Online. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  4. ↑ "Guest Conductor". El Paso Times. 5 Jun 1950. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "'Music Under the Stars' Becomes EP Tradition". El Paso Times. 12 Jul 1959. p. 24. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  6. ↑ "Finn's Music to Be Played on CBS Today". The Press of Atlantic City. 7 Sep 1952. p. 26. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  7. ↑ "From Finland". Montreal Gazette. 6 Sep 1952. p. 24. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  8. ↑ "Finnish Chorus Concert Sunday". Sentinel & Enterprise. 3 Jun 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Swedish Conductor Invited to Palestine". Buffalo Jewish Review. 22 Apr 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swedish Conductor Invited to Palestine". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  11. ↑ "Parmet Debut". New York Daily News. 5 Sep 1945. p. 490. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  12. ↑ "Carnegie 'Pops' in Lively Week". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 12 May 1946. p. 29. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  13. ↑ "Orchestra Gives Splendid Performance". El Paso Times. 28 Jul 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  14. ↑ "Finnish Conductor to Feature 'Finlandia' in First Concert". El Paso Times. 7 Jul 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  15. ↑ "Finnish Epic Told in Radio Music Sunday". Wichita Falls Times. 7 Sep 1952. p. 50. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  16. ↑ "Sibelius Number Set for Concert". El Paso Times. 7 Dec 1952. p. 30. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  17. ↑ Sirén, Vesa (2008-12-24). "Juutalaisvastaisuus eli myösmusiikkielämässä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  18. ↑ "Margaret Hall Opens Sept. 10". Lexington Herald-Leader. 1 Sep 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  19. ↑ "Parmet Chosen to Conduct Symphony". Star-Gazette. 24 Sep 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  20. ↑ The National Archives at Philadelphia; Philadelphia, PA; NAI Title: Declarations of Intention For Citizenship, 1/19/1842 - 10/29/1959; NAI Number: 4713410; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: 21
  21. ↑ "Moses Pergament: un compositor judío nacido en Finlandia | Radio Sefarad" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  22. ↑ "JOWBR - New Jewish Cemetery, Helsinki: Simon Parmet". JewishGen. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  23. ↑ Parmet, Simon; Hart, Kingsley A.; Hart, Kingsley (1959). The symphonies of Sibelius: a study in musical appreciation. London: Cassel.
  24. ↑ Parmet, Simon; Jalas, Margareta (1955). Sibeliuksen sinfoniat: ajatuksia musiikin tulkinnasta. Helsinki: Otava.
  25. ↑ Cooper, Martin (30 Apr 1960). "The World of Music: The Riddle of Sibelius". The Daily Telegraph. p. 11. Retrieved 27 Apr 2023.
  26. ↑ Parmet, Simon (1960). Con amore: essäer om musik och mästare. Helsingfors: Söderström.
  27. ↑ Parmet, Simon; Snellman-Borenius, Clara (1962). Sävelestä sanaan: esseitä. Helsinki: WSOY.
  28. ↑ Parmet, Simon (1964). Genom fönsterrutan: essäer om konst och musik och andra uppsatser. Helsingfors: Söderström.
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