Dov (Dubi) Seltzer (
Hebrew: דב (דובי) זלצר; born 26 January 1932) is a
Romanian-born Israeli composer and conductor.
Biography
Dov (Dubi) Seltzer began studying music at an early age. He studied theory and harmony with professors
Alfred Mendelssohn and
Mihail Jora. When Seltzer immigrated to
Israel at age 15, a
musical comedy he had previously written continued to be played for two more years, performed by one of
Bucharest's professional youth theaters. Seltzer finished his high school studies in
KibbutzMishmar HaEmek in
Israel. At the recommendation of his teacher, the pianist
Frank Pelleg, Seltzer was awarded a scholarship to continue his musical studies at the Conservatories in
Haifa and later on in
Tel Aviv.
At 18 he joined the
Israel Defense Forces and was among the founders, and the first official composer, of the Nachal Musical Theater Group (
Lehakat Hanachal). The songs he wrote for the Nachal group, and the hundreds he wrote later on, are considered cornerstones of
Israeli folk and popular music and are standard repertory on radio and TV worldwide. He composed, arranged, and played accordion for the Israeli troupe Oranim Zabar, and was married to their lead singer, Geula Gill.
Upon his return to Israel, Seltzer embarked on an active musical career, writing in particular for musical theater. He also wrote music scores for more than forty full-length feature films, among them Israeli, American, Italian, German, and French productions.
1967 – The musical Rumpelstiltskin, music by Dov Seltzer, received the Prize of the City of
Tel Aviv as the Best Musical Play of the Year.
1968 – Awarded the Kinor David (Harp of David), the Israeli "Oscar", as the Best Screen and Theater Composer of the Year.
1969 – The stage version of the musical Kazablan, music by Dov Seltzer, received the Prize of the City of Tel Aviv as the Best Musical Play of the Year.
1970 – Awarded the Kinor David as the Best Screen and Theater Composer of the Year.
1971 – The film Yadaim (Hands), music by Dov Seltzer, was awarded the Prize of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce as Best Documentary Film and Best Score for a Documentary Film.
1973 – The film I Love You Rosa by
Moshé Mizrahi, music by Dov Seltzer, was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Film. The film also represented Israel at the Cannes Film Festival and the score was cited by the judges.
1974 – The title song of the musical Kazablan (film version) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
1985 – Received
ACUM Jury Award for lifetime achievement in music.
1989 – Received
Sholom Aleichem House Award for Contribution and Creativity in the field of Jewish Culture.
2000 – Received Prime Minister's Prize for Israeli composers for his work Lament for Yitzhak.
2006 – Received the Prize of The Minister of Culture, Science and Sport for Lifetime Activity in the field of Israeli Song and Music.
2009 – Received the
Israel Prize for his lifetime contribution to the different genres of Israeli music including songs, musicals, film scores, and symphonic music.
2014 – Received the Theater Prize for Lifetime Achievement
Musicals
(Partial list)
The Megilah – Musical based on the poetic libretto Songs of the Megillah (in Yiddish) by the famous poet
Itzik Manger. After the original run (450 performances), the musical had five additional theater productions (one of them on
Broadway) and three film versions.
Ramat Aviv Gimel – Music and title song for the longest running Israeli TV series.
Symphonic works
Stempeniu – a dramatic poem based on the novel by
Shalom Aleichem. The work is for actor/narrator, solo violin, and symphony orchestra. It was commissioned and given its premiere performance by Maestro
Zubin Mehta with the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. (Repeat performances by the
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Ra'anana Symphonette).
Rhapsodie Hassidique – for violin and enlarged chamber orchestra, was commissioned and performed by
Yehudi Menuhin in London with the
English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the composer. (Repeat performances by the Ra'anana Symphonette and the
Europa Philharmonie with
Michael Guttman playing the solo part).
This Scroll – an ode to the
Israeli Declaration of Independence, written for baritone solo, mixed choir, and symphony orchestra. The work was composed in honour of the 100th anniversary of the birth of
David Ben-Gurion. World premiere by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Stanley Sperber. Solo baritone –
Yehoram Gaon. (Repeat performances by the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Queens Symphony, and the Beer-Sheva Symphonette).
The Gold of the Ashes – a symphonic poem with solo mezzo-soprano, children's choir, and symphony orchestra. Composed for the 500-year commemoration of the
expulsion of Jews from Spain. The world premiere of the work was performed by the
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer.
The Poetry and Prophecy of the Bible – a symphonic suite with narrators reading texts from the Bible, including "The Creation", "The Expulsion from Paradise", "By the Rivers of Babylon", "The Vision of Isa'ya", and "Song of Songs" (record featuring
Theodore Bikel as narrator, the
Vienna Symphony, and Dov Seltzer conducting).
Tradition – nine old Jewish songs, arranged for violin and symphony orchestra. CD featuring
Yitzhak Perlman and the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer. Live performance by the IPO conducted by
Zubin Mehta.