Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Sketch
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1896, Jan. 15 | Born in Odessa, Russia, to Alexander Ficher (Odessa, 1864 - Buenos Aires, 1937), trombonist of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, and his wife Iente Mirl (Elena) Gotz |
| 1901 | Began violin studies at age five, but this is soon interrupted due to his mother's death |
| 1903 | Continued violin studies with professors Piotr S. Stoliarsky and M. T. Hait |
| 1912 | Applied to Saint Petersburg Conservatory After being admitted, he traveled alone to the imperial capital and began his academic musical studies Studied violin under Sergei Korguieff and Leopoldo Auer, and fugue, harmony, counterpoint, composition, and orchestration with Vasili Kalafati, Maximilian Steinberg, Nikolay Tcherepnin and Nicolai Sokoloff |
| 1917 | Graduated from Petrograd Conservatory as a "Free Artist" |
| 1917-1923 | Composed his first works: songs, and piano and violin pieces |
| 1919, Aug. 1 | Performed Bruch's Concerto for violin and orchestra no. 1 in G minor, op. 26 with the Soviet Odessa Philharmonic under L. P. Steinberg |
| 1919 | Won orchestra competition judged by Alexander Glazounov Appointed concertmaster of the ex-Imperial Opera Orchestra (renamed the Academic Opera Orchestra) Remained in this position for a short period after seeing, upon returning to Odessa, the deprivation from which the city is suffering |
| 1920, June 16 | Married pianist Ana Aronberg, a pupil at the Odessa Conservatory (died 1976) |
| 1921 | Family relocated to Poland due to famine and persecution in Odessa |
| 1923, Feb. 10 | Ficher, his wife, younger brother Rachmiel, sister-in-law, and his father with his second wife established themselves in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The following day, he was engaged to play at masked balls as part of Carnival festivities |
| 1923, June 24 | Son Miguel born |
| 1923 | Formed a small orchestra with his wife, Rachmiel (cello), and his father to play at silent movies in a Buenos Aires cinema. Due to an exhausting playing schedule they resigned, but are soon contracted by an upscale Buenos Aires hotel to play popular music and medleys of classical composers |
| 1924 | Composed first orchestral work, Suite no. 1, op. 5 |
| 1927-1928 | Awarded one of two second prizes in a contest organized by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra for Poema heroico: op. 7; Dmitri Shostakovich awarded the other |
| 1928, Feb. 7 | Daughter Myra born |
| 1929 | Awarded the Municipality of Buenos Aires Prize for his first string quartet and the Asociación del Profesorado Orquestal Prize for Obertura patética exodus: op. 11 Co-founded Grupo Renovación with Juan José Castro, José María Castro, Juan Carlos Paz, and Gilardo Gilardi Received Asociación del Profesorado Orquestal Prize for Obertura patética exodus: op. 11 |
| 1931 | Won Municipality of Buenos Aires Prize for Sulamita: op. 8 |
| 1932 | Won Asociación del Profesorado Orquestal Prize for Tres bocetos inspirados en el Talmud: op. 17 Appointed conductor of the Orchestra Asociación del Profesorado Orquestal |
| 1933 | Appointed conductor of the Radio Nacional, Radio Municipal, and Radio Belgrano orchestras |
| 1936 | Won second prize for La rosa muerta: op. 34 in a contest sponsored by the Idelssohn Asociation of Johannesburg, Sud Africa |
| 1937 | Received the Coolidge Prize for his second string quartet at the Festival de Música de Cámara Panamericana, Mexico City |
| 1939 | Appointed conductor of the AGMA (Asociación General de Músicos de la Argentina) Symphonic Orchestra and music director of Radio Splendid |
| 1940 | Won Comisión Nacional de Cultura First Prize for Symphony no. 3 |
| 1941 | Won Municipality of Buenos Aires Prize for Piano sonata no. 1 |
| 1942 | Awarded E.A. Fleisher Collection Prize for Concerto for violin and orchestra, op. 46 |
| 1943 | Became professor of harmony at the Asociación General de Músicos de la Argentina |
| 1947 | Founded Liga de compositores de la Argentina |
| 1952 | Received Asociación Wagneriana Carlos López-Buchardo Prize for his fourth string quartet |
| 1954, Nov. 7 | Suite no. 3, op. 78 premiered by the Indianapolis Orchestra under Fabien Sevinsky |
| 1954 Nov.-Dec. | Invited to the Festival de Música Latinoamericana de Caracas, where his cantata, Salmo de alegría: op. 69 is performed |
| 1956 | Professor of harmony, Escuela Superior de Música de la Universidad de La Plata |
| 1957 Mar. | Conducted Obertura para Don Segundo Sombra: op. 82 at the II Festival de Música Latinoamericana, Caracas |
| 1957 Sept. | Awarded second prize for Saxophone quartet, op. 89 at the Festival Interamericano de Música, Montevideo |
| 1958, Aug. 14 | Premier of Oda a la Libertad: pp. 90 by Jean Fournier |
| 1958 | Professor of composition, Buenos Aires National Conservatory and musical advisor to the Fondo Nacional de las Artes |
| 1960 | Received Grand Prize "Sesquicentenario de la Revolución de Mayo" for Symphony no. 7: Epopeya de Mayo, op. 92 |
| 1961 Mar. | Performance of Suite for chamber orchestra at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Miami |
| 1961 Nov. | Received Argentinean Mozarteum Prize (Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes) for Piano quintet, op. 96 |
| 1963, Aug. 29 | Premier of cantata Mi aldea: op. 91 by Jacques Bodmer |
| 1963 Dec. | Performance of his ballet, Los invitados: op. 26, by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Arizona |
| 1964 | Performance of Obertura festiva: op. 98 by the Athens Symphony Orchestra under Andreas Paridis |
| 1965 Aug. | Premier of Piano sonata, op. 101 at the IV Festival of Contemporary Music of the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella |
| 1966 | Several concerts held in Buenos Aires to celebrate Ficher's 70th birthday Ediciones Culturales Argentinas published Jacobo Ficher, a biography by Boris Zipman Professor of composition, Buenos Aires Conservatorio Municipal Manuel de Falla |
| 1967 | Conducted his cantata, Salmo de alegría: op. 69, at the Teatro Argentino de La Plata |
| 1968, Nov. 12 | Premier of his opera, Pedido de mano: op. 84 at the Buenos Aires Teatro Presidente Alvear under Armando Krieger |
| 1968 Dec. | Traveled to Europe with his wife at the invitation of the Israel Composers Association and the British Council Spent one month in Israel, then traveled to Italy, France, and England, and visited London under the auspices of the British Council |
| 1968 | Professor of instrumentation, Teatro Colón's Conservatorio e Instituto |
| 1969 Jan. | Traveled to the United States and remained in Philadelphia for one month |
| 1969 July | Nominated as member of the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes |
| 1969 Sept. | Lectured on his works at the Conservatorio Municipal Manuel de Falla |
| 1970 | Premier of Cinco retratos: op. 113 during the II Festival of Argentinean Contemporary Music |
| 1972 | Premier of Piano sonata, op. 118 at a concert sponsored by the Fondo Nacional de las Artes |
| 1974 | Premier of Capricho argentino: op. 121 at the Teatro Colón by the Filarmónica de Buenos Aires under Pedro Ignacio Calderón |
| 1976, July 9 | Celebration of 80th birthday with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional under Juan Emilio Martini |
| 1976, Sept. 30 | Premier of Obertura dramática: op. 130 at the Teatro Colón by Filarmónica de Buenos Aires under Pedro Ignacio Calderón |
| 1977, Sept. 5 | Premier of Cello concerto, op. 128 by the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional under Juan Carlos Zorzi, with Leo Viola as soloist |
| 1977 | Instituto Luchelli Bonadeo payed homage to Ficher with a concert of his piano works and the presentation of new piano pieces published by the Instituto |
| 1978, Sept. 9 | Died, Buenos Aires |
| 1979, Sept. 8 | Dirección Cultural de la Municipalidad de Buenos Aires organized a tribute to Ficher, with introductory remarks by the Director of Educación, a lecture by Dr. Pola Suárez Urtubey, and a concert of Ficher's works |
| 1988 Nov. | Leningrad-Philadelphia Sister Cities organization hosted memorial concert for Ficher at the Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia |
| 1992, Dec. 15 | New York University Department of Music presented chamber concert of works by Ficher |
| 1999, May 23 | Premier of Symphony no. 9, op. 123 by the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra under Warren Cohen |