Ida Halpern
| Ida Halpern | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ida Ruhdörfer July 17, 1910 Vienna, Austria |
| Died |
February 7, 1987 (aged 76) Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Fields | Ethnomusicologist |
| Institutions | University of Shanghai, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University |
| Alma mater | Ph.D., musicology, University of Vienna, 1938 |
| Academic advisors | Robert Lach, Egon Wellesz, Robert Haas |
| Known for | Collecting, recording, and transcribing music of Native Americans of coastal British Columbia (particularly the Kwakiutl |
Ida Halpern (née Ruhdörfer; July 17, 1910 – February 7, 1987) was a Canadian ethnomusicologist.
Halpern was born in Vienna, Austria. She arrived in Canada in order to flee Nazism in her native country,[1] becoming a Canadian citizen in 1944. She worked among Native Americans of coastal British Columbia (particularly the Kwakiutl) during the mid-20th century, collecting, recording, and transcribing their music and documenting its use in their culture. Many of these recordings were released as LPs, with extensive liner notes and transcriptions. More recently, her collection has also been released digitally.[2][3]
Born as Ida Ruhdörfer, she married Georg Halpern in 1936, and moved with him to Italy before returning to Vienna to complete her studies. She received a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Vienna in 1938 where she studied under Robert Lach, Egon Wellesz and Robert Haas. After the Nazi takeover of Austria, the Halperns escaped to Shanghai; there, Ida Halpern taught at the University of Shanghai. In 1939 they moved again to Vancouver. Ida Halpern joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia, and was an Honorary Associate, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. Halpern died in Vancouver, in 1987.[2][3]
The Ida Halpern Fellowship and Award, "to help support research on Native American Music of the United States and Canada" was established in her honor.[4]
References
- ↑ "The Ida Halpern Records and the Archival Depiction of Indigenous Culture and Identity". Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- 1 2 "Ida Halpern". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
- 1 2 Watts, Richard (August 6, 2015), "How an escape from Nazis led to new world of First Nations songs", Times Colonist.
- ↑ "Funding Opportunities - Society for Ethnomusicology - Ida Halpern Fellowship and Award". Duke University. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
External links
- Duke, David Gordon (2011-11-17). "Remembering Dr. Halpern". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
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