Matti Caspi died at the age of 76 from the effects of cancer, which he had publicly disclosed last year. For readers outside Israel, the name may not ring a bell. In Israel, however, Matti Caspi was omnipresent. His music played on the radio, in cars, in kindergartens, at family celebrations, and on television. People heard it often without consciously registering who had written it. That was precisely part of his significance: he was everywhere—and yet never intrusive.
I myself encountered his music early on. During my time as a student at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, his songs were simply part of the everyday soundscape. Later, while working at Israeli television, I repeatedly worked with his music. It accompanied images, created moods, carried transitions. Once I was even involved in preparing an old television recording that was used for a collection of his songs. Even then, I was reminded once again how deeply his music is anchored in the cultural archive of this country.
Born in 1949, Matti Caspi belonged to the generation of musicians who reshaped the sound of Israel in the 1970s. Like many artists of his time, his path began in military music ensembles and from there led to studios, concert halls, and radio. It soon became clear that he was not only an interpreter but above all a composer and arranger with a distinctive signature—one that combined catchy melodies with musical depth and extended far beyond individual songs.
Matti Caspi was not only a singer. He was above all a composer, arranger, and musical shaper. He wrote and shaped hundreds of songs—for himself and for others. His music blended catchy melodies with complex harmony, pop with jazz, lightness with musical depth. That made him especially interesting to musicians and at the same time accessible to a broad audience.
This is particularly evident in his collaboration with Riki Gal. Many of her best-known songs came from his pen. For several of her albums he wrote, arranged, and produced nearly all the material. Anyone who knows her voice also knows his musical signature—even if his name often remained in the background.
Caspi belonged to the generation that today is considered the classic foundation of Israeli music. Names like Arik Einstein, Shlomo Gronich, Yehudit Ravitz, or Shalom Hanoch stand for a time when Israeli pop music found its own language: rooted in the land, open to influences, sophisticated yet close to the people. Matti Caspi was one of the quiet engines of this development. Not always in the spotlight, but often decisive for what people heard.
His children’s songs played a special role. Hardly any Israeli child grew up without knowing at least one of his songs. That perhaps explains better than any statistic why people say his music was “in every home.” It accompanied people from early childhood—and often remained present throughout their lives.
Matti Caspi did not merely set Israel to music; he helped shape it. His music was part of everyday life, part of memory, part of the emotional landscape of this country. With his death, Israel is not losing a star in the classical sense, but a musical companion—someone whose melodies will continue to live on, even if many can no longer name their origin.
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