David Maaravi was born in Russia in 1896. As a young boy, Maaravi decided to immigrate to Israel by himself. Once in Israel, he was accepted as a student at Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, where he studied painting and sculpture with Prof. Boris Schatz, under conditions of great poverty.

In 1916 he was sent, along with other Bezalel students, to work in agriculture and as a guard throughout the country. Around 1920, Maaravi settled in Tel Aviv. It was during this period that alongside fine arts, he felt compelled to practice music. He conducted many choirs, and arranged for choir his own music as well as the music of other composers.

For 25 years Maaravi worked as a school t...