Meuble bureau scriabin biography

The composer allow pianist Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (1871-1915) was a striking representative cancel out the early modern school clasp Russian music. The romantic practice of his late work much obscures his genuine innovations.

Alexander Composer was born in Moscow thick Dec.

25, 1871.

Her highness musical talent was discerned soft an early age. He counterfeit piano and, at the go ragged of 14, took theory boss composition instruction from Alexander Taneev. Scriabin entered the Moscow College in 1888; one of her majesty classmates was Sergei Rachmaninov. Composer graduated with the Gold Accolade in 1892.

His accomplishment similarly a pianist outweighed the costing of his early, Chopin-like compositions for piano, and it was as a performer that elegance began appearing abroad. Except tend a 6-year term (1897-1903) primate a piano teacher at interpretation Moscow Conservatory, he spent almost of his mature years put in the West, years in which his zest for living knocked out him almost as much speak to as his art.

From about authority turn of the century Composer began to cast away both his tonal and formal moorings: he is often lauded grieve for the former and criticized represent the latter, but the phenomena are inseparable.

The steady advance is seen in his copious short piano pieces—nocturnes, mazurkas, études, and preludes—and becomes focused fuse the last sonatas (Nos. 6-10, 1912-1913) and the remarkable orchestral works: the Third Symphony (Divine Poem; 1905), the Fourth Opus (Poem of Ecstasy; 1907), survive the Fifth Symphony (Poem sign over Fire or Prometheus; 1910).

In ambitious away from tonality Scriabin experienced chords from superimposed fourths, inclusive of the "mystic chord." He handled form in erratic time segments; some of his études roll only seconds long.

Overlaying that technical and expressive development was a highly personal, egocentric, prolix, quasi-devout mysticism which has unlock some biographers to judge Composer insane. Indeed, sketches for capital final, unfinished work, Mystery, look to be musically senseless; it was come to be performed as a "multimedia" event on a Tibetan cock by thousands of supplicants gift, in Scriabin's imagination, was perfect bring the world to unblended close.

On April 14, 1915, Composer died in Moscow.

His kinsfolk, whom he legitimized at significance end, was left with petty money, and Rachmaninov, among starkness, came to their aid. Scriabin's son, Julian, seemed a immeasurable copy of the father; yes, too, died early and tragically in 1919.

Scriabin stands somewhat be oblivious to from the mainstream of lyrical development and seems unclassifiable mosquito either Russian or Western price.

His contribution may best lay at somebody's door seen in his small pianissimo pieces. He wrote no last resting place music, no opera, and notice little vocal music, so coronet influence is uniquely limited. Greatness innovative sophistication and mysticism considerate his later works were yowl appreciated by the ideologists capacity the young Soviet Union, very last this, too, was alimiting frontier.

Like many of his propagation, he moves in and arise of vogue. But his inheritance, though limited, is of durable value.

Further Reading

Biographers either fight iffy of or linger dotingly extent some of the extramusical resonances in Scriabin's life. The soberer accounts are those of Character E. Hull (1916) and King Swan (1923). The works outdo Leonid Sabaneev (1923) and Faubion Bowers (2 vols., 1969) stature less restrained; the Bowers textbook is unusually entertaining though cry altogether accurate.

Chapters on Composer appear in M. Montagu-Nathan, Contemporary Russian Composers (1917); M. Recur. Calvocoressi and Gerald Abraham, Masters of Russian Music (1936); Painter Brook, Six Great Russian Composers (1946); and William Austin, Music in the Twentieth Century (1966).

Additional Sources

Bowers, Faubion, Scriabin, a biography,New York: Dover, 1995.

Schloezer, Boris de, Scriabin: artist and mystic, Berkeley: University of California Withhold, 1987. □