Sergei Lyapunov
Encyclopedia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and pianist.
Life
Lyapunov was born in YaroslavlYaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
in 1859. After the death of his father, Mikhail Lyapunov
Mikhail Lyapunov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lyapunov was a Russian astronomer and a head of the Demidov Lyceum in Yaroslavl. He was the father of Aleksandr and Sergei Lyapunov.-References:...
, when he was about eight, Sergei, his mother, and his two brothers (one of them was Aleksandr Lyapunov
Aleksandr Lyapunov
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov was a Russian mathematician, mechanician and physicist. His surname is sometimes romanized as Ljapunov, Liapunov or Ljapunow....
, later a notable mathematician) went to live in the larger town of Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
. There he attended the grammar school along with classes of the newly formed local branch of the Russian Musical Society. On the recommendation of Nikolai Rubinstein, the Director of the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
of Music, he enrolled in that institution in 1878. His main teachers were Karl Klindworth
Karl Klindworth
Karl Klindworth was a German composer, pianist, conductor, violinist and music publisher.-Biography:Klindworth was born at Hanover in 1830. For a time he conducted a traveling opera troupe, but settled in Hanover as a teacher and composer. From there he went to Weimar, 1852, and studied the piano...
(piano; a former pupil of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
), and Sergei Taneyev
Sergei Taneyev
Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev , was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.-Life:...
(composition; a former pupil of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
and his successor at the Conservatory).
He graduated in 1883, more attracted by the nationalist elements in music of the New Russian School than by the more cosmopolitan approach of Tchaikovsky and Taneyev. He went to St. Petersburg in 1885 to seek Mily Balakirev
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
, becoming the most important member of Balakirev's latter-day circle. Balakirev, who had himself been born and bred in Nizhny Novgorod, took Lyapunov under his wing, and oversaw his early compositions as closely as he had done with the members of his circle during the 1860s, now known as The Five
The Five
The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin...
. Balakirev's influence remained the dominant influence in his creative life.
In 1893, the Imperial Geographical Society commissioned Lyapunov, along with Balakirev and Lyadov, to gather folksongs from the regions of Vologda
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is Vologda. The largest city is Cherepovets.Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the magnificent Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Convent , medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, baroque...
, Vyatka (now Kirov)
Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: -History:In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.In 1920, a number of...
and Kostroma
Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
. They collected nearly 300 songs, which the society published in 1897. Lyapunov arranged 30 of these songs for voice and piano and used authentic folk songs in several of his compositions during the 1890s.
He succeeded Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
as assistant director of music at the Imperial Chapel, became a director of the Free Music School, then its head, as well as a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
in 1911. After the Revolution he emigrated to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1923 and directed a school of music for Russian émigrés, but died of a heart attack the following year. For many years the official Soviet line was that Lyapunov had died during a concert tour of Paris, no acknowledgement being made of his voluntary exile.
Lyapunov enjoyed a successful career as a pianist. He made several tours of Western Europe, including one of Germany and Austria in 1910-1911. From 1904 he also made appearances as a conductor, mounting the podium by invitation in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 1907.
He is largely remembered for his Douze étude
Étude
An étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
s d'exécution transcendente written in memory of Liszt. In the spring of 1910 Lyapunov recorded some of his own works for the reproducing piano Welte-Mignon
Welte-Mignon
M. Welte & Sons, Freiburg and New York was a manufacturer of orchestrions, organs and reproducing pianos, established in Vöhrenbach by Michael Welte in 1832.-Overview:...
(Op. 11, Nos. 1, 5, and 12; Op. 35).
Works with opus numbers
- Op. 1 - Three Pieces
- Etude in D-flat
- Intermezzo in E-flat minor
- Waltz in A-flat major
- Op. 2 - Ballade (orchestra; 1883; also arranged for 2 pianos)
- Op. 3 - Rêverie du soir
- Op. 4 - Piano ConcertoPiano concertoA piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
No. 1 in E flat minor (1890) - Op. 5 - Impromptu, A-flat major
- Op. 6 - Seven Preludes
- Op. 7 - Solemn OvertureOvertureOverture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
on Russian Themes (1886) - Op. 8 - Nocturne in D-flat
- Op. 9 - Two MazurkaMazurkaThe mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
s (1898) - Op. 10 - 30 Russian Folksongs
- Op. 11 - 12 Transcendental Études (dedicated to Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
)- Berceuse ("Lullaby") in F major
- Ronde des Fantômes ("Ghosts' dance") in D minor
- Carillon in B major
- Térek ("The River Terek") in G minor
- Nuit d'été ("Summer night") in E major
- Tempête ("Tempest") in C minor
- Idylle in A major
- Chant épique ("Epic song") in F minor
- Harpes éoliennes ("Aeolian harpAeolian harpAn aeolian harp is a musical instrument that is "played" by the wind. It is named for Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind. The traditional aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges...
s") in D major - Lesghinka in B minor
- Ronde des sylphes ("Dance of the sylphs") in G major
- Elégie en mémoire de François Liszt ("Elegy in memory of Liszt") in E minor
- Op. 12 - SymphonySymphonyA symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
No. 1 in B minor (1887) - Op. 13 - 35 Russian Folksongs (1897)
- Op. 14 - Four songs
- Op. 15 - Russian songs (1900)
- Op. 16 - PolonaisePolonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."The polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin....
for Grand Orchestra, in D major (1902) [later arranged (possibly not by the composer?) for piano solo, piano 4h, and 2pf 8h] - Op. 17 - Mazurka No. 3
- Op. 18 - Novelette
- Op. 19 - Mazurka No. 4
- Op. 20 - Valse pensive
- Op. 21 - Mazurka No. 5
- Op. 22 - Chant du crépuscule
- Op. 23 - Valse-ImpromptuImpromptuAn impromptu is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ex tempore improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano...
No. 1 - Op. 24 - Mazurka No. 6
- Op. 25 - Tarentelle
- Op. 26 - Chant d'automne
- Op. 27 - Piano SonataPiano sonataA piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
in F minor - Op. 28 - RhapsodyRhapsody (music)A rhapsody in music is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colour and tonality. An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation make it freer in form than a set of variations...
on UkrainianUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Themes - Op. 29 - Valse-Impromptu No. 2
- Op. 30 - Four songs
- Op. 31 - Mazurka No. 7
- Op. 32 - Four songs
- Op. 33 - Two piano pieces from GlinkaMikhail GlinkaMikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
's Ruslan and Ludmilla- Fairies' Lullaby
- Combat and Death of Tchernomor
- Op. 34 - Humoresque
- Op. 35 - DivertissementDivertissementDivertissement is used, in a similar sense to the Italian 'divertimento', for a light piece of music for a small group of players, however the French term has additional meanings....
s- Loup-garou
- Le Vautour: jeu d'enfants
- Ronde des enfants
- Colin-maillard
- Chansonette enfantine
- Jeu de course
- Op. 36 - Mazurka No. 8
- Op. 37 - Symphonic PoemSymphonic poemA symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
in Memory of ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
"Zhelazova Vola" (Cyrillic, Жeлaзoвa Вoлa; a reference to Chopin's birth place Żelazowa WolaZelazowa WolaŻelazowa Wola is a village in Gmina Sochaczew, Sochaczew County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies on the Utrata River, some northeast of Sochaczew and west of Warsaw. Żelazowa Wola has a population of 65....
) - Op. 38 - Piano Concerto No. 2 in E major
- Op. 39 - Three Songs
- Op. 40 - Three Pieces
- Prélude
- Elégie
- Humoresque
- Op. 41 - Fêtes de Noël
- Nuit de Noël
- Cortège des mages
- Chanteurs de Noël
- Chant de Noël
- Op. 42 - Three songs (1910-11)
- Op. 43 - Seven songs (1911)
- Op. 44 - Three songs (1911)
- Op. 45 - Scherzo (1911)
- Op. 46 - Barcarolle
- Op. 47 - Five Quartets (male voices)
- Op. 48 - Five Quartets (male voices; 1912)
- Op. 49 - Variations on a Russian Theme (1912)
- Op. 50 - Four songs (1912)
- Op. 51 - Four songs (1912)
- Op. 52 - Four songs (1912)
- Op. 53 - Hashish
- Op. 54 - Prelude Pastorale (organ)
- Op. 54b - Prelude Pastorale (arr. 2 pianos) (not confirmed if arrangement is by the composer)
- Op. 55 - Grande Polonaise de Concert (ded. Josef LhévinneJosef LhévinneJosef Lhévinne was a Russian pianist and piano teacher.Joseph Arkadievich Levin was born into a family of musicians in Oryol and studied at the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow under Vasily Safonov...
) - Op. 56 - Four songs (1913)
- Op. 57 - Three Pieces (1913)
- Op. 58 - Prelude and Fugue (1913)
- Op. 59 - Six Easy Pieces
- Jeu de paume (Playing ball)
- Berceuse d'un poupée (Lullaby for a doll)
- Sur une escarpolette (On the swings)
- A cheval sur un bâton (Riding on a stick)
- Conte de la bonne ("La vieille et l'ours") (Nurse’s story)
- Ramage des enfants (Children’s chatter)
- Op. 60 - Variations on a Georgian Theme
- Op. 61 - Violin Concerto (1915; revised 1921)
- Op. 62 - Sacred works (mixed; 1915)
- Op. 63 - Sextet for string quartet, double bass & piano (1915, rev. 1921)
- Op. 64 - Psalm (1916 revised 1923)
- Op. 65 - Sonatina (1917)
- Op. 66 - Symphony No. 2 in B flat (1917)
- Op. 67 - (no work assigned to this number)
- Op. 68 - Vechernyaya pesn [Evening song], Cantata for Tenor, Chorus and Orchestra (1920)
- Op. 69 - Four songs (1919)
- Op. 70 - Valse-Impromptu No. 3
- Op. 71 - Four songs (1919-1920)
Works without opus numbers
- Gifts of the Terek (Дары Терека), Cantata for viola solo, chorus and orchestra (1883)
- 6 Very Easy Pieces (1918-1919)
- Toccata and Fugue (1920)
- Canon (1923)
- Allegretto scherzando (1923)
- 2 Preludes
- Piano transcription of Pachelbel's Canon in D
- Piano transcription of GlinkaMikhail GlinkaMikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
's "Kamarinskaya"
Sources
- Garden, Edward, Liner notes for Hyperion CDA 67326, Lyapunov: Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes (London: Hyperion Records Limited, 2002).
- ed. Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 20 vols. (London: MacMillian, 1980). ISBN 0-333-23111-2.
External links
- Biography by Dr. David C. F. Wright
- Free scores (in russian)
- Richard Beattie Davis `Lyapunov` `Beauty of Belaieff`. G Clef Publishing, Bedford UK 2008 ISBN 978-1-905912-14-8
- worklist at Russisches Musik Archiv
- Liapunov biography, images, recording list and more by Ryan Whitney