Yakov Zak
Encyclopedia
Yakov Izrailevich Zak , Jiakov Israilevič Sak; Odessa
, - Moscow
, June 28, 1976) was a Soviet pianist and teacher of Jewish extraction.
Born in Odessa
, Zak studied piano at the Odessa Conservatory with Maria Starkhova, took classes on special harmony
with Mykola Vilinsky
, and later studied with Heinrich Neuhaus
in Moscow
. Having made his debut in 1935, he rose to prominence when he won First Prize and the Mazurka Prize at the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
in 1937. From 1935 Zak taught at the Moscow Conservatory
, becoming a professor in 1947 and being granted a chair in 1965. His pupils include Nikolai Petrov
, Evgeny Mogilevsky
, Lubov Timofeyeva, Valery Afanassiev
, Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey and Youri Egorov
. In 1966 Yakov Zak was made People's Artist of the USSR
.
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, - Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, June 28, 1976) was a Soviet pianist and teacher of Jewish extraction.
Born in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Zak studied piano at the Odessa Conservatory with Maria Starkhova, took classes on special harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
with Mykola Vilinsky
Mykola Vilinsky
Mykola Vilinsky was a Ukrainian composer and a professor at the Odessa and Kiev Conservatories.He was descended from a Ukrainian family of hereditary nobles...
, and later studied with Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Gustavovich Neuhaus was a Soviet pianist and pedagogue of German extraction. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1922 to 1964. He was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1956...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Having made his debut in 1935, he rose to prominence when he won First Prize and the Mazurka Prize at the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
The International Chopin Piano Competition , often referred to as the Chopin Competition, is a piano competition held in Warsaw, Poland to honour the name of Frédéric Chopin. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world...
in 1937. From 1935 Zak taught at 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...
, becoming a professor in 1947 and being granted a chair in 1965. His pupils include Nikolai Petrov
Nikolai Petrov
Nikolai Arnoldovich Petrov was a Russian pianist.Petrov was born in Moscow, the son of the cellist Arnold Ferkelman and the grandson of the operatic bass Vasily Rodionovich Petrov, and began learning the piano at the age of three...
, Evgeny Mogilevsky
Evgeny Mogilevsky
Evgeny Mogilevsky is a Russian pianist. Son and pupil of Seraphima Mogilevsky at the Stolyarsky Music school in his hometown. Later studied with Heinrich Neuhaus and Yakov Zak at the Moscow Conservatory...
, Lubov Timofeyeva, Valery Afanassiev
Valery Afanassiev
- Life :Valery Afanassiev was born in Moscow. He studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Emil Gilels and Yakov Zak. In 1969 he was the winner of the Bach Competition in Leipzig, and three years later at the Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels...
, Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey and Youri Egorov
Youri Egorov
Youri Aleksandrovich Egorov was a Soviet classical pianist.-Early years:Born in Kazan, USSR, Youri Egorov studied music at the Kazan Conservatory from the age of 6 until age 17. One of his early teachers was Irina Dubinina, a former pupil of Yakov Zak ....
. In 1966 Yakov Zak was made People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
.