Sergey Taneyev
A man of spiritual purity, genuine kindness, great cordiality, sensitivity, delicacy and surprising modesty - contemporaries of Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev, a prominent composer, a brilliant pianist, the greatest scholar of musicologist and a born teacher, a true professional in their field, endowed with such virtuous qualities. As a composer, he left descendants a rich artistic heritage. As a pianist, he was not only renowned for his virtuosity, but he was able to convey his ideas to the finest detail. As a musicologist, he wrote scientific works, which even today have not lost their relevance. As a teacher for his students, he was "a ray in a dark kingdom" and it was considered a great success to get into his class. Taneyev was a model in everything. Whatever he did, he did with optimism, a great will and methodical work. A great intellectual with the deepest intelligence of statements, he had such authority that many prominent figures of that time considered it an honor to communicate with him.
A brief biography of Sergei Taneyev and many interesting facts about the composer can be found on our page.
Short biography of Taneyev
In the middle of the nineteenth century, on November 25, 1856, in the most ancient and beautiful city of Russia - Vladimir, in the house of the kindest soul of a man, a descendant of an old noble family, state councilor, doctor and master of literature - Ivan Ilyich Taneyev, a joyful event occurred: kid. The boy, whom the happy parents called Sergey, grew up in a benevolent and creative atmosphere: in the family they spoke each other in three languages and could boast of the richest home library. In addition, the head of the family, being a highly educated person and passionately fond of literature and musical art, often arranged various creative evenings in his hospitable house.
Parents were very concerned about the comprehensive development of their sons, who besides Serezha were two more: senior Vladimir and middle Pavel. However, of the three children, only the youngest was gifted with musical abilities. Talent of Seryozha, manifested at an early age, was strongly supported and from the age of five he began to study the piano with specially invited teachers, who noted the excellent hearing, musical memory and extraordinary seriousness of the baby.
Adolescence and youth in the golden-domed
The biography of Taneyev says that in the mid-seventies the Taneyev family moved to Moscow for permanent residence, where they acquired a modest house in Obukhovsky Lane. Sergey was determined to study at the first classical gymnasium, and in 1966, after the opening of the Moscow Conservatory, he was recorded as a volunteer at this educational institution, where for four years he was a student of A.L. Langer on piano and theoretical disciplines. In 1868, I still had to leave my studies at the gymnasium, since it was difficult for the boy to combine his studies in two institutions at once, especially in the Conservatory, general education was also taught. In September 1969, Sergey Taneyev became a real student at the Conservatory, moreover, he was immediately assigned to the P.I. class in theoretical disciplines. Tchaikovsky, and then he continued to study instrumentation and composition. Already from the time when the teacher and the student began to communicate professionally, warm friendships began between them, which continued until the death of the beloved teacher.
The young man was engaged in music very enthusiastically and sometimes even scared his father. Ivan Ilych began to worry that a one-sided education would have a detrimental effect on his son’s overall development, and therefore Sergei’s conservatory training was questioned. Only the director of the conservatory Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein could save the future composer from the wrong intentions of his parent. Usually stingy in praise, he so favorably responded to the talents of the young musician that all the fears of Ivan Ilych about his son's future were dispelled at one moment. After this incident, Nikolai Grigorievich took Sergei to his class and taught him to play the piano before graduating from the conservatory. Moreover, having no doubt that the talented student will have a wonderful creative future both with the performer and the composer, Rubinstein invited Sergey to musical evenings, which he arranged in his home.
Debut Taneyev - pianist took place in 1874 in the Golitsyn Manor in Znamensky Lane. This was the first public performance of a young musician, on which he brilliantly performed works by Liszt and Chopin. In the composition class, Sergey also met all the expectations of his teacher P.I. Tchaikovsky. During the years of study, he became the author of major works, including a symphony, overtures and a cantata. Taneyev Conservatory graduated at the age of nineteen simply brilliant: he became the first student of this educational institution to receive a gold medal. The young man had great prospects for performing, composing and teaching activities, which he later throughout his life was successfully engaged in, but at first the young man decided to make an informative tour outside of his fatherland. At the invitation of his teacher and mentor NG Rubinstein, he visited Greece, Italy and Switzerland for educational purposes, where he studied the culture and art of these countries with interest. Returning to his homeland, Sergey Taneyev began an independent creative life. Actively touring the cities of Russia, he successfully performed in St. Petersburg, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, and in November in Moscow he was delighted with the audience with the premiere performance of the No. 1 concert for piano and orchestra P.I. Tchaikovsky.
French travel
In the spring of 1876, Sergey again sent concerts in Russian cities, and in the summer, after a short rest, he left Russia again and went to France to get acquainted with European art. In Paris, he diligently continues to play the piano, sitting at the instrument for 4-5 hours, regularly attends rehearsals of symphony orchestras conducted by such famous maestros as J.E. Padla and E.Colonna, attends lectures at Sarbonne and various concert performances. He was lucky to be invited to the "musical Thursdays" to the famous Pauline Viardot, who at that time only delighted her close friends with her beautiful singing. The young man’s circle of acquaintances widened greatly: he became close to the writers Turgenev, Renan, Flaubert, and Zola, as well as the composers Faure, Gounod, Saint-Saens, Dupark and d'Andy. Eight months spent in Paris did not pass for Sergei in vain, they inspired him to new creative accomplishments. The young musician overestimated his previous achievements and concluded that his education was not sufficiently valuable. He established a program for himself, which he strictly followed all his life.
Creative takeoff
The return home was in July, but the beautiful summer weather did not seduce the musician. He set a goal to work out a number of interesting programs that he later performed at concerts during the current year.
In 1878, dramatic changes occurred in the life of Sergei Taneyev. His friend and teacher, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, tired of teaching, and besides receiving retirement material support from the state, he decided to fully engage in creative work. He persuaded Taneyev, who at that time was only 22 years old, to take over his conservatory teaching load, which includes a course of harmony, polyphony, analysis of musical forms and orchestration. And in 1881, after the death of N.G. Rubinstein, having received the position of professor, Sergei Ivanovich added to his teaching load the piano class of his favorite teacher. In 1884, on the recommendation of Tchaikovsky, Taneyev assumed the post of director of the conservatory, where he remained for four years. Using the great prestige not only of professors, but also of students, he not only restored the former prestige to the conservatory, but also introduced many innovations that improved the work of the institution. However, in 1889, due to dissatisfaction with administrative work and a strong desire for creative work, he left a leading position and retained only a teaching load at the conservatory.
Unfortunately, at this time, Taneyev was still little involved in composing, he was more interested in the upcoming production of his opera Orestea, scheduled for September 1895 in St. Petersburg. At that time, the composer often visited the capital, where he became close friends with the patron of arts and music publishing house M. Belyaev, as well as St. Petersburg composers: Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. Serious changes in the life of Sergei Ivanovich occurred in 1905. Angered by the power methods of the leadership of the director of the conservatory V. Safronov, he left the walls of the institution and never returned there, and besides, he refused his pension. Nevertheless, Taneyev did not refuse his beloved pedagogical activity: he was engaged in private practice, teaching students completely free of charge.
After leaving the conservatory, Sergei Ivanovich continued to be a significant person in the musical life of Moscow. In 1906, he was one of the musical figures who initiated the opening of the National Conservatory, whose primary task was musical education and the introduction of ordinary people to classical music. In addition, Taneyev began working in her as a teacher, gladly introducing the masses to art. In the same year of 1906, Taneyev completed the work on the “Movable counterpoint of strict letter” - a unique work on which the composer had worked for about seventeen years. In 1908 he became one of the founders of the Music and Theoretical Library, and in 1912 he was elected an honorary member. The last in the composer’s life was 1915. Shocked by Alexander Scriabin’s premature death in April, following the coffin of his pupil at the funeral He caught a bad cold. Without attaching much importance to his illness, Taneyev continued to work actively. From the beginning of May, the composer’s health deteriorated dramatically and he was transported by car to the family estate of Dyutkovo, where on June 19 Sergei Ivanovich died alsia
Interesting facts about Sergey Taneyev
- The father of Sergei Taneyev, Ivan Ilyich, according to the testimony of contemporaries, has established himself as a very decent and educated person. He proved himself to be a poet, a writer and a great music lover, as he composed music and knew how to play music on several instruments (piano, flute, violin, guitar).
- From the biography of Taneyev, we learn that he remembered his first public appearance for the rest of his life. At the age of eleven, he performed the first movement of Mozart's A minor minor Sonata at a conservatory concert and was rewarded with deserved applause. However, while still not understanding their meaning and having wrongly interpreted it, he thought that this was a sign of disapproval, burst into tears and ran away from the stage.
- The name of Sergey Taneyev, who brilliantly graduated from the conservatory and was the first graduate to receive a gold medal, can be read on the memorial plaque by everyone visiting the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
- Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev was an educated man, whose outlook was very wide. He was versed in philosophy, science, history and mathematics. The great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, admiring the composer's erudition, said about him that he was a rare person with whom he didn’t say anything, he knows everything.
- Taneyev was very friendly with Leo Tolstoy, and often visiting a writer at Yasnaya Polyana, he liked to play chess with him for a piece: if the composer lost, he played the piano, and if the writer suffered a defeat, he read his composition.
- In 1895, a tragic event occurred in the family of Leo Tolstoy: the six-year-old son Ivan died of scarlet fever. Sophia Andreevna, the writer's wife who was very hard for this loss, helped to cope with this difficult life situation in the conversation and the music of Sergey Taneyev. The close friendly communication of Sofia Andreevna with the composer led to the fact that Lev Nikolayevich became jealous of his wife.
- Throughout his life, Taneyev lived with his nanny, whose name was Pelageya Vasilyevna Chizhov. This neat and simple village woman had everything in order, so that she could easily find the necessary pages of her student’s works. And when she ended up with a bay leaf, which she added to food as seasoning, she persistently sent Sergei Ivanovich to play at the concert, because from grateful listeners he received not only flowers, but also gift laurel wreaths.
- Sergey Rakhmaninov called his teacher S.I. Taneyev "world teacher" and this is truly so. Incredibly demanding of himself, he also brought up such brightest stars of the national musical culture as A. Scriabin, N. Medtner, K. Igumnov, R. Glier, N. Zhilyaev, V. Bulychev, G. Konius, A. Alexandrov, S. Vasilenko , N. Ladukhin, K. Saradzhev, B. Yavorsky, E. Gnesina, Yu. Engel, N. Mazurina, S. Lyapunov, M. Untilova, I. Sats, A. Koreshchenko, Z. Paliashvili.
- The composer was so purposeful man that he even mastered the international artificial language of Esperanto. He kept a personal diary on it, and also composed romances (unfortunately, the notes of these works are lost).
- The name of the outstanding composer S.I. Taneyev in the hearts of Russian citizens will live forever. In memory of him are named: International Chamber Ensemble Competition; All-Russian Music Festival of Classical Music, held every two years in Vladimir. In addition, the name of S.I. Taneyev was rightfully assigned to the Scientific and Musical Library of the Moscow Conservatory.
Creativity Sergei Taneyev
The creative life of Sergei Ivanovich was extremely rich and versatile. Moreover, Taneyev, a scientist, pianist and teacher, is inextricably linked with Taneyev, the composer, who left a comparatively small but very valuable heritage for his descendants. Being a zealous opponent of various new-fangled musical trends, in his work he was based on nationality and with conviction followed the classical traditions of Western European and Russian music. The composer’s contemporaries even seemed strange to his inordinate interest in Bach and Mozart, except that they criticized his works, calling them obsolete and dry. Yes, indeed, the works of Sergei Ivanovich are not characterized by open emotionality, but they are distinguished by wise concentration and the highest skill.
Taneyev - the composer, synthesizing how he considered all the best that was in music, purposefully sought his own direction, his style. His composition technique was as follows: if he conceived a work, he first worked through individual motifs and themes for the future creation, writing an infinite number of sketches, and only when he filled his hand in the work on the component parts, he began to work on the whole work. To some friends of the composer, this method seemed too tricky, but nevertheless, as a result of such painstaking analytical work, the composer created invaluable creations of extraordinary beauty. Of course, using this analytical method, Sergei Ivanovich could not boast of a large number of his compositions, but among the works he wrote in various genres characteristic of the musical culture of the time, it should be noted the opera Oresteya, four symphonies, overtures, four cantatas, a concert for piano and orchestra, chamber - instrumental music, choirs, romances.
Musical trilogy "Orestea", whose libretto was built on the tragedies of Aeschylus and, completed by Taneyev in 1895, was in the opera art of a new and interesting page that attracted the attention of not only Russians, but also foreign musicians.
Of the symphonic works of the composer, it is necessary to emphasize the symphony at number four, appreciated by his contemporaries of the outstanding maestro, and after his death became one of his most popular works. It is important to mention the exactingness of Taneyev to his work: he believed that this is the only one of his symphonies that deserves not a one-off performance, but a full-fledged concert life, and therefore, unlike others, it was printed during the composer’s lifetime.
Sergey Ivanovich paid great attention in his work to choral music - this is an important part of his heritage and can be very symbolic that his entire composer path passes like under the arch between the two lyrical - philosophical cantatas "John of Damascus" and "By reading the psalm"The merit of Taneyev, who treated choral genres with great reverence, is the revival of a cappella choirs: he wrote more than forty of them. Speaking about the composer's creative heritage, one cannot overlook his contribution to instrumental chamber music. He wrote trios, quartets and квинтеты стоят в ряду лучших образцов русской музыки в этом жанре, а вершинными, отмеченными особой монументальностью являются шестой квартет и фортепианный квинтет.
Танеев и Московская консерватория
Almost forty years of his life are connected with the Moscow Conservatory. According to Taneyev’s biography, he was among the first students who crossed the threshold of this wonderful educational institution from the beginning of its discovery, then, at the convincing request of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, in 1878, he started teaching at his native alma mater. And the pedagogical work so fascinated Taneyev, that he even put all his writing on the background. Three years later, the whole Russian culture suffered a heavy loss: Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein passed away. After his death, Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to Taneyev that a talented student should continue his teacher's work everywhere: in the principal’s office, in the class of a special piano, and also at the conductor’s console. Sergey Ivanovich took the students of the piano class of Rubinstein in 1881, but refused to accept the director's position. However, after four years he was still persuaded to take the director's office, so things in the decapitated conservatory went very badly. Elected in 1883, the director's committee could not cope with any material difficulties or confusion that arose among the faculty.
The post of director Taneyev occupied in September 1885 and immediately began active transformations, as a result of which full order was imposed. He corrected financial affairs, updated the composition of teachers, improved academic discipline, made adjustments to curricula, and also introduced some innovations. For example, on his instructions, a music library was organized, and student reporting concerts were systematically conducted. The position of director brought to Sergei Ivanovich a steady income, but his administrative activities greatly affected him. He wanted to devote himself entirely to creative and scientific work, and he had no time for that at all. In May 1889, he informed everyone that he was leaving the post of director and transferring the duties of the manager to V. Safonov. Now he again, with ecstasy, could do his hobbies, for example, personally teach them to develop an interesting subject - counterpoint. Later, all the achievements of the professor became the basis of his theory, which he described in a fundamental scientific work, called "Movable counterpoint of strict style". In addition, Taneyev at the Moscow Conservatory created a coherent system of theoretical education for musicians: he not only developed programs in relevant subjects, but also made changes to their teaching methods. It should also be noted that Sergei Ivanovich was among the first who had the idea to make a distinction in vocational music education to the secondary and higher levels.
Taneyev worked at the conservatory until 1905, until revolutionary unrest began in the country. The professor expressed dissatisfaction with the dismissal of unreliable students of the Conservatory, and also spoke in favor of educational reform, presenting his own draft of the changes. Such activity of the professor caused the anger of the director of the institution V. Safonov, who caused Taneyev to have an unpleasant conversation. After recriminations, Sergei Ivanovich wrote a letter of resignation and, despite the persuasions of his colleagues and students, his decision remained firm.
The composer's personal life
Unfortunately, very little is known about Taneyev’s personal life. He had no family, he lived all his life with his nanny P. Chizhova, who was for him a friend, an adviser and a hostess in the house. Since the composer was notable for his isolation, he never spoke about himself to anyone, and only one letter found by chance several years after his death helped to dot the drama of his whole life. In the eighties, Sergei Ivanovich made a pleasant acquaintance with the pianist, the wife of the famous architect and painter Albert Benoit - Maria. There was a mutual attraction, but the relationship had to be interrupted, since by that time the woman was already the mother of four children, who would have remained with her father during a divorce. In addition, Taneyev was afraid that he would not be able to financially provide for his beloved and give her a life to which she was accustomed. The composer had a hope that he would still meet a worthy woman and create with her a family in which there will be children. However, it did not happen, and loneliness pursued him all his life.
Sergey Ivanovich and his famous relatives
The oldest tribal nobleman nobles, the Taneyevs, who began their chronology from the 15th century, had many worthy representatives faithfully and faithfully serving their Fatherland. For example, a relative of the composer - Sergey Alexandrovich Taneyev was a high-ranking official, a real secret adviser. His son, Alexander Sergeyevich, served as the general manager of his own Imperial Majesty's office. In addition, Alexander Taneyev, having received a serious musical education (his home teacher in composition theory was N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov himself), was an amateur composer, whose works were successfully received both in Russia and abroad. In his creative legacy there are quite a lot of compositions, including two symphonies, suites, string quartets, romances and even the opera Revenge of Cupid. Alexander Sergeevich Taneyev's daughter, Anna Vyrubova (nee Taneyev) was the maid of honor and the closest friend of the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Pages from the life of Anna Taneyeva interestingly displayed in the historical television series "Gregory R." shot in 2016.
Another representative of the Taneyev family deserves special attention is Vladimir Ivanovich, the composer’s elder brother. He was a very erudite person with a very wide range of interests. He was engaged in law practice and economics, adhered to progressive views, was personally acquainted with Karl Marx, being a staunch supporter of his ideas.
The active and very diverse creative life of Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev for the domestic musical culture has a significant meaning. Unfortunately, his musical works did not immediately find genuine recognition, but today they are perceived as a real treasure of the Silver Age and are heard with joy and inspiration.
Leave Your Comment