Alexander Sergeyevich Taneyev (russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Тане́ев, also transliterated as Taneiev, Tanaiev, Taneieff, and Taneyeff in English; January 17, 1850,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

– February 7, 1918, Petrograd) was a Russian state official and composer of the late Romantic era, specifically of the nationalist school. Among his better-known works were three string quartets, believed to have been composed between 1898–1900. Alexander Taneyev is not well known outside Russia. His name is often confused with that of his distant cousin

Sergei Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Тане́ев, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author. Life Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russia ...

(1856–1915). A member of Russian aristocracy, Taneyev was a high-ranking state official, serving for 22 years as the head of

His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancery or H.I.M. Own Chancery () began as personal chancery of Paul I and grew into a kind of regent's office, run by Count Arakcheyev from 1815 and until the death of Alexander I of Russia. Under Nicholas I, the Ch ...

. His daughter

Anna Vyrubova Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (''née'' Taneyeva; russian: А́нна Алекса́ндровна Вы́рубова (Тане́ева)); 16 July 1884 – 20 July 1964) was a Russian Empire lady-in-waiting, the best friend and confidante of Tsarin ...

was a

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

and best friend of Tsarina Alexandra. Vyrubova is best known for her friendship with the Romanov family and with the

starets A starets (russian: стáрец, p=ˈstarʲɪt͡s; fem. ) is an elder of an Eastern Orthodox monastery who functions as venerated adviser and teacher. ''Elders'' or ''spiritual fathers'' are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from Go ...

Grigori Rasputin.

Background

Alexander Taneyev inherited an enthusiasm for music from his parents. He was dissuaded from pursuing a career as a musician due to his position in the Russian upper class. After studying at university, he entered the Russian civil service, succeeding his father as Director of the Imperial Chancellery. After 1900 he was the head of the

folksong Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

collection project of the Russian Geographical Society. Several of the songs collected during this period were later arranged and published by

Anatoly Lyadov Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (russian: Анато́лий Константи́нович Ля́дов; ) was a Russian composer, teacher, and conductor (music), conductor. Biography Lyadov was born in 1855 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersbur ...

. Taneyev pursued musical studies in Germany and later in Petersburg, where he became a student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Taneyev's situation at this time bore similarities to that of fellow composer Alexander Borodin. Both were composers whose main occupation was not in music (Borodin was a chemistry professor; Taneyev held a bureaucratic post). It was rumored that Taneyev kept a score that he was working on hidden beneath official documents so that he might pen a few notes between appointments. Taneyev's compositional output was large: two operas, four symphonies, several pieces for orchestra, numerous choral works, and a considerable amount of chamber music including three string quartets. The influence on his work of the other Russian composers, such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev and Lyadov, is often noted.

Selected works

;Opera * ''Cupid's Revenge'' (Месть Амура), opera, Op. 13 (1899); libretto by Tatyana Lvovna Shchepkina-Kupernik * ''The Blizzard'' (Метель), opera in 2 acts, 4 scenes (1914); libretto by V. Svetlov after poems of D. Tsertelev ;Orchestral * Suite No. 1, Op. 9 * ''Festive March'' (Торжественный марш), Op. 12 * Suite No. 2 in F major, Op. 14 # Theme with Variations # Menuetto. Tranquillo # Andantino # Finale. Allegro con spirito * Symphony No. 2 in B minor, Op. 21 (1903) # Andante - Allegro # Scherzo # Adagio mosso # Finale. Allegro vivacissimo * ''Hamlet'', Overture, Op. 31 (pub. 1906) ;Concertante * ''Rêverie'' for violin and orchestra, Op. 23 ;Chamber music * ''Petite valse'' for violin and piano * ''Bagatelle and Serenade'' for cello and piano, Op.10 * ''Arabesque'' for clarinet and piano, Op. 24 * String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 25 * String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 28 * String Quartet No. 3 in A major, Op. 30 * ''Album Leaf'' (Листок из альбома) in G major for viola and piano, Op. 33 ;Piano * ''Valse-caprice'' in A major * ''Valse-caprice'' in D major * ''Mazurka No. 1'', Op. 15 * ''Mazurka No. 3 "Souvenir de Bade"'', Op. 20 * ''Bluette'', Op. 22

Personal life

Taneyev married Nadezhda Illarionovna

Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

(1860-1937). They had three children:

(1884-1964); Sergei Alexandrovich (1886-1975); and Alexandra Alexandrovna (1888-1968), who married Alexander Erikovich von Pistohlkors, the stepson of

Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia (russian: Павел Александрович; 3 October 1860 – 28 January 1919) was the sixth son and youngest child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia by his first wife, Empress Maria Alexandrov ...

Notes

References

* Edward Garden: "Aleksandr Taneyev", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed May 21, 2005)
(subscription access)
* Some of the information in this article appears on the website of Edition Silvertrust but permission to use this text under the GNU Free Documentation License has been given, and this documentation provided to Wikipedia.

External links

Soundbites and discussion or works. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taneyev, Aleksandr 1850 births 1918 deaths 19th-century classical composers 20th-century classical composers Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Russian Romantic composers Russian male classical composers Russian opera composers Male opera composers 20th-century Russian male musicians 19th-century male musicians