Alexander Moiseyevich Veprik, also Weprik, (russian: Александр Моисеевич Веприк; 23 June 1899 in
Balta
Balta may refer to:
People
* Balta (footballer) (born 1962), Spanish footballer and manager
* Balta (surname)
Places
* Balta (crater), on Mars
* Balta, Mehedinți, Romania
*Bâlta, a village in Filiași, Dolj County, Romania
*Bâlta, a village ...
,
Podolia Governorate
The Podolia Governorate or Podillia Governorate (), set up after the Second Partition of Poland, was a governorate (''gubernia'', ''province'', or ''government'') of the Russian Empire from 1793 to 1917, of the Ukrainian People's Republic from 1 ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, now Ukraine – 13 October 1958 in Moscow) was a Russian-(Ukrainian);
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
)
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
music educator
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...
. Veprik is considered one of the greatest composers of the "Jewish school" in Soviet music.
Life
Veprik grew up in Warsaw and studied piano with Karl Wendling at the
Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...
. At the onset of World War I, the family returned to Russia. Veprik studied composition with
Alexander Zhitomirsky (1881–1937) in the
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...
(1918–1921) and
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский; pl, Mikołaj Miąskowski, syn Jakóbowy; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is som ...
at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
(1921–1923).
Veprik was active in the musical life of 1920–1930s. In 1923 he was active in the creation of the
Society for Jewish Music, a focal point for Jewish composers in Moscow, and Jewish music flourished as a result of the activities of the Society. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory (1923–1941; professor from 1930; dean from 1938). In 1927 during a business trip in Austria, Germany and France, he met
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
,
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...
,
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
and
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 to ...
. His music became well known in Europe and the United States during this time: nearly his entire oeuvre was performed by the
Berlin Radio Symphony (1928–1929).
[Nemtsov, Jascha (2002): ''Alexander Weprik''](_blank)
Retrieved 22 October 2010. In March 1933
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...
conducted Veprik's ''Dances and Songs of the Ghetto'' at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
Veprik was arrested as a "Jewish nationalist" in 1950, maltreated in prison and then deported to the
Gulag
The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...
. He was released from hard labor and instead had to organize an amateur orchestra among the prisoners.
In April 1954, Vepryk's case was reviewed and he was acquitted. In September 1954 he returned sick and weary to Moscow, to a world in which Jewish culture had no place.
Композитор Александр Веприк (Composer Alexander Veprik)
Retrieved 22 October 2010. Veprik composed a few works and wrote ''Principles of J.S. Bach's Orchestration'' (Принципы оркестровки И.-С. Баха). He died on 13 October 1958 in Moscow.
Selected works
;Opera
* ''Toktogul'' (Токтогул), Opera (1940); libretto by Dzhoomart Bokombaev (1910–1944)
* ''Toktogul'' (Токтогул), Opera (1949); second opera with the same title composed jointly with Abdylas Maldybaev
Abdylas Maldybaevich Maldybaev ( ky, Абдылас Малдыбаевич Малдыбаев; July 7, 1906 – June 1, 1978) was a Kyrgyz composer, actor, and operatic tenor singer. Maldybaev was one of the composers of the state anthem of t ...
;Orchestral
* ''Dances and Songs of the Ghetto'' (Пляски и песни гетто; Tänze und Lieder des Ghetto), Op. 12 (1927)
* ''5 Small Pieces'' (Пять маленьких пьес; Fünf kleine Orchesterstücke) for orchestra, Op. 17 (1930, revised 1957)
* Symphony No. 1 (1931)
* ''Funeral Song'' (Траурная песня; Trauergesang), Op. 20 No. 2 (1932, revised 1958)
* ''Song of Jubilation'' (Песня ликования; Chant de jubilation) (1935, revised 1958)
* Symphony No. 2 (1938)
* ''3 Pieces on Kyrgyz Themes'' (Три пьесы на киргизские темы), Suite for orchestra (1941)
* ''Pastorale'' (Пастораль) (1946, revised 1958)
* Sinfonietta (Симфониетта) (1948)
* ''2 Poems'' (Две поэмы) (1956, 1957)
* ''Improvisation'' (Импровизация) (1958)
;Chamber music
* ''Songs of the Dead'' (Песни об умерших; Totenlieder) for viola and piano, Op. 4 (1923)
* ''Kaddish'' (Каддиш), Poem for violin, or viola, or flute, or oboe and piano, Op. 6 (1925); original for voice and piano
* Suite (Sonata) for violin and piano, Op. 7 (1925)
:: Comodito, abbandono
:: Barocco, al rigore di Tempo
:: Capriccioso, ma placido
* ''Chant rigoureux'' (Строгий напев) for clarinet and piano, Op. 9 (1926); transcription for viola and piano by Vadim Borisovsky
Vadim Vasilyevich Borisovsky (russian: Вадим Васильевич Борисовский; January 20, 1900 – July 2, 1972) was a Soviet and Russian violist.
Biography
Born in Moscow, Borisovsky entered Moscow Conservatory in 1917 studying ...
* ''Rhapsodie'' (Рапсодия) for viola and piano, Op. 11 (1926)
* ''3 Folk Dances'' (Три народные пляски; Drei Volkstänze) for violin, cello and piano, Op. 13b (1928); original for piano
* ''2 Pieces on Folk Themes'' (Две пьесы на народные темы) for cello and piano (1934)
;Piano
* Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 3 (1922)
* Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 5 (1924)
* ''Dance'' (Пляска; Danse) (1927)
* ''3 Folk Dances'' (Три народные пляски; Drei Volkstänze) for piano, Op. 13 (1928); also for piano trio, Op. 13b
* Piano Sonata No. 3 (1928)
* ''Album for Children'' (Детский альбом) (1930)
* ''7 Pieces on Kyrgyz Themes'' (Семь пьес на киргизские темы) for piano 4-hands
;Vocal
* ''Kaddish'' (Каддиш), Poem (Vocalise) for voice (without words) and piano, Op. 6 (1925); also for violin, or viola, or flute, or oboe and piano
* ''2 Jewish Folk Songs'' (Две еврейские народные песни) for voice and piano, Op. 8 (1926)
:# Sait gesunterheit (О ты, прости, прощай)
:# Spaziren zainen mir gegangen (Однажды с милым вдвоём мы гуляли)
* ''2 Jewish Songs'' (Две еврейские песни; Zwei hebräische Lieder) for voice and piano, Op. 10 (1926)
:# Hant zu hant (Держись ровнее)
:# Eins un zwei (Раз и два)
* ''Snowflakes'' (Снежинки); words by Demyan Bedny
Yefim Alekseevich Pridvorov ( rus, Ефи́м Алексе́евич Придво́ров, p=jɪˈfʲim ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ prʲɪˈdvorəf, a=Yefim Alyeksyeyevich Pridvorov.ru.vorb.oga; – May 25, 1945), better known by the pen name D ...
* ''To the Barricades'' (На баррикадах) (1932); words from Revolutionary Songs of 1905
* ''Чангрийская песня'' (1937)
* ''2 Ukrainian Songs'' (Две украинские песни) (1943)
;Choral
* ''Stalinstan'' (Сталинстан) for chorus and piano (1934); words by Izi Kharik
* ''Suite from the Opera "Toktogul"'' (Сюита из оперы Токтогул) for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1942, revised 1958)
* ''The Curse of Fascism'' (Проклятие фашизму) for chorus and orchestra (1944)
* ''National Hero'' (Народ-герой), Cantata for chorus and orchestra (1955); words by Alexander Mashistov
* ''Song of Kotovsky'' (Песня о Котовском) for chorus a cappella (1935); words by Eduard Bagritsky
Eduard Georgyevich Bagritsky ( rus, Эдуа́рд Гео́ргиевич Багри́цкий, p=ɨdʊˈard ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ bɐˈɡrʲitskʲɪj, a=Eduard Gyeorgiyevich Bagriczkiy.ru.vorb.oga; February 16, 1934) was an important Russia ...
* ''Kyrgyz Song'' (Киргизская песня) for chorus a cappella (1950)
;Film scores
* ''The Last Night'' (Последняя ночь) (1936); directed by Yuli Raizman
Yuli Yakovlevich Raizman (russian: Юлий Яковлевич Райзман; December 15, 1903 – December 11, 1994) was a Soviet Union, Soviet Russian people, Russian film director and screenwriter.
Career
In 1924 he became a literary consulta ...
;Literary
* ''О методах преподавания инструментовки на композиторском отделении'' (1929)
* ''Нужны ли переложения фортепианных произведений на оркестр'' (1930)
* ''Трактовка инструментов оркестра'' (1948, published 1961)
* ''Очерки по вопросам оркестровых стилей'' (published 1961)
Discography
* ''Jewish Chamber Music'' – Tabea Zimmermann
Tabea Zimmermann (born 8 October 1966) is a German violist.
Born in Lahr, she began learning to play the viola at the age of three, and commenced piano studies at age five. At the age of 13, she studied viola with Ulrich Koch at the Conservator ...
(viola); Jasha Nemtsov (piano); Hänssler Classic CD 93.008 (2000)
:: ''Rhapsodie'', Op. 11
:: ''Songs of the Dead'', Op. 4
:: ''Kaddish (Poem)'', Op. 6
:: ''Chant rigoureux'', Op. 9
* ''Piano Trios'': ''3 Folk Dances'', Op. 13b – Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin); David Geringas (cello); Jascha Nemtsov (piano); Hänssler Classic CD 98.491 (2004)
* ''On Wings of Jewish Songs: Music from the New Jewish School'' – Helene Schneiderman (mezzo-soprano); Jascha Nemtsov (piano); Hänssler Classic CD 93.041 (2005)
:: ''Two Jewish Folk Songs'' for voice and piano, Op. 8 (1926)
:: ''Two Jewish Songs'' for voice and piano, Op. 10
* ''Turban & Nemtsov Play Hebrew Melodies'': ''Suite No. 7'' for violin and piano – Ingolf Turban
Ingolf Turban (born 17 March 1964) is a German violinist.
Life
Born in Munich, Turban's mother was a pianist, his father a music-loving physician, his sister Dietlinde_Turban, Dietlinde an actress. At the age of 12 he was accepted into the viol ...
(violin); Jascha Nemtsov (piano); Hänssler Classic CD 93.028 (2006)
* ''Alexander Veprik: Orchestral Works'' - Christoph-Mathias Mueller (conductor); BBC National Orchestra of Wales; MDG 901 2133-6 (SACD) 2019
:: ''Dances and Songs of the Ghetto'', Op. 12
:: ''Two Symphonic Songs'', Op. 20
:: ''Five Little Pieces for Orchestra'', Op. 17
:: ''Pastorale''
:: ''Two Poems''
Books
* Friedrich Geiger
Friedrich Geiger (24 November 1907 – 13 June 1996) was a German automobile designer whose most notable cars, the pre-World War II Mercedes-Benz 540K and post-war Mercedes-Benz 300SL, are among the most highly regarded in automotive history.
B ...
, ed.: ''Komponisten unter Stalin. Aleksandr Veprik und die "Neue jüdische Schule".'' Berichte und Studien, 25. Hannah Arendt Institute for the Research on Totalitarianism
The Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies (German: ''Hannah-Arendt-Institut für Totalitarismusforschung'', abbreviated HAIT) is a research institute hosted by Dresden University of Technology and devoted to the comparative analysis ...
, Dresden
Online
In German
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veprik, Alexander
1899 births
1958 deaths
Jewish classical composers
Russian male classical composers
Soviet film score composers
Russian Jews
Male film score composers
Moscow Conservatory alumni
Moscow Conservatory academic personnel
Russian opera composers
Male opera composers
Jewish opera composers
Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni
20th-century classical composers
20th-century Russian male musicians