Alexei Vasilievich Haieff (August 25, 1914 – March 1, 1994) was an American composer of orchestral and choral works. He is known for following Stravinsky's neoclassicism, observing an austere economy of means, and achieving modernistic effects by a display of rhythmic agitation, often with jazzy undertones.

Background

Born in

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благове́щенск, p=bləgɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, meaning ''City of the Annunciation'') is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur and the Zeya Rivers, o ...

, in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

, Haieff received his primary education at Harbin,

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...

. In 1931 he went to the U.S., where he studied with

Rubin Goldmark Rubin Goldmark (August 15, 1872 – March 6, 1936) was an American composer, pianist, and educator.Perlis, ''New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', v. II, p. 239 Although in his time he was an often-performed American nationalist composer, hi ...

and

Frederick Jacobi Frederick Jacobi (May 4, 1891 – October 24, 1952) was a Jewish-American composer and teacher. His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera. He taught at Juilliard School ...

at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

of Music in New York City (1934–38). In 1938-39 he also studied with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

in Paris and in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He became a U.S. citizen and held U.S. citizenship for 55 years, until his death. He held a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946 and again in 1949, and was a Fellow at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

(1947–48). His Divertimento (1944) was choreographed by George Balanchine in 1947. He won the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

in 1949. He was a professor at the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

(1962–68), and composer-in-residence at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

(1968–70). His Piano Concerto won the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award (1952) and his 2nd Symphony the American International Music Fund Award (1957). Haieff's notable students include Paul Ramsier. He was married to Sheila Jeanne Agatha van Meurs in 1988.Peerage of the House of Lords http://www.thepeerage.com/p15215.htm He died in Rome, Italy, at the age of 79.

List of works

Ballets * The Princess Zondilda and Her Entourage (1946) * Beauty and the Beast (1947) Orchestral * Symphony No. 1 (1942) * Symphony No. 2 (Boston, April 11, 1958) * Symphony No. 3 (New Haven, Conn., April 11, 1961) * Divertimento (N.Y., April 5, 1946) * Violin Concerto (1948) * Piano Concerto (N.Y., April 27, 1952) * Ballet in E (1955) * Éloge for Chamber Orch. (1967) Chamber music * Sonatina for String Quartet (1937) * 3 Bagatelles for Oboe and Bassoon (1939) * Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano (1942) * Eclogue for Cello and Piano (1947) * String Quartet (1951) * La Nouvelle Héloïse for Harp and String Quartet (1963) * Cello Sonata (1963) * Rhapsodies for Guitar and Harpsichord (1980) * Wind Quintet (1983) Piano Compositions * Sonata for 2 Pianos (1945) * Gifts and Semblances (1940–48) * Five Pieces for Piano (1946–48) * Four Juke Box Pieces (1952) * Notes of Thanks (1954–61) * Piano Sonata (1955) Vocal/Choral * Caligula for Baritone and Orch., after Robert Lowell (N.Y., Nov. 5, 1971) Recordings in current CD release ( with selected movements available on YouTube): * Piano Concerto (N.Y., April 27, 1952) CD Tiger of Harbin * Divertimento (N.Y., April 5, 1946) CD Kyriena * Ballet in E (1955) CD Kyriena * Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1963) CD Kyriena * String Quartet (1951) CD Kyriena * Sonata for 2 Pianos (1945) CD Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky Play Alexei Haieff (also on CD Tiger of Harbin) * Gifts and Semblances (1940–48) CD Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky Play Alexei Haieff (also on CD Manhattan Piano) * Five Pieces for Piano (1946–48) CD Manhattan Piano * Four Juke Box Pieces (1952) CD Manhattan Piano (also on CD K and A Gliadkovsky Play A H) * Notes of Thanks (1954–61) CD Manhattan Piano * Piano Sonata (1955) CD Manhattan Piano (also on CD Tiger of Harbin)

References

External links

The Alexei Haieff papers
the composer's personal papers and scores) in th
Music Division
o
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
*(https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404787.html Review of Haieff Divertimento ballet performance in Mar 2010 Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.

August 17, 1989 *(https://web.archive.org/web/20200225202926/http://www.alexei.com/ New CD releases of Alexei Haieff music by Alexei Records, January 21, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Haieff, Alexei 1914 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American male composers Ballet composers Juilliard School alumni University at Buffalo faculty People from Blagoveshchensk Soviet emigrants to the United States