Anton Stepanovich Arensky (russian: Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music.

Biography

Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving family in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the o ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. He was musically precocious and had composed a number of songs and piano pieces by the age of nine. With his mother and father, he moved to

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 ...

in 1879, after which he studied composition at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

. After graduating from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1882, Arensky became a professor 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 ...

. Among his students there were

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

, and Alexander Gretchaninov. In 1895, Arensky returned to Saint Petersburg as the director of the Imperial Choir, a post for which he had been recommended by

Mily Balakirev Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (russian: Милий Алексеевич Балакирев,BGN/PCGN Romanization of Russian, transliteration of Russian: Miliy Alekseyevich Balakirev; ALA-LC system: ''Miliĭ Alekseevich Balakirev''; ISO 9 system: ''M ...

. He retired from this position in 1901, living off a comfortable pension and spending his remaining time as a pianist, conductor, and composer. Arensky died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

in a sanatorium in

Perkjärvi Kirillovskoye (russian: Кири́лловское; fi, Perkjärvi) is a settlement on Karelian Isthmus, in Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast, near the European route E18, and an important station of the Saint Petersburg-Vyborg railroad, b ...

, in what was then the Russian-administered

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...

, at the age of 44. While very little is known about his private life, Rimsky-Korsakov alleges that drinking and gambling undermined his health.Nikolai A. Rimski-Korsakov, ''Moei muzikal'noy zhizni, 1844-1906''. St. Petersburg 1909
Translation in French
He was buried in the

Tikhvin Cemetery Tikhvin Cemetery (russian: Тихвинское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Since 1932 it has been part of the ...

. The

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and o ...

Arensky Glacier Arensky Glacier () is an Antarctic glacier, lying east of Alyabiev Glacier and flows south from Beethoven Peninsula, Alexander Island, into the north end of Boccherini Inlet. The glacier was named by the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1987, after ...

was named after him.

Music

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic music, Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer Music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose music would make a lasting impressi ...

was the greatest influence on Arensky's musical compositions. Indeed,

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

said, "In his youth, Arensky did not escape some influence from me; later, the influence came from Tchaikovsky. He will quickly be forgotten." The perception that he lacked a distinctive personal style contributed to long-term neglect of his music, though in recent years, a large number of his compositions have been recorded. Especially popular are the '' Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky'' for string orchestra, Op. 35a - arranged from the slow movement of Arensky's 2nd string quartet, and based on one of Tchaikovsky's ''Songs for Children'', Op. 54. Arensky was, perhaps, at his best in the genre of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small num ...

, in which he wrote two

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

s, two

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...

s, and a

piano quintet In classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly a string quartet (i.e., two violins, viola, and cello). The term also refers to the group of musicians that plays a pian ...

Selected works

Opera

*''Сон на Волге'' (''Son na Volge'' / ''

Dream on the Volga ''Dream on the Volga'' ( Russian: Сон на Волге) is an opera in four acts composed by Anton Arensky. The libretto was adapted by Arensky from Alexander Ostrovsky's melodrama ''Voyevoda''. The opera premiered on January 2, 1891 at the ...

''), Op. 16 (1888), libretto by Anton Arensky after

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original ...

's play ''Voyevoda'', premiere: January 2, 1891 S December 21, 1890

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Bolshoy Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and op ...

*''Рафаэль'' (''Rafael'' / ''

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

''), Op. 37 (1894), libretto by A. Kryukov, premiere: May 6 S April 24 1894,

, Conservatory *''Наль и Дамаянти'' (''Nal' i Damayanti'' / ''Nal and Damayanti''), Op. 47 (1903), after

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

n epos "

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

", libretto by

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (russian: Моде́ст Ильи́ч Чайко́вский; –) was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator. Early life Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, Verkhotursky Uyezd, Perm Governorate, t ...

after the novel by

Vasily Zhukovsky Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (russian: Василий Андреевич Жуковский, Vasiliy Andreyevich Zhukovskiy; – ) was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19t ...

, premiere: January 22,

S January 9 S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histo ...

1904,

)

Ballet

*''

Egyptian Nights Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

'' (russian: Египетские ночи) a.k.a. ''Une Nuit d'Égypte'' or ''Nuits égyptiennes'' (1900). Divertissement-Ballet in one act. Originally composed for the

Imperial Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

, St. Petersburg. Choreography by

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (russian: link=no, Лев Ива́нович Ива́нов; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet. ...

. Production was never given due to the death of the choreographer before completion. **revival by

Mikhail Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and ...

for the Imperial Ballet.

Imperial Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

, . **revival by Mikhail Fokine as ''

Cléopâtre ''Cléopâtre'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Payen. It was first performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo on 23 February 1914, nearly two years after Massenet's death. ''Cléopâtre'' is one of three op ...

'' for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a sm ...

, Paris, 2 June 1909. Additional music by

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov; ger, Glasunow (, 10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 ...

Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, link=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka., mʲɪxɐˈil ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recogni ...

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

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, Russi ...

, and

Nikolai Tcherepnin Nikolai Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (Russian: Николай Николаевич Черепнин; – 26 June 1945) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at t ...

Orchestral

* (1881) * (1883) *Suite No. 1 in G minor, Op. 7 (1885) *Intermezzo in G minor, Op. 13 (1882) *Symphony No. 2 in A major, Op. 22 (1889) *Suite No. 2 'Silhouettes', Op. 23 (originally for 2 pianos, 1892) *Suite No. 3 'Variations in C major', Op. 33 (originally for 2 pianos, 1894) * Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a, for string orchestra (1894) *Fantasia on Themes of Ryabinin, Op. 48, for piano and orchestra (1899), also known as Fantasia on Russian Folksongs *Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 54 (1891) * Pamyati Suvorova (To the Memory of

Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

, 1900)

Chamber

*String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 11 (1888) *Serenade, Op. 30, No. 2, for violin and piano * Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32 (1894) * (1894), scored either for standard string quartet or for violin, viola and two cellos *Piano Quintet in D major, Op. 51 (1900) *Two Pieces, Op. 12, for cello and piano *Four Pieces, Op. 56, for cello and piano * (1905)

Piano

(for solo piano unless otherwise specified) *Suite for Two Pianos No. 1 in F major, Op. 15 (1888) *Suite for Two Pianos No. 2, Op. 23, "Silhouettes" (1892), also orchestral version *Four ''Morceaux'', Op. 25 (1893) *Six ''Essais sur des rythmes oubliés'', Op. 28 (ca. 1893) *Suite for Two Pianos No. 3 in C major, Op. 33, "Variations" (pub. 1894), also orchestral version *24 ''Morceaux caractéristiques'', Op. 36 (covering all 24 major and minor keys) (1894) *Four Etudes, Op. 41 (1896) *Three ''Morceaux'', Op. 42 (1898) *Six Caprices, Op. 43 (1898) *''Près de la mer'', six esquisses (sketches), Op. 52 (1901) *Six Pieces, Op. 53 (1901) *Suite for Two Pianos No. 4, Op. 62 (1903) *Twelve Preludes, Op. 63 (1903) *Twelve Pieces for

Piano four hands Piano four hands (french: À quatre mains, german: Zu vier Händen, Vierhändig, it, a quattro mani) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is ...

, Op. 66 (1903) *Arabesques (suite), Op. 67 (1903) *Twelve Etudes, Op. 74 (1905)

Choral

*''Cantata for the Tenth Anniversary of the Sacred Coronation of Their Imperial Highnesses'', Op. 25 (1893) *''The Fountain of Bakhchisarai'', Op. 46, cantata *''The Diver'', Op. 61, cantata

Solo vocal

*Romances (4), for voice and piano, Op. 17 *Three Vocal Quartets, Op. 57, with cello accompaniment

Arrangements of Arensky's music

*Tempo di Valse from the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op.54, arranged for violin and piano by

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

References

External links

*
Biography on Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
* ttp://www.editionsilvertrust.com/music-a-to-b.htm Anton Arensky Chamber Music discussion of works and soundbites*
Brief overview of his life and information about Opus 35
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arensky, Anton 1861 births 1906 deaths People from Veliky Novgorod People from Novgorodsky Uyezd Russian male classical composers Russian opera composers Russian Romantic composers Male classical pianists Male opera composers Russian ballet composers Russian classical pianists 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century Russian male musicians Pupils of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Finland Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery