Boris Fyodorovich Schlözer (Schloezer) (Russian: Борис Фёдорович Шлёцер, sometimes a

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

of ''Boris Fëdorovič Šlëcer'' or ''Boris de Šlëcer,'' born in

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

8 December 1881 – died in Paris 7 October 1969), was a writer,

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and French translator of Russian origin.

Life and career

A descendant of the Russian branch of a German noble family,His father, Nestor Karl von Schlözer 839–1906 was a senior officer of the Russian Empire he emigrated to France after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

. He took part in the ''

Nouvelle Revue Française ''La Nouvelle Revue Française'' (; "The New French Review") is a literary magazine based in France. In France, it is often referred to as the ''NRF''. History and profile The magazine was founded in 1909 by a group of intellectuals including And ...

'' and translated many Russian authors, among them

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, Rozanov and especially his friend

Lev Shestov Lev Isaakovich Shestov (russian: Лев Исаа́кович Шесто́в; 31 January .S. 13 February 1866 – 19 November 1938), born Yehuda Leib Shvartsman (russian: Иегуда Лейб Шварцман), was a Russian existentialist and ...

, whom he helped to diffuse his philosophy in France. Passionate about music, he wrote monographs on composers, sometimes in collaboration with his niece Marina Scriabina and his sister Tatiana Schlözer (1883–1922), who was Marina’s mother and the mistress of

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 ...

. Schloezer's ''Introduction à J.-S. Bach'' outlines a phenomenological approach to music, and is in agreement with contemporary

gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy * Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, an assessment of development disorders * Gestalt Practice, a practice of self-exploration ...

music theories. He wrote prolifically on

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

, including one of the first biographies of the composer. Schloezer's writings were influential for

Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mon ...

and his generation, though Schloezer occasionally criticized Boulez, for example in his 1955 article "Retour à Descartes."

Works

* ''Igor Stravinsky'' (1929) * ''Gogol'' (1932) * ''Introduction à J.-S. Bach; essai d'esthétique musicale'' (1947) * "Retour à Descartes" (1955) * ''Problèmes de la musique moderne'' ith Marina Scriabine, his niece(1959) * ''Mon nom est personne, roman'' (1969) * ''Alexandre Scriabin'' (1975) ;Translations from Russian to French: * ''Dostoïevski et la lutte contre les évidences de Léon Chestov'' (1922) * ''La Confession de Stavroguine de Dostoïevski'' (1922) * ''La Guerre et la Paix de Tolstoï'' * ''Le Diable de Tolstoï''

Notes

References

20th-century Russian writers Russian writers in French 20th-century French non-fiction writers Russian–French translators Russian musicologists Writers from Vitebsk 1881 births 1969 deaths 20th-century musicologists 20th-century translators {{Russia-writer-stub