Boris Koutzen (1 April 1901 – 10 December 1966) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

-American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist composer and music educator.

Biography

Koutzen was born in

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

, Southern

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-eig ...

. He began composing at the age of six and studied

with his father. In 1918 his family moved to

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 millio ...

, where Boris entered 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 ...

to study violin with Lew Moissejewitsch Zeitlin, and composition with

Reinhold Glière Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes; russian: Рейнгольд Морицевич Глиэр; 23 June 1956), was a Russian Imperial and Soviet composer of German and ...

. That same year, he won the national competition for the position of first violin in the State Opera House Orchestra, and later joined the

Moscow Symphony Orchestra The Moscow Symphony Orchestra is a non-state-supported Russian symphony orchestra, founded in 1989 by the sisters Ellen and Marina Levine. The musicians include graduates from such institutions as Moscow, Kiev, and Saint Petersburg Conservatory ...

under Serge Koussevitzky. In the fall of 1923 Koutzen came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and became a member of the first violin section of the Philadelphia orchestra under

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...

. From 1937 until 1945 he was a member of the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. Mr. Koutzen was head of the violin department of the Philadelphia Conservatory from 1925-1962. In 1944 he joined the faculty of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

, where he taught violin and conducted the Vassar orchestra until 1966.

Selected works

;Stage * ''You Never Know'', Comic Opera in 1 act (1960) ;Orchestral * ''Valley Forge'' (1931) * ''From the American Folklore'', Concert Overture (1943) * ''Divertimento'' (1956) :# Pop Concert :# At the Ballet :# Holiday Mood * ''Elegiac Rhapsody'' (1961) * ''Solitude'', Poème-nocturne * ''Symphony in C'' * ''Fanfare, Prayer, and March'' ;Band * ''Symphonic Rhapsody'' ;Concertante * ''Symphonic movement'' (Mouvement symphonique) for violin and orchestra (1931) * Concerto for cello, flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn and string orchestra (1934) * ''Concert Piece'' for cello and string orchestra (1946) * Concerto for viola and orchestra (1949) * ''Morning Music'' for flute and string orchestra (1950) * Concertino for piano and string orchestra * Concerto for violin and orchestra ;Chamber and instrumental music * ''Légende'' for violin and piano (1928) * Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano (1928) * String Quartet No. 1 * ''Nocturne'' for violin and piano (1930) * ''Duo concertante'' for violin and piano (1944) * ''Music'' (Serenade) for saxophone, bassoon and cello (1945) * String Quartet No. 2 (1945) * ''Holiday Mood'' for violin and piano (1948) * ''Foundation of Violin Playing'' (1951) * Sonata for violin and cello (1952) * ''Landscape and Dance'' for woodwind quintet (1953) * ''Pastorale and Dance'' for violin (or clarinet) and piano (1965) * Trio for flute, cello and harp (1965) * ''Melody with Variations'' for violin (or clarinet) and piano (1966) * ''Music for Violin Alone'' (1968) * Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano (1970) * Piano Trio (1977) * ''Poem'' for violin solo and string quartet * Sonata for solo violin ;Keyboard * ''Enigma'' for piano (1929) * Sonatina for piano (1931) * ''Fervent Is My Longing'', Choral Prelude for organ (1935) * ''Eidólons'', Poem for piano (1953) * ''Clown's Reverie and Dance'' for piano (1958) * ''Sonnet for Organ'' (1965) * Sonatina for 2 pianos (1944) ;Choral * ''An Invocation'' for women's voices and orchestra (or piano) (1958); words by John Addington Symonds * Concerto for chorus and orchestra * ''The Fatal Oath''

References

Library of Congress biography
(public domain source)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koutzen, Boris 1901 births 1966 deaths American classical violinists Male classical violinists American male violinists American male composers Russian classical violinists Russian male composers Soviet emigrants to the United States Vassar College faculty People from Mount Pleasant, New York American people of Russian descent 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 20th-century American violinists Moscow Conservatory alumni