Ivan Alexandrovich Wyschnegradsky; Is also transliterated as Vïshnegradsky, Wyshnegradsky, Wischnegradsky, Vishnegradsky, or Wishnegradsky (after he emigrated to France, he used "Wyschnegradsky" as spelling for his surname)., group=n ( ; September 29, 1979), was a Russian

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 ...

primarily known for his

microtonal Microtonal music or microtonality is the use in music of microtones—intervals smaller than a semitone, also called "microintervals". It may also be extended to include any music using intervals not found in the customary Western tuning of tw ...

compositions, including the

quarter tone scale A quarter tone is a pitch halfway between the usual notes of a chromatic scale or an interval about half as wide (aurally, or logarithmically) as a semitone, which itself is half a whole tone. Quarter tones divide the octave by 50 cents each, a ...

(24-tet: 50 cents) utilized in his pieces for two pianos in quarter tones. He also used scales of up to 72 divisions (mainly third (18-tet: 66. cents), sixth (36-tet: 33. cents), and twelfth tones (72-tet: 16. cents)). For most of his life, from 1920 onwards, Wyschnegradsky lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Early life

Ivan Wyschnegradsky was born in

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 ...

on May 4, 1893. His father was a banker and his mother wrote poems. His grandfather was a celebrated mathematician who served as the

Minister for Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

from 1888 to 1892. After his baccalaureate, Wyschnegradsky entered the School of Mathematics. He followed the courses of

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

and

orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orc ...

(1911–1915) led by Nicolas Sokolov, professor with the Academy of Saint Petersburg. In 1912, he entered the School of Law.

Music career

The first public performance of Wyschnegradsky's ''Andante religioso and funebre'' was performed at the theatre Pavlovsk under the direction of Aslanov, in the presence of

César Cui César Antonovich Cui ( rus, Це́зарь Анто́нович Кюи́, , ˈt͡sjezərʲ ɐnˈtonəvʲɪt͡ɕ kʲʊˈi, links=no, Ru-Tsezar-Antonovich-Kyui.ogg; french: Cesarius Benjaminus Cui, links=no, italic=no; 13 March 1918) was a Ru ...

. At the end of the concert, Cui congratulated him "for his moderation". In 1916, Wyschnegradsky composed ''The Day of the Brahma'' (which would later become ''The Day of Existence'') for narrator, full orchestra and mixed chorus

ad libitum In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The r ...

. In 1917, the day before the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, Wyschnegradsky completed his law studies. In November, his father died. Ivan adhered to the ideals of the Russian Revolution and composed ''The Red Gospel'', opus 8. In 1919, he elaborated on his first project on the notation of twelfth-tones. The following year, Wyschnegradsky and his family moved to Paris. The Pleyel house manufactured a pneumatic-transmission piano for him, but he was not entirely satisfied (1921). Wyschnegrasky wished to build a ''true'' quarter-tone piano and thought that he would only be able to in Germany. He ordered a Möllendorf-type quarter-tone

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

from Straube. In 1922 and 1923, he went to several revivals in Germany where he met R. Stein,

Alois Hába Alois Hába (21 June 1893 – 18 November 1973) was a Czech composer, music theorist and teacher. He belongs to the important discoverers in modern classical music, and major composers of microtonal music, especially using the quarter-tone scal ...

, J. Mager and W. Möllendorf. The following year, he married Hélène Benois and fathered a son, Dimitri (1924, later Dimitri Vicheney, who used the pen-name Jacques Demêtre). Wyschnegradsky and Benois divorced in 1926. He ordered a quarter-tone piano from Foerster (1927). The Vandelle quartet performed the Prelude and Fugue, opus 15. In 1929, the piano made by Foerster arrived in Paris. He met Lucille Markov (Gayden), his future wife. He also published the ''Manual of Quarter-tone Harmony'' (1932). In 1934, he composed ''Twenty-four Preludes in All the Tones of the

Chromatic Scale The chromatic scale (or twelve-tone scale) is a set of twelve pitches (more completely, pitch classes) used in tonal music, with notes separated by the interval of a semitone. Chromatic instruments, such as the piano, are made to produce the ...

Diatonicized with Thirteen Sounds'', for two pianos in quarter tones (1934). On January 25, 1937, he attended the first concert devoted entirely to his music. He met

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

, and later

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

and

Claude Ballif Claude Ballif (22 May 1924 – 24 July 2004) was a French composer, writer, and pedagogue. He worked at a number of institutions throughout more than 40 years of teaching, one of which he had attended as a student. Among his pupils were Raynald A ...

. He recorded the slow movement of the ''Symphony Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' for four pianos in quarter tones. In 1942, Wyschnegradsky was arrested by the Germans and transferred to

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 c ...

, where he remained for two months. His wife (of American nationality) was also arrested and transferred to

Vittel Vittel (; archaic ) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mineral water is bottled and sold here by Nestlé Waters France, under the '' Vittel'' brand. History In 1854, after visiting the baths at nearby ...

. On November 11, 1945, Gisèle Peyron and Mady Sauvageot, sopranos, Lili Fabrègue, viola, Yvette Grimaud,

Yvonne Loriod Yvonne Louise Georgette Loriod-Messiaen (; 20 January 1924 – 17 May 2010) was a French pianist, teacher, and composer, and the second wife of composer Olivier Messiaen. Her sister was the Ondes Martenot player Jeanne Loriod. Biography Loriod ...

Pierre 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 Mont ...

and

Serge Nigg Serge Nigg (6 June 1924 – 12 November 2008) was a French composer, born in Paris. Biography After initial studies with Ginette Martenot, Nigg entered the Paris Conservatory in 1941 and studied harmony with Olivier Messiaen and counterpoint ...

, pianos gave a concert of works of Wyschnegradsky. Contracting

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 ...

, he rested at the sanatorium of St. Martin-du-Tertre. In 1947, André Souris gave the première in Belgium of the ''Symphony Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' for four pianos in Brussels. In 1951, Pierre Boulez, Yvette Grimaud, Claude Helffer and Ina Marika gave a performance of the ''Second Symphonic Fragment'', opus 24 in Paris. The Revue Musicale published a special issue on Ivan Wyschnegradsky and

Nicolas Obouhow Nikolai Borisovich Obukhov (russian: Николай Борисович Обухов; Nicolai, Nicolas, Nikolay; Obukhow, Obouhow, Obouhov, Obouhoff) (22 April 189213 June 1954)Jonathan Powell. "Obouhow, Nicolas." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Mu ...

. In 1977, Martine Joste organized a concert at

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety of ...

. In Canada,

Bruce Mather Bruce Mather (born May 9, 1939) is a Canadians, Canadian composer, pianist, and writer who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music, he was awarded the Jule ...

did the same. In 1978, Alexandre Myrat, at the head of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, performed the ''Day of Existence''. Ivan Wyschnegradsky was invited by the DAAD as composer-in-residence at Berlin. He could not go, due to ill health. Radio France commissioned a string trio by him. Wyschnegradsky died at the age of 86 in Paris on September 29, 1979. His son Dimitri, known professionally as Jacques Demêtre, was an influential supporter and historian of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

music. Wyschnegradsky appears in

Paul Auster Paul Benjamin Auster (born February 3, 1947) is an American writer and film director. His notable works include ''The New York Trilogy'' (1987), ''Moon Palace'' (1989), ''The Music of Chance'' (1990), ''The Book of Illusions'' (2002), ''The Broo ...

's novel ''The Locked Room'' (1986), part of the

New York Trilogy ''The New York Trilogy'' is a series of novels by American writer Paul Auster. Originally published sequentially as ''City of Glass'' (1985), ''Ghosts'' (1986) and ''The Locked Room'' (1986), it has since been collected into a single volume. Th ...

, in a fictionalized account of Auster´s meeting with the composer as a young man in Paris.

Works

Recordings

* Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Ainsi Parlait Zarathoustra, opus 17. Monique Haas, Ina Marika, Edouard Staempfli, Max Vredenburg, pianos sous la direction du compositeur. LP 78 tours 1938, L'Oiseau-Lyre Editions.
Ivan Wyschnegradsky-Premier Fragment symphonique
* Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Méditation sur 2 thèmes de la Journée de l'Existence opus 7, Prélude et fugue opus 21, Vingt-quatre préludes opus 22 (extraits), Troisième Fragment symphonique opus 32, Etude sur le carré sonore magique opus 40, Etude sur les mouvements rotatoires opus 45, Prélude et Etude opus 48, Entretien du compositeur avec Robert Pfeiffer. S. Billier, M. Joste,

Jean-François Heisser Jean-François Heisser (born 7 December 1950) is a French classical pianist. Biography Born in Saint-Étienne, Heisser studied piano first with Paul Simonnar in Saint-Étienne, then at the Conservatoire de Paris with Vlado Perlemuter. His vast r ...

, J. Koerner, pianos, J. Wiederker, violoncelle sous la direction de M. Decoust. Editions Block, Berlin, 2 LP, EB 107/108. * Piano Duo. Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Concert Etude opus 19, Fugue opus 33, Integration opus 49. Bruce Mather : Sonata for two pianos. Bengt Hambraeus : Carillon. Bruce Mather and Pierrette Le Page, pianos. Mc Gill University Records 77002. * Music for three pianos in sixths of tones. Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Dialogue à trois opus 51, Composition opus 46, Prélude et Fugue opus 30. Bruce Mather : Poème du Délire. Jack Behrens : Aspects. Louis-Philippe Pelletier, Paul Helmer, François Couture, pianos sous la direction de Bruce Mather. Mc Gill University Records 83017. * Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Vingt-quatre Préludes opus 22, Intégrations opus 49.

Henriette Puig-Roget Henriette Marie Eulalie Puig-Roget (9 January 1910 – 24 November 1992) was a French pianist, organist and music educator. Biography Born in Bastia, she began her musical studies at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1919. She won 6 first prizes ...

and Kazuoki Fujii, pianos. Fontec records, Tokyo, FOCD 3216. * Between the Keys, Microtonal Masterpieces of the 20th century. Charles Ives : Three Quarter-tone Pieces for Two Pieces, Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Meditation on Two Themes from the Day of Existence opus 7,transcription for bassoon and piano by Johnny Reinhard, Harry Partch : Yankee Doodle Fantasy, John Cage : Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, The American Festival of Microtonal Music Ensemble, dir. Johnny Reinhard, Newport Classic, NPD 85526. * Ivan Wyschnegradsky : String Quartet # 1, opus 13, String Quartet # 2, opus 18, String Quartet #3, opus 38bis, Composition for String Quartet opus 43, Trio for strings opus 53.

Arditti Quartet The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974 and led by the British violinist Irvine Arditti. The quartet is a globally recognized promoter of contemporary classical music and has a reputation for having a very wide repertoire. T ...

. Edition Block, Berlin, CD-EB 201 * Hommage à Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Transparences I opus 36, Transparences II opus 47, Composition en quarts de ton pour quatuor d'ondes Martenot, Cosmos opus 29.

Serge Provost Serge Provost (born August 29, 1952) is a Canadian composer and organist. He has been "recognized as one of the most active Québécois composers of his generation".Gérard Frémy Gérard Frémy (12 March 1935 – 19 January 2014) was a French pianist, composer, and percussionist. Biography A student with Yves Nat at the Conservatoire de Paris, Frémy ended his studies by winning First prize at sixteen. He was designat ...

, Yves Rault, pianos et l'Ensemble 2e2m sous la direction de Paul Méfano. 2e2m Collection. * Lyrische Aspekte unseres Jahrhundert. Martin Gelland, violon et Lennart Wallin, piano. Othmar Schoeck : Sonate pour violon et piano, opus 22. Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Chant douloureux opus 6, pour violon et piano. Chant nocturne opus 11 (Klaus-Georg Pohl et Ute Gareis, pianos à quarts de ton). Allen Sapp : And the Bombers Went Home pour violon et piano. Willy Burkhard : Sonate pour violon et piano opus 78. Richard Strauss : Allegretto pour violon et piano. Hanns Jelinek : Zehn Zahme Xenien opus 32 pour violon et piano. Dieter Acker : Sonate pour violon solo. Vienna Modern Masters, VMM 2017 * 50 Jaar Stichting Huygens-Fokker. Peter Schat : Collages voor 31-toonsorgel. Henk Badings : Sonate 3 voor twee violen, Reeks van kleine klankstukken. Ivan Wyschnegradsky : Etude Ultrachromatique. Jos Zwaanenburg : Cherubs' Chirrup. Rafael Reina : Drag on ... Claustrophobia. Stichting Huygens-Fokker, 1999. * L'Evangile rouge (The Red Gospel). Ivan Wyschnegradsky : L'Evangile Rouge opus 8, Deux chants sur Nietzsche opus 9, Deux chants russes opus 29, A Richard Wagner opus 26 . Bruce Mather : Un cri qui durerait la mer, Des laines de lumière. Michel Ducharme, baryton-basse, Pierrette Lepage et Bruce Mather, pianos accordés en quarts de ton. Société Nouvelle d'Enregistrement, SNE-647-CD. * La Journée de l'existence, confession de la vie devant la vie pour orchestre, chœur ad libitum et récitant
shiiin 4 CD 2009

Writings

* ''Liberation of sound'' (in Russian). Nakanounié. Berlin, 7 janvier 1923. * ''Liberation of rhythm'' (en russe). Nakanounié, Berlin, 18 et 25 mars 1923. * ''Quelques considérations sur l'emploi des quarts de ton en musique''. Le monde musical, Paris, 30 juin 1927. * ''Quartertonal music, its possibilities and organic Sources'', Pro Musica Quarterly, New York, 19 octobre 1927, pp 19–31. * ''Musique et Pansonorité''. La revue Musicale IX, Paris, décembre 1927, pp 143. * ''Manuel d'harmonie à quarts de ton'', La Sirène Musical, Paris, 1932, republished by Ed. Max Eschig, Paris, 1980
English translation with audio realizations
published by Underwolf Editions, New York, 2017. . * ''Etude sur l'harmonie par quartes superposées''. Le Ménestrel 12 juin 1935, p 125 et 19 juin 1935, p 133. * '' La musique à quarts de ton et sa réalisation pratique''. La Revue Musicale 171, 1937. * ''L'énigme de la musique moderne''. La Revue d'esthétique, Janvier-mars 1949, pp 67–85 et avril-juin 1949, pp 181–205. * ''Préface à un traité d'harmonie par quartes superposées''. Polyphonie 3,1949, p 56. * ''Problèmes d'ultrachromatisme''. Polyphonie 9–10, 1954, pp 129–142. * ''Les Pianos de J. Carrillo''. Guide du concert et du disque, Paris, 19 janvier 1959. * ''Continuum électronique et suppression de l'interprète''. Cahiers d'études de Radio Télévision, Paris, Avril 1958, pp 43–53. * ''L'ultrachromatisme et les espaces non octaviants'', La Revue Musicale # 290–291, pp. 71–141, Ed. Richard-Masse, Paris, 1972. * ''La Loi de la Pansonorité'' (Manuscript, 1953), Ed. Contrechamps, Geneva, 1996. Preface by Pascal Criton, edited by . . * ''Une philosophie dialectique de l'art musical'' (Manuscript, 1936), Ed. L'Harmattan, Paris, 2005, edited by Franck Jedrzejewski. .

Sources

Notes

References

External links

* ttp://www.ex-tempore.org/beaulieu/BEAULIEU.htm M. Beaulieu: ''Cyclical Structures and Linear Voice-Leading in the Music of Ivan Wyschnegradsky''
Article 'Ivan Wyschnegradsky: Microtonalist and Mystic'

Review by Simon Cummings of English translation of ''Manual of Quarter-Tone Harmony''.

Article by Noah K (editor) and Rosie K (translator) on the English translation of the ''Manual of Quarter-Tone Harmony''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyschnegradsky, Ivan 20th-century classical composers Russian male classical composers 1893 births 1979 deaths Microtonal composers Russian opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Saint Petersburg 20th-century Russian male musicians