Valery Viktorovich Zhelobinsky (russian: Bалерий Bикторович Желобинский; November 9, 1913,

Tambov Tambov (, ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna and ...

– August 13, 1946,

Leningrad 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 ...

) was a Soviet and Russian composer, pianist and pedagogue.

Life and works

Zhelobinsky studied music firstly at Tambov and then from 1928 to 1932 at the

Leningrad Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...

with

Vladimir Shcherbachov Vladimir Vladimirovich Shcherbachov (Shcherbachyov, Shcherbachev) (russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Щербачёв; 24 January 1889, in Warsaw – 5 March 1952, in Leningrad) was a Soviet composer. He studied with Maximil ...

. He performed across the Soviet Union as a soloist. He returned to Tambov in 1942 where he taught at the College of Music and was Chairman of the Composers' Union. For his short career, Zhelobinsky's output was large. His four operas, which include ''The Peasant of Komarino'' (Комаринский мужик), produced in Leningrad in 1933, and ''Mother'' (Мать, 1939, based on the novel by

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

), were well received. He also wrote orchestral music including six

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

, and three

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

s. His ''Romantic Poem'' for

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 regular ...

and orchestra was premiered in Leningrad together with the first performance of

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

's Sixth Symphony in November 1939. From his numerous piano works, the 'Six short études' were introduced 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 territorie ...

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all ...

and were published there in 1946. Two of these

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidl ...

s were recorded by

Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for reco ...

. Shostakovich thought highly of Zhelobinsky, and argued in a 1951 letter to Mikhail Chulaki, secretary of the

Union of Soviet Composers The Union of Russian Composers (formerly the Union of Soviet Composers, Order of Lenin Union of Composers of USSR () (1932- ), and Union of Soviet Composers of the USSR) is a state-created organization for musicians and musicologists created in 193 ...

, that he should be included in a proposed list of 100 Russian composers, pointing out that 'dying at a very young stage of isdevelopment, enever reached the peak of iscomposing talents'.

Selected Compositions (Incomplete)

Symphonic Music

* Symphony No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 17 "Dramatic" (1932–36) * Symphony No. 2, Op. 28 (1939) * Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34, "Lyric" (1940–41)

Concertante

* "Small" Piano Concerto, Op. 21 (1933–34) * Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 25 (1934–35)

Chamber Works

* Chamber Symphony (Dectet) (1930) * "Mourning Song" for Cello and Piano, Op. 27(bis) No. 7 (1934) * String Quartet, Op. 42 (1943) * "Little" Quartet for Woodwinds (1946, incomplete)

Operas

* Kamarinsky Muzhik (Камаринский мужик), Op. 18 (1933) * Name Day / Imeniny (Именины), Op. 22 (1934–35) * Mother (Мать), Op. 31 (1939)

Solo Piano

* Two Pieces, Op. 6 (1930) ** No. 1: Nocturne ** No. 2: Ostinato * Six Short Etudes, Op. 19 (1933) * 24 Preludes, Op. 20 (1934) * Three Pieces, Op. 27 (1935) * Childhood Scenes (Book I), Op. 32 (1939) * 12 Songs Without Words, Op. 35 * Childhood Scenes (Book II) (1945) * Two Pieces (Without Opus)

Sources

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the History of music, ...

, ''Zhelobinsky, Valery Viktorovich''. *

Ernő Balogh Ernő Balogh (4 April 1897, Budapest – died 2 June 1989, Mitchellville, Maryland) was a United States-based Hungarian-born pianist, composer, editor, and teacher. Biography Balogh attended the Budapest Conservatory from 1905 to 1917. His teac ...

, Introduction to ''Six Short Etudes by Valarie Jelobinsky'', New York, 1946. *

Nicolas Slonimsky Nicolas Slonimsky ( – December 25, 1995), born Nikolai Leonidovich Slonimskiy (russian: Никола́й Леони́дович Сло́нимский), was a Russian-born American conductor, author, pianist, composer and lexicographer. B ...

, ''Soviet Music and Musicians'', in 'Slavonic and East European Review', vol. 22 (December 1944) * Dmitri Shostakovich, ed. I. A. Bobikina, ''Dmitri Shostakovich v pis'makh i dokumentakh'', Moscow 2000. . .

Notes

External links

*
Free Sheet Music, Composition Lists, Composer Biographies (https://www.zhelobinsky.org)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhelobinsky, Valery Viktorovich 1913 births 1946 deaths 20th-century Russian male musicians People from Tambov Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Male opera composers Russian film score composers Russian male composers Russian music educators Russian opera composers Russian pianists Soviet film score composers Soviet male composers Soviet music educators Soviet opera composers Soviet pianists