![Safonov Vasily 1902](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Safonov_Vasily_1902.jpg)
Vasily Ilyich Safonov (russian: Васи́лий Ильи́ч Сафо́нов, link=no, ; 6 February 185227 February 1918), also known as Wassily Safonoff, 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 ...
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
, teacher,
conductor and
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 ...
.
Biography
Vasily Safonov, or Safonoff as he was known in the West during his lifetime, was born at (also known as Itschory, Itsyursk, or Itsiursk), Russian
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
(now in
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
), son of the
Cossack
The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...
General Ilya Ivanovich Safonov.
Safonov was educated at the
Imperial Alexandra Lyceum, Saint Petersburg, and at the
Saint Petersburg Conservatory of Music from 1881 until 1885 under
Louis Brassin. He graduated as Bachelor of Laws, and won the gold medal as a pianist of the Conservatory. He was also a pupil of
Theodor Leschetizky
Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky, pl, Teodor Leszetycki; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915 was an Austrian- Polish pianist, professor, and composer born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land of ...
and
Nikolai Zaremba.
Safonov had several daughters.
Anna Vasilyevna Timiryova (1893–1975) was a poet who spent much of her life in labor camps or in exile.
Varvara Vasilievna Safonova (1895–1942), a painter, died during the
siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...
. Yelena Vasilievna Safonova (1902–1980), studied painting, designed theatre costumes, and published children's books. From 1932 to 1958 she lived in exile in the city of
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
.
Safonov was never a particularly successful composer in his own right, but was a master music educator, becoming director of 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 ...
in 1889. He was the director of the
National Conservatory of Music in New York.
![Safonov-and-pupils](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Safonov-and-pupils.jpg)
He was the teacher of some of the best Russian pianists, notably
Alexander Scriabin,
Nikolai Medtner,
Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne (13 December 18742 December 1944) was a Russian pianist and piano teacher. Lhévinne wrote a short book in 1924 that is considered a classic: ''Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing''. Asked how to say his name, he told ''The ...
and
Rosina Bessie (later Lhévinne). He was also a teacher of
Marthe Servine
Marthe Servine (1862 in Paris – 1960) was a French-American composer and pianist, primarily known for her works for solo piano, and songs.
Biography
Marthe Servine was born in Paris of French parents.Straus, Noel"Concert is given by Roth ...
, a French-American composer and pianist.
After retiring from teaching, Safonov became well known as a conductor. He was the conductor of the first Moscow performance of
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
's
''Pathétique'' Symphony (No. 6), on 4/16 December 1893, seven weeks after its premiere under the composer's baton and six weeks after his death.
He conducted nearly all the principal orchestras in Europe, including the philharmonic orchestras of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and Prague, the
Lamoureux Orchestra
The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoure ...
of Paris, the
London Symphony, the
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia) is an Italian symphony orchestra based in Rome. Resident at the Parco della Musica, the orchestra primarily performs its Rome concerts in ...
and the
New York Philharmonic Society
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
.
Safonov is the first known modern conductor to have dispensed with the use of the
baton, which came about when he forgot to take his baton to a rehearsal on a certain occasion; he chose to use his hands alone, and decided that from then on a baton was entirely unnecessary.
['']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 and theo ...
'', 5th ed., 1954, vol. VII, p. 359 Safonov died in
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk (russian: Кислово́дск, lit. ''sour waters''; ; krc, Ачысуу) is a spa city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia which is located between the Black and Caspian Seas.
Population:
History
I ...
on 27 February 1918, aged 66.
His voice
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safonov, Vasily Ilyich
1852 births
1918 deaths
19th-century classical pianists
19th-century male musicians
Russian composers
Russian male composers
Russian conductors (music)
Russian male conductors (music)
Russian classical pianists
Russian music educators
Male classical pianists
Piano pedagogues
Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni
Music directors of the New York Philharmonic
Pupils of Nikolai Zaremba