Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 29 May 1963) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

composer.

Biography

Shebalin was born in

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk a ...

, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical college in Omsk, and was also enrolled in the Institute of Agriculture. He was 20 years old when, following the advice of his professor, he went 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 million ...

to show his first compositions to Reinhold Glière and

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский; pl, Mikołaj Miąskowski, syn Jakóbowy; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is som ...

. Both composers thought very highly of his compositions. Shebalin graduated from 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 1928. His diploma work was the 1st Symphony, which the author dedicated to his professor Nikolai Myaskovsky. Many years later his fifth and last symphony was dedicated to Myaskovsky's memory. In the 1920s Shebalin was a member of the

Association for Contemporary Music Association for Contemporary Music (ACM) (russian: ACM - Ассоциация Современной Музыки, ''ASM - Assotsiatsiya Sovremennoy Muzyki'') was an alternative organization of Russian composers interested in avant-garde music. It w ...

(ACM); he was a participant of the informal circle of Moscow musicians known as "Lamm's group", which gathered in the apartment of Pavel Lamm, a professor from the Moscow Conservatory. After graduating from Moscow Conservatory, he worked there as a professor, and in 1935 became also a head of the composition class at the Gnessin State Musical College. In the very difficult years of 1942-48 he was a director of the Moscow Conservatory and the art director of the

Central Musical School Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

in Moscow. He fell victim to the Zhdanov purge of artists in 1948 and fell into obscurity afterwards. Among his students were

Ester Mägi Ester Mägi (10 January 1922 – 14 May 2021) was an Estonian composer, widely regarded as the First Lady of Estonian Music. Biography Her compositional output is substantial and represents all genres, from chamber and vocal music to choral and ...

Veljo Tormis Veljo Tormis (7 August 1930 – 21 January 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia.Daitz, Mimi. Ancient Song Recovered: The ...

, Lydia Auster,

Edison Denisov Edison Vasilievich Denisov (russian: Эдисо́н Васи́льевич Дени́сов, 6 April 1929 – 24 November 1996) was a Russian composer in the so-called " Underground", "alternative" or "nonconformist" division of Soviet music. ...

Grigory Frid Grigory Samuilovich Frid also known as Grigori Fried (russian: Григо́рий Самуи́лович Фри́д, 22 September N.S. 1915 – 22 September 2012) was a Russian composer of music written in many different genres, including chambe ...

,See .

Tikhon Khrennikov Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (russian: Тихон Николаевич Хренников; – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and General Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers (1948–1991), who was also kno ...

Karen Khachaturian Karen Surenovich Khachaturian (russian: Карэн Суренович Хачатурян, hy, Կարեն Խաչատրյան) (Moscow, 19 September 1920 – Moscow, 19 July 2011) was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the neph ...

Aleksandra Pakhmutova Aleksandra Nikolayevna Pakhmutova (russian: Александра Николаевна Пахмутова ; born 9 November 1929) is a Soviet and Russian composer. She has remained one of the best-known figures in Soviet The Soviet Union ...

Galina Konstantinovna Smirnova Galina Konstantinovna Smirnova (January 20, 1910 - 1980) was a Russian composer, musicologist, and radio music editor who used folk songs in her compositions and composed at least one film score. Smirnova was born in Moscow. She studied at the Mo ...

Asya Sultanova Asya Bakhish Sultanova (16 October 1923 – 22 November 2021) was an Azerbaijani composer who is best known for her works for children and her collaboration with singer Muslim Magomayev. Biography Sultanova was born in Baku. Her father was a geol ...

, Yevgania Yosifovna Yakhina, and others. Shebalin was one of the founders of and the chairman of the board (1941–1942) 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 ...

. Shebalin was one of the most cultured and erudite composers of his generation; his serious intellectual style and a certain academic approach to composition make him close to Myaskovsky. In 1951, he was awarded the

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

. Shebalin was a close friend 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 First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

, who dedicated a string quartet (No. 2) to him. In 1953, Shebalin suffered a stroke, followed by another stroke in 1959, which

impaired Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

most of his language capabilities. Despite that, just a few months before his death from a third stroke in 1963, he completed his fifth symphony, described by Shostakovich as "a brilliant creative work, filled with highest emotions, optimistic and full of life." Shebalin died on 29 May 1963 in Moscow. He was buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular touris ...

near his professors and colleagues. His son Dmitri (1930–2013) was the violist of the

Borodin Quartet The Borodin Quartet is a string quartet that was founded in 1945 in the then Soviet Union. It is one of the world's longest-lasting string quartets, having marked its 70th-anniversary season in 2015. The quartet was one of the Soviet Union's best ...

for 43 years (1953–1996).

Works

Shebalin composed in many musical genres. Among his creations are

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

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 co ...

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

s, trios and sonatas, choral music, romances, songs, music to dramas, radio plays, and film scores. One of the most interesting works of Shebalin is his opera ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

'' (''Укрощение строптивой'', ''Ukroshcheniye stroptivoy'') after

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

) (1957). He wrote another opera ''The Sun above the Steppe'' (''Солнце над степью'', ''Solntse nad stepyu'') (1958) and also the music comedy ''The Bridegroom from the Embassy'' (''Жених из посольства'', ''Zhenikh iz posolstva'') (1942). He also completed the opera ''

The Fair at Sorochyntsi ''The Fair at Sorochyntsi'' (russian: Сорочинская ярмарка, ''Sorochinskaya yarmarka'', ''Sorochyntsi Fair'') is a comic opera in three acts by Modest Mussorgsky, composed between 1874 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The compo ...

'' by

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

in 1930 and reconstructed a long missing

pas de deux In ballet, a pas de deux (French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well- ...

from

Pyotr Ilyich 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 ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' from a violin 'repetiteur' rediscovered in 1953.

Selected compositions (incomplete list)

Symphonic music

* Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6 (1925) * Symphony No. 2 in C# minor, Op. 11 (1929) * Dramatic symphony ’Lenin’, Op. 16 for narrator, soloists, choir, and orchestra (1931, rev. 1959) * Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 17 (1935) * Suite No. 1, Op. 18 (1935) * Suite No. 2, Op. 22 (1935) * Symphony No. 4 in B, Op. 24 ‘The Heroes of Perekop’ (1935) * Sinfonietta on Russian folksongs in A, Op. 43 (1949—1951) * Symphony No. 5 in C, Op. 56 (1962) * Suite No. 3, Op. 61 (1963) * Overtures and film music (listed below with original titles)

Concertante

* Violin Concerto, Op. 21 (1936—1940) * Concertino for violin and string orchestra, Op. 14/1 (1932) * Concertino for horn and orchestra, Op. 14/2 (1930)

Chamber works

* 9 string quartets (1923–63) * String Trio, Op. 4 (1924) * Piano Sonata in E flat minor, Op. 10 * Sonata for violin and viola, Op. 35 (1944) * Piano Trio in A, Op. 39 (1946/47) * Sonata for viola, Op. 51/2 (1954) * Sonata for violin, Op. 51/1 (1958) * Sonata for cello, Op. 51/3 (1960) * Works for guitar * Four Pieces for Violin and Piano * ''Orientalia'' (three pieces for violin and piano) * Violin Suite (four pieces for violin and piano) * ''Four Light Pieces'' (for violin and piano) * Concert Piece (for violin and piano)

Film music

* 1929 — Турксиб (Documentary) * 1932 — Дела и люди * 1933 — Рваные башмаки * 1937 — Гобсек * 1937 — Пугачёв * 1938 — Семиклассники * 1939 — Социалистическое животноводство (Documentary) * 1939 — В таёжных далях * 1941 — Фронтовые подруги * 1947 — Глинка * 1947 — Повесть о «Неистовом» * 1950 — Жуковский * 1950 — Заговор обречённых * 1952 — Волки и овцы * 1952 — Композитор Глинка * 1952 — Садко * 1952 — Мастера Малого театра (Documentary) * 1954 — Ромео и Джульетта * 1964 — Укрощение строптивой (film performance)

Selected recordings

* ''Complete

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

choral cycles'' Russkaya Conservatoria
/ref> chamber capella dir. Nikolay Khondzhinsky,

Toccata Classics Toccata Classics is an independent British classic music label founded in 2005. The founder of Toccata Classics is Martin Anderson, a music journalist. The label was founded primarily to promote unrecorded works by lesser-known composers, inc ...

2011 * Complete String Quartets (Krasni Quartet, issued on Olympia in 3 volumes, 1999–2001. Probably out of print.) * Symphonies 1-5, Russian Overture, Concertinos Op.14/1 & 2, Sinfonietta Op. 43: issued on Olympia - OCD 577 (1 & 3), OCD 597 (2, 4, & Overture), OCD 599 (5, Concertinos & Sinfonietta)

Honours and awards

s: :first class (1943) - for the "Slavic Quartet" :first class (1947) - for the cantata "Moscow" *

Honoured Artist of the RSFSR Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Заслуженный артист Российской Федерации, ''Zasluzhenny artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') is an honorary title in the Russian Federation. The title is ...

(1942) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

(1947) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

(1946) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

(1944)

References

External links

Soviet Composer's Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shebalin, Vissarion 1902 births 1963 deaths People from Omsk People from Akmolinsk Oblast (Russian Empire) Russian male classical composers Stalin Prize winners Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the Order of Lenin Russian opera composers Male opera composers 20th-century classical composers Soviet film score composers Male film score composers Moscow Conservatory alumni Moscow Conservatory academic personnel Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Pupils of Nikolai Myaskovsky String quartet composers 20th-century Russian male musicians