Soulima Stravinsky
Encyclopedia
Sviatoslav Soulima Stravinsky (23 September 191028 November 1994) was a Swiss
-American
pianist, composer and musicologist
of Russian and Ukrainian descent. As a pianist, he was considered an important interpreter of the works of his father, Igor Stravinsky
, but as a composer he was overshadowed by his father.
, Switzerland
, in 1910, the son of Igor Stravinsky
and Katerina Nossenko, and the grandson of Fyodor Stravinsky
. He studied piano with Isidor Philipp
as well as theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger
. He appeared in Paris in 1934 playing his father's Concerto for Piano and Winds, Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and the Concerto for Two Solo Pianos. He recorded these works with his father in 1938.
He played in London at the 1937 season of the Proms
.
Igor Stravinsky moved to the United States in 1939, but Soulima joined the French army and remained in Europe for nine more years. He moved to the USA in 1948, making his American debut that year at the Red Rocks Festival in Colorado
and his New York debut with the CBS Symphony Orchestra.
In 1950, Soulima Stravinsky was appointed to the piano faculty of the School of Music of the University of Illinois, where he remained until 1978. He continued his concerto solo career and began distinguishing himself as a composer, transcriber and editor. In addition to his many musical compositions, he wrote books on orchestration
and the orchestra
. His book on orchestration contains an excellent section on brass instrument
s including many unusual instruments.
In 1974, Stravinsky was awarded the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
He died in Sarasota, Florida
in 1994, survived by his wife Francoise, his son John, and his sister Milene Marion.
About nine months after his death, his widow Francoise found a previously unknown work amongst Soulima's papers - a Lamento for cello and piano. It was in incomplete form, but it was edited and performed for the first time before Francoise herself died.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist, composer and musicologist
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
of Russian and Ukrainian descent. As a pianist, he was considered an important interpreter of the works of his father, Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, but as a composer he was overshadowed by his father.
Biography
Soulima Stravinsky was born in LausanneLausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, in 1910, the son of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
and Katerina Nossenko, and the grandson of Fyodor Stravinsky
Fyodor Stravinsky
Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky ) was a Russian bass opera singer and actor. He was the father of Igor Stravinsky and the grandfather of Soulima Stravinsky....
. He studied piano with Isidor Philipp
Isidor Philipp
Isidor Philipp was a French pianist, composer, and distinguished pedagogue of Hungarian descent. He was born in Budapest and died in Paris.-Biography:...
as well as theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
. He appeared in Paris in 1934 playing his father's Concerto for Piano and Winds, Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and the Concerto for Two Solo Pianos. He recorded these works with his father in 1938.
He played in London at the 1937 season of the Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
.
Igor Stravinsky moved to the United States in 1939, but Soulima joined the French army and remained in Europe for nine more years. He moved to the USA in 1948, making his American debut that year at the Red Rocks Festival in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and his New York debut with the CBS Symphony Orchestra.
In 1950, Soulima Stravinsky was appointed to the piano faculty of the School of Music of the University of Illinois, where he remained until 1978. He continued his concerto solo career and began distinguishing himself as a composer, transcriber and editor. In addition to his many musical compositions, he wrote books on orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
and the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. His book on orchestration contains an excellent section on brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s including many unusual instruments.
In 1974, Stravinsky was awarded the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
He died in Sarasota, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1994, survived by his wife Francoise, his son John, and his sister Milene Marion.
About nine months after his death, his widow Francoise found a previously unknown work amongst Soulima's papers - a Lamento for cello and piano. It was in incomplete form, but it was edited and performed for the first time before Francoise herself died.
Works
- Etudes Pittoresques (20), for piano
- The Art of Scales (24 Preludes), for piano
- 6 Sonatinas for Young Pianists, for piano (or harpsichord)
- Piano Suite for the Right Hand
- Music Alphabet, for piano
- Piano Music for Children, Volume 1 (19 pieces)
- Suite for Viola Solo (1975)
- Sonata for Cello and Piano (1990)
- Lamento, cello and piano (posth.)
- Three string quartets (recorded on CD, label Polymnie)
- Cadenzas (18) and fermatas (4) to MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's piano concerti:- No. 6 in B flatPiano Concerto No. 6 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, K. 238, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in January of 1776.The work is in three movements:*I. Allegro aperto*II. Andante un poco adagio*III. Rondeau: Allegro-References:...
, K. 238 - No. 8 in CPiano Concerto No. 8 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 8 in C major, K. 246, or Lützow Concert was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in April of 1776 in the same year as the Haffner Serenade . Countess Antonia Lützow, 25 or 26 years old, second wife of Johann Nepomuk Gottfried Graf Lützow, the Commander of the Hohensalzburg...
, K. 246 - Double Concerto in E flatPiano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)The Concerto No. 10 in E-flat major for Two Pianos, K. 365/316a, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was written in 1779. Mozart wrote it to play with his sister Maria Anna . He was 23 years old and on the verge of leaving Salzburg for Vienna....
, K. 365 - No. 11 in FPiano Concerto No. 11 (Mozart)Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 11 in F major, KV. 413 , was the second of the group of three early concertos he wrote whilst in Vienna, in the autumn of 1782 . It was the first full concerto he wrote for the subscription concerts he gave in the city...
, K. 413 - No. 20 in D minorPiano Concerto No. 20 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1785. The first performance took place at the Mehlgrube Casino in Vienna on February 11, 1785, with the composer as the soloist.-Background:...
, K. 466 - No. 21 in CPiano Concerto No. 21 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, was completed on March 9, 1785 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, four weeks after the completion of the previous D minor concerto.- Structure :There are three movements....
, K. 467 Elvira Madigan - No. 22 in E flatPiano Concerto No. 22 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K. 482, is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart composed the concerto in December of 1785....
, K. 482 - No. 24 in C minorPiano Concerto No. 24 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart composed the concerto in the winter of 1785–1786 and completed the work on 24 March 1786...
, K. 491 - No. 25 in CPiano Concerto No. 25 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on December 4, 1786, alongside the Prague Symphony, K.504. Although two more concertos would later follow, this work is the last of the twelve great piano concertos written in Vienna between 1784 and...
, K. 503, and - No. 26 in DPiano Concerto No. 26 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major, K. 537, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and completed on February 24, 1788. It is generally known as the "Coronation" Concerto.-Source of the nickname "Coronation":...
, K. 537 Coronation.
- No. 6 in B flat