Soviet and Russian music of the first third of the 20th century--with the exception of the music of a few high-profile composers who were officially sponsored by the State--is still largely unexplored territory, known only to a few specialists. Nevertheless, the music has considerable intrinsic value well beyond its curiosity appeal, and includes many pieces unaccountably forgotten and certainly worth reviving, to the ultimate enhancement of our concert repertoire. The study of this music also explains much about the foundations of Soviet culture and its subsequent suppression and decline under the Stalinist yoke. The purpose of this volume is to stimulate interest in this little-known area of Soviet/Russian music. The works charted here constitute a great flowering of avant-garde music which was then savagely dealt with for Stalin's political purposes.

The works charted in this volume constitute a great flowering of avant-garde music which was then savagely dealt with for Stalin's political purposes. The composers here are largely unknown in the West, but their music is worth reviving.

PrefaceAbbreviationsAcknowledgmentsHistorical Background: Anatoliy V. Lunacharsky, the Cultured CommissarThe PrecursorsVladimir I. Rebikov: The Inventor of Whole-Tone MusicAleksei V. Stanchinskiy: The Diatonic WebernThe Big ThreeNikolai A. Roslavets: The Russian SchoenbergAleksandr V. Mosolov: The Man of SteelArthur V. Lourie: The Decadent Out of PlaceThe Smaller FiveLeonid A. Polovinkin: The Partial Avant-GardistVladimir V. Shcherbachev: Old Wine in New VesselsLev K. Knipper: Wind from the WestBoris N. Liatoshinski: The Passionate SlavVladimir M. Deshevov: The Man of the TheaterThe Reluctant Avant-GardistsSamuil E. Feinberg: The Post-Scriabin PianistAnatoliy N. Aleksandrov: The Post-RachmaninovianBoris A. Aleksandrov: Son of the Composer of the Soviet AnthemThe Jewish SchoolAleksandr A. Krein: Voice in the WildernessGrigoriy A. Krein: Toward AssimilationYulian G. Krein: Precocious CosmopolitanAleksandr M. Veprik: The Ukrainian Bartok and BlochMikhail F. Gnessin: The Jewish GlinkaComposers in ExileIvan A. Vishnegradsky: MicrotonesNikolai Obukhov: Mystic Beyond ScriabinIosif M. Schillinger: Gershwin's TeacherAleksandr N. Tcherepnine: Suave InternationalistMusicologists and TransientsSergei V. Protopopov: The Post-Scriabin ComposerLeonid L. Sabaneev: Would-be Scientist Becomes CriticDmitriy M. Melkikh: RhapsodistGavrill N. Popov: ContrapuntalistAleksei S. Zhivotov: Notorious for One PieceEfim Golyshchev: The First Serialist?Georgi M. Rimsky-Korsakov: MicrotonistAppendix: Further Scores for Study and ReferenceIndex