Nikolay Nikolayevich Kedrov Sr. (russian: Николай Николаевич Кедров; 28 October 1871 – 2 February 1940) 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 ...

composer of liturgical music. His setting of ''Otche Nash'' (

The Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

) is one of the best-known in the repertoire.

Family

Kedrov was born in

Saint Petersburg 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 ...

, in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, into the family of a Russian Orthodox archpriest. His wife was Sofia Gladkaya (Kedrova; ru: Софья Николаевна Гладкая; 1875–1965), a singer at the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

. His daughter was actress

Lila Kedrova Yelizaveta Nikolaevna Kedrova (Russian: Елизавета Николаевна Кедрова; 9 October 1909 – 16 February 2000), known as Lila Kedrova, was a Russian-born French actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actre ...

, and his son was Nikolay Kedrov Jr.

Career

From 1894 to 1897 he studied singing at the

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

, becoming an operatic baritone who performed at various theaters, including the Bolshoi and the

. In 1897 he organized a men's vocal quartet (''Saint Petersburg Russian vocal quartet''). ''Saint Petersburg Russian vocal quartet''
/ref> Their first concert was held in 1898 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The repertoire of the quartet included Russian folk songs, ballads, opera music, then gradually liturgical music appeared. The quartet each year successfully toured Europe, including participation in Diaghilev's seasons. In 1913/1914

Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass v ...

and the quartet recorded a musical album in London. In 1917, Kedrov became a professor of the

. Some time after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

, in 1922, the family emigrated from Russia and lived in Berlin, in 1928 moved to France. In Paris, Kedrov recreated the quartet (''Quatuor Kedroff''). The repertoire of the ensemble in exile included liturgical chants of the Russian Orthodox Church. The quartet toured in Europe and North America. Kedrov taught at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris. His most famous piece is ''Our Father'' (ru: ''Отче наш''), written in 1922.Kedrov Nikolay Nikolaevich (senior)
/ref>

Death

Nikolay Kedrov died on 2 February 1940 in Paris, aged 68. He was interred in the cemetery of

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery (french: Cimetière russe de Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois) is part of the ''Cimetière de Liers'' and is called the Russian Orthodox cemetery, in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Paris, France. History The ...

. After his death, the ensemble was headed by his son, Nikolay Kedrov Jr.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kedrov, Nikolay Sr. 1871 births 1940 deaths Musicians from Saint Petersburg People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd 20th-century classical composers Russian classical composers Russian male classical composers Composers of Christian music Russian opera singers 20th-century Russian male musicians Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France