Alexei Vasilievich Haieff (August 25, 1914 – March 1, 1994) was an American composer of orchestral and choral works. He is known for following Stravinsky's

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

, observing an austere economy of means, and achieving modernistic effects by a display of rhythmic agitation, often with jazzy undertones.

Background

Born in

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...

, in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

, Haieff received his primary education at

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. In 1931 he went to the U.S., where he studied with

Rubin Goldmark Rubin Goldmark (August 15, 1872 – March 6, 1936) was an American composer, pianist, and educator.Perlis, ''New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', v. II, p. 239 Although in his time he was an often-performed American nationalist composer, his ...

and

Frederick Jacobi Frederick Jacobi (May 4, 1891 – October 24, 1952) was a Jewish-American composer and teacher. His works include symphonies, concerti, chamber music, works for solo piano and for solo organ, lieder, and one opera. He taught at Juilliard School o ...

at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

of Music in New York City (1934–38). In 1938-39 he also studied with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

in Paris and in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He became a U.S. citizen and held U.S. citizenship for 55 years, until his death. He held a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

and again in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, and was a Fellow at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

(1947–48). His Divertimento (1944) was choreographed by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

in 1947. He won the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...

in 1949. He was a visiting composition and music theory professor at Carnegie Institute of Technology for the 1962-63 School year. He was a professor at the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

(1962–68), and composer-in-residence at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

(1968–70). His Piano Concerto won the New York Music Critics' Circle Award (1952) and his 2nd Symphony the American International Music Fund Award (1957)."Alexei Vasilievich Haieff." Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, Editor Emeritus. Schirmer, 2001 Haieff's notable students include Paul Ramsier. He was married to Sheila Jeanne Agatha van Meurs in 1988. He died in Rome, Italy, at the age of 79.

List of works

Ballets * The Princess Zondilda and Her Entourage (1946) * Beauty and the Beast (1947) Orchestral * Symphony No. 1 (1942) * Symphony No. 2 (Boston, April 11, 1958) * Symphony No. 3 (New Haven, Conn., April 11, 1961) * Divertimento (N.Y., April 5, 1946) * Violin Concerto (1948) * Piano Concerto (N.Y., April 27, 1952) * Ballet in E (1955) * Éloge for Chamber Orch. (1967) Chamber music * Sonatina for String Quartet (1937) * 3 Bagatelles for Oboe and Bassoon (1939) * Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano (1942) * Eclogue for Cello and Piano (1947) * String Quartet (1951) * La Nouvelle Héloïse for Harp and String Quartet (1963) * Cello Sonata (1963) * Rhapsodies for Guitar and Harpsichord (1980) * Wind Quintet (1983) Piano Compositions * Sonata for 2 Pianos (1945) * Gifts and Semblances (1940–48) * Five Pieces for Piano (1946–48) * Four Juke Box Pieces (1952) * Notes of Thanks (1954–61) * Piano Sonata (1955) Vocal/Choral * Caligula for Baritone and Orch., after Robert Lowell (N.Y., Nov. 5, 1971)

Recordings

Recordings in current CD release ( with selected movements available on YouTube): * Piano Concerto (N.Y., April 27, 1952) CD Tiger of Harbin * Divertimento (N.Y., April 5, 1946) CD Kyriena * Ballet in E (1955) CD Kyriena * Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1963) CD Kyriena * String Quartet (1951) CD Kyriena * Sonata for 2 Pianos (1945) CD Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky Play Alexei Haieff (also on CD Tiger of Harbin) * Gifts and Semblances (1940–48) CD Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky Play Alexei Haieff (also on CD Manhattan Piano) * Five Pieces for Piano (1946–48) CD Manhattan Piano * Four Juke Box Pieces (1952) CD Manhattan Piano (also on CD K and A Gliadkovsky Play A H) * Notes of Thanks (1954–61) CD Manhattan Piano * Piano Sonata (1955) CD Manhattan Piano (also on CD Tiger of Harbin)

References

External links

The Alexei Haieff papers
the composer's personal papers and scores) in th
Music Division
o
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
*(https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404787.html Review of Haieff Divertimento ballet performance in Mar 2010 Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.

August 17, 1989 *(https://web.archive.org/web/20200225202926/http://www.alexei.com/ New CD releases of Alexei Haieff music by Alexei Records, January 21, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Haieff, Alexei 1914 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American ballet composers American male composers Juilliard School alumni People from Blagoveshchensk Soviet emigrants to the United States University at Buffalo faculty