Isaac Iosifovich Schwartz (; 13 May 1923 – 27 December 2009), also known as Isaak Shvarts, was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. Schwartz was born in

Romny Romny (, ) is a city in Sumy Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Romen River. Romny serves as the administrative centre of Romny Raion and hosts the administration of , one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: History The city w ...

in the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

in 1923. His family moved to

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1930, where he learned to play the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. He gave his first concert in 1935 with the

Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (, ''Symphonic Orchestra of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia'') is a symphony orchestra based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Their home venue is the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia. History The roots of th ...

. Schwartz's father was professor of

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeolo ...

at the

Leningrad State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

: he was arrested in 1936 and executed two years later as part of the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

.. Schwartz's family was exiled to

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

in 1937, and Schwartz gave private music lessons in Frunze (now

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

) as well as occasionally accompanying the silent films at the cinema with live music. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Schwartz directed one of the sections of the Red Army Choir. During that time, he met Mariya Dmitriyevna, the sister of Russian composer

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 thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

, who introduced him to her brother.Wilson, Elizabeth (1994). "Shostakovich: A Life Remembered." Faber and Faber, p. 220. Shostakovich helped Schwartz gain entry to the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Leningrad, whence he graduated with a diploma in composition in 1951. He joined 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 1 ...

in 1955. Only years later did he discover that Shostakovich had paid for his education. When Shostakovich was dismissed from the Conservatory, Schwartz was asked to denounce Shostakovich, but he refused. Schwartz's first major commission was the music for the film ''Our Correspondent'' in 1959. He went on to compose the music for more than 100 Soviet films, including ''

White Sun of the Desert ''White Sun of the Desert'' () is a 1970 Soviet Ostern film. Its blend of action comedy, music and drama made it highly successful at the Soviet box-office and resulted in a number of memorable quotes. It retains high domestic approval. Its main ...

'' (''Белое солнце пустыни'', 1969) and ''

The Captivating Star of Happiness ''The Star of Captivating Happiness'' () is a 1975 Soviet historical romance. The title is an allusion to a line from the poem '' To Chaadayev'' by Alexander Pushkin. It is a drama with the dedication "to the women of Russia". Plot The story is ...

'' (''Звезда пленительного счастья'', 1975). Perhaps his best known work outside of the Soviet Union was for

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

's 1975 film ''

Dersu Uzala Dersu Uzala (; – 1908) was a Nanai trapper and hunter in the Okhotsk–Manchurian taiga. He worked as a guide for Vladimir Arsenyev, who immortalized him in his 1923 book '' Dersu Uzala''. The book was adapted into two feature films, with th ...

''. He won the prestigious

Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. In 2022 nominees were announced, b ...

of the

Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

for 1992 for his music for the films ''

White King, Red Queen Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born 28 June 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the president of the jury at the ...

'' (''Белый король, красная королева'') and ''

Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...

'' (''Луна-парк'').. Schwartz also composed music for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s and theatrical performances and, to a lesser extent, for television. His one symphony, ''Gelbe Sterne – Purimspiel im Ghetto'', composed in 1993, was first performed in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 2000: it was inspired by the story of the

Kovno Ghetto The Kovno Ghetto was a ghetto established by Nazi Germany to hold the Lithuanian Jews of Kaunas (Kovno) during the Holocaust. At its peak, the ghetto held 29,000 people, most of whom were later sent to concentration and extermination camps, o ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. The work was recorded on

Capriccio Capriccio may refer to: __NOTOC__ Music * Capriccio (music), a piece of music which is fairly free in form * Fantasia in C major (Haydn), "Capriccio", a 1789 piano composition by Joseph Haydn * Capriccio (Janáček), a chamber music composition by ...

with Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra under

Vladimir Spivakov Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov (; born 12 September 1944) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian conductor and violinist best known for his work with the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra. Spivakov was born in Ufa. He was taught by Yuri Yankelevic ...

in 2005 (currently available as a download only). Schwartz died in Siversky, near

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, on 27 December 2009, aged 86.

Selected filmography

* ''

Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha ''Zhenya, Zhenechka and "Katyusha"'' () is a 1967 Soviet war film, war comedy film, comedy-drama film directed by Vladimir Motyl. The film is set during the Great Patriotic War and tells about the romance between an intelligent young man, Evgeny ...

'' (1967) * ''

The Seventh Companion ''The Seventh Companion'' () is a 1967 Soviet Union, Soviet drama film set in Petrograd in the years following the Russian Revolution (1917), Russian Revolution. The film marked the directorial debut of Russian director Aleksei Yuryevich German, A ...

'' (1967) * ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

'' (1969) * '' The Stationmaster'' (1972) * '' The Straw Hat'' (1974) * ''

The Flight of Mr. McKinley ''The Flight of Mr. McKinley'' () is a 1975 Soviet two-part science fiction film directed by Mikhail Schweitzer. Plot A scientist invents the colloid gas — a creation that allows a person to hibernate for a hundred and more years, and wake up in ...

'' (1975) * ''

Melodies of a White Night ''Melodies of a White Night'' (; ) is a 1976 romantic drama directed by Sergei Solovyov. Plot A Japanese pianist (Komaki Kurihara) travels to the Soviet Union to better understand the country's composers' production. She falls in love with Sovi ...

'' (1976) * '' Where were you, Odysseus?'' (1978) * ''

Do Not Shoot at White Swans ''Do not Shoot at White Swans'' () is a 1980 Soviet drama film in two parts by the director Rodion Nakhapetov, based on the novel of the same name by Boris Vasilyev. Plot Egor Polushkin (Stanislav Lyubshin) lives in a village. The villagers, in ...

'' (1980) * ''

Sofia Kovalevskaya Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya (; born Korvin-Krukovskaya; – 10 February 1891) was a Russian mathematician who made noteworthy contributions to analysis, partial differential equations and mechanics. She was a pioneer for women in mathematics a ...

'' (1985) * '' Wild Pigeon'' (1986) * ''

'' (1992) * '' Empire under Attack'' (2000)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Isaac Soviet composers Soviet male composers 1923 births 2009 deaths Ukrainian composers Ukrainian Jews People from Romny Soviet Jews Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Academicians of the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Russia 20th-century male composers People's Artists of Russia