Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (; 29 May 1963) 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, music pedagogue. Rector of the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

(1942-1948). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1947).

Biography

Shebalin was born in

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical college in Omsk, and was also enrolled in the Institute of Agriculture. He was 20 years old when, following the advice of his professor, he went to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

to show his first compositions to Reinhold Glière and

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (; ; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times. Early years Myaskovsky ...

. Both composers thought very highly of his compositions. Shebalin graduated from the

in 1928. His diploma work was the 1st Symphony, which the author dedicated to his professor Nikolai Myaskovsky. Many years later his fifth and last symphony was dedicated to Myaskovsky's memory. In the 1920s Shebalin was a member of the

Association for Contemporary Music Association for Contemporary Music (ACM) (, ''ASM - Assotsiatsiya Sovremennoy Muzyki'') was an alternative organization of Russian composers interested in avant-garde music. It was founded by Nikolai Roslavets in 1923. ACM ran concert series and p ...

(ACM); he was a participant of the informal circle of Moscow musicians known as "Lamm's group", which gathered in the apartment of Pavel Lamm, a professor from the Moscow Conservatory. After graduating from Moscow Conservatory, he worked there as a professor, and in 1935 became also a head of the composition class at the Gnessin State Musical College. In the very difficult years of 1942-48 he was a director of the Moscow Conservatory and the art director of the Central Musical School in Moscow. He fell victim to the Zhdanov purge of artists in 1948 and fell into obscurity afterwards. Among his students were Ester Mägi, Veljo Tormis, Lydia Auster,

Edison Denisov Edison Vasilievich Denisov (, 6 April 1929 – 24 November 1996) was a Russian composer in the so-called " Underground", "alternative" or "nonconformist" division of Soviet music. Biography Denisov was born in Tomsk, Siberia. He studied math ...

, Grigory Frid,See . Tikhon Khrennikov,

Karen Khachaturian Karen Surenovich Khachaturian (, ; Moscow, 19 September 1920 – Moscow, 19 July 2011) was a Soviet and Russian composer of Armenian ethnicity and the nephew of composer Aram Khachaturian. Khachaturian was born in Moscow, the son of Suren Khachat ...

Aleksandra Pakhmutova Aleksandra Nikolayevna Pakhmutova ( ; born 9 November 1929) is a Soviet and Russian composer. She has remained one of the best-known figures in Soviet and later Russian popular music since she first achieved fame in her homeland in the 1960s. ...

, Galina Konstantinovna Smirnova, Asya Sultanova, Yevgania Yosifovna Yakhina, and others. Shebalin was one of the founders of and the chairman of the board (1941–1942) of 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 ...

. Shebalin was one of the most cultured and erudite composers of his generation; his serious intellectual style and a certain academic approach to composition make him close to Myaskovsky. In 1951, he was awarded the Stalin Prize. Shebalin was a close friend of

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 dedicated a string quartet (No. 2) to him. In 1953, Shebalin suffered a stroke, followed by another stroke in 1959, which impaired most of his language capabilities. Despite that, just a few months before his death from a third stroke in 1963, he completed his fifth symphony, described by Shostakovich as "a brilliant creative work, filled with highest emotions, optimistic and full of life." Shebalin died on 29 May 1963 in Moscow. He was buried in the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

near his professors and colleagues. His son Dmitri (1930–2013) was the violist of the Borodin Quartet for 43 years (1953–1996).

Works

Shebalin composed in many musical genres. Among his creations are

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, symphonies,

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s, trios and sonatas, choral music, romances, songs, music to dramas, radio plays, and film scores. One of the most interesting works of Shebalin is his opera ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' (''Укрощение строптивой'', ''Ukroshcheniye stroptivoy'') after

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

) (1957). He wrote another opera ''The Sun above the Steppe'' (''Солнце над степью'', ''Solntse nad stepyu'') (1958) and also the music comedy ''The Bridegroom from the Embassy'' (''Жених из посольства'', ''Zhenikh iz posolstva'') (1942). He also completed the opera '' The Fair at Sorochyntsi'' by

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

in 1930 and reconstructed a long missing

pas de deux In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...

from

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

's ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'' from a violin 'repetiteur' rediscovered in 1953.

Selected compositions (incomplete list)

Symphonic music

* Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6 (1925) * Symphony No. 2 in C♯ minor, Op. 11 (1929) * Dramatic symphony ’Lenin’, Op. 16 for narrator, soloists, choir, and orchestra (1931, rev. 1959) * Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 17 (1935) * Suite No. 1, Op. 18 (1935) * Suite No. 2, Op. 22 (1935) * Symphony No. 4 in B, Op. 24 ‘The Heroes of Perekop’ (1935) * Sinfonietta on Russian folksongs in A, Op. 43 (1949–1951) * Symphony No. 5 in C, Op. 56 (1962) * Suite No. 3, Op. 61 (1963) * Overtures and film music (listed below with original titles)

Concertante

* Violin Concerto, Op. 21 (1936–1940) * Concertino for violin and string orchestra, Op. 14/1 (1932) * Concertino for horn and orchestra, Op. 14/2 (1930)

Chamber works

* 9 string quartets (1923–63) * String Trio, Op. 4 (1924) * Piano Sonata in E flat minor, Op. 10 * Sonata for violin and viola, Op. 35 (1944) * Piano Trio in A, Op. 39 (1946/47) * Sonata for viola, Op. 51/2 (1954) * Sonata for violin, Op. 51/1 (1958) * Sonata for cello, Op. 51/3 (1960) * Works for guitar * Four Pieces for Violin and Piano * ''Orientalia'' (three pieces for violin and piano) * Violin Suite (four pieces for violin and piano) * ''Four Light Pieces'' (for violin and piano) * Concert Piece (for violin and piano)

Film music

* 1929 — Турксиб (Documentary) * 1932 — Дела и люди * 1933 — Рваные башмаки * 1937 — Гобсек * 1937 — Пугачёв * 1938 — Семиклассники * 1939 — Социалистическое животноводство (Documentary) * 1939 — В таёжных далях * 1941 — Фронтовые подруги * 1947 — Глинка * 1947 — Повесть о «Неистовом» * 1950 — Жуковский * 1950 — Заговор обречённых * 1952 — Волки и овцы * 1952 — Композитор Глинка * 1952 — Садко * 1952 — Мастера Малого театра (Documentary) * 1954 — Ромео и Джульетта * 1964 — Укрощение строптивой (film performance)

Selected recordings

* ''Complete

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

choral cycles'' Russkaya Conservatoria
/ref> chamber capella dir. Nikolay Khondzhinsky, Toccata Classics 2011 * Complete String Quartets (Krasni Quartet, issued on Olympia in 3 volumes, 1999–2001. Probably out of print.) * Symphonies 1–5, Russian Overture, Concertinos Op.14/1 & 2, Sinfonietta Op. 43: issued on Olympia - OCD 577 (1 & 3), OCD 597 (2, 4, & Overture), OCD 599 (5, Concertinos & Sinfonietta)

Honours and awards

* Stalin Prizes: :first class (1943) - for the "Slavic Quartet" :first class (1947) - for the cantata "Moscow" * Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1942) * People's Artist of the RSFSR (1947) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(1946) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1944)

References

External links

Soviet Composer's Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shebalin, Vissarion 1902 births 1963 deaths People from Omsk People from Akmolinsk Oblast (Russian Empire) Russian male classical composers Recipients of the Stalin Prize Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR Recipients of the Order of Lenin Russian opera composers Soviet male opera composers Soviet classical composers Soviet film score composers Male film score composers Moscow Conservatory alumni Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Pupils of Nikolai Myaskovsky String quartet composers 20th-century Russian male musicians