Maximilian Steinberg
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Maximilian Osseyevich Steinberg (Russian Максимилиан Осеевич Штейнберг; born O.s June 22 / July 4, 1883 in Vilnius – December 6, 1946 in Leningrad) was a Russian composer of classical music born in what is now Lithuania.
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[edit] Life
Steinberg, born into a Jewish family, spent his youth in Vilnius and only in 1901 left for St. Petersburg, to study the natural sciences there. At the same time his great interest in music and his study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory began, as did his contact with such personages as Anatoly Liadov, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. His considerable talent in composition soon showed, encouraged especially by his mentor Rimsky-Korsakov. So gained Steinberg diplomas both in the natural sciences, in 1907, and in music in 1908.
In this same year 1908 he married Rimsky-Korsakov's daughter Nadeschda, and became, first a lecturer, then in 1915 Professor for Composition and Orchestration at the Conservatory. He held numerous posts at the conservatory; among other things, he was, from 1934 to 1939 a deputy director, before he went into retirement in 1946. Steinberg played an important role in Soviet music life as a teacher of composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich and Yuri Shaporin.
[edit] Musical style
Steinberg was considered first as a great hope of Russian music, and was occasionally even more highly estimated than his student colleague, Igor Stravinsky. He rejected Stravinsky's and other modern styles, staying close in many of his compositions to the style of his teachers and showing the influence of the nationalistic Mighty Handful as well. His composing technique is handled with firm control and brilliant orchestration- these features have been noticed most often about his compositions.
Many of his works fall on world literature for their subjects. The dictates of socialist realism as they affected music starting in 1932 meant no great changes for him, since his style already was mostly in conformity with what was requested. He tended to select the topics of his programmatic works more often now on national topics, and let himself be influenced more often by musical and literary folklore. As a composer Steinberg is today little-known; it did not help that even at the time he was considered eclectic. More importance is attached to him now as a teacher.
His first two symphonies have been recorded by Neeme Järvi for the company Deutsche Grammophon.
[edit] Partial list of works
- For orchestra
- Symphony No. 1 in D major op. 3 (1905/06)
- Symphony No. 2 in B flat minor op. 8 "In memoriam Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov" (1909)
- Symphony No. 3 op.18 (1928)
- Symphony No. 4 "Turksib" (1933)
- Symphony No. 5 "Symphonic Rhapsody on Uzbek Themes" (1942)
- Variations for Large Orchestra in G major op. 2 (1905)
- Symphonic Prelude in memoriam Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov op. 7 (1908)
- Fantaisie dramatique op.9 (1910)
- Solemn Overture on Revolutionary Songs from 1905-7 and 1917 (1930)
- In Armenia, Capriccio (1940)
- "Forward!", heroic Uzbek Overture (1943)
- Violin concerto (1946)
- Stage works
- Metamorphosen, Ballet after Ovid op. 10 (1913)
- Till Eulenspiegel, Ballet (1936)
- Incidental music
- Vocal music
- "The Water Nymph", Cantata for Soprano, Womens' Chorus and Orchestra op. 7 (1907)
- "Heaven and Earth" for Voice and Orchestra after Byron (1918)
- Four Songs with Orchestra after Rabindranath Tagore op. 14 (1924)
- Songs
- Choruses
- Chamber music
- String quartet no. 1 (1907)
- String quartet no. 2 op. 16 (1925)
The eleventh (opus 34, in B flat minor) of Nikolai Myaskovsky's symphonies is dedicated to Steinberg. (See Myaskovsky's opus list which also contains a transcription, dated 1930, by the slightly older composer of Steinberg's third symphony for piano four-hands.)
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Walsh, Stephen. Stravinsky: A Creative Spring: Russia and France, 1882-1934. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1999. ISBN 0-679-41484-3. Contains many details about the course of the friendship between Stravinsky and Steinberg.
