Ernest Pingoud
Encyclopedia
Ernest Pingoud was a Finnish
composer
of Alsatian
parentage.
, Pingoud was a pupil of the great Russia
n composers Alexander Glazunov
and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory
. In 1906, he went to Germany
to study with Max Reger
.
Pingoud was the first Finnish composer to write modernist music
. During his lifetime, the public did not appreciate his work. His first concert, held in Helsinki in 1918, was a disaster in which the music shocked the audience, much like their counterparts at the notorious 1913 premiere of Stravinsky
's The Rite of Spring
in Paris
. Hostility towards his music continued to plague him throughout the rest of his career. Today, his music is being rediscovered and given the chance of posthumous success.
Pingoud committed suicide
by throwing himself under a train in Helsinki in 1942.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of Alsatian
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
parentage.
Life
Born in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Pingoud was a pupil of the great Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n composers Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
. In 1906, he went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to study with Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
.
Pingoud was the first Finnish composer to write modernist music
Modernism (music)
Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
. During his lifetime, the public did not appreciate his work. His first concert, held in Helsinki in 1918, was a disaster in which the music shocked the audience, much like their counterparts at the notorious 1913 premiere of Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Hostility towards his music continued to plague him throughout the rest of his career. Today, his music is being rediscovered and given the chance of posthumous success.
Pingoud committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by throwing himself under a train in Helsinki in 1942.
Works
- Prologue, op. 4
- Confessions, op. 5
- La dernière aventure de Pierrot, op. 6
- Le fétiche, op. 7
- Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 8 (1917)
- Hymne à la nuît, op. 9
- Danse macabre, op. 10
- Cinq sonettes pour l'orchestre de la chambre, op. 11
- Un chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, op. 12
- Mysterium, op. 13
- Flambeaux éteints, op. 14
- Chantecler, op. 15
- Le sacrifice, op. 17
- Symphony No. 1, op. 18
- Symphony No. 2, op. 20 (1921)
- Le prophète, op. 21
- Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 22
- Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 23
- Symphony No. 3, op. 27 (1923-7)
- Cor ardens (1927)
- Narcissous (1930)
- Le chant de l’espace (1931/38)
- La flamme éternelle (1936)
- La face d’une grande ville (1936/37)