Sergius Kagen
Encyclopedia
Sergius Kagen was an American pianist
and composer
and voice teacher
.
. Sergius then began his own piano study at the age of nine and soon entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory. But in 1920 his family fled the Revolution, moving to Berlin
, and a year later he studied with Leonid Kreutzer and Paul Juon at the Hochschule für Musik.
He and his family moved again, to the United States
in 1925, and in 1930 he entered the Juilliard School in New York city
, studying with piano with Carl Friedberg
, composition with Rubin Goldmark
and singing with Marcella Sembrich
, and earned his diploma in 1934. After Sembrich's death in 1935, he took over the training of many of her students, and he formally joined the faculty at Juilliard in 1940. There he taught singing and vocal literature from 1940 to 1964, and at the Union Theological Seminary
, from 1957 also until his death. He married soprano Genevieve Greer in 1937. He became an American citizen in 1930.
He became influential and important to the field of singing and voice pedagogy through his own teaching, as well as his writings and editions of a wide variety of vocal works. One of his students at Juilliard was the important American mezzo-soprano
Jan DeGaetani
.
As a pianist, he specialized in accompanying singers, especially important artists such as Povla Frijsh
, Ezio Pinza
and Mack Harrell
. In the late 1940s he appeared with the newly formed Bach Aria Group
, an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists that presents the works of J. S. Bach.
His three-act opera Hamlet, in a lyrical style ranging from tonal to 12-note, was first performed in Baltimore on 9 November 1962. A second opera, The Suitor (based on Molière’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac), was never completed.
As an editor, he prepared 39 volumes of songs and arias for the International Music Company. As a writer, he published his important catalog of vocal literature Music for the Voice in 1949. A year later he wrote a second book for voice teachers, On Studying Singing. These books and musical editions are still in print and are still widely used by American singers and voice teachers today.
Other musical works
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and 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...
and voice teacher
Voice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who trains adults and children in the art of singing. This generally involves training in breath control and support, proper tone production, pitch control and musical intonation, proper formation of vowels and consonants as well as...
.
Life and musical career
He was born in Russia, the third son of wealthy, intellectual parents, his father a Lithuanian Jew and his mother a Russian atheist. His older brother was studying to be a pianist, but he died in the Russian RevolutionRussian Revolution
Russian Revolution can refer to:* Russian Revolution , a series of strikes and uprisings against Nicholas II, resulting in the creation of State Duma.* Russian Revolution...
. Sergius then began his own piano study at the age of nine and soon entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory. But in 1920 his family fled the Revolution, moving to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and a year later he studied with Leonid Kreutzer and Paul Juon at the Hochschule für Musik.
He and his family moved again, to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1925, and in 1930 he entered the Juilliard School in New York city
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, studying with piano with Carl Friedberg
Carl Friedberg
Carl Rudolf Hermann Friedberg was a German pianist and teacher.Friedberg studied piano with James Kwast and with Clara Schumann at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt. He later became a teacher there and later at the Cologne Conservatory...
, composition with Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark was an American composer, pianist, and educator. Although in his time he was an often performed American nationalist composer, his works are seldom played – instead he is known as the teacher of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin...
and singing with Marcella Sembrich
Marcella Sembrich
Marcella Sembrich was the stage name of the Polish coloratura soprano, Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska...
, and earned his diploma in 1934. After Sembrich's death in 1935, he took over the training of many of her students, and he formally joined the faculty at Juilliard in 1940. There he taught singing and vocal literature from 1940 to 1964, and at the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
, from 1957 also until his death. He married soprano Genevieve Greer in 1937. He became an American citizen in 1930.
He became influential and important to the field of singing and voice pedagogy through his own teaching, as well as his writings and editions of a wide variety of vocal works. One of his students at Juilliard was the important American mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
Jan DeGaetani
Jan DeGaetani
Jan DeGaetani was an American mezzo-soprano known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions.DeGaetani was born in Massillon, Ohio...
.
As a pianist, he specialized in accompanying singers, especially important artists such as Povla Frijsh
Povla Frijsh
Povla Frijsh was a Danish classical soprano and voice teacher. She mainly sang in concerts and recitals; although she did make a few opera appearances at the Paris Opera and the Royal Danish Theatre...
, Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
and Mack Harrell
Mack Harrell
Mack Harrell was an American baritone who was regarded as one of the greatest concert singers of his generation....
. In the late 1940s he appeared with the newly formed Bach Aria Group
Bach Aria Group
The Bach Aria Group is an ensemble of vocal and instrumental musicians that was created in 1946 by William H. Scheide in New York city to perform the works of J. S. Bach.- Founding period, 1946-1980 :...
, an ensemble of singers and instrumentalists that presents the works of J. S. Bach.
Music and writing
He began his work as a composer later in life, after 1949. He wrote somewhere between 50 and 70 songs, and fewer than 20 of them were published. They are written in a chromatic idiom with careful attention to text declamation.His three-act opera Hamlet, in a lyrical style ranging from tonal to 12-note, was first performed in Baltimore on 9 November 1962. A second opera, The Suitor (based on Molière’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac), was never completed.
As an editor, he prepared 39 volumes of songs and arias for the International Music Company. As a writer, he published his important catalog of vocal literature Music for the Voice in 1949. A year later he wrote a second book for voice teachers, On Studying Singing. These books and musical editions are still in print and are still widely used by American singers and voice teachers today.
Books by Sergius Kagen
- Music for the Voice (New York, 1949, Indiana University Press, 2nd edition, 1968)
- On Studying Singing (New York, Norton, 1950, Revised)
Music
Songs for voice and piano- All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters (James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, 1950 - Because I Could Not Stop for Death (Emily DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
) - Drum (Hughes)
- I'm Nobody (Emily DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
), 1950 - A June Day (Sara TeasdaleSara TeasdaleSara Teasdale , was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.-Biography:...
), 1950 - Let It Be Forgotten (Sara TeasdaleSara TeasdaleSara Teasdale , was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.-Biography:...
), 1950 - Mag (Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
), 1950 - Maybe (Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
), 1950 - Miss T (Walter De la MareWalter de la MareWalter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....
) - Sleep Now, O Sleep Now (James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
), 1951 - Three Satires
- Upstream (Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
)
Other musical works
- Hamlet, opera in 3 acts, 1962
- The Suitor, opera, unfinished
- various piano pieces
External links
- http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/BAG-2.htm photos of Sergius Kagen with the Bach Aria GroupBach Aria GroupThe Bach Aria Group is an ensemble of vocal and instrumental musicians that was created in 1946 by William H. Scheide in New York city to perform the works of J. S. Bach.- Founding period, 1946-1980 :...
, 1948-49