Yelena Bekman-Shcherbina
Encyclopedia
Yelena Alexandrovna Bekman-Shcherbina (January 12, 1882 – September 30, 1951) was a Russia
n pianist
, composer and teacher.
, whose preparatory classes had been attended by such luminaries as Scriabin
and Rachmaninov
. She subsequently studied with Paul Pabst and Vasily Safonov, graduating from the Moscow Conservatory with a gold medal.
Yelena Bekman-Shcherbina became involved in the performance of contemporary music, and was an advocate of the music of Scriabin. She also introduced many unfamiliar works to the Russian public, championing the music of Claude Debussy
and Albéniz
. She took part in the first Russian performance of Maurice Ravel
's piano trio
.
As a composer, she wrote a number of pieces for children, of which one song - "A little fir tree grew in the forest" - remains popular as a New Year's song.
Her teaching career started at the age of 12. In 1912 she founded her own music school which lasted until 1918. She was appointed Professor at the Moscow Conservatory in 1940, where she taught until her death.
and Alexander Scriabin
eloquently attest.
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 pianist
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:...
, composer and teacher.
Biography
Born Yelena Kamentseva, she was adopted by her mother's sister after the death of her mother. In gratitude, she took her adoptive mother's name, Shcherbina. At the age of six she started studying with Nikolai ZverevNikolai Zverev
Nikolai Sergeyevich Zverev was a Russian pianist and teacher known for his pupils Alexander Siloti, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, Konstantin Igumnov, Alexander Goldenweiser, and others.- Life :...
, whose preparatory classes had been attended by such luminaries as Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
and Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
. She subsequently studied with Paul Pabst and Vasily Safonov, graduating from the Moscow Conservatory with a gold medal.
Yelena Bekman-Shcherbina became involved in the performance of contemporary music, and was an advocate of the music of Scriabin. She also introduced many unfamiliar works to the Russian public, championing the music of Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
and Albéniz
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...
. She took part in the first Russian performance of Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
's piano trio
Piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
.
As a composer, she wrote a number of pieces for children, of which one song - "A little fir tree grew in the forest" - remains popular as a New Year's song.
Her teaching career started at the age of 12. In 1912 she founded her own music school which lasted until 1918. She was appointed Professor at the Moscow Conservatory in 1940, where she taught until her death.
Critical appraisal
Her playing is full of the stylish grace of the Russian salon of the last years of the tsarist era. It is characterised by clarity and a luminous sound which are undimmed even in her last recordings. Unlike some of her more mannered contemporaries, her sense of rubato is never at the expense of the coherence of the music, as her readings of Sergei RachmaninoffSergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
and Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
eloquently attest.
Sources
- Rueger, Christopher. Moscow salons of bygone days: Yelena Bekman-Shcherbina. Essay included with Russian Piano School Vol 11 Melodia 74321 33209 2 (1996)