Born in the fortress of Novo-Georgiyevsk [now Modlin], Poland, 8/April 20, 1881
Died in Moscow, Aug 8, 1950
- Nikolai Myaskovsky obtained a musical education during childhood but was forbidden from pursuing a music career (despite his passion for the subject) by his military engineer father.
- After going through military training, Myaskovsky finally entered the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1906, where he studied composition with Lyadov and orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov.
- During WWI, as a reserve officer, Myaskovsky was mobilized and sent to the Austrian front. Following the October Revolution, he moved to Moscow in 1918.
- Sad fact – Myaskovsky’s father died this same year under horrific circumstances. As a general of the Russian army, he was torn to pieces by the Revolutionary mob. This tragic event, combined with his experiences during the war, undoubtedly left a lasting effect on the composer. In fact, in Myaskovsky’s sixth symphony, “the finale relies on the contrast between songs of the French revolution (the ‘Carmagnole’ and ‘Ça ira’) and an old Russian sacred chant ‘O rasstavanii dushi s telom’ (‘On the Parting of the Body and Soul’) the title of which is of obvious significance.”
- In 1921, Myaskovsky was invited to teach at the Moscow Conservatory, where he would remain until he died in 1950. Aram Khachaturian would become one of his pupils.
- As a composer, Myaskovsky’s principal genre was the symphony. He wrote 27 (!) during his lifetime and is best known for these works, along with his string quartets.1
- Fun fact – first meeting as students at the St Petersburg Conservatory, Myaskovsky and Prokofiev became lifelong friends.2
Learn More
Sources
- Iosif Genrikhovich Rayskin, “Myaskovsky, Nikolay Yakovlevich,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed February 1, 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000019490.
- David Nice, “Composer of the Month: Nikolai Myaskovsky,” BBC Music Magazine Vol. 29, No. 13 (2021), 68.