Lev Knipper
Lev Knipper | |
---|---|
Born | Lev Konstantinovich Knipper 21 November 1898 [ Russian SFSR , USSR |
Other names | Лев Константинович Книппер |
Occupation(s) | Composer, secret police agent |
Years active | 1922–1974 |
Spouses | Mariya Garikovna Melikova
(divorced)
|
Relatives | Olga Knipper (aunt) Olga Chekhova (sister) Andrey Lvovich Knipper (son) |
Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (Russian: Лев Константинович Книппер; 3 December [O.S. 21 November] 1898 – 30 July 1974) was a Soviet and Russian composer and OGPU/NKVD agent.
Life and career
Lev Knipper was born in
Knipper enlisted in the
Through the connections of his aunt, Knipper made the acquaintance of
Seemingly in response to criticism of his modernist early works, Knipper resigned his post as technical secretary to the ACM and abruptly shifted his style towards one more in line with the principals of socialist realism.[7] In 1930–1931, he travelled to Central Asia to study the region's folk music. He was particularly drawn to Tajik music, which directly influenced eight of his works.[2]: 30–36 The majority of Knipper's works from this period are musically conservative, and patriotic and militaristic in tone, most notably his "song-symphonies" (3, 4 and 6). The most prominent of these is his Fourth Symphony, "Poem of the Komsomol Fighter", Op. 41 (1934); with lyrics by Viktor Gusev and dedicated to Kliment Voroshilov. The central theme of the symphony, the song Polyushko-polye, has become Knipper's most famous work as one of the marching songs in the repertoire of the Alexandrov Ensemble. Though in line with Soviet political ideals, these song-symphonies were met with criticism by some of Knipper's fellow composers. Dmitri Shostakovich lambasted Knipper's Third Symphony (1932) for its "primitiveness" at a meeting of the Union of Soviet Composers in 1935.[8] Dmitry Kabalevsky pointed out the shortcomings of Knipper's approach to combining mass-songs and the surrounding symphonic material. In his Sixth Symphony, Op. 47 (1936), Knipper apparently veered too close to his earlier style and was publicly rebuked for it; his Seventh Symphony "Military" (1938) returned to an ideologically safer style.[3]: 151–152
Knipper continued to compose during the
Knipper was prolific. He wrote 5 operas (including one on The Little Prince), 20 symphonies, ballets, pieces for piano and other film musics.
The primary publishers of Knipper's works are Muzyka, Kompozitor and Le Chant du Monde. Most of his published compositions are currently out of print, and the majority of his output has yet to be published.
List of works
Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1 in 4 parts, Op. 13 (1926) – dedicated to Olga Knipper
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 (1929)
- Symphony No. 3 "Far East," Op. 32 (1932) – poetry by Viktor Gusev
- Sinfonietta, Op. 33 (1932)
- Symphony No. 4 "Poem for the Komsomol Fighters" (1934, rev. 1966) – poetry by Viktor Gusev
- Symphony No. 5 (1935)
- Symphony No. 6, Op. 47 (1936)
- Symphony No. 7 "Military" in 3 parts (1938)
- Symphony No. 8 in 3 movements (1941)
- Symphony No. 9 in 4 movements (1944–45)
- Symphony No. 10 in 4 movements (1946) – dedicated to Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 11 in 4 movements (1949)
- Symphony No. 12 in 3 parts (1950)
- Symphony No. 13 in 4 parts (1951–52) – dedicated to Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Sinfonietta in 4 movements (1952)
- Symphony in 4 movements (1954)
- Symphony No. 14 for string orchestra in 4 parts (1961–62)
- Symphony No. 15 (1962)
- Symphony No. 16 (1962–69)
- Symphony No. 17 in 3 movements (1969–70)
- Symphony No. 18 (1970–71)
- Sinfonietta for string orchestra in 4 movements (1971–72)
- Symphony No. 20 in 3 parts (1972)
- Symphony No. 21 "Dances" in 5 parts (1972)
Concertante
- Violin
- Souvenir: Six pieces for violin and symphony orchestra, Op. 31 (1932)
- Three Variations on a Theme for violin and symphony orchestra, Op. 31a (1932)
- Concerto No. 1 (1942–44) – dedicated to Olga Knipper
- Sonatina for violin and string orchestra (1948)
- Concertino for violin and string orchestra (1962)
- Little Concerto in Classical Style (1964–65) – dedicated to Arkady Futer
- Concerto No. 3 (1969–70) – dedicated to Leonid Kogan
- Viola
- Concerto (1962)[10]
- Cello
- Concerto-Monologue for cello, seven brass instruments and timpani (1962) – dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich
- Concerto-Poem for cello and chamber orchestra (1971) – dedicated to Natalia Shakhovskaya
- Woodwinds
- Clarinet Concerto (1967) – dedicated to Rafael Bagdasarian
- Concerto-Suite for oboe, string quartet and percussion (1968) – dedicated to Konstantin Paustovsky
- Concerto for bassoon and string orchestra (1969–70) – dedicated to Valery Popov[11]
- Brass
- Four Improvisations & Finale for horn and string orchestra (1971)
- Double concertos
- for violin, cello and orchestra (1945)
- for violin, cello and wind septet (1967) - dedicated to Tatiana Alekseevna Gaidamovich
- for trumpet and bassoon (1968)
- String quartet
- Radif: suite in Iranian style for string quartet and string orchestra (1944)
- Concerto for string quartet and orchestra (1963)
- Symphonic Concerto for string quartet and symphony orchestra (1964–65)
Chamber music
- Reflections: Six sketches for flute and clarinet, Op. 11 (1925)
- To my Son: Four miniatures, Op. 27 (1931) – dedicated to Andrey Lvovich Knipper
- Four Pieces for violin and piano (1943)
- String quartets
- No. 1 (1943) – dedicated to the Bolshoi Quartet
- Six Miniatures on Kirghiz Themes (1956)
- No. 2 (1962)
- No. 3 (1972–73) – dedicated to N. M. Skuzovatova
- Concert Scherzo for violin and piano (1962)
- Pieces for flute and harp (1963)
- Piano trios
- No. 1 (1968–71) – dedicated to Tatiana Alekseevna Gaidamovich
- No. 2 (1971–73) – dedicated to Tatiana Alekseevna Gaidamovich
- Concert Etude for flute and trumpet (1971)
- Scherzo for flute, trumpet and piano (1971)
Film music
- The Private Life of Pyotr Vinogradov (1934)
- The Red Cavalry (1935)
- The Soviet Coast (documentary, 1951)
- Immortal Pages (documentary, 1965)
Honors and awards
- Order of the Badge of Honour
- Stalin Prize – 1946 and 1949
- People's Artist of the RSFSR – 1974
References
- ^ Пажитнов, Евгений. "Род Книппер". Proza.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Gaïdamovitch, Tatiana (2006). Lev Konstantinovitch Knipper (in French). Paris: Le Chant du Monde.
- ^ ISBN 9780313267093.
- ISBN 978-1-101-17505-7.
- ^ Abraham, Gerald (1943). "Lev Knipper". Eight Soviet Composers. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 53.
- ^ Lemaire, Frans C. (1994). La Musique du XXe siècle en Russie et dans les anciennes Républiques soviétiques (in French). Paris: Fayard. pp. 73–74.
- ^ Dvoskina, Elena. "Knipper, Lev Konstantinovich". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press.
- ISBN 978-1-4724-7108-6.
- ^ Fischer, Benjamin B. (2004). "Lubyanka in the Days of the Battle for Moscow: Materials from the Organs of State Security SSSR from the Central Archive FSB Russia" (PDF). Studies in Intelligence. 48 (2). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Knipper, Lev. "Концерт для альта с орк. (1962, парт.)" [Music manuscript]. ПУТЕВОДИТЕЛЬ по фондам рукописных материалов ВМОМК им. М.И.ГЛИНКИ, Fonds: 125. Moscow: Russian National Museum of Music.
- .
External links
- List of works
- Life and work (in French)
- "Stalin planned to destroy Moscow if the Nazis moved in" by Adrian Blomfield, The Telegraph, London, 5 December 2008
- Beevor, Antony (2004) The Mystery of Olga Chekhova ISBN 978-0-670-03340-9