Nikolai Tcherepnin

45Spanish conductor Enrique Fernández Arbós (1863-1939), “one of the most important figures in the history of Spanish music between the [19]th and [20]th centuries” conducted “La Princesse lointaine” in 1922. See N. Tcherepnin, op cit. p. 122, note 14 and

<http://www.trioarbos.com/site2/secciones/id2PPal_section2.asp?IDsecc=17>.

46Viktor Grigor’evich Valter (1865-?) studied violin in the Kharkov and St. Petersburg Conservatories. His “most significant publications” include How to teach the violin (3^rd edition, 1910) and The accessible listener’s guide to Wagner’s Musical Drama “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” (Moscow, 1907). See the Russian-language page at <http://mirslovarei.com/content_his/VALTER-VIKTOR-GRIGOREVICH-14245.html>.

47Benois’ daughter, Maria, became Nikolai’s wife. See the Tcherepnin Society webpage at <http://www.tcherepnin.com/nikolai/bio_nik.htm> and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Benois>

48Ivan Fedorovich Gorbunov (1831-1895) was a well-known raconteur, writer and dramatic artist. See the Russian-language page at <http://www.peoples.ru/art/theatre/dramatist/ivan_gorbunov/>.

49Adolph Brodsky (1851-1929) was a concert violinist who studied at the Vienna Conservatory and eventually taught at the Leipzig conservatory. He premiered Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto after its dedicatee Leopold Auer said it was unplayable. See <http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/0500brodsky.html>.

50According to the Soviet version of this memoir, Tcherepnin is mistaken here. Instead of the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society, which evolved from a music group at the University, the St. Petersburg String Quartet Society was founded by violinist E. K. Albrecht. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 21.

51Women were first allowed to attend the concerts in the 1885/86 season,. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 22.

52According to the Soviet version of this memoir Tcherepnin is referring here to the third edition of “The Maid of Orleans” (1894) that had its premiere in 1895 in St. Petersburg’s Panaevsky Theater. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 24. The theater was destroyed by fire in 1918.

See <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Geftler_Karl_-_Panaevsky_Theatre_in_Saint_Petersburg.jpg>

53This quotation, in Old Church Slavonic, is from Act III, scene ii. The entire passage is as follows: “And because the evildoers have had pleasure in the sins of the Devil, Thou givest Thy disciple the power to crush the serpent, the scorpion, and all the forces of the enemy.” Personal email correspondence from and thanks to Jo Ann Poske, Reference Librarian at the Detroit Public Library for providing this reference.

54The typescript contains “Alexei” here, but Tcherepnin obviously means Ivan.

55Conductor, pianist, composer and teacher Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (1863-1931) studied and taught at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He conducted the first Russian performance of Tristan und Isolde (1865) in 1899. See Joachim Braun, ‘Blumenfeld, Felix (Mikhaylovich)’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 11 June 2008), His brothers, Stanislaus (1850-97) and Sigismund (1852-1920) were also musicians. See <http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/mar00/blumenfeld.htm>

56Composed in 1848 and premiered in Leipzig in 1850, Genoveva premiered in St. Petersburg on April 1, 1890 at the Mikhailovsky Theater, conducted by M. A. Goldenblum. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 25.

57Tcherepnin obviously means “Sophia” not “Sonia.” The names of Rimsky-Korsakov’s children and their birth dates are available at <http://www.answers.com/topic/nikolai-rimsky-korsakov>.

58Most likely in the fall of 1894. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 26. There are some problems with this passage. The Soviet version mistakenly cites this as Nezhata’s scene 1 bïlina (sung epic folk poem), celebrating the exploits of the hero Volkh. According to Richard Taruskin’s New Grove article, the bïlina under discussion here is from scene 4, and Tcherepnin seems to have the title slightly wrong, citing it as “To, na ozere bylo, na Il’mene.” See Richard Taruskin, ‘Sadko’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 5 October 2008), <http://www.grovemusic.com>

59Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.” See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 122, note 29. Nikolai Nikolaevich Figner (1854-1918) was a lyric-dramatic tenor, conductor and teacher. He was also a naval cadet. He made his debut in Italy in 1882 and was a guest artist in companies in western Europe and South America until 1887, when he became a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater. He originated the role of Harmann in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. See the Russian-language biography at <http://www.encspb.ru/article.php?kod=2804032674>.

60Tcherepnin lived at number 52, his father’s address was 18/19. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 123, note 30.

61Nikolai Nikolaevich Amani (1872-1904). After graduation in 1900 he lived for a time in Italy, although the hot weather worsened his health. He moved to Yalta in 1902. Ricordi published three of his piano works. The Russian Musical Gazette (1904) includes his biography. See the Russian-language page at <http://www.rulex.ru/01010319.htm>.

62Pianist and composer Fedir Stepanovich Akimenko (1876-1945) was born in the Ukraine. See Virko Baley, ‘Akimenko [Yakymenko], Fedir Stepanovych’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 5 May 2008), <http://www.grovemusic.com>

63The competition occurred in 1875. Tchaikovsky’s “Vakula the Blacksmith” was performed at the Mariinsky Theater during the 1876 season. Solovov’s version was performed by the Amateur Musical-Dramatic Club in Kononov Auditorium. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 123, note 31.

64Jakov Petrovich Polonsky (1819-1898) was a Russian poet and prose writer. He studied law at Moscow University, where he was befriended by several prominent writers of the day. He published his first collection of verse in 1844. See the Russian-language page at <http://tinyurl.com/3uv2we>,

and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Polonsky>.

65There have been several People’s Palaces built in Russia beginning in St. Petersburg in 1880. The concert discussed here probably took place in the edifice built in the 1890s designed by A. F. Krasovski. Each People’s Palace contained a theater/lecture hall, and reading and tea rooms. They also frequently included Sunday schools for children and adults. See the Russian-language page at <http://www.encspb.ru/article.php?kod=2804004834>. See also <http://www.postcardman.net/1022/201126.jpg> for a photograph, and the notice published in the New York Times (December 26, 1900: p. 6): <http://tinyurl.com/6ked3o>.

66Here Tcherepnin is referring to the Suite from Christmas Eve for large symphonic orchestra. See Tcherepnin, op cit., p. 123, note 34.

67Ernst Edler von Schuch (1846-1914) was an Austrian conductor whose work with the Dresden Opera brought it international status. See Anonymous, ‘Schuch, Ernst Edler von’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed [08 May 2008), <http://www.grovemusic.com>

68Emil Sauer (1862-1942) was a German pianist who studied with Nikolai Rubinstein in Moscow. See James Methuen-Campbell, ‘Sauer, Emil (George Conrad) [von]’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed [08 May 2008), <http://www.grovemusic.com>

69Tcherepnin writes “K. N. Amani” when he surely means N. N. Amani, whom he referenced above, and is so referred to in the Soviet version of this memoir. See Tcherepnin, op cit. p. 48.

70 Apollon Nikolaevich Maikov (1821-1897) was one of the leading poets in the post-Pushkin era. See the Russian-language page at <http://mirslovarei.com/content_beo/Majkov-Apollon-Nikolaevich-8332.html>.

71 Alexei Vasilevich Koltsov (1809-1842) was a well-known folk poet who lived in Petersburg from 1838-1840. See <http://encycl.opentopia.com/term/Aleksey_Koltsov> and the Russian-language page at

<http://mirslovarei.com/content_beo/Kol-cov-Aleksej-Vasievich-7216.html>

72Zelma Petrovna Grening-Wilde (1840- post 1913) was a concert artist who trained in St. Petersburg and Berlin. See the Russian-language page at <http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/agin/article/vs2/vs2-0107.htm> The information on that page is drawn from the 1896 edition of the Riemann Lexicon, p. 396.

73Maria Albertovna Benois. See Tcherepnin, p. 123, note 37.

74Like Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar” (1836), “Ivan Susanin” (1815) is based on the tale of “the semi-legendary peasant who in 1612 sacrificed his life to protect Mikhail Romanov, sire of the last Russian dynasty, from Polish invaders.” See Richard Taruskin, ‘Cavos, Catterino Albertovich’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 10 May 2008),