Asaph Boris

Asaph, Boris Vladimirovich (literary pseudonym Igor Glebov) (1884-1949), Russian composer, musicologist, author of ballets. Asafev born in St. Petersburg 17 (29) July 1884. He graduated from the historical-philological faculty of St. Petersburg University (1908), the St. Petersburg Conservatory (1910) composition class (Lyadov). In the Conservatory classmates Prokofiev and Miaskovsky. Since 1914, worked constantly in the press, general and music. In 1919-1930 he worked in the Leningrad Institute of Art History, since 1925 Professor of the Leningrad Conservatory. He survived the siege of Leningrad. From 1943 he worked in Moscow, directed the music section of the Moscow Institute of History of Art in 1948 was elected chairman of the Union of Soviet Composers. Asafev died in Moscow on January 27, 1949
. Most striking in the creative life began Asafiev 1920-1930-ies, . when he created large-scale cycle of works on Russian music: Symphonic Etudes (1922), . Letters of Russian opera and ballet (1922), . Russian music from the beginning of XIX century (1930), . monographs and articles on Glinka, . Moussorgsky, . Tschaikowsky, . Glazunov and others,
. In 1941-1943, while in the besieged Leningrad, Asaph, wrote an extensive (and still is not fully published), a series of works Thoughts and thoughts, which summarized his observations of Russian music in the context of Russian life, national culture and history. Great interest is also Asafiev series of essays on Russian art (published in 1966).

Personal friend of Prokofiev, Asaph was one of the first advocates of his work still in pre-revolutionary period, in late 1920 wrote the first work of Stravinsky. As one of the most active members of the Leningrad Branch of the Association of Contemporary Music, a series of articles devoted to works of modern Western composers, including Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, Ernst Krenek

. Essential for creativity Asafiev have study musical form as process (Book 1 - 1930, . Book 2 - 1947), . which set forth a theory of intonation as a specific form of manifestation of thought in music, the music itself is defined as 'the art of intoned meaning',
. Ibid justified Asafiev introduced in science the concept of symphonic art as a method of synthesis of music.

Composer heritage Asafiev very high: 28 ballets, 11 operas, 4 symphonies, songs, instrumental chamber works, music for dramatic productions. Most of the stage works written on subjects from classical Russian literature (Pushkin ballets on Bakhchisaraysky Fountain, . Prisoner, . Mistress farmer, . ballet Lermontov Ashik Kerib, . Opera by Lermontov Tambov Treasurer, etc.),
. The most famous enjoyed ballet The Flames of Paris (1932), which used melodies era of the French Revolution and the works of composers of the era. Asafev orchestrated Mussorgsky's opera Khovanshchina the full copyright libretto, . restored PA Lamm (1882-1951), contributed to the formulation of Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov in author's edition (Leningrad, . 1928; the first time since its premiere in 1874), . made a new edition of the unfinished opera AN Serov Jц?chymov force, etc.,


. Musicological work Asafiev presented in five-volume Selected Works, . as well as in coming out at different times of collection of his articles, . in the editions published during the life of books, etc., . but completely musicological heritage Asafiev has not yet been published.,