Goldenweiser, Alexander (Borisovich)

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Goldenweiser, Alexander (Borisovich)

Goldenweiser, Alexander (Borisovich), Russian piano pedagogue and composer; b. Kishinev, March 10, 1875; d. Moscow, Nov. 26, 1961. He studied piano with Siloti and P. Pabst and composition with Arensky, Ippolitov-Ivanov, and Taneyev at the Moscow Cons. In 1896 he made his debut as a pianist in Moscow. After teaching at the Moscow Phil. School (1904-6), he was a prof, at the Moscow Cons, from 1906 until his death; he also served as its rector (1922-24; 1939-42). Two generations of Russian pianists were his pupils, among them Kabalevsky and Berman. As a pedagogue, he continued the traditions of the Russian school of piano playing, seeking the inner meaning of the music while achieving technical brilliance. He was a frequent visitor at Tolstoy’s house near Moscow, and wrote reminiscences of Tolstoy (Moscow, 1922). He publ. several essays on piano teaching, and also composed chamber music and piano pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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