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Alexander Scriabin

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Alexander Scriabin was a famous Russian composer and a master piano player.

Scriabin-young
Scriabin-young

He was born in Moscow on Christmas Day in 1871. His family had a long history of noble service in Russia. His mother was a concert pianist who played very well. Sadly, she passed away from an illness when he was only one year old.

Zveref and students
Zveref and students

Even as a small child, Alexander showed a deep love for music. He was so interested in how pianos worked that he tried to build them himself. He was often shy around other children, but he loved performing for adults. He even tried to lead his own orchestra made of local kids.

Scriabin's musical style changed in very exciting ways as he grew up.

Scriabin
Scriabin

At first, his music sounded like the famous works of Frédéric Chopin. He used traditional sounds that many people found easy to follow. Later, he began to create a much more unique and complex sound. He moved away from usual musical rules to create something brand new. He even practiced a special way of seeing colors when he heard musical notes. This is called synesthesia, and it helped him link certain sounds to specific colors. He even made a color-coded circle to help organize these musical ideas.

Learning to play the piano was not always easy for him.

Scriabin op.8 no.12
Scriabin op.8 no.12

He studied with a very strict teacher named Nikolai Zverev. Scriabin was a very talented student, but he had small hands. He could barely stretch his fingers to a ninth interval. Once, he hurt his right hand while practicing very hard. A doctor told him he might never recover from the injury. However, he did not let this stop him from composing great music. He eventually regained the use of his hand and became a noted performer.

Scriabin traveled to many different places during his career.

Alexander Scriabin and Tatiana Schloezer, 1909
Alexander Scriabin and Tatiana Schloezer, 1909

He lived in cities like Geneva, Paris, and Brussels. He also spent time in the United States and Switzerland. While traveling, he worked on many large pieces for orchestras. He even dreamed of writing a massive work called *Mysterium*. This work was meant to be performed in a temple in India. Although he only left sketches for it, many musicians still study his ideas. His music was so bold that it caused many big arguments among critics.

Even though he died young, his influence on music is huge.

Metzl, Tatiana & Alexandr Scriabine, Nikisch, Shalapine, Kusevitsky, Berlin 14mar1910
Metzl, Tatiana & Alexandr Scriabine, Nikisch, Shalapine, Kusevitsky, Berlin 14mar1910

He passed away in Moscow in 1915 at the age of 43. He died from an infection that started from a small sore on his lip. Before he died, he gave a wonderful final concert in Saint Petersburg. Critics said his eyes flashed with fire during his performances. Today, many composers still look to his work for inspiration. His ten published piano sonatas are still played by great musicians all over the world.

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🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:Scriabin-young.jpg
Scriabin-young.jpg
File:Zveref and students.jpg
Zveref and students.jpg
File:Scriabin.png
Scriabin.png
File:Metzl, Tatiana & Alexandr Scriabine, Nikisch, Shalapine, Kusevitsky, Berlin 14mar1910.jpg
Metzl, Tatiana & Alexandr Scriabine,...
Poême de l'Extase...
File:Scriabin op.8 no.12.svg
Scriabin op.8 no.12.svg
File:Dominant chords in common practice period.png
Dominant chords in common practice period.png
File:Scriabin Harmony Examples 1 (Mazurkas Op3).png
Scriabin Harmony Examples 1 (Mazurkas Op3).png
File:Acoustic and Octatonic scales in Scriabin.png
Acoustic and Octatonic scales in Scriabin.png
File:Scriabin-Circle.svg
Scriabin-Circle.svg
File:Scriabin Signature.png
Scriabin Signature.png
File:Alexander Scriabin and Tatiana Schloezer, 1909.jpg
Alexander Scriabin and Tatiana Schloezer, 1909.jpg

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