Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov

This composer did not compose great works, there are no operas or symphonies in his creative heritage, but, nevertheless, he took a prominent place in Russian music and made a significant contribution to its development. His name is Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov - an unsurpassed master of musical miniatures. He wrote few works, but what! His creations are real masterpieces, in which he filigree honed every note. Lyadov was a bright and original person, in his art he wanted to reflect what he lacked in everyday life - a fairy tale.

Read a brief biography  of Anatoly Lyadov and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

Brief biography of Lyadov

On May 11, 1855, a joyful event took place in the family of Konstantin Nikolayevich Lyadov, the conductor of the Imperial Opera and Ballet Theater, well-known in the musical circles of St. Petersburg: a boy was born, to whom happy parents gave the beautiful name Anatoly. The baby's mother, Ekaterina Andreevna, was a talented pianist, but, unfortunately, she passed away early, leaving her daughter Valentina and son Tolya, who at that time was six years old, to her husband. The father loved his children very much, but in order to provide for his family, he had to work hard, so the brother and sister, who grew up without maternal attention, care and love, were actually left to their own devices. A chaotic bohemian atmosphere reigned in the house, which negatively affected the formation of the personality of the future composer. Passivity,

Theatrical childhood

Lyadov's biography says that from an early age, the boy began to show amazing versatile talents, not only musical talent, but also excellent artistic and poetic abilities. Anatoly received his first piano lessons from his aunt V.A. Antipova, although it should be noted that these classes were intermittent, but the first school where the boy’s musical development took place very intensively was the Mariinsky Theater (the father often took the children to work with him). Interesting communication with talented people, presence at rehearsals of musical performances, the opportunity to listen to opera and symphonic music- all this had a beneficial effect on the future musician. He memorized the parts of many opera heroes and then emotionally portrayed them at home in front of a mirror. In addition, Anatoly had another activity in the theater that he enjoyed doing - this was the role of an extra: the boy participated in various mass scenes.

Studying at the conservatory

Extraordinary musical abilities predetermined the future of the younger Lyadov, and in 1867 his relatives sent him to study at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Anatoly had to part with his parents' house, because for family reasons (his father's illness) he was settled in the boarding house A.S. Shustov, from where on holidays and vacation days the boy was taken to rest by his maternal relatives. Lyadov's conservative teachers were A.A. Panov ( violin class), A.I. Rubts (music theory), J. Johansen (theory, harmony), F. Begrov and A. Dubasov (piano class). Studying did not give the young man much pleasure, he was not very diligent and often missed classes. However, Lyadov showed an interest in theoretical disciplines and studied counterpoint in depth. Anatoly had a great desire to get into the composition class of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, and he succeeded. In the autumn of 1874, the young man became a student of the outstanding maestro, who immediately highly appreciated his talent. Nevertheless, the authority of the famous teacher could not influence the negligent student: in the spring of 1875 he did not appear for the exam, and six months later he was expelled from the number of students.

Outside the walls of the conservatory, Lyadov spent two years, but this time was not in vain for him, since the young man communicated very closely with the composers of the Mighty Handful . Rimsky-Korsakov introduced him to the members of the community: Stasov, Mussorgsky and Borodin at a time when the outstanding professor admired the talents of his student and did not take offense at him for his negligent attitude to study. In addition, in the Balakirev circle, Anatoly met Alexander Glazunov , with whom a strong friendship began, which continued throughout his life. The Kuchkists treated the young talent very warmly, because, despite his youthful age, he managed to establish himself as a professional musician. For example, in the winter of 1876Mily Balakirev asked Lyadov to help prepare the scores of M.I. Glinka . This work was done so carefully that Rimsky-Korsakov changed his attitude towards the disobedient student, and even soon they became good friends.

In 1878, Lyadov applied to the directorate of the conservatory with a request to restore it. The petition was granted, and already in the spring he graduated with honors from an educational institution, submitting to the examination committee a cantata written with great professionalism for the final scene of F. Schiller's drama The Bride of Messina. The Artistic Council of the Conservatory awarded Lyadov a small silver medal, but with a caveat: the graduate will receive it when he pays back his debts in scientific subjects. In addition, the leadership of the institution offered Anatoly Konstantinovich to take the position of a teacher in theoretical subjects and instrumentation in his native "alma mater". He agreed and subsequently engaged in teaching activities throughout his life, raising many outstanding musicians.

Creative upsurge

The following year, 1879, also brought many new impressions to Lyadov. In the St. Petersburg circle of music lovers, he made his debut as a conductor for the first time, and here he met a great music lover Mitrofan Petrovich Belyaev, who played the viola in this amateur group. This acquaintance gradually turned into friendship. Since 1884, the philanthropist began to arrange musical evenings of chamber music every week in his house, which laid the foundation for the community of outstanding musicians, and which later became known as the Belyaevsky Circle. And from the next year, when Belyaev founded a music publishing company in Germany, Lyadov was instructed to select and edit new works by Russian composers. According to Lyadov's biography, 1884 was also marked by a very important event, but already in the personal life of Anatoly Konstantinovich: he married Nadezhda Ivanovna Tolkacheva, with whom he lived happily until the end of his days. In the same year, the composer, at the invitation of Balakirev, who was appointed manager of the Court Singing Chapel, he began to work as a teacher of theoretical disciplines in the regency and instrumental classes of the main choir of Russia, and in 1886 he received a professorship at the conservatory.

During this period, in the musical circles of St. Petersburg, Lyadov became known not only as a composer, but also as a conductor, in this role he successfully performed in the Russian Symphony Concerts founded by Mitrofan Belyaev. The year 1887 for Anatoly Konstantinovich was marked by his acquaintance with Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein. He subsequently conducted in the "Public Symphony Concerts" organized by Anton Grigorievich. In 1889, Lyadov, at the invitation of Belyaev, visited Paris at the World Art Exhibition. There, the philanthropist arranged concerts at which the works of Russian composers, including Anatoly Konstantinovich, were performed.

By the mid-nineties, Lyadov's authority as a composer, conductor and teacher reached its peak. In 1894, he met Alexander Scriabin and became close to Sergei Taneyev , who came to St. Petersburg to stage the opera Oresteia.

Difficult years of the twentieth century

The first years of the twentieth century brought great grief to Lyadov, since in 1904 his great friend Mitrofan Belyaev passed away. According to the will of the philanthropist, Anatoly Konstantinovich became a member of the Board of Trustees, organized to reward domestic musicians and composers. Then came the bloody year 1905. Lyadov, along with other teachers in support of the dismissed Rimsky-Korsakov, left the walls of the conservatory and returned there only after Glazunov took over as director. The last decade in the composer's life was constantly overshadowed by the loss of people close to him: Stasov died in 1906, and Rimsky-Korsakov died in 1908. Sad experiences from the loss of friends greatly affected the health of Anatoly Konstantinovich, and in 1911 he himself was struck down by a serious illness from which he could no longer recover. 

Lyadov almost did not go anywhere, only occasionally visited the conservatory. Nevertheless, the merits of the composer were clearly noted in 1913. The 35th anniversary of his creative activity was memorably celebrated at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Then again there were strong shocks. In the autumn of 1913, Lyadov's beloved elder sister, Valentina Konstantinovna Pomazanskaya, died, and in the summer of the following year, the composer sent his eldest son to military service. Experiences broke Anatoly Konstantinovich. The composer died on August 28, 1914 in the village of Polynovka, his wife's estate, located near the town of Borovichi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting facts about Lyadov

• When Mitrofan Belyaev founded a music publishing company in Leipzig, he obliged Lyadov to correct the works being prepared for publication. Anatoly Konstantinovich did this work so scrupulously that the philanthropist jokingly began to call him "the laundress".
• From the biography of Lyadov, we learn that Anatoly Konstantinovich was endowed with many talents. In addition to the composer's gift, he had excellent abilities for fine arts and poetic creativity. The witty pictures and poems that have come down to us can tell a lot about the character of their author. For example, Lyadov painted a lot for his sons, and then arranged entire exhibitions of his creations, hanging them all over the apartment. At this exhibition, one could see caricatures full of humor of famous people, as well as images of various mythological creatures: crooked devils or strange-looking men.
• When Lyadov was asked why he prefers to compose small pieces of music, the composer always joked that he could not withstand music for more than five minutes.
• Lyadov dedicated almost all of his compositions to someone. They could be teachers, relatives or close friends. He considered it important for himself to address the work to a specific person, whom he treated with great love and respect, and perhaps that is why he worked so carefully on each of his creations.
• Many argue that Lyadov was the laziest Russian musical classic and that is why he wrote so few works. However, some biographers of the composer categorically deny this. He was engaged in a lot of teaching activities, since it was she who made it possible for Lyadov to support his family. In letters to Belyaev, who wanted Anatoly Konstantinovich to leave his work at the conservatory and fully engage in composing, the composer rejected any material support from the patron.

• The composer's contemporaries recalled that Anatoly Konstantinovich was the kindest person. It was always a pleasure to communicate with him, as he could easily keep up the conversation and be an interesting conversationalist. In addition, Lyadov was also characterized as a carefree person who was very fond of drinking and having fun, which may have affected the undermining of health and early death.
• Immediately after the death of Anatoly Lyadov, he was buried in St. Petersburg at the Novodevichy Cemetery, but in 1936 his remains were transferred to the Necropolis of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
• Despite the ostentatious bohemian nature, the composer was a secretive person and did not even let friends into his personal life. In 1882, in the city of Borovichi, he met Tolkacheva Nadezhda, a graduate of the Higher Women's Courses, and in 1884 married her without informing anyone. In 1887, the wife made the composer happy with the birth of a son, who was named Mikhail. In 1889, the second son, Vladimir, appeared in the Lyadov family. Mikhail and Vladimir Lyadov died in 1942 during the blockade.
• Pedagogical activity occupied a significant place in Lyadov's life. He began teaching immediately after graduating from the conservatory and worked in this field until his last days. The students of the outstanding maestro were B. Asafiev, N. Myaskovsky, S. Prokofiev , S. Maykapar, A. Olenin, V. Zolotarev - remarkable personalities who made an invaluable contribution to the development of Russian, and then Soviet musical culture.

• Anatoly Konstantinovich was very fond of reading and was keenly interested in the novelties that appeared in literature. He had his own opinion on everything, which he was not afraid to express. For example, everyone knew that he praised Dostoevsky and Chekhov and disliked Gorky and Tolstoy.
• The composer, being in a serious condition and anticipating his death, burned the sketches of all the works he had begun before his death.

Creativity of Anatoly Lyadov

The creative heritage left by Anatoly Lyadov is relatively small. The composer was engaged in pedagogical activity so much that there was almost no time left for composing music, and in a year he managed to write two, at best three works. Anatoly Konstantinovich preferred small musical forms, therefore all his compositions, and more than sixty numbered and about twenty unnumbered opuses have survived to this day, are small works, laconic miniatures, many of which are recognized as unsurpassed masterpieces of musical art. Lyadov worked on the plays very carefully, finely honing every detail, thanks to which the composer's works, imbued with the spirit of the Russian folk epic, captivate with their expressiveness, melodic melodiousness, gentle lyricism and clarity of musical thinking,

With the exception of four romances written at the age of nine and music for the fairy tale "Aladdin's Magic Lamp", composed in 1871, the beginning of Lyadov's composing activity is considered to be 1874. His first works, which saw the light and printed as op. 1 had four romances . He created these vocal miniatures under the influence of members of the Mighty Handful, and, despite good reviews, he never returned to this genre, as he lost all interest in it.

According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, Lyadov was an excellent pianist, which is obviously why among the first works he composed were pieces for the piano. In 1976, Anatoly Konstantinovich created an original cycle called " Spillikins”, in which his outstanding composer talent was already clearly manifested. Further, the maestro continued to write in the genre of musical miniatures and small pieces came out from under his pen, on which he honed his composing skills, finely working out each phrase. As a result, the composer gave us more than 50 magnificent piano works, including arabesques, intermezzos, mazurkas, bagatelles, waltzes, mazurkas and preludes. They very clearly manifested the features characteristic of his work, that is, the filigree working out of every detail of the work, the brevity and clarity of the presentation of musical material.

However, Lyadov's most famous works are his works for a symphony orchestra. They are also written in the genre of musical miniature and brilliantly confirm the creative evolution of the composer. Of the composer's twelve symphonic works, the picturesque poems "Magic Lake", "Baba Yaga", "Kikimora" , "Sorrowful Song" and the suite "Eight Russian Songs" are very popular .

In addition to these wonderful creations, Anatoly Konstantinovich left to his descendants six chamber-instrumental works, about two hundred arrangements of folk songs, eighteen children's songs, a cantata and several choirs.

Theatrical and musical dynasty of the Lyadovs

Anatoly Konstantinovich belonged to the famous theatrical and musical dynasty in Russia, the founder of which was the composer's grandfather, Nikolai Lyadov. He held the position of bandmaster at the Philharmonic Society of St. Petersburg. Nikolai Grigorievich had nine children, seven of whom connected their lives with music, and five of them served in court theaters.

The eldest son Nikolai played the cello in the orchestra of the Imperial Italian Opera.

Alexander worked as a conductor of the Russian ballet and the court ball orchestra.

Elena was a chorus girl at the Imperial Italian Opera.

Vladimir - sang in the choir of the Mariinsky Theater and sometimes performed minor bass parts in opera performances.

Konstantin - the composer's father, served as a conductor of the Russian opera troupe, the first conductor of the Mariinsky Theater.

Subsequently, the Imperial Theater was replenished with the next generation of the Lyadov family. The troupe included two cousins ??of Anatoly Konstantinovich Vera and Maria.

The composer's sister, Valentina, became a dramatic actress who performed on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre, but both of her husbands, M. Sariotti and I. Pomazansky, were professional musicians. 

Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov is an outstanding musician, whose composer's work, recognized as a classic, is ranked among the "golden fund" of Russian musical culture. Composers of today learn the art of orchestration and conciseness of musical presentation on his compositions. His works are heard at concert venues around the world, not only in the original, but also in various modern musical arrangements.