Anatoly Alexandrov

Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov was born on May 25 (May 13, Old Style), 1888, in Moscow into a musical family. His father, Nikolai Alexandrovich Alexandrov, was a pharmacist, while his mother, Anna Yakovlevna Alexandrova-Levenson, was a pianist and a former student of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. His uncle was the music critic Osip Levenson. It was his mother who gave him his first piano lessons. During his childhood, the family moved frequently.

In 1906, Alexandrov graduated from the Tomsk Men's Gymnasium with a gold medal. That same year, his family returned to Moscow. A pivotal meeting with Sergei Taneyev led him to begin studies first with Taneyev's student, Nikolai Zhilyayev, and then with Taneyev himself from 1907 to 1910. Concurrently, from 1906 to 1909, he studied at the Faculty of History and Philosophy at Moscow University.

In 1910, Alexandrov entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied piano under Konstantin Igumnov until 1915 and composition with Sergei Vasilenko. He graduated from the conservatory in 1916 with a small gold medal. He participated in World War I and later served in the Red Army during the Civil War as a military musician and pianist in special purpose units.

Following his military service, Alexandrov embarked on a long career as a concert pianist, performing his own works until 1974. He held several important positions in the early Soviet period, working in the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros) of the RSFSR in 1918–1919, serving as a conductor at the Chamber Theater from 1919 to 1920, and working as a conductor and editor for Moscow Radio Broadcasting from 1922 to 1923.

A significant part of his life was dedicated to teaching. From 1923 to 1965, he was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, achieving the rank of full professor in 1926. Over his long tenure, he mentored a generation of composers and musicians, including Nury Halmamedov, Nikolai Anosov, Vladimir Bunin, Mikhail Iordansky, Roman Ledenyov, Mikhail Meerovich, Kirill Molchanov, and Mansur Muzafarov.

Beyond composing and teaching, Alexandrov made significant contributions as a musicologist and editor. He completed several unfinished works by Sergei Taneyev and Alexander Glazunov and participated in the editing of the Complete Works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He was also a publicist, authoring articles and memoirs about his teacher Sergei Taneyev and his contemporary Sergei Rachmaninoff. As an active member of the Union of Soviet Composers, he chaired its section for children's music for a number of years.

Alexandrov's compositional output is vast and diverse, spanning numerous genres. He wrote several operas, including 'Bela' (based on Lermontov) and 'The Forty-First' (based on Lavrenyov). His orchestral works include a symphony, several suites, and overtures. He was particularly prolific in chamber and piano music, composing four string quartets and fourteen piano sonatas, alongside numerous preludes, poems, and character pieces. His vocal music is extensive, featuring many song cycles and romances set to the poetry of Pushkin, Blok, Yesenin, and others, as well as choral works and over 150 children's songs. He also composed music for theater productions, films, and cartoons.

Alexandrov received numerous state honors for his contributions to Soviet music. He was named an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1946, a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1964, and a People's Artist of the USSR in 1971. In 1951, he was awarded the Stalin Prize, second degree, for his vocal suite 'Fidelity'. He also received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and was awarded a Doctorate of Arts in 1941. Anatoly Alexandrov died in Moscow on April 16, 1982, and was buried at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery. A memorial plaque is installed on the Moscow building where he lived.

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