Lev Naumov

Lev Nikolaevich Naumov (12 February 1925, Rostov, Yaroslavl Governorate – 21 August 2005, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian pianist and composer. He was awarded the titles Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1966) and Honored Worker of the Arts of the RSFSR (1978).

He was born in Rostov (Yaroslavl region) and graduated from School No. 1 named after V. I. Lenin. In 1940–1941 he completed in one year the theory and composition division of the Gnessin Music College, studying with V. A. Taranushchenko and V. Ya. Shebalin. He later graduated with honors from the Moscow Conservatory: in 1950 from the theory and composition faculty and in 1951 from the piano faculty, studying composition with V. Ya. Shebalin and A. N. Aleksandrov, piano with Heinrich Neuhaus, analysis with L. A. Mazel, and harmony with I. V. Sposobin. In 1953 he completed postgraduate studies at the conservatory in composition and during his student years held a Stalin Scholarship.

From 1953 to 1955 Naumov taught at the Gnessin State Musical-Pedagogical Institute (analysis of musical forms, harmony, and composition). From 1955 until the last year of his life he taught at the Moscow Conservatory: until 1957 he was an assistant in analysis classes to professors L. A. Mazel and S. S. Skrebkov; from 1956 he assisted Heinrich Neuhaus; from 1963 he led his own special piano studio, becoming associate professor in 1967 and professor in 1972.

Naumov was a major figure in Russian piano pedagogy through his conservatory class and assistants, which included Vladimir Viardo, Irina Vinogradova, Daniil Kopylov, and Evgeny Korolyov. Among his students were many pianists who later became well known, including Andrei Gavrilov, Alexei Lyubimov, Boris Petrushansky, Yuri Rozum, Alexei Sultanov, Alexander Toradze, and others. In total he taught about 400 students; among those also associated with his class were Viktor Eresko, Alexander Kobrin, Vasily Lobanov, Anna Malikova, Alexander Melnikov, Alexei Nasedkin, Rem Urasin, and Konstantin Shcherbakov. He also gave master classes internationally, including in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

As a composer he wrote a symphony, a cantata, a string quartet, a piano sonata, vocal cycles for bass and piano to texts by Japanese poets and for baritone and piano to words by Dmitry Kedrin, and the song "Alyonushka". He was also active as an author and commentator on musical culture: his book "Under the Sign of Neuhaus" (2000) was devoted to the Neuhaus tradition, and he co-authored (with V. A. Taranushchenko and V. A. Kirillova) a harmony exercise collection; he also published a number of articles and memoir pieces about musicians and performance.

In 2002 the newspaper Musical Review prepared and issued an expanded book edition, "Lev Naumov. Under the Sign of Neuhaus. Conversations with Katerina Zamotorina", compiled from interviews recorded between 1999 and 2001 and curated by Andrei Ustinov. The volume included memoir articles about Heinrich and Stanislav Neuhaus, a brochure about Naumov's grandfather Pyotr Naumov, described as a "king" of the Russian folk harmonica, and a transcript of a creative meeting at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory; its publication was supported by Naumov's students and by the firm C. Bechstein. The book was presented on 30 April 2002 at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow in the form of a concert featuring fifteen of his pupils, and the event received coverage on television and radio.

Approaching the centenary of his birth, the Moscow Conservatory marked the 2024–2025 season with a Small Hall subscription series dedicated to Naumov, featuring appearances by his former students, and a gala concert was scheduled for 12 February 2025.

Naumov died in Moscow on 21 August 2005 and was buried at Khovanskoye Cemetery.

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