Achilles Alferaki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Achilles Alferaki
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| Ахиллес Алфераки | |
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| Born |
Ахиллес Николаевич Алфераки
Akhilles Nikolayevich Alferaki July 3, 1846 |
| Died | December 27, 1919 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Other names | Greek: Αχιλλέας Αλφεράκης |
| Occupation | Composer · Politician |
Achilles Nikolayevich Alferaki (sometimes spelled Akhilles or Ahilles) was a Russian composer and a mayor. He was born on July 3, 1846, in Kharkov, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He passed away on December 27, 1919, in Saint Petersburg, Soviet Union. Achilles Alferaki had Greek family roots. His brother was Sergei Alphéraky.
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His Early Life and Education
Achilles Alferaki was born in Kharkov, a city that is now in Ukraine. His parents were Nikos and Maria Alferakis. He spent his childhood in Taganrog, a city in what is now the Rostov Oblast region of Russia. His family lived in the beautiful Alferaki Palace, which was designed by the architect Andrei Stackenschneider.
Achilles was taught at home when he was young. Later, he went to Moscow University. There, he studied history and languages. He also learned about music theory, which is the study of how music works.
In 1870, he returned to Taganrog to help with his family's business.
His Career in Government
After the city's governor, Lev Kulchitsky, passed away in 1873, Achilles Alferaki briefly served as the acting governor. This meant he took charge of the city for a short time.
In the 1880s, he became the mayor of Taganrog. He served as mayor until 1888. After that, he moved to Saint Petersburg. In 1891, he became a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Later, he became the Director of the Russian Telegraph Agency.
Achilles Alferaki passed away in Saint Petersburg in 1919. One of his family members was Anna Marly. She was a French singer and songwriter who wrote the famous song Chant des Partisans.
Mayor of Taganrog
In 1880, Achilles Alferaki was chosen to be the Mayor (called gorodskoy golova) of Taganrog. During his time as mayor, he did many good things for the city. He worked to make Taganrog clean and beautiful. He also helped to start different charities.
While he was mayor, the city's streets were covered with cobblestones. Trees were planted along the sidewalks, and the first boulevards (wide streets with trees) were created. Mayor Alferaki helped to start The Society for the Relief of the Aged Poor in 1883. He also helped to improve the basic education system in the city.
Achilles Alferaki often brought new ideas to the city council meetings. Some of his ideas seemed very big or expensive to other politicians in Taganrog. However, some of them actually happened. For example, his ideas to build a monument to Peter I The Great and to make big improvements to Taganrog's harbor were both completed.
Even with all his work as mayor, he never forgot his love for music. He was active in Taganrog's Music and Dramatic Society. During his time, the first music classes and a symphony orchestra opened in Taganrog. The orchestra was led by the famous conductor and composer Václav Suk.
His Passion for Music
People who loved music, like Alferaki, helped Taganrog become known as one of the most music-loving cities in the South of Russia. In the 1880s, when Achilles Alferaki lived in his mansion in Taganrog, he would gather many important people from the city.
Achilles Alferaki was also a talented artist. He drew many funny pictures called caricatures. A large collection of these drawings is now kept at the Taganrog Museum of Local Lore and History. Some are also at the Literary Museum named after Chekhov. These special drawings help us see what people in Taganrog looked like a hundred years ago. They also give us a sense of the parties and balls from that time.
Alferaki spent a lot of his time on music. In the former capital of the Russian Empire (Saint Petersburg), he wrote more than 100 romances (short musical pieces, often for voice and piano). He also wrote two operas, which are plays set to music. These operas were called St. John's Eve and The Erl King.
