Isaac Schwartz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isaac Schwartz
Born	Исаак Иосифович Шварц (1923-05-13)13 May 1923 Romny, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Died	27 December 2009(2009-12-27) (aged 86) Siversky, Leningrad Oblast, Russia
Other names	Isaak Shvarts
Education	Leningrad Conservatory
Occupation	composer
Known for	film music
Awards	Nika Award (1992)

Isaac Iosifovich Schwartz (Russian: Исаак Иосифович Шварц; born May 13, 1923 – died December 27, 2009), also known as Isaak Shvarts, was a famous Soviet composer. He is best known for creating music for over 100 films. His beautiful melodies touched the hearts of many people.

Who Was Isaac Schwartz?

Isaac Schwartz was born in a town called Romny in Ukraine in 1923. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). There, he started learning to play the piano. By 1935, at just 12 years old, he performed his first concert with the famous Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.

Early Life and Challenges

Isaac's father was a professor of archeology at Leningrad State University. In 1936, during a difficult time in history known as the Great Purge, his father was arrested and sadly died two years later. Because of this, Isaac's family was sent away to Kyrgyzstan in 1937.

While living in Frunze (which is now Bishkek), Isaac gave private music lessons. He also sometimes played music live for silent films at the cinema. This helped him earn money and keep his musical skills sharp.

Music and Education

During World War II, Isaac worked with a part of the Red Army Choir. This was a very important group that performed for soldiers. During this time, he met Mariya Dmitriyevna, who was the sister of a very famous Russian composer named Dmitri Shostakovich.

Mariya introduced Isaac to her brother, Dmitri Shostakovich. Shostakovich saw Isaac's talent and helped him get into the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Leningrad. Isaac graduated from there in 1951 with a degree in composition. He later found out that Shostakovich had secretly paid for his education. When Shostakovich faced problems at the Conservatory, Isaac was asked to speak against him, but Isaac refused to do so. In 1955, Isaac joined the Union of Soviet Composers.

A Master of Film Music

Isaac Schwartz's first big job was composing music for the film Our Correspondent in 1959. After that, he became very busy. He wrote music for more than 100 Soviet films! Some of his most famous works include the music for White Sun of the Desert (1969) and The Captivating Star of Happiness (1975).

One of his best-known works outside of the Soviet Union was for the 1975 film Dersu Uzala. This movie was directed by the famous Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Isaac won a special award called the Nika Award in 1992 for his music in the films White King, Red Queen and Luna Park.

Other Musical Works

Besides films, Isaac Schwartz also wrote music for ballets and plays performed in theaters. He also composed some music for television shows. In 1993, he wrote his only symphony, called Gelbe Sterne – Purimspiel im Ghetto. This piece was inspired by the story of the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania. It was first performed in Saint Petersburg in 2000.

Selected Film Music

• Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha (1967)
• The Seventh Companion (1967)
• The Brothers Karamazov (1969)
• The Stationmaster (1972)
• The Straw Hat (1974)
• The Flight of Mr. McKinley (1975)
• Dersu Uzala (1975)
• Melodies of a White Night (1976)
• Where were you, Odysseus? (1978)
• Do Not Shoot at White Swans (1980)
• Sofia Kovalevskaya (1985)
• Wild Pigeon (1986)
• Luna Park (1992)
• Empire under Attack (2000)

Isaac Schwartz passed away in Siversky, near Saint Petersburg, Russia, on December 27, 2009. He was 86 years old.