Ivan Wyschnegradsky facts for kids
Ivan Alexandrovich Wyschnegradsky (born May 14, 1893 – died September 29, 1979) was a Russian composer. He is famous for his microtonal music. This means his music used smaller steps between notes than what you usually hear, like quarter tones (half of a semitone). He even used scales with up to 72 tiny divisions of a musical step! From 1920 onwards, Wyschnegradsky lived in Paris, France.
Early Life and Education
Ivan Wyschnegradsky was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on May 4, 1893. His father was a banker, and his mother was a poet. His grandfather was a well-known mathematician who even served as the Minister for Finance for Russia.
After finishing high school, Ivan studied mathematics. He also took classes in harmony, composition, and orchestration from 1911 to 1915. In 1912, he also started studying law.
Music Journey
Ivan Wyschnegradsky's first public concert happened in 1915. He composed a piece called The Day of the Brahma in 1916, which was later renamed The Day of Existence. This piece was for a narrator, a full orchestra, and a choir.
In 1917, just before the Russian Revolution, Ivan finished his law studies. He was interested in the ideas of the Russian Revolution and composed The Red Gospel. By 1919, he was already working on new ways to write music using very small note divisions, like twelfth-tones.
In 1920, Wyschnegradsky and his family moved to Paris. He wanted to create special pianos that could play quarter-tones. He worked with different instrument makers to build these unique instruments. He traveled to Germany and met other composers who were also exploring microtonal music.
In 1924, he married Hélène Benois, and they had a son named Dimitri. They later divorced in 1926.
In 1929, his special quarter-tone piano arrived in Paris. He also published a book called Manual of Quarter-tone Harmony in 1932, which explained his ideas about this new type of music. In 1934, he composed Twenty-four Preludes in All the Tones of the Chromatic Scale Diatonicized with Thirteen Sounds for two pianos playing in quarter tones.
On January 25, 1937, a concert was held that featured only his music. He met other famous composers like Olivier Messiaen there. He even recorded a part of his Symphony Thus Spoke Zarathustra for four pianos playing in quarter tones.
During World War II, in 1942, Wyschnegradsky was arrested by the Germans and held for two months. His American wife was also arrested.
After the war, his music continued to be performed. In 1945, several musicians, including Pierre Boulez, performed his works. In 1947, his Symphony Thus Spoke Zarathustra was performed in Belgium.
In 1977, concerts of his music were organized in France and Canada. In 1978, his Day of Existence was performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France.
Ivan Wyschnegradsky passed away in Paris on September 29, 1979, at the age of 86. His son, Dimitri, became well-known for his support and study of blues music.
Ivan Wyschnegradsky even appears as a character in a novel called The Locked Room by Paul Auster.
Types of Works
Ivan Wyschnegradsky wrote many different kinds of musical pieces. He explored various ways to divide musical notes into smaller steps.
- Chromatic (Semitone) Works: These pieces used the standard 12 notes we hear in most music. An example is La Journée de l'existence (The Day of Existence).
- Quarter-tone Works: These are some of his most famous pieces. They used notes that are half a semitone apart, creating a very unique sound. He wrote many pieces for two or four pianos tuned to play quarter-tones, like his Symphony Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He also composed string quartets using quarter tones.
- Third-tone Works: These pieces used notes divided into three parts instead of two (like quarter tones).
- Sixth-tone Works: For these, he divided notes into six parts. He wrote pieces for three pianos playing in sixth tones.
- Twelfth-tone Works: These pieces used even smaller divisions, with notes divided into twelve parts.
- Mixed Micro-intervals: Some of his works combined different micro-intervals, using quarter, third, sixth, or even eighth tones in the same piece, often for instruments like the violin or cello with piano.
