Oscar Feltsman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oscar Feltsman
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| Born |
Oscar Borisovich Feltsman
18 February 1921 |
| Died | 3 February 2013 (aged 91) |
| Resting place | Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow, Russia |
| Title | People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1989) |
| Awards |
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Oscar Borisovich Feltsman (born February 18, 1921 – died February 3, 2013) was a famous composer. He was born in Ukraine. His family had roots in Lithuania. Oscar Feltsman was also the father of Vladimir Feltsman, who is a well-known musician too.
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Early Life and Music Training
Oscar Feltsman was born in Odesa, Ukraine. His father, Boris Feltsman, was a surgeon. But he also played the piano very well. Oscar started learning music when he was just five years old. He learned to play the violin and the piano.
His first musical piece was for the piano. He wrote it when he was only six years old. It was called "Autumn." In 1939, Oscar finished the Pyotr Stolyarsky Music School in Odesa. He studied how to compose music there.
Later, he went to the Moscow Conservatory. This is a very famous music school. His teacher there was Vissarion Shebalin.
Music During Wartime
During World War II, Oscar Feltsman moved to Novosibirsk. He was only 20 years old. He became an important leader for composers in Siberia. He wrote music for many different groups. These included the philharmonic orchestra and a Jewish theater.
In 1941, Oscar Feltsman got married to Evgenia Kaydanovskaya. She was also a music student. After the war ended in 1945, he moved back to Moscow.
Becoming a Popular Composer
Oscar Feltsman started his career writing music for comedies. Later, he began to write different kinds of music. He wrote classical pieces. He also wrote music for circuses and children's shows.
Around 1952, he started writing popular songs. His first popular song was "Cruise." It was sung by Leonid Utyosov. Another popular song was "Convallarias."
In 1948, his musical comedy Air Castle was shown in Moscow. He also wrote a Violin Concerto in 1952. Oscar Feltsman worked with many famous Russian poets. They wrote the words for his songs.
Many well-known singers performed his music. These included Joseph Kobzon and Muslim Magomaev. In 1968, he helped write the song "Ogromnoe nebo" (Huge Sky).
His most famous song was "Lilies of the Valley" («Ландыши»). It was first sung by Gelena Velikanova.
Later Career and Works
In 1973, Oscar Feltsman wrote music for several plays. These included Charley's Aunt. In the mid-1980s, he organized concerts for a music group called The Lights of Moscow.
In 1987, he created a collection of songs called Songs of Bygone. These songs were based on old Jewish folk tunes. He also published a book with the same name.
In the late 1990s, he wrote 12 songs for the 200th birthday of his hometown, Odesa. Oscar Feltsman also wrote many smaller musical pieces. These included songs based on poems by famous writers.
He passed away in Moscow at the age of 91.
Awards and Recognition
Oscar Feltsman received many important awards for his music.
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class. This is a high honor in Russia.
- Order of Friendship (1996).
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1989). This title means he was a very important artist.
- Honoured Artist of the Chechen-Ingush Republic.
- People's Artist of the Dagestan ASSR (1975).
- Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1972).
