Boleslav Leopoldovich Yavorsky[a][b] (22 June 1877 – 26 November 1942)[1] was a musicologist, music teacher, administrator, and pianist.

Boleslav Leopoldovich Yavorsky
Болеслав Леопольдович Яворский
Background information
Born(1877-06-22)June 22, 1877
Kharkiv, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine)
DiedNovember 26, 1942(1942-11-26) (aged 65)
Saratov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Russia)
Occupation(s)Musicologist, music teacher, administrator, pianist

Through his teachings and editorial positions he heavily influenced Soviet music theory.[2] However, outside Soviet circles, he has had little impact.[2]

Biography

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Yavorsky was born in Kharkiv. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Sergei Taneyev. He taught at the Kiev Conservatory until 1919, the First Music Tekhnikum in Moscow, which he founded, and the Moscow Conservatory.

He chaired the music section of the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros) from 1922 to 1930.

Yavorsky was a friend, mentor and confidant of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich and played an important role in the latter's development. He often used his influence to further Shostakovich's career.[3]

His students included Rostislav Berberov, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dukelsky (also known as Vernon Duke), Alexei Fedorovich Kozlovsky, Alexander Abramovich Krein, Sergei Protopopov, Mykola Leontovych, Tatiana Grigorievna Shaborkina (director of the Scriabin Museum from 1941 until 1984), Maria Wiłkomirska, and Isaak Rabinovich, whose son Boleslav Rabinovich was named after Isaak's beloved teacher. Yavorsky died in Saratov.

Notes

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  1. ^ Russian: Болеслав Леопольдович Яворский, romanizedBoleslav Leopoldovich Yavorsky; Ukrainian: Болеслав Леопольдович Яворський, romanizedBoleslav Leopoldovych Yavorskyi
  2. ^ In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Leopoldovich and the family name is Yavorsky.

References

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  1. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (1978). "Yavorsky, Boleslav". Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (6th ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. p. 1926. ISBN 0-02-870240-9.
  2. ^ a b Damschroder & Williams 1990, p. 386
  3. ^ Fay 1999, p. 27.

Sources

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Further reading

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