Alfred Schnittke Biography

Occup.	Composer
From	Russia
Born	November 24, 1934
Died	August 3, 1998
Aged	63 years

Alfred Schnittke was born on November 24th, 1934, in Engels, a community in the Volga-German Republic of the Soviet Union, currently component of Russia. He was a distinguished Russian composer as well as one of the most influential music numbers in the late 20th century. Schnittke was of mixed German-Jewish heritage, with his father being a Jewish reporter, as well as his mommy a Volga German teacher.

Schnittke's early musical education began in Vienna, Austria, where the family moved in 1946 because of his daddy's job. There he researched piano as well as obtained his first lessons in songs concept. The family returned to Moscow in 1948, and Schnittke later entered the Moscow Choral School. In 1953, he began examining structure under Yevgeny Golubev and also instrumentation under Nikolai Rakov at the Moscow Conservatory, where he graduated in 1961. Throughout his time at the sunroom, young Schnittke also explored the study of the polyphonies of Johann Sebastian Bach as well as the works of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Throughout the 1960s as well as 1970s, Schnittke was an energetic composer, getting recognition for his ingenious method to make-up, specifically his advancement of what he called "polystylism." This entailed the combination of various styles as well as durations of music history, using quotes from symphonic music and other genres. It ends up being a defining element of his compositional output. This strategy can be seen in among his most renowned jobs, the 1976 "Concerto Grosso No. 1," where he incorporates elements of baroque songs with 20th-century techniques.

Nonetheless, these experimental make-ups were not always popular by Soviet authorities, that considered Schnittke's music as being not in line with the Communist ideological backgrounds of socialist realism. This brought about limitations on the general public performance of his works, although they were favored globally.

The 1980s proved to be a stormy time for Schnittke. He had a number of health issues, including 2 strokes in 1985, which brought about a short-lived paralysis of his right-hand man. He remained to compose despite these hardships, with a few of his most significant works from this period being his Symphony No. 1 (1982) and also his Viola Concerto (1985).

Schnittke moved to Hamburg, Germany, in 1990, after the autumn of the Soviet Union. He was granted various honors and differences throughout his life time, consisting of the Russian State Prize (two times), the Austrian State Prize for Composition, and the title of Honorary Doctor from the University of Lund, Sweden.

Alfred Schnittke is known for his extremely varied body of job, that includes harmonies, concertos, chamber songs, choral works, and movie ratings. He completed an overall of 9 symphonies and 66 film ratings, being thought about one of the most crucial composers in the genre.

He caught a collection of strokes because the 1980s, as well as in 1998 he died at the age of 63 in Hamburg, leaving behind a rich music legacy that continues to affect contemporary composers.

Our collection contains 5 quotes who is written / told by Alfred.

Related authors: Sebastian Bach (Musician), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

5 Famous quotes by Alfred Schnittke

"I would wake up in Moscow or somewhere else, my heart beating fast, feeling bitter and helpless"

"I am not facing the problem of emigration. I want my music to be acknowledged here first of all, in this country: after that, we shall see - perhaps the question will than become urgent"

"For a solo work I need a definite idea. For the present I have none"

"Do you know that my very first experience as a composer was a 'Concerto for Accordion?'"

"For almost thirty years I repeatedly saw one and the same dream: I would arrive in Vienna at long last. I would feel really happy, for I was returning to my serene childhood"