Dmitri Kabalevsky(1904-1987)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky was born on December 30, 1904, in St.
Petersburg, Russia. He was baptized by a Russian Orthodox priest on
January 5, 1905, known as the "Bloody Sunday" of the 1st Russian
Revolution. His father, named Boris Kabalevsky, was a mathematician.
The family of Kabalevskys belonged to Russian Nobility. In 1916 they
moved to Moscow. Young Kabalevsky played piano for silent movies and
studied composition under 'Nikolai Miaskovsky' at Moscow Conservatory, from which he
graduated in 1925 as a composer. He joined the Union of Soviet
Composers in 1932 and became professor of Moscow Conservatory.
Kabalevsky always followed the official line of Communist party for
survival under dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. In 1940 he joined the Communist
Party and was made Chief Editor of the "Soviet Music" magazine.
In 1946 Kabalevsky was initially included in the bad list of
"anti-Soviet" composers by the communist censor Andrei Zhdanov. By 1948
Kabalevsky repented to the Communist party and was cleared, but his
teacher 'Nikolai Miaskovsky', and his famous colleagues Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich were
viciously attacked by censor Zhdanov. From 1949-1952 Kabalevsky was
Head of Music Department of Moscow Art Institute. In 1952 he was made
Secretary of the Soviet Composers Union and remained in the leadership
for 35 years. In 1956 he was Chairman of Commission in charge of music
that was previously banned. Kabalevsky made a decision to keep the ban
on 'Lady Makbeth of Mtsensk', an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich, which was already
under the ban from 1936-1956. Kabalevsky approved the ban with his
hypocritical comment that Shostakovich's opera was showing a murder and
infidelity which was against the norms of Soviet morality.
Kabalevsky wrote music scores for several Soviet films, including 'Ivan
Pavlov' (1949), a film about Doctor Pavlov and his research on
conditioning dogs and humans to sounds, lights, and food. During the
1950's, 1960's, and 1970's Kabalevsky pushed his own educational system
based on conditioning children to certain songs and marches through
listening, singing, and marching to music. Instead of playing
instruments and developing personal skills, children were lectured
about Kabalevsky's theory of "three whales" of music, and listened to
the recommended songs. Millions of children in the Soviet Union became
conditioned to official marches, parades and political demonstrations
under officially approved music and Soviet symbolics. Such ideas were
not accepted in the Baltic Republics with their deep culture of choral
singing on weekends, or in Ukraine and Georgia, where folk music runs
deep in every family's tradition. Kabalevsky himself was a smooth
lecturer and politician; his system was funded by the Soviet government
and was taught by trained instructors in thousands of Soviet public
schools. In reality his "good intentions" contributed to conditioning
of several generations of children to obedience, like Pavlov's dogs.
Kabalevsky was awarded the Stalin's Prize (twice) and received many
other Soviet State prizes and perks. He was awarded the Order of Lenin
and was made the People's Artist of the USSR. He died on February 14,
1987, in Moscow. Of his two operas the most known is 'Colas Breugnon'
based on the eponymous book by Romain Rolland. Among his four piano concertos
the 3rd was premiered in 1952 by then 14-year-old Vladimir Ashkenazy and was
recorded by Emil Gilels. His piano sonata was recorded by Vladimir Horowitz. His
songs 'School waltz' and 'Krai rodnoi' are still remembered in Russia,
and are even used in cell phones.
Petersburg, Russia. He was baptized by a Russian Orthodox priest on
January 5, 1905, known as the "Bloody Sunday" of the 1st Russian
Revolution. His father, named Boris Kabalevsky, was a mathematician.
The family of Kabalevskys belonged to Russian Nobility. In 1916 they
moved to Moscow. Young Kabalevsky played piano for silent movies and
studied composition under 'Nikolai Miaskovsky' at Moscow Conservatory, from which he
graduated in 1925 as a composer. He joined the Union of Soviet
Composers in 1932 and became professor of Moscow Conservatory.
Kabalevsky always followed the official line of Communist party for
survival under dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. In 1940 he joined the Communist
Party and was made Chief Editor of the "Soviet Music" magazine.
In 1946 Kabalevsky was initially included in the bad list of
"anti-Soviet" composers by the communist censor Andrei Zhdanov. By 1948
Kabalevsky repented to the Communist party and was cleared, but his
teacher 'Nikolai Miaskovsky', and his famous colleagues Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich were
viciously attacked by censor Zhdanov. From 1949-1952 Kabalevsky was
Head of Music Department of Moscow Art Institute. In 1952 he was made
Secretary of the Soviet Composers Union and remained in the leadership
for 35 years. In 1956 he was Chairman of Commission in charge of music
that was previously banned. Kabalevsky made a decision to keep the ban
on 'Lady Makbeth of Mtsensk', an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich, which was already
under the ban from 1936-1956. Kabalevsky approved the ban with his
hypocritical comment that Shostakovich's opera was showing a murder and
infidelity which was against the norms of Soviet morality.
Kabalevsky wrote music scores for several Soviet films, including 'Ivan
Pavlov' (1949), a film about Doctor Pavlov and his research on
conditioning dogs and humans to sounds, lights, and food. During the
1950's, 1960's, and 1970's Kabalevsky pushed his own educational system
based on conditioning children to certain songs and marches through
listening, singing, and marching to music. Instead of playing
instruments and developing personal skills, children were lectured
about Kabalevsky's theory of "three whales" of music, and listened to
the recommended songs. Millions of children in the Soviet Union became
conditioned to official marches, parades and political demonstrations
under officially approved music and Soviet symbolics. Such ideas were
not accepted in the Baltic Republics with their deep culture of choral
singing on weekends, or in Ukraine and Georgia, where folk music runs
deep in every family's tradition. Kabalevsky himself was a smooth
lecturer and politician; his system was funded by the Soviet government
and was taught by trained instructors in thousands of Soviet public
schools. In reality his "good intentions" contributed to conditioning
of several generations of children to obedience, like Pavlov's dogs.
Kabalevsky was awarded the Stalin's Prize (twice) and received many
other Soviet State prizes and perks. He was awarded the Order of Lenin
and was made the People's Artist of the USSR. He died on February 14,
1987, in Moscow. Of his two operas the most known is 'Colas Breugnon'
based on the eponymous book by Romain Rolland. Among his four piano concertos
the 3rd was premiered in 1952 by then 14-year-old Vladimir Ashkenazy and was
recorded by Emil Gilels. His piano sonata was recorded by Vladimir Horowitz. His
songs 'School waltz' and 'Krai rodnoi' are still remembered in Russia,
and are even used in cell phones.