| Konstantin IgumnovКонстантин Игумнов | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 1, 1873 [O.S. April 19] Lebedyan, Tambov Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | March 24, 1948(1948-03-24) (aged 74) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | |
| Instrument | Piano |
Konstantin Nikolayevich Igumnov (May 1, 1873 [O.S. April 19] – March 24, 1948) was a Soviet and Russian pianist and pedagogue. In 1946, he was recognized as the People's Artist of the USSR.
Biography
Igumnov studied under Nikolai Zverev, and at Moscow Conservatory under Alexander Siloti and Pavel Pabst. He took theory and composition courses from Sergei Taneyev, Anton Arensky and Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. In 1898-9 he was pianoforte teacher at the Tiflis music-school of the Russian Musical Society. From 1899 he was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, where his life's work was carried out. He recorded 6 pieces on piano roll for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano in 1910.
Among his many students were Arno Babajanian, Bolesław Kon, Naum Shtarkman, Elena Beckman-Shcherbina, Yakov Flier, Boris Berlin, Lev Oborin, Maria Grinberg, Andrzej Wasowski, Elena Laumenskienė, Ryszard Bakst, Tengiz Amirejibi, Anatoly Alexandrov, Bella Davidovich, Rosa Tamarkina, Issay Dobrowen, and Mariya Gambaryan.
Igumnov was evacuated to Yerevan, Armenia during the first half of 1940s. During those years he taught at the local Conservatory, where his 70th birthday was widely celebrated.
A four-record (LP) set of Igumnov's recordings was issued by Melodiya on 33C 10-05519-26.
Honours and awards
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1937)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1941)
- Order of Lenin (1945)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1946)
- Stalin Prize (1946)
- Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow"
Welte-Mignon Piano Rolls
- Catalog no. 2061: Rachmaninoff - Prelude, Op. 23, No. 1, F-sharp
- Catalog no. 2062: Rachmaninoff - Prelude, Op. 23, No. 6, E-flat
- Catalog no. 2063: Scriabin - Sonata-Fantasie, Op. 19, No. 2, G-sharp
- Catalog no. 2064: Brahms - Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 6, E-flat
- Catalog no. 2065: Rachmaninoff - "Fantasy Pieces", Op. 3, No. 2, C-sharp: Prelude
- Catalog no. 2066: Arensky - By the Seashore, Op. 52, No. 4, G-flat
Sources
- A. Eaglefield-Hull, A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (Dent, London 1924).
- J. Methuen-Campbell, Chopin Playing from the Composer to the Present Day (Gollancz, London 1981).
Notes
References
- Smith, Charles D, and Richard J. Howe. The Welte-Mignon: Its Music and Musicians. Vestal, N.Y: Published by Vestal Press for the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, 1994, p. 396. ISBN 9781879511170
- Methuen-Campbell 1981, 136, n.
- 1873 births
- 1948 deaths
- Soviet classical pianists
- People from Lebedyansky Uyezd
- People from Lipetsk Oblast
- Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory
- Moscow Conservatory alumni
- People's Artists of the RSFSR
- People's Artists of the USSR
- Recipients of the Stalin Prize
- Recipients of the Order of Lenin
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Classical pianists from the Russian Empire
- Russian male classical pianists
- Pupils of Nikolai Zverev
- Pupils of Pavel Pabst
- Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery