Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) Complete Mazurkas
Alexander Scriabin was a musical
visionary, a genius, and an individualist with a strong, artistic voice, Born
in Moscow on 6th January, 1872, the son of an accomplished pianist, he began
music studies early, entering the Moscow Conservatory in 1888. There he studied
with Safonov, Sergey Taneyev and Arensky, the last also Rachmaninov's teacher.
In 1892 the Moscow Conservatory awarded Scriabin their highest honour, a Gold
Medal, for his achievement as a pianist. During this period he began composing
piano miniatures, which were published by Jurgenson and attracted the attention
of the foremost publisher in Russia, Belyayev, who decided to sponsor the young
musician, give him a handsome contract for his compositions and subsidise a
tour for him as a piano virtuoso in programmes of his own works.
From 1898 to 1903, Scriabin taught the
piano at the Moscow Conservatory. Teaching, however, proved a painful chore to
him, and he resigned to devote his time to composition and piano recitals,
abandoning Russia for Western Europe for some six years and in 1906 touring the
United States with great success. During this period his compositions were
undergoing a radical change, largely owing to his increasing interest in mysticism
and philosophy. In his Third Symphony, written in 1903, subtitled The
Divine Poem, he represented man's escape from the shackles of religion and
of his own past in ecstatic and triumphant music. His last two completed
orchestral works were The Poem of Ecstasy, music which he said depicted
the "ecstasy of unfettered action," and Prometheus' The
Poem of Fire, "For my part," he once declared, "I
prefer Prometheus or Satan, the prototype of revolt and individuality. Here I
am my own master. I want truth, not salvation." In Prometheus: The
Poem of Fire he described the omnipotence of the "creative
will." Scriabin died in Moscow on 27th April, 1915.
During his short life of 43 years,
Scriabin wrote three symphonies, two symphonic poems, variations for string
quartet, a romance for French horn, a romance for voice, one piano concerto,
and more than two hundred piano compositions. Among these piano works are the
23 Mazurkas, spanning a creative period from 1884 to 1903.
The mazurka, also called mazur and
mazurek, has its origin in a Polish national dance and can be traced as
far back as the sixteenth century .Its name came from the Palatinate of Mazovia
and its Mazur inhabitants, with their dance the mazurka, of which there
are several types and regional variations. Some are known as kujawiaks or
obertas, but all stem from the archaic polska. In its original
form the mazurka was a folk dance-song, in 314 time, accented on the
second beat, the accompaniment usually being provided by the singing and
hand-clapping of the dancers. Mazurkas are often performed by four or
eight couples, who are allowed a great deal of freedom in their choices of
steps, Although of Polish origin, the mazurka was also, for many years,
danced in all parts of Russia. A peculiar characteristic of many composed mazurkas
is the use of a repeated bass pattern, suggesting the drone bass of an
instrument such as the hurdy-gurdy or bagpipe. Although many Polish and Russian
composers at the end of the eighteenth century were writing mazurkas, it
was Chopin who developed the dance into an instrumental art form, as Liszt
confirmed: "The latent and unknown poetry, which was only indicated in
the original Polish Mazurkas, was divined, developed, and brought to light by
Chopin. Preserving their rhythm, he ennobled their melody, enlarged their
proportions and wrought into their tissues harmonic lights and shadows, as new
in themselves as were the subjects to which he adapted them."
It was Chopin's highly pianistic mazurkas
that were the models for Russian composers. Beginning with Mikhail Glinka,
Anton Rubinstein and Mili Balakirev, the Russian version of the keyboard mazurka
developed, with virtually every Russian composer of the nineteenth and
early twentieth century making their contribution, including Scriabin. His
earliest experiments in the form seemingly date from 1884 and 1886, although
some sources indicate 1889 as the date of composition. The Mazurka in B
minor and the Mazurka in F major were written when Scriabin was
twelve or fourteen years old. Although pianistic and imaginative, in these
pieces Scriabin had not yet found his distinctive voice. The two mazurkas appeared
in print in 1893, but were never assigned an opus number. Until the 1940s they
had been excluded from the Scriabin catalogue, but were then published in an
edition edited by the Russian pianist Konstantin Igumnov.
The Ten Mazurkas, Opus 3, were
written between 1888 and 1890. At this time Scriabin was still an adolescent,
but he was already finding something of the musical language so evident in
later works. The ten mazurkas were published in two volumes by Jurgenson
in 1893. Starting with the very first mazurka in the set, the Mazurka
in B minor, the first bar reveals a characteristic tendency. Virtually all
biographers of Scriabin dismiss these early works as under the influence of
Chopin or Schumann. Although one may hear a harmonic turn or melodic phrase
that reminds one of these composers, Scriabin creates mazurkas that are
far more distinctive. Each one in the set is a poetic improvisation, full of
magic and charm. The second, the Mazurka in F sharp minor, contains
fresh modulations at each bar. The third, the Mazurka in G minor, is
brimming with melancholy, reminiscent of Chopin. The fourth, the Mazurka in
E major, has a floating, graceful theme. The Mazurka in D sharp minor, the
fifth in the collection, is contemplative and the melodic line is more
complicated. There are definite glimpses of later Scriabin works in the shadows
of this innocent work. The sixth, the Mazurka in C sharp minor, is
a curious, scherzo- like piece, with a pleading meno mosso section in G
sharp minor. Next is the Mazurka in E minor, full of passion and with an
unforgettable descending musical line. The eighth, the Mazurka in B flat
minor, contains dusty echoes of Chopin memories, almost dream-like, with
peculiar Scriabinesque glimpses. The ninth of the set, the Mazurka in G sharp
minor, is regal and distinguished. Scriabin omits a tempo marking, but a
deep melancholy pervades the work, despite some stormy interludes. The very
charming tenth Mazurka in E flat minor, is wistful and playful. Scriabin
weaves a complex tapestry here, with a middle section full of pathos and more
glimpses of his developing musical characteristics.
The Nine Mazurkas, Opus 25, were
written between 1898 and 1899 and published by Belyayev. They were composed
during the first year of Scriabin's professorship at the Moscow Conservatory.
Stylistically, he had now found a voice, having established himself with three
piano sonatas, the Twelve Etudes, Opus 8, and numerous distinctive
preludes. The opening Mazurka in F minor is very Romantic and has a
tempestuous beginning, lightened to some extent by a sunnier section, although
the work, as a whole is tense. The second, the Mazurka in C major, is
reminiscent of the Sonata No.3 in F sharp minor, Opus 23. The third, the
Mazurka in E minor, marked lento, once again shows the
contemplative and improvisatory Scriabin. The Mazurka in E major, the
fourth of the set, meanders about the keyboard in a carefree manner. Here there
is no gloom, but deep emotion and thought.
The fifth, the Mazurka in C sharp
minor, is declamatory. The composer is the orator , vehement in his message
and at times unsettling. The Mazurka in F sharp major which follows
possesses plaintive charm and a rocking melodic structure, ending exultantly.
The seventh, the Mazurka in F sharp minor, is no less charming
than its predecessor, but the musical universe here is more anxious and
hurried. The Mazurka in B major, marked Allegretto, breathes
an air of relaxation after the tension of number seven, but Scriabin cannot
help reminding us that not all is peace and quiet. The last mazurka in the set,
the Mazurka in E flat minor, is full of beautiful modulatory material
and harmonic wealth.
The Two Mazurkas, Opus 40, were
written in 1903 and published the following year by Belyayev. Contemporaneous
with his Sonata No.4 in F sharp major, Opus 30 and the Satanic
Poem in C major, Opus 36, these last mazurkas are more
ecstatic and spiritual, full of poetic sense and improvisatory élan. The Mazurka
in D flat major begins delicately, then moves into a fiery rhythmic
display, to end unexpectedly in a puff of smoke. The second, the Mazurka in
F sharp major, is graceful and fantasy-like. These two mazurkas leave
the listener in an exotic perfumed room, caressed by enchanting sounds and
wishing for more.
Marina and Victor Ledin
Beatrice Long
Beatrice Long is one of America's finest
young pianists. She has received top awards at numerous competitions, including
the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition, the Young Keyboard Artist
Association International Competition, the AM SA 1990 World Piano Competition
and the Taipei International Piano Competition. She has appeared as a soloist
with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of
Taiwan, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, the Prince George Philharmonic in
Washington, D.C. and many others. Beatrice
Long has given concerts throughout the
United States, Central America, Southeast Asia and in France and has been
invited to play in prestigious concert series and festivals such as the Ravinia
Festival, Fontainebleau and Château de Lourmarin. Her teachers include
Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Leon Fleisher, Seymour Lipkin and Fou Ts'ong. She is
also active in chamber music, performing with some of the best young musicians,
and is in demand as a teacher. For five years she was a member of the faculty
at Peabody Preparatory and has taught master- classes in America and Asia.