| Uniform title | Works. Selections. English |
| Contents |
Foreword -- Editorial procedure -- The translations -- Russian dates -- Introduction -- Cultural context -- Biographical elements -- The writings of Skryabin [Scriabin] (Russkie propilei, Moscow, 1919) -- A note by Boris de Schloezer on the Preliminary Action -- The notebooks. A single sheet, written at the age of about sixteen -- Period of the First Symphony, around 1900 -- Chorus from Symphony no. 1 -- Libretto for an opera, written after Symphony no. 1 but before 1903 -- Notebook, summer 1904, Switzerland -- Notebook, 1904-5 -- Notebook, 1905-6 -- The Poem of the Ecstasy -- The Preliminary Action. Initial version, full text -- Final, fair copy of the text, unfinished -- Commentary -- The growth of Skryabin's thought. A 'philosopher-musician'? -- The influence of philosophy. Music and philosophy ; Skryabin's reading ; Ernest Renan ; Greek philosophy ; German idealism ; Russian philosophy and Russian symbolism ; Congress at Geneva ; The influence of theosophy ; Indian culture ; Skryabin's philosophy of music ; Skryabin's 'teaching' -- Thought in words, music, colour: Skryabin's developing symbolist practice. Skryabin's poetic language -- The Poem of Ecstasy: text and music (1905-8) -- Prometheus: music, colour, and the word (1908-10) -- The Preliminary Action. A preliminary to what? 'The idea of the Mystery' (Leonid Sabaneyev) -- Performance as sacrament -- The music for the Preliminary Action -- People and publications. Leonid Sabaneyev -- Mikhail Gershenzon and Russkie propilei -- Supplementary Texts by Alexander Skryabin. Reminiscences of youth -- Text to an unfinished Ballade for piano (1887) -- Romance (1891) -- An early statement of aspiration (1892) -- Letters to Natal'ya Sekerina. [June 1892] -- [July 1892] -- [May/June 1893] -- [June 1893] -- Letters to Margarita Morozova. April 1904 -- [April/May 1906] -- Letters to Tat'yana Schloezer. [January 1905] -- [December 1906] -- Poem to accompany Sonata No. 4 -- Open Letter to A. N. Bryanchaninov: 'Art and Politics' (1915). |
| Abstract |
Russian composer Alexander Skryabin's life spanned the late romantic era and the early years of the twentieth century, but was cut short before the end of the first world war. In a predominantly conservative era in the Russian musical scene, he drew inspiration from poets, philosophers, and dramatists of the Silver Age, a period of radical artistic renewal in Russia. Possessed by an apocalyptic vision of transformation, aspects of which he shared with other Russian thinkers and artists of the period, Skryabin transformed his musical language from a ripe Romantic style into a far-reaching, radical instrument for the expression of his ideas. This collection of the composer's writings and letters shows Skryabin's worldview and personality. The book also dispells misconceptions about his life and reveals the philosophies that comprised his world of ideas, from Ancient Greek and German Idealist philosophy to the writings of Nietzsche, and Indian culture to the Theosophical writings of H. P. Blavatsky. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-257) and index. |
| Language | Translated from the Russian. |
| LCCN | 2017042778 |
| ISBN | 9780190863661 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0190863668 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | updf |
| ISBN | epub |
