César Cui

César Cui (Russian Цезарь Антонович Кюи / Zesar Antonovich Kjui; * 6 Januarjul / January 18 1835greg in Vilnius, .. † March 13 1918 in Petrograd ) was a Russian composer, music critic and officer (military engineers) of the Russian army with French paternal ancestors.

Biography

Cui was the son of a French officer, who had remained after the retreat of Napoleon from Moscow in Russia, and a Lithuanian. Then he showed an early interest in music, he received from the age of ten years of music lessons, including 1850/1851 Stanisław Moniuszko in, who was then staying in Vilnius. In 1851 he entered the St. Petersburg School of Engineering; Four years later he moved to the local Military engineering university, where he studied until 1857 fixing beings. He was then at the Engineering Academy lecturer for this subject and in 1878 professor. In later years, he was appointed lieutenant general. In addition to his military career, however, Cui employed continue with music: in 1856 he met Mily Balakirev, who guided them musically it in the following years, and sat with this laid the foundation for the so-called Mighty Handful. He particularly distinguished himself as a music critic who initially vehemently propagated the aesthetics of the Mighty Handful. He later distanced himself from the group and wrote some cases even violent bad reviews of their work (such as Modest Mussorgsky from " Boris Godunov " ), which he inflicted no small damage his old companions. The first symphony by Rachmaninov he compared in a review from 1897, with a program symphony about the seven plagues of Egypt. As of 1880, Cui French opera substances turned to reinforced and shaped his writings, the French image of the Russian musical life. In his last years, Cui was blind, but enjoyed as the last survivor of the " Group of Five " recognized as a sort of living legend.

His tomb is located on the Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Style

The great paradox of the music César Cui is that while he aggressively the aesthetic position of the Mighty Handful represented in his writings, the creation of a Russian national style namely, himself but rarely followed these directives represented by him in his work. In a letter written in French to Felipe Pedrellian he delivered himself to a statement:

Only occasionally he used folk melodies or felt by harmonic and melodic features the characteristics of Russian folk music by; often lack the national element completely. Therefore, the music of the Mighty Handful to as " Westerners " cursed Tchaikovsky " Russian " has a major effect as Cui's music. Obviously, in Cui's works rather his admiration for Robert Schumann. Although Cui composed 15 operas, he preferred rather small, miniature-like genres such as songs and piano pieces. Of course, occurs frequently in these works reveal that Cui always ran the risk of slipping into shallow, complacent salon music. So it was clear even during his lifetime that he was by far the weakest member of the Mighty Handful compositionally. He had already greater importance as a music critic, due to its considerable literary talent. However, this importance has been diminished by the aforementioned bad reviews, testifying to an ultra-conservative musical entertainment. Today Cui is hardly known as a composer.

Works

Orchestral works

• Orchestral Suite No.1 op.20 Suite miniature (1882 )
• Orchestral Suite No.2 in E flat major op.38 (1887 )
• Orchestral Suite No.3 in G minor op.43 In modo Populari (1890)
• Orchestral Suite No. 4 op.40 A Argenteau ( 1887 orchestration of 5 piano pieces )
• Suite Concertante op.25 for violin and orchestra (1884 )
• Three Scherzi op.82 (1910 )

Operas

• Prisoner of the Caucasus ( 1857/58, rev. 1881/82 )
• The son of the Mandarin (1859 )
• William Ratcliff (1861-1868)
• Angelo (1871-1875)
• Le filibusters (1888 /89) after a drawing by Jean Richepin
• Mademoiselle Fifi, opera in one act by Guy de Maupassant (1900)
• Feast in Time of Plague (1900)
• Mateo Falcone ( 1906/ 07)
• The Captain's Daughter (1907-1909)
• Puss in Boots, children's opera (1913 )

Other vocal music

• Cantata for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, op.89 (1913 )
• Choruses a cappella
• Sacred choral works
• About 350 songs, among others, 50 Children's Songs

Chamber Music

• String Quartet No.1 in C minor op.45 (1890)
• String Quartet No.2 in D major op.68 (1907 )
• String Quartet No.3 in E flat major op.91 (1913 )
• Violin Sonata in D major op.84 ( before 1870 )

Piano music

• Sonatina Op.106 (1916 )
• A Argenteau, 9 Characteristic Pieces op.40 (1887 )
• 25 Preludes op.64 (1903 )
• Theme and Variations op.61 (1901 )
• Numerous other smaller pieces ( mazurkas, waltzes, etc.)
• Pieces for Piano 4 hands