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Reminiscences on Scriabin
by L.L.Sabaneyev. More complicated is situation with later Sabaneyev's publications, where it is difficult sometimes to reader to discern Sabaneyev-biograph from Sabaneyev-theoretician. In books on Scriabin published in 1916, in 1923 already after composer's death Sabaneyev often supplemented Scriabin thoughts with his own ones, not always showing difference, this sometimes confusing reader. It is this case when usage of "Reminiscences" is quite helpful, because Scriabin personaly is represented more precisely and truthful there. There are certainly moments in "Reminiscences" contradicting each other too. The matter is that Sabaneyev's diaries fixed dynamical development of Scriabin's ideas. And Sabaneyev sometimes failed to trace the ideas development logics. But in the same time, there is a great chance to reconstruct actual picture of Scriabin's life last years possesing such a valuable document as "Reminiscences" and comparing it with Sabaneyev's articles, with other reminiscences of composer's colleagues and friends. The same is true for Scriabin's lightmusical ideas. This aspect is presented in ultimate detailed manner in our monograph "Prometheus: Poem of Fire" (1980). And it is not astonishing that this book features practically on each page references to the "Reminiscences" as most valuable and in some cases unique source of documentary data on Scriabin as light-musician. We would like to remind the Western readers, who can not read Russian, that the translation into German of one of Sabanyev's article on "Prometheus" was included in famous collection of articles "Der Blaue Reiter" [1] and that Sabaneyev being emigrant addressed the light-music problem once more in other, English-language, article [2]. Sabaneyev lived in France where died in 1968. The following fact is of extraordinary meaning for experts in Scriabin. After Sabaneyev death unique copy of Scriabin's "Prometheus" score was transmitted from Sabanyeyv's archive to National library of France. As it is described in the reminiscences under review, Scriabin himself, on Sabaneyev's request, added light string "Luce" with verbal description of forms, shapes, to be formed by colours designated in "Luce". Sabaneyev had taken the copy with him abroad and it became accessible for experts in Scriabin quite recently. The value of the score is , as they say, another story [3]. Returning to Reminiscences one only have to add the reprint edition under review is supplemented with short afterword (by S.Grokhotov, describing biography of the reminiscences author himself, with notes and index of names,Sabaneyev himself failed to provide, being very useful for such kind of book. List of bibliographic references
1. Sabanejew L. "Prometheus" von Scriabin. - "Der Blaue Reiter",
Munchen, 1912. |
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