Alexander Scriabin was a Russian composer and a pianist who developed a highly lyrical and eccentric tonal language. Driven by a poetic, philosophical and aesthetic vision bordered on the mystical, he can be regarded as the primary figure of Russian Symbolism in music. Scriabin was born into an aristocratic family in January, 1872. The Scriabins had a military background. His father and all his uncles had military careers. Scriabin’s mother, a concert pianist died when he was a year old. He was brought up by his grand mother, great aunt and aunt. Scriabin studied the piano from an early age, joining Nikolay Zverov’s class in 1884, who was, at the same time, also teaching Rachmaninov and a number of other prodigies. Scriabin joined the Moscow Conservatory in 1888 and studied with Arensky, Taneyev, and Safonov and graduated in piano in 1892. He became a noted pianist despite his small hands that could not extend, without much effort, farther than an octave and made a debut as an international concert player in 1894. Scriabin began composing during his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. Many of Scriabin’s works were written for piano. The earliest pieces were motivated by Frederic Chopin’s compositions and comprise music in many forms such as,... show more

Alexander Scriabin was a Russian composer and a pianist who developed a highly lyrical and eccentric tonal language. Driven by a poetic, philosophical and aesthetic vision bordered on the mystical, he can be regarded as the primary figure of Russian Symbolism in music. Scriabin was born into an aristocratic family in January, 1872. The Scriabins had a military background. His father and all his uncles had military careers. Scriabin’s mother, a concert pianist died when he was a year old. He was brought up by his grand mother, great aunt and aunt. Scriabin studied the piano from an early age, joining Nikolay Zverov’s class in 1884, who was, at the same time, also teaching Rachmaninov and a number of other prodigies. Scriabin joined the Moscow Conservatory in 1888 and studied with Arensky, Taneyev, and Safonov and graduated in piano in 1892. He became a noted pianist despite his small hands that could not extend, without much effort, farther than an octave and made a debut as an international concert player in 1894. Scriabin began composing during his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. Many of Scriabin’s works were written for piano. The earliest pieces were motivated by Frederic Chopin’s compositions and comprise music in many forms such as, nocturnes (a dreamy or pensive piece generally for piano), the mazurkas (lively Polish dance music), preludes and eludes, though these Romantic items also exhibit Scriabin’s own unique traits. Though Scriabin’s music gradually evolved over the course of his life, the development was, however, quite rapid and short as compared to most other composers. Except for earlier pieces, which resemble those of Chopin’s, all his other works are strikingly original, especially mid and later period pieces, employing unusual harmonies and textures. Soon after his debut as a pianist, Scriabin began writing for orchestral works and in no time became a renowned figure as a composer, for which he was rewarded with professorship at the Moscow conservatory in 1898. In the same year, he married Vera Ivanovna Issakovoch. During this period, he toured extensively within Russia and abroad .However, after about five years, Scriabin left his wife and their four children and went on a European tour along with Tatyana Schloezer, his young fan. Scriabin, in his six years stay in Western Europe, began evolving his own unique musical idiom (a characteristic mode of artistic expression.). The development of Scriabin’s voice and style can be followed in ten piano sonatas. The earliest one composed in a fairly conventional late –Romantic idiom; but the later ones move into new, original territory, the last five being written with no key signature. Though many passages in the later composition of sonatas can be called ‘atonal’ (or absence of key, where all the notes are treated equally), from 1912- 1913, the tonal unity was replaced by harmonic unity. Scriabin was interested in Nietzsche’s Ubermensch (superman) theory, a concept in philosophy and later in 1905 became interested in Theosophical teachings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Both influenced his music and musical thought and formed the basis of his compositions. The Divine Poem is one of the most famous compositions of Scriabin during this period. While keeping in view the actual Romantic conventions, Scriabin wanted to position his works in a religious and intellectual background. He accepted theosophy, which is a doctrine of religious philosophy and metaphysics. All his compositions from this period onwards echo Scriabin’s idea of music as a link to mystical bliss as demonstrated by the well-known works, Poem of Ecstasy (1908) and Prometheus (1910). Though Scriabin’s thinking behind his compositions may appear incredible; nevertheless, his later writings are undoubtedly original and charming. For example, his usage of chords (combination of notes shown together) based on fourths and the sudden chromatic effects (notes not belonging to prevailing key) are his inventions. Although Scriabin did not have the inward drive, still his later compositions captivate the listeners with harmonic variations that seek to echo certain facets of inexplicable human awareness. Scriabin’s works are considered to be influenced by synesthesia, a condition wherein one experiences a sensation in one sense in response to stimulus in another. Scriabin’s interest in colours is not merely theoretical. He tried out several combinations with sound and colours For instance; he used to specify lighting requirements for the performance of a particular work. While orchestrating, he made maximum use of orchestral colours. While Scriabin never exceeded the limit of atonality (absence of key, where all notes are treated equally), he changed the conventional notion of tonality by introducing a complex arrangement of notes, some of which have obscure connotation; for instance, “mystic chord” (spiritualistic harmonic tones), C- F sharp- B flat E- A- D. In 1909, Scriabin returned to Russia permanently, where he continued to compose, working on increasing grandiose projects. Sometime before his death, influenced also by the doctrine of Theosophy, he developed his system of Synthesia, a pioneering multi-media work including music, scent, dance and light to be performed in the foothills of Himalayas, “a grandiose religious synthesis of all arts which would herald the birth of anew world”. Scriabin left only sketches of this item, Mysterium, although they were ultimately made into a performable version, Mysterium. Scriabin died in Moscow in 1915 at the age of 43 of septicemia on account of a boil on his lip.
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