Alexander Scriabin

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Lore & Background

Scriabin was born in Moscow into a Russian noble family on Christmas Day, 1871, according to the Julian calendar. His mother, Lyubov Petrovna Scriabina, a concert pianist and former student of Theodor Leschetizky, died of tuberculosis when Alexander was a year old. His father, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Scriabin, left for Turkey after completing tuition in Turkish, and later served as a military attaché and honorary consul in Lausanne. The infant Sasha was left with his grandmother, great-aunt, and aunt. His aunt Lyubov, an amateur pianist, documented his early life. As a child, Scriabin was frequently exposed to piano playing and began building pianos after becoming fascinated with their mechanisms. He studied piano with Nikolai Zverev, a strict disciplinarian who also taught Sergei Rachmaninoff, though Scriabin never lodged with Zverev. In 1882, he enlisted in the Second Moscow Cadet Corps, where he became friends with actor Leonid Limontov; Scriabin won his peers' approval at a concert where he performed on the piano. He later studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Anton Arensky, Sergei Taneyev, and Vasily Safonov. Feeling challenged by Josef Lhévinne, Scriabin damaged his right hand while practicing Franz Liszt's Réminiscences de Don Juan and Mily Balakirev's Islamey. His doctor said he would never recover, and Scriabin wrote his first large-scale masterpiece, his Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 6, as a 'cry against God, against fate.' He eventually regained the use of his hand. In 1892, Scriabin graduated with the Small Gold Medal in piano performance, but did not complete a composition degree due to differences with Arensky. In 1894, Scriabin made his debut as a pianist in Saint Petersburg, performing his own works to positive reviews. That same year, Mitrofan Belyayev agreed to pay Scriabin to compose for his publishing company. In August 1897, Scriabin married pianist Vera Ivanovna Isakovich, then toured in Russia and abroad, culminating in a successful 1898 concert in Paris. That year, he became a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory. During this period, he composed his cycle of études, Op. 8, several sets of preludes, his first three piano sonatas, and his only piano concerto. Between 1901 and 1903, Scriabin envisioned writing an opera about a nameless hero, a philosopher-musician-poet who would declare: 'I am the apotheosis of world creation. I am the aim of aims, the end of ends.' By 13 March 1904, Scriabin and his wife had relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, where he permanently separated from her and began working on his Symphony No. 3. In 1905, the work was performed in Paris, where Scriabin was accompanied by Tatiana Fyodorovna Schlözer, a former pupil who became his common-law wife. With a wealthy sponsor's assistance, Scriabin spent several years travelling in Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium and the United States, working on more orchestral pieces. In 1907, while in New York City, he became acquainted with Canadian composer Alfred La Liberté, who became a personal friend and disciple. That year, Scriabin settled in Lausanne and was involved with concerts organized by Sergei Diaghilev. He subsequently relocated to Brussels. In 1909, Scriabin permanently returned to Russia, where he continued to compose, working on increasingly grandiose projects, including a planned multimedia work, Mysterium, to be performed in a temple in India. He left only sketches for this piece, though a preliminary part, L'acte préalable, was later made into a performable version by Alexander Nemtin. Scriabin gave his last concert on 2 April 1915 in Petrograd, performing a large programme of his own works. He received rave reviews; critics called his playing 'most inspiring and affecting' and wrote 'his eyes flashed fire and his face radiated happiness.' Scriabin himself wrote that during his performance of his Sonata No. 3, Op. 23, 'I completely forgot I was playing in a hall with people around me.'

Reader's Guide

Scriabin's significance lies in his radical departure from traditional tonality, developed independently of Arnold Schoenberg, and his integration of theosophical metaphysics, synesthesia, and Gesamtkunstwerk into his music. He created a colour-coded circle of fifths associating colours with harmonies. His oeuvre influenced composers such as Nikolai Roslavets and Karol Szymanowski. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia noted that 'no composer has had more scorn heaped on him or greater love bestowed.' Leo Tolstoy described his music as 'a sincere expression of genius.' Since the 1970s, his musical aesthetics have been reevaluated, and his ten published sonatas for piano and other works have been increasingly championed, garnering significant acclaim. Scriabin remains a controversial but influential figure in early 20th-century music.

Did You Know?

• Scriabin's mother, Lyubov Petrovna Scriabina, was a concert pianist and former student of Theodor Leschetizky; she died of tuberculosis when Alexander was a year old.
• After injuring his right hand practicing Liszt's Réminiscences de Don Juan and Balakirev's Islamey, Scriabin composed his Piano Sonata No. 1 as a 'cry against God, against fate.'
• Scriabin's great-grandfather Ivan Alekseevich Scriabin, a soldier from Tula, was granted hereditary nobility in 1819 after a brilliant military career.
• Scriabin's last concert was on 2 April 1915 in Petrograd; he wrote that during his performance of Sonata No. 3, 'I completely forgot I was playing in a hall with people around me.'
• Scriabin planned a multimedia work called Mysterium to be performed in a temple in India, but left only sketches; a preliminary part, L'acte préalable, was later completed by Alexander Nemtin.