Born: August 13, 1878 - Kiev, Russia
Died: October 11, 1942 - Tashkent, Russia

Russian/Soviet pianist, composer and pedagogue, Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev, was a pupil of Tanyev and Ippolitov-Ivanov at the Moscow Conservatoire.

After finishing his studies, Leonid Nikolayev settled in St. Petersburg (Leningrad), where he became professor of piano at the Conservatoire in 1906, achieving a fine reputation as a teacher. For a short and unsuccessful period he was also director of the institution. Whilst at the Conservatoire, he taught Dmitry Shostakovich, with whom he became close friends - Shostakovich "admired him as a first-class musician and a man of great wisdom and learning". Shostakovich's 1943 Piano Sonata no. 2 was dedicated to his former teacher.

Leonid Nikolayev went to Tashkent in Central Asia after the German invasion of Russia in 1941, and died there shortly afterwards.

Leonid Nikolayev composed several symphonic works; Hymn for Beauty for Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra; 3 string quartets; Cello Sonata; Violin Sonata; a number of piano works; etc.:

Source: Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Wikipedia Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2008)

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Links to other Sites

Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev (Wikipedia)

Bibliography

S. Savshinsky: Leonid Vladimirovich Nikolayev (Moscow, 1960)

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