Yuliya Veysberg

Yuliya Lazarevna Veysberg (Yuliya Rimskaya-Korsakova) (Julia Weissberg) (b. 6 January 1880 [O.S. 25 December 1879], d. March 1, 1942) was a music critic and composer.

Life and career

Yuliya Veysberg was born in Orenburg, Russian Empire. She studied at the Women's University, and in 1912 graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory where she studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. From 1912 to 1914 she continued her studies in Berlin with Engelbert Humperdinck and Max Reger.

She married Andrey Rimsky-Korsakov, musicologist and son of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and from 1915 to 1917 served on the editorial board of the first Russian music magazine, Muzïkal'nïy sovremennik, which he founded.[1][2] She died in World War II during the Siege of Leningrad conducted by Nazi German troops.[3]

Works

Veysberg's compositions included vocal works, a symphony, a scherzo, and a fantasia. Selected works include:

  • At Night (symphonic poem for orchestra)
  • Chinese songs[4]
  • Chanson d'automne: Les sanglots longs, op. 2 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1 (Text: Paul Verlaine)
  • Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit, op. 2 (Zwei Lieder) no. 1 (Text: Paul Verlaine)

She also produced several operas, such as:[5]

  • Русалочка (The Little Mermaid, 1923). The libretto for the opera was written by Sophia Parnok and was based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.[5]
  • 'Гюльнара (Gyul'nara, 1935). The libretto for the opera was written by Sophia Parnok and was completed at the end of 1931. It was dedicated to the opera singer, Maria Maksakova.[6] As Parnok died before production, Veysberg made final edits to the lyric before its debut in 1935.[5]
  • Гуси-лебеди (Geese-Swans, 1937). The libretto for the children's opera was written by Samuil Marshak and Veysberg.[5]
  • Мертвая царевна (The Dead Princess, 1937). The libretto for the radio opera was written by Alexander Pushkin.[5]
  • Зайкин дом (A Little Rabbit's House, 1937). The libretto for the children's opera was written by W. Weltmann.[5]

References

  1. ^ Taruskin, Richard (1996). Stravinsky and the Russian traditions:a biography of the works ..., Volume 1. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07099-2. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. ^ Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393034875. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  3. ^ Weissberg (Veysberg), Julia Lazarevna, Encyclopaedia Judaica, retrieved 29 May 2014
  4. ^ Campbell, Stuart (2003). Russians on Russian music, 1880-1917: an anthology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-59097-3. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f McVicker, Mary F. (2016). Women Opera Composers: Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st Century. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7864-9513-9.
  6. ^ Burgin, Diana Lewis (1994). Sophia Parnok: The Life and Work of Russia's Sappho. The Cutting Edge: Lesbian Life and Literature. New York, New York: New York University Press. p. 268. ISBN 0-8147-1190-1 – via Project MUSE.