Alexei Stanchinsky

Alexei Vladimirovich Stanchinsky (Russian: Алексей Владимирович Станчинский; 9 March (OS)/21 March 1888 - 25 September (OS)/6 October 1914), was a Russian composer.

From a young age Stanchinsky was a gifted musician, composing and performing his first works at the age of six years. At the age of 16, he continued to develop his skills by taking lessons from music educators such as Josef Lhévinne and Konstantin Eiges for piano, and Nikolai Zhilyayev and Alexander Grechaninov for counterpoint, harmony, and composition. At the age of 19, Stanchinsky entered the Moscow Conservatory to continue his musical studies with Taneyev and Igumnov to assist his musical growth. Stanchinsky had always shown great promise as a musician even at a young age, but was often viewed as “unstable” and a victim of his own nerves. This became very prominent when his father died in 1910, as Alexei became quite delusional and suffered from this state for many years. After a brief hiatus from music, Stanchinsky returned to his roots by gathering folk tunes for a personal collection and eventually returned to the conservatory life-style by studying with his colleagues again. However, his life would never again be what it was. In October 1914, he was found dead next to a stream near Logachyovo after wandering the countryside. His death is still a mystery, as details were never found or revealed about his last days.

Alexei Stanchinsky was born on March 9, 1888 in Obolsunovo, Vladimir, Russia. At the age of six, it was apparent that he was an unusually talented musician as he was already performing piano works of the masters. Stanchinsky and his parents moved to Logachyovo when he was 11, as a source of inspiration for his musical gift. Logachyovo was the village made famous by Mikhail Glinka, as he spent many years there gathering folk songs. Due to his health, Stanchinsky could not live in the city comfortably, so he often commuted to Moscow for studying purposes. Due to his illness and inability to travel at times, his lessons with Sergey Taneyev were often done by correspondence. This is one of the first recorded accounts of musical work being performed by correspondence rather than face to face. During 1904-1907 that Stanchinsky's talents continued to grow, and he was fully accepted into the Moscow Conservatory in 1907.

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