Melentiev Mikhail Mikhailovich. Extra-curricular event Lecture-concert "Outstanding pianists-students of K

Chapter Two

KONSTANTIN NIKOLAEVICH IGUMNOV

“We have to be attentive to the living. Fair to the dead."

Voltaire

We met Konstantin Nikolaevich at the end of 1922. He was in his fifties, I was ten years younger. In times like these, friendships are hard to form. Ours is on.

I first heard about Igumnov in 1902 in Moscow. Even then, his name was known to those who loved music and attended concerts. Then for many years there was a gap in my memory, and only in 1918 I saw and heard him for the first time. At this time, Igumnov already enjoyed fame best pianist in the country.

Life during these years of war communism was heroic. old way of life was violated. The new one hasn't worked out yet. And during these years of the formation of a new order in the country, I often listened to Igumnov in various club concerts, either with medical workers on Tverskaya, or in the writers' club on Povarskaya, or somewhere else. The premises of the clubs were unheated, but the people who gathered there were warm and sympathetic. And Igumnov has always been a great success. And often we saw him leaving with a paper bundle in his hands. That was a fee - a piece of bread, herring, less often butter, meat.

He always performed in a jacket, kept himself simple. Sometimes went out to auditorium and was in some environment. He wasn't handsome. But his very ugliness was special: high growth, not thick, open large forehead. Large features faces, Brit. Dark hair, and, moreover, a special fit of the figure and only his inherent gait and hand gestures. Angular, but somehow all by itself, not like anyone else. You will see - once and for all remember that this is Igumnov.

I have preserved from that time such a poetic portrait of him, in my opinion, that conveys it well (V.A. Svitalsky):

Chauntecleer springs at the feet

Bows, tiki Paganini,

I look at you from the stalls

Through multiple backs.

And I see you not here at all.

A glass of wine, cold tea,

Jam is here, and sugar is here.

And you grumble by chance.

Fancy weaving legs,

There is a whim in the shoulders and in spasm gestures.

Freeze funny anecdote

A smile of bitter sarcasm.

How little they know you from the stage,

Great sweet man

Dry and stiff mikado

So rarely saying no.

Konstantin Nikolayevich lived at that time in two small rooms in the apartment of academician D.N. Ushakov on Sivtsev Vrazhek. One room with two pianos is the reception room. The other is the bedroom. The situation was very modest, as his whole life was modest. There were no servants and no household. Masha served him for many years from the top floor of the same house. And bad service. The dust was not always wiped off, the dinner was cold and tasteless, the linen was often not fresh. And Konstantin Nikolayevich himself had no economic talents. And it was funny to watch him, helpless in his desire to receive and treat the guest. He went many times now for a cup, then for a spoon, forgetting on the way what he needed and why he went.

Later, the Ushakov family took a more active part in his life, but still he remained a neglected old bachelor.

In 1926, Konstantin Nikolaevich changed his two rooms to one large one in the same apartment and at the same time took the wonderful old furniture out of Leningrad, and it became very spacious and beautiful, but nothing has changed in everyday life - the same Masha and the same cold lunch, and the same unkemptness of a lonely person.

Beginning in 1925, Konstantin Nikolayevich began to spend every summer with me in Alabino, and by autumn he left for the Caucasus - to Nalchik, Tiberda, Tiflis. He loved these places very much.

Alabino, the former estate of Demidov, Prince of San Donato, 40 km from Moscow, was built by the famous architect Kazakov under Catherine II. There was an amazingly beautiful central, octagonal palace with columns and a dome, and four outbuildings along the small sides of the palace with semicircles of entrances. Two entrance gates led to the estate, and along the line of entry rose the church-tomb of the Demidovs. The estate adjoined an old park descending to the Desna River.

Everything was running. The palace was slowly falling apart. It blew the sadness of the past, and it was quiet, secluded and very beautiful.

Konstantin Nikolaevich fell in love with Alabino both in summer and in winter. Here he had his own place. He was spared from worries about everyday life, and here he prepared for his concerts and walked a lot, alone. Here he often received his guests and students. Here he was visited by: academician D.N. Ushakov, his former student V.V. Bakhrushina, artist of the Chamber Theater A.A. Rumnev, brothers Konshins. And the students: Yegorov Alexander, Berlin, Iocheles, Bublikov, Midyntein, Pulver and others, I don’t remember anyone else.

Konstantin Nikolayevich played every day, with rare exceptions, for six hours. After dinner, around eleven o'clock at night, he sat down to play "for us." And for this nightly music, the surrounding people gathered at the house. He didn't like being asked to play. His requests made him angry, but after supper, gathering in my room, which was very large and with a fireplace, we sat down in our places and gradually stopped talking. K.N. understood what this was leading to. He made a number of circles around the room and sat down at the piano, for a long time he crawled on the chair, as if adjusting to the instrument, and then he began to play. I can't help noticing one feature. K.N. never “strummed” on the piano, never played naughty. Every time he needed time to "collect", but once he sat down, he already began to play seriously.

He always ended his game “for us” with Tchaikovsky's Lullaby. And we already knew that this was the end of his game and none of us dared to ask him to play on.

He played most often Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann. At one time Liszt, then Schubert, Rachmaninoff. Over the years, he gradually left the technically difficult things to play. I remember once we were with him at a concert of his student Pulver. Among other things, he played the most difficult Brahms concerto. “My God,” said K.N., “I would like his technique, what could I give.”

KN's musical memory was very large. He played a lot for us and always without notes, and his repertoire was great.

He walked a lot in Alabino, and most often alone. He knew and loved nature. He knew how to peer into the sky and clouds (ciruses and nimbuses) and predicted the weather in the direction of the wind. He knew a lot of plants with their Latin names, and if he was not a real botanist, he was not alien to botany. He responded with lively interest to everything in nature, followed the changes in it, and it was amusing to watch his excitement in the spring in anticipation of the croaking of frogs, and how he went to “visit” them to the pond in the park.

And one more feature. He never sought to show off his knowledge, to boast of it, and therefore he often amazed us with information that no one suspected of him. He was well-read. Knew literature. I didn't read fast, but constantly. He followed the novelties, showed sincere and constant interest in the present.

He unconditionally accepted the October Revolution, and I never heard from him any grumbling or dissatisfaction with the Soviet regime. This was especially reflected in his wisdom and wise perception of life.

Both in his appearance and in the manifestation of his inner "I" - he had his own charm, the only one inherent in him. Subtle humor, appropriate mockery, nothing too much, a good joke, nothing superfluous. Cleverly, unhurriedly, with a touch of the sedate old Moscow style. And how he grew into Moscow! With what thousands of threads he was connected with her! How much he could tell about the former pre-revolutionary Moscow.

As a young professor at the Moscow Conservatory, K. N. gives music lessons in rich family Remizovs in Zamoskvorechye. Pupil -

hunchbacked Liza, already at an age. Amfilade of rooms - living room green, blue, concert hall. Liza at the piano. The professor paces, looks around, but the professor has a small need. Where to go? Under what pretext to leave? The house has a particularly strict bashful style. There, even the word "drunk" is considered indecent, rude to say it out loud and is replaced by: "He was p", or "a little p". And so the professor, lingering at one of the palm trees in the neighboring living room, gets out of the difficulty, and the lesson continues without violating decorum.

Many years pass. Liza's brother, an old, lonely eccentric of those who, according to Anatole France, adorn life, holds the post of chairman of the Society for the Aid to Poor Students of Moscow University. He is all goodwill and kindness. Well, then the revolution, and he becomes a military clerk of some small military unit, earns a pension and appears at the concerts of Konstantin Nikolaevich in a tailcoat, Red Army boots and khaki trousers. KN invariably sends him tickets to his concerts and meets with him for a cup of tea. Of course he helps him. Take care of him. And he, dying, refuses K.N. the last thing he has left - a wonderful old big clock. K.N. I was very proud of them and loved them.

And how many such old fragments of the past huddled around K.N.

In 1930, Konstantin Nikolaevich, crossing from the Bolshaya Nikitskaya Conservatory in winter, fell and lost consciousness. What caused it remains unclear. Whether it was a micro-stroke, or a blow to the shaft in the temple. KN was brought into Professor Lamm's apartment, right there in the building of the conservatory. Here he lay for three weeks, after which, with great fear, I brought him home to him. Things went well this time. There are no consequences left. early spring K.N. moved to Alabino and lived there until autumn.

The last time K.N. had a chance to be in Alabino was on the eve of the old New Year, 1933. We were alone. We sat by the burning fireplace and talked leisurely, and did not assume that we were on the eve of separation for more than three years. There were arrests all over the country. They grabbed left and right. Confidence in tomorrow no one had. There were also arrests of doctors, moreover from a circle close to me. Of course, this affected our well-being. It was not suppressed, but anxiety and anxiety did not leave us. After twelve o'clock KN sat down at the piano and played for a long time. He finished, as always, with "Lullaby".

January 8, 1934. Wedge. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! Happy New Year, and I wish it to be easier in your life than the last one. I am writing to you from Klin, from the house-museum of Tchaikovsky, where I got out for three days.

Today I went for a walk, breathed clean fragrant air, not like Moscow. I remember Alabino. I rarely come here, but I always feel excited when I get into Pyotr Ilyich's rooms. In general, there are many memories associated with my young years. Here is the same tireless director Zhegin, who began to get sick of something - he has sclerosis, and I don’t like him much. We are the same age, but I think he is much more durable than I am. And yet, who knows?

I feel pretty good and much better than in summer. I don't feel like going to Professor Horoshko. These examinations are depressing for me. Maybe I'll go to Fromgold's, because I like him. Yes, and he is still not a hunter to stuff.

I was in Leningrad. Played three times (symphonic, solo and for students of the conservatory). I was very worried before the first concert, but on the stage I felt satisfactory. Partly very well played and I can not complain about the reception. I hope that my path to the Leningrad market has now expanded significantly.

Maybe I'll go to Ukraine again, but it's still cranes in the sky.

I don't remember if I wrote to you that Neuhaus has been seriously ill since the summer. After diphtheria, he suffered from polyneurosis, since August he lay without any movement. Now he is much better, and he managed to arrange a place in the Kremlin hospital.

On the twentieth of January, final exams. Finish: Egorov, Sorokin, Flier and others whom you do not know. Because of this, even during the holidays I have to deal with pedagogy, which I was very tired of. Do you know? Your project of my trip to you does not seem so unrealistic to me. It's all about how things go with well-being and other things by spring.

For now, goodbye. Yours K. Igumnov.

P.S. I am very pleased with the calm and somewhat enlightened tone of your letters. I notice something similar in my Tiflis friend Ananov. He, too, had some wise note. Not everyone manages to develop it in themselves.

The other day I was told a poem by Sologub that I like. Without vouching for complete accuracy, I want to bring it to you:

The day is only good in the evening,

Believe the wise law:

In the morning - all confusion and lies

And swarming devils

The day is only good in the evening,

Life is clearer the closer to death.

I would like this feeling of clarity, sometimes familiar to me, to be permanently consolidated.

October 3, 1934. Moscow. “Dear Mikhail Mikhail Mikhailovich! I send you my "chocolate hello". In the near future I will write to you either by mail or with an opportunity. I live well. In Tiberda, I still improved, but in general, of course, I have to follow a more correct regimen. All the best to you. K.Igumnov.

August 27, 1935. Gorki, near Aprelevka. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I would like to write you a letter from the area lying next to Alabin, namely from Gorki, where, contrary to my usual manner of going south, I ended up on a summer vacation.

I live in former estate Kruglikovs in two rooms under the (nutritive) supervision of a relative of Vera Vladimirovna (Bakhrushina). Moved the piano with considerable unrest and spending. I don't know if the results will be good.

It is peaceful for me to live here, the place is beautiful, but, of course, this is not like rest in Tiberda. Firstly, I only moved on July 23rd. Secondly, the weather is depressing for half the time, and thirdly, I work out a lot.

As for the nervous system, it undoubtedly returned to normal, but otherwise something physical - I don’t like everything. It would be nice to extend the vacation to September and go at least to the sea, but somehow I hesitate to start talking about this. Meanwhile, the year will be, as always, overloaded, and I'm going to perform. I think that Gorki did their job musically. The lack of desire and ability to play tolerably, which I had in the spring and made me think of complete aging, has been eliminated. And I know that now, after work, I began to play better.

This is where the question arises: should I stop work for a trip to the south and stock up on forces, or should I continue it and get some more treatment along the way?!

I must tell you that by the end of the year I had a great decline in mood. Somehow everything got tired and nothing really occupied. There are several reasons for this: the monotony of impressions associated only with music and even more so with pedagogy, fatigue from work and the jury. The All-Union competition, the conservatory "trifles of life", after January, almost complete artistic inactivity, finally, the age in which loneliness is felt more acutely, formed as a result of the deaths and departures of loved ones. The result was a great deal of apathy. I don't know if it's because of her that I got here. However, this is not entirely true: I needed to check myself with work - whether I can still move forward. Otherwise, of course, I would have gone to Tiberda, where I always get younger and meet people from another world. This is a terrible thing: either you see only people of your profession, or you use the home environment of people, although very nice, but who are completely far from the moving springs of your life, both artistic and personal and all sorts of others. Apparently, we still need to snatch time and be in public, otherwise, for the last year, no one has come to me, and I have nowhere to go.

Well, will pour out their sentiments. I look forward to your letter with great interest. I really want to go to Alabino, but so far all the dirt is in the way. Well, for now, all the best. Shake your hand. Yours K.N. Igumnov.

At the beginning of 1936 I returned to Moscow, and on the very first day of my arrival Konstantin Nikolaevich came to me.

All the same. I didn't notice any aging. Maybe a little less confidence in the legs. But the head is fresh. There is great interest in everything. The funny in life is grasped and celebrated vividly and vividly.

Turgenev says: “To keep the heart young until old age is both difficult and almost ridiculous. He can already be satisfied who has not lost faith in goodness, constancy of will, desire for activity. KN had it all. He lived a full artistic life and played better and better every year. And this was given to him by the wisdom of age, the knowledge of the previously unknown and a strong desire to move forward.

He was cheerful. Cheerful and nice to handle. Success was expressed in him by noble self-confidence, modest dignity and goodwill towards people.

In the years that followed, we constantly communicated in the general circle of acquaintances, visiting both him and me. We met at concerts. After his concerts, K. N. invited his friends to his place, and these evenings were very pleasant with him. The company was going to men's. The conversation was easy, simple, cheerful. A light snack, dry grape wine and tea were served. Hosted together. There was usually no music. Stayed up late and parted with the feeling of a well-spent evening.

Living part of the summer in Moscow, K. N. liked to be outside the city and especially loved Kolomenskoye. He stayed there for a long time and often. One summer he lived in a dacha near Istra, and I stayed with him. I remember wonderful green expanses, the river, swimming, youth with its cheerful din and K.N. as the soul of all this.

The big event of these pre-war years in the life of K. N. was the awarding of him with the title of People's Artist of the Republic and his anniversary on the occasion of 45 years of artistic and 40 years of pedagogical activity.

I will not repeat what everyone knows. I will only note that in this anniversary there was a lot of sincere recognition and real friendly participation. I especially liked the hero of the day in these days of celebrations. He was not at all dizzy from the great success. Of course, he was pleased to receive hundreds of telegrams of greetings, to listen to speeches praising him, to receive many gifts, but this did not prevent him from making his own amendment to the “anniversary hype” and conveying with humor the funny, inevitable in all these cases.

The summer of 1941 came. Konstantin Nikolaevich settled in a separate house with the composer Vasilenko at the dacha in Tourist.

He was lonely there. He was moping. He didn't know where to go. Then air raids began. He bore them hard. I was drawn to Moscow, from Moscow to the dacha. And at that time, the benevolent care of the government took him with other persons of the so-called "golden fund of the country" to Nalchik.

September 17, 1941. Nalchik. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I received news from you from Chkalov. And I was waiting for her from Moscow. Well, apparently, in old age, both of us had to leave our usual life.

For the time being I live here quite well, but, of course, not joyfully and very lonely. No one likes it somehow.

How firmly and definitively have we settled down here - who can say? By the way, here are Kachalov, Nemirovich, etc.

I live in a hotel. In the holiday home, I didn't have to settle down because of the room. So I'm on my way out, and maybe that's better than being there all the time. All the best. K.Igumnov.

2 October. Nalchik. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! What are my plans for the winter, you ask? Why, I can't build anything myself, because everything depends on the Arts Committee.

These days, several people have obtained permission to return to Moscow. The Committee does not encourage such a return. And I think that there really are no reasons to return now, since the situation for our life in Moscow is not at all better than at the moment when the Committee decided to send us here.

Here we live a normal life. The home environment is good. But the weather over the past week and a half has been completely capricious unseasonably. There are cold, rainy (Leningrad November) days, and over the past two days even everything has been covered with wet snow. The mountains are silver even where it is not supposed to be. Today the sun came out, and everything around was melting, of course, on the plain.

As for Tashkent, I have no particular intention now. Two months ago - maybe it was expedient, but now, according to rumors, everyone has been transferred there musical institutions Leningrad. And therefore, there I could be completely out of work. Here I am still with the team and, therefore, I have a guarantee not to be forgotten.

You ask me - is there a person close to me here? The answer, in essence, can only be negative, if we keep in mind the connection rooted in past joint experiences. Lamm and Nechaev live in a rest home more than three kilometers from here, and I hardly see them. Among the rest of the public there are people who are simply unpleasant, and there are people who are neurasthenics, or simply strangers. In any case, there is no one who would know me intimately as a person, so I have no friendly communication here. This

very, of course, it is a pity and even frightens if an illness or some other trouble happens.

Yesterday I received a letter from my brother Sergei Nikolaevich and I'm worried about him. He is in Kharkov, and there, of course, a very restless situation. The letter, although devoid of nervousness, is very sad, almost farewell. After all, he is 77 years old, his wife is 71, and I do not know how to help them, and I am afraid that I am powerless.

Write what you know about Shura Egorov. I don't know anything about him. In general, I know little about Muscovites, since everyone is limited to short postcards. Best wishes. Yours K.Igumnov.

P.S. I will let you know more about my time. In general, it's boring to do nothing. Physically I feel good. Please write."

November 2. Nalchik. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I hope you have received my registered letter. I live in Nalchik in the old way, although after our arrival the overall picture has deteriorated somewhat. I would personally like to spend the winter here if nothing changes. But for Lately there is a tendency to move the whole group to Tbilisi. This should be resolved in a few days. The Ushakovs and my Leonovs left for Tashkent. No matter how I got there.

I have nothing against Tbilisi, only it is expensive and less convenient than here, but here there is no income. The salary from the conservatory comes in tight, and for how long.

Mich. Mikh., I will give the address in case the connection is interrupted with me, for inquiries about me. Do not be angry.

Kiss. K.Igumnov.

November 23rd. Nalchik. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I inform you that our entire group is leaving tomorrow for Tbilisi. There are no grounds for leaving in cash, but Nemirovich piled up, and the others followed him (as if not foolishly).

I’ll probably get a good job in Tbilisi, but our middle peasants with many families will howl there, because life is expensive there.

I have not known anything about you for a long time - I wrote to you three times. Yours K.Igumnov.

December 19th. Tbilisi. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! It's been two weeks since our entire group moved here. Here, life now flows almost as usual. I settled in well. I have a room with a piano and a home table. The downside is that I'm in a non-mountainous part, which is a little far away, and that the room (like everywhere else here) is not warm. It's great to be able to perform here. When I find the envelope, I'll write a closed letter. There is no news from my brother from Kharkov. I'm afraid for him.

All the best. K.Igumnov.

May 2, 1942. Tbilisi. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I have not written anything to you for a long time and I repent of this very much to you. I live happily. I eat worse than two months ago, but still tolerably. I've lost a lot of weight, but I seem to be healthy. I don’t know how useful the sulfur baths that I want will be for me when losing weight

take to eliminate some gouty problems. The mood, in general, of course, is not joyful, but still calm. I am satisfied with my work on the piano. I performed very well (except once), I became better at playing and found something new. From pedagogical work yet it was not entirely possible to resist. I have seven hours a week. I was convinced, however, that this area became even more alien to me than before.

For now, we are all sitting here, and I think that we will not be transferred anywhere before August-September. In the autumn, however, if only Moscow turns out to be unrealistic, we can expect to be moved to Saratov, where part of the Moscow Conservatory is now located. It makes me a little happy. In Saratov, life is worse than here, and it will be more difficult to endure the winter there.

In terms of the atmosphere here, however, is not so good. There is little sympathy around, but still there are no hardships to which Saratov residents are subjected.

How my life will turn out after the war is not clear. On April 17, D.N. Ushakov died. This is a big loss. First of all, a man died, in Leskov's style, correct, completely correct. In twenty years, I do not remember a case when this "correctness" would have left him. So sometimes I do not agree with him on everything, but these were accidents. In a word, while in Moscow everything was fine in our apartment. No matter how they settled it now.

I turned 69 yesterday. This figure, in its meaning, becomes alien to me. However, people my age are not very stable.

Yesterday I had some Muscovites: Lamm, Nechaev. We sat and drank wine, but it was possible to have a bite to eat only somehow surviving canned peach. I was pleased to see Moscow faces.

OK it's all over Now. Nothing is known about my brother Sergei Nikolaevich and his wife... Well, be healthy.

Kiss. K.Igumnov.

18 August. Tbilisi. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I feel well. Acclimatized, and I don't feel the heat. While we live safely, but the situation is getting more complicated. How not to be late with the departure, which is possible if necessary. But we won’t get any instructions from the center which city to focus on. We stay for now, but for how long?

All the best. Yours K.Igumnov.

September 27. Yerevan. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! Quite unexpectedly for myself, I found myself at work in Yerevan. This happened despite the decision taken to go to Tashkent. The whole group left Tbilisi on August 31 through Brevan, Baku, Krasnovodsk. The choice of city for the move was not strictly determined by the Central Committee of the Arts. They pointed out - Tashkent, Saratov (he, of course,

did not attract anyone), Sverdlovsk, Frunze, etc. I reluctantly left Tbilisi, hesitated for a long time (I was offered a professorship there). Finally, I decided to go to Tashkent. True, I could hardly have settled well there, but the Ushakovs were there, and it seemed to me with all clarity that I could be their moral support. Then there is the sister's family, and finally, there is the Leningrad Conservatory and the possibility of communication and rotation in musical environment. I took all this into account and went to Tashkent. The landing conditions in Tbilisi were terrible: blackout (the train departed at 2 am), the absence of porters, things that were scattered around different places etc. In a word, I got nervous and, probably, this played a fatal role and caused in me an inability to withstand character: I allowed myself to be persuaded to stay in Yerevan by the representatives of the local conservatory and the committee who met us at the station, at the train. My comrades did not stop me from this step and for the most part sympathized with my settlement in Yerevan. So, for example, Lamm, Myaskovsky, and Goldenweiser, thought that I was better off here. And so I broke the route in one hour and have been here for a month.

There is nothing to complain about in everyday life, but morally I feel very painful.

It’s quiet and calm here for the time being, and in case of complications they promise to send me over, but now I’m tied up: I’ll start working from the first of November. It is depressing that you cannot be sure of connecting with your loved ones. What to do? I can't go anywhere alone. I took a risky step - for every wise man enough simplicity.

I received your postcard. Thank you. I'll write more soon, but for now, goodbye. It was stupid, perhaps, he acted, well, God is merciful. Yours K.Igumnov.

Nov. 1. Yerevan. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I live in Yerevan very calmly. I don't feel hungry. I work at the conservatory without fatigue so far, I work for myself for three hours a day or so. Life flows measuredly, without fuss and without the Tbilisi scream. In a word, the character of being is suitable for old age. IN moonlit evenings I'm leaving (I was in opera and ballet), at three symphony concerts, even in three or four familiar families. In the morning today I was in a picturesque museum, and in the evening I watched the "Great Waltz" again. I am writing on my return from the cinema. The picture reminded me of Leningrad, where I saw it for the first time, and again I felt how irretrievably the whole past had gone and how far we did not properly appreciate the blessings of peaceful life.

As you can see, living in Yerevan is not bad. Very amazing weather. It was 15 degrees today. Rain at night, sunshine during the day. As if, judging by some information, we will live the winter in peace. Well, it's hard to predict winter.

Physically, I feel decent, and returned three kilograms. In terms of mood, I feel remorse for days that I did not unite with the Tashkent people. Sometimes I feel sad and remember the distant

and close past. Sometimes I fear that I will die without seeing my neighbors. In general, far from hysteria and calm.

Do you know that on the 11th Leningrad Nikolaev died. I feel sorry for him. He was my old friend younger years by 7-8).

Well, sorry, all the best. Yours K.Igumnov.

23 April. Yerevan. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! I haven't written to you for ages. I don't even know when I wrote last letter. During that time, the central event was my trip from March 20 to 30 in Tbilisi. The trip was successful, the performances went well. Unfortunately, the weather was deadly: completely wet snow, dampness, mud.

How are things going with Moscow? At one time I was sure that by the autumn I would be there, but now something is again not certain. Still, it's time to go back. How will my life turn out there now? I haven't heard from the apartment for a long time.

I live happily, but very sluggishly and apart. The years take their toll, and physically I feel worse than in autumn. I eat satisfactorily, although everything has risen in price very much.

About two weeks ago, I was very upset. The thing is, I decided to see a doctor. He turned to an already elderly man, who had a very solid reputation, and told him all his weaknesses. He examined me and prescribed treatment. When I went to him for a repetition of the medicine, I accidentally saw my medical history, where it was noted: "non-reactive pupils." Although I don’t experience any new, previously unhealthy phenomena, I was still very excited and thought that I had received a ticket for a trip to the region of paralytics. Asked for clarification. I was told that the changes are not today, that this has nothing to do with paralysis, and that iodine will not allow any serious phenomena to develop. I don’t know if everything is as he said, but little by little I came to life and I begin to think that everything will work out. You can imagine my mood - in a strange city, without relatives, at the age of 70 years.

Now I am emboldened. And who knows - if he made a mistake with the pupils? But I decided not to show myself to any neuropathologists anymore - well, they, anyway, they won’t come up with anything for the iodine roof. It is very unfortunate that I will not be able to get your opinion on this incident soon. Of course, a lot of things could have turned out differently if we had met 30 years ago. Tomorrow I will send you a telegram and announce that I am sending a necessary and important letter.

Now - about everyone and everything. Rumnev is in Alma-Ata and asks about you. A month ago, my son-in-law D.N. Leonov died in Tashkent at the age of 86 or 87. There is also a rumor (reported from Saratov by Milstein) that Yura Bublikov was allegedly killed at the front. If so, then pity him. He was awkward, but talented and, in essence, not bad

Well, enough. Be healthy and prosperous. I often remember Alabinsky life. Here in my architectural collection there is a photograph of the palace. Generally, old friends and old experiences

I really appreciated, and these days especially. I shake hands and kiss you tightly. Yours K.Igumnov.

And on November 24, 1943, Sergei Mikhailovich Simonov wrote to me: “Konstantin Nikolayevich has arrived. This arrival was expected for a long time and with impatience, but it happened modestly and imperceptibly.

K. N. appeared among us as if there had been no two-year absence. At first glance, he has changed little, and only from the stage is old age noticeable in figure and gait, but not in the game. In the week after his arrival, he performed twice: in the symphony with "Fantasy" by Tchaikovsky and solo concert Tchaikovsky. Played amazing. Against the background of our luminaries, he is, of course, the most original pianist and the most subtle musician.

On December 3 of the same year, I received a second letter from N.A. Domashevskaya from the conservatory. She wrote to me:

“I was at Igumnov’s concert. He played wonderfully, and only Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" sounded especially good. A better performance of these pieces is impossible. The concert program was colossal. The impression was unforgettable. After the concert, we went to congratulate him. He had a lot of people in the artistic room. Simonov approached him after everyone else, and they already envied him that he would shake the last hand of Konstantin Nikolayevich. But it turned out differently. At first, K.N. did not recognize me, but someone led me to him, and I had the honor to touch the hand of this genius.

We met with Konstantin Nikolaevich at the meeting of the New Year 1944 at my place on my arrival in Moscow from Vladimir. All also nice, lively and charming. Stayed up late. In the dead of night I went to see him off through the old Moscow lanes from Vspolny to Sivtsev Vrazhok. How many times has this road been walked, in quiet, deserted hours in the pre-dawn twilight.

The war was still going on. How everything has changed around us and in ourselves. And how many were gone. And my God, how soon the traces will fade human life. Well, we both live here.

Konstantin Nikolaevich did not have a feeling of an imminent end. His father lived a long time, something up to eighty-six years. Konstantin Nikolayevich thought to follow his example. It was an enviable and wise attitude. He somehow understood in his gut that old age comes when you succumb to it. And this was his strength and his secret of youth.

I lived in those years in Vladimir, deprived of the right to reside in Moscow. He visited Moscow not infrequently and not often, and every time he visited, he met with K.N.

“Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! Now July is coming to an end, and still not finished with the conservatory. My plans for the future have not yet taken a stable form, but I believe that at least part of it.

I can spend August with you. Therefore, I beg you, if nothing has changed in your assumptions, let me know what I need to prepare for the trip and life in Vladimir. Before the start August I can't get out because I have to do some work with Milstein. I was offered to spend August in a holiday home in Polenov, but I, despite Simonov's persuasion, refused. Firstly, because, I think, it is calmer in Vladimir, and secondly, because you would have the right to be offended by me. I will hardly be able to live with you for a long time, since in September I am going on a business trip to Yerevan and Tbilisi. At this time there will be no tedious competition, and my name is on the jury. I think that you should not refuse, although I sometimes hesitate due to the distance.

In general, I feel average, but I think that I would be completely younger if the burden of literary circumstances did not lie on me. After all, even in Vladimir I will have to paint something about my "creative path", as they say now. And the law is boring and, I think, essentially useless. We still need to put an end to this in order to dump this burden. In general, the coming winter does not bode well for me. The class gathered more than I needed and desired. I'm not going to stop playing yet, and this requires freshness, but where can I get it?

Well, enough whining. I will wait from you for detailed instructions - travel and others. Yours K.Igumnov.

Weeks passed, all the deadlines specified by Konstantin Nikolayevich passed, but he still did not go. Finally, on September 24, I received this letter from him:

“Dear M. M.! You probably waved your hand at me and, of course, you are quite right. It is not the usual bad trait of my character that is to blame, but most likely the painful physical and mental state in which I have been lately and from which I am only now beginning to crawl out.

All summer there were laboratories, X-ray room, consultations, iodine, vitamins, coniferous baths, massage.

That's what I was doing.

The tone has improved, and for a month and a half I am leaving for Yerevan and Tbilisi. There is no particular desire to go, but I must disappear from here, otherwise I will immediately turn sour again. I'm afraid of winter - it will be busy for me, but my strength has obviously diminished. Well, it will be about that.

A week ago, an exhibition of Armenian artists opened. She leaves a very good impression. Lots of fresh stuff. Some kind of joyful attitude to life emanates from her. My small figurine, which you did not like from the photograph, turned out to be very lively and successful in reality and meets with sympathy.

Well, goodbye for now. It would be nice to meet you soon. All the best. Yours K.Igumnov.

The arrival of Konstantin Nikolaevich in Vladimir took place only the following year. In July I received a telegram from him:

“Free since the twenty-fifth. Can you send the car and when. Report. Igumnov.

By the specified time, I went for him in a beautiful car of the Vladimir Regional Executive Committee and delivered him safely to my place. It was planned that K. N. would speak at the regional congress of doctors, convened at that time, but when we looked at the instrument with him, this turned out to be impossible.

He lived with me for a month and a half, and lived perfectly. He was interested in many things in Vladimir, the ancient capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. The famous 12th century cathedral with frescoes by Rublev. Golden Gate. Princess Monastery. Bogolyubovo village. Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. Finally, the very building of the regional hospital, in which K.N. lived, was built under Pavel. This building was sung by the governor and writer in 1802, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Dolgoruky in his poem in "The Hut on Rpen":

Here is the courtyard where the ardent Gleb reigned.

Batu came and in furious anger,

Like a wolf lambs, with one blow

Vladimir all incinerated ...

My gaze from these sad scenes

Other seek sought species

The newest monument of times

Meets the castle of the disabled.

There is compassion and love

Give shelter to merit

Hungry bread, a doctor to ailments,

And the young are nourished by blood.

And the people whom K.N. met in Vladimir also occupied and entertained him. And then I wrote in my diary: “Konstantin Nikolaevich has already been living with me for two weeks. We are placed with him in my small room in the very building of the hospital. He is a wonderful partner. There is nothing old about him. He is unassuming. Delicate. Very nice and even-tempered. Living with him is a pleasure.

In the evenings, he, my sister and granddaughter play simple fools on my sister's terrace ("playing throw-ins is an extra"). KN this game is a real pleasure. His passion for the game infects us. We all go into a rage and spend an hour or two merrily and carefree. It's a shame that K.N. can no longer take long walks, as he liked. Walks, but not far, and always alone.

In the early summer of 1946 I moved to Tarusa, a small town on the Oka.

Konstantin Nikolaevich knew this place. In 1914 he visited Pertsov in his estate Ignatovskoye, former Count Buturlin, and

as soon as I settled down in the house I bought, he came to me.

Came sick. With difficulty he got out of the car. Worried about sciatica. Weakness, headaches.

The summer of 1946 was hot and dry. KN first lay in the garden. Then in the sand on the banks of the Oka, and very soon "reclaimed himself." And as of old in Alabino, he set to work. He played every day for at least four hours a day, and in the evenings he played for us after resting for card game all the same simple fools. They also put on charades. It was hereditary in the purchased house. It used to belong to S.V. Guerrier and Nadezhda Alexandrovna Smirnova, an artist of the Moscow Maly Theater. From them there was some theatrical wardrobe and props. K. N. took the most lively and direct part in the charades, and I remember him, among other things, in the role of a priest at the lectern, crowning a young couple. Instead of an epitrachili, he wears a towel. Instead of a phelonion - an apron. And he, with the most serious look, reads out the famous words: “Let the wife be afraid of her husband.” And how it was presented! And how worried he was!

February 11, 1947. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! For a long time I have been thinking of writing to you, but I am incorrigible and have put off everything. Thanks for the compliments. As if my path is completed and there is no need to wait or wish for anything else in the field of life situation. Now I have come to the epilogue, and it will be bad if I live it by itself, as, unfortunately, I have lived all my life.

I have never been able, and perhaps not really striving for this, to organize myself, but now in old age it would be easier due to the fading of passions and at the same time more difficult due to a decrease in vitality and a decrease in physical well-being.

As long as I am supported by the consciousness that I am creatively still alive, but how long will this last? I involuntarily recall L. Tolstoy, who once told me that only by achieving in art and in life in general the fulfillment of his desires, a person is able to serve God. I do not convey his idea well, but I will not elaborate. The fact is that at the end of life, I would like to find a firm peace of mind and somehow turn my attitude towards people and the world onto a more active path.

In essence, I am, according to someone's expression, "a person who wanted to", and my laziness in correspondence is a vivid illustration of this. I always want to have written conversations with friends, but I don't. And so in a lot of ways.

You see, my tone is rather minor today. In part, this may be exacerbated by a painful condition. I've been getting the flu a lot lately and don't even go out for a few days. The form is not severe, only tracheitis and nose, but still it is unpleasant.

My last Beethoven evening (February 4) was very successful for me and left an exceptional impression on many. But now I'm a little wilted. I was supposed to go to play in Leningrad (on February 26), but I will hardly go, because I'm afraid that by this time I will not be free from my malaise. And you know - my legs and all sus-

Tavas are behaving quite smartly this year. It can be seen that the Tarusian sun has fried well.

As good news, I will inform you that Vera Vladimirovna Bakhrushina has been restored in all her rights and one of these days will finally settle down here.

In general, there is a lot of hard things around, and the atmosphere in our house is not cheerful.

My visitors are quite rare. I was glad to see Rodionov recently. He has a very beneficial effect on me. I see Shura Yegorov sometime. It is not easy for him, but he is well done, he does not become limp. Rumnev often leaves for Leningrad, where he takes part in the production of the film Cinderella.

Well, goodbye. Be well in everything. Bow to the "keeper of your hearth." Always yours, K. Igumnov.”

My congratulations and "completion of the journey" in the letter cited above relate to K.N. receiving the Order of Lenin.

In the summer of 1947, Konstantin Nikolayevich again lived in Tarusa for a month and a half. This time he came even weaker and even more painfully, and his correction was more difficult. Worried eyes. Headaches, cough. Sluggish, weak, irritable. But little by little, day by day, it all went away. And he again began to play and cook this time his own last concert. This summer a large and pleasant society gathered in Tarusa. The young artist Faydysh-Krandievskaya invited him to paint his portrait. KN readily agreed. The portrait was painted in the air, on my terrace, K. N. patiently posed and was very pleased with his portrait.

In the evenings they played fools. There were so many who wanted to take part in the game that there was not enough deck of cards. The soul of the game was still KN. It was an hour and a half full of laughter and jokes. K. N. rested and amused himself very much at this unwise game, and he simply needed it. He could not read in the evenings, just as he could not walk in the dark. And here the society is cheerful, young, lively - everything is in laughter, jokes and movement. And from all sides of Tarusa, Muscovites were drawn to these "fools".

In early September, K.N. got ready to go home. Submitted a car. We drove five kilometers, and the car did not go further. The District Committee's car turned up and brought K. N. back. The evening of that day passed very comfortably by the burning fireplace. KN was not angry at the failure to leave. He was in good spirits, Alabino recalled, and suddenly read the poems of Volodya Svitalsky as a keepsake:

Century thermometer - pipe factories

Instead of thoughtful columns,

And put my teeth on the shelf

In the working blouse Apollo,

Not a curtain, but the silence of the intermission

Not death at all, but only a dream.

The troika will rush along the same path,

And the bells will ring.

Fading fashion for ideas

Like sweatshirts, pants

No one dares to guess

Buds of next spring.

Pipe industries will finish smoking,

Apollo will wash his hands,

And smile again lips

The calm harmony of the columns.

They moved from the fireplace to the piano. The Four Seasons by Tchaikovsky were played. And then, as always, K. N. ended his speech with a "Lullaby". And none, none of us who listened to him with bated breath could imagine that we were listening to him in last time...

The next day, Konstantin Nikolaevich left for Moscow.

I saw him in the middle of December. He was unwell. The temperature was kept up to 37.5-37.8. I began to feel sick already at the beginning of December, and the concert on December 3 was already with difficulty. I got worried. A doctor from the clinic of "scientists" interpreted this disease as influenza. Didn't do any analysis. I contacted him, called a laboratory assistant and the next day received a very unfavorable blood test, giving reason to think about an acute blood disease.

A series of consultations began with prominent doctors in Moscow, and endless infusions of penicillin began, so tiring for the patient.

K.N. refused to go to the hospital, even the Kremlin one. He did not consider himself seriously ill and was angry that he was missing the deadlines for the scheduled concerts in Leningrad. Dressed, he lay on the sofa, was interested in everything that was happening in God's world, read a little and received his friends.

Weeks passed, and the temperature not only held, but became higher and higher. Weakened, but did not complain of pain. The most thorough examination did not give the focus of the disease. Repeated blood tests continued to be very poor.

In mid-January, with a heavy heart, I left for my job in Tarusa. The Ushakovs kept me informed of the state of health of K.N.

January 27, 1948. “The temperature is always high. Bad mood. Very thin. Received your letter. He thanks me and thinks that he won’t get to Tarusa until four months later.”

The next day, Konstantin Nikolaevich himself wrote a few lines: “Dear M. M., according to Maria Sergeevna (doctor), my condition is in this form: 1) there is weight loss, 2) the liver has noticeably decreased. The temperature is holding. I’m not jumping as a goat yet and I’m not going to.

February 9th. “Our affairs are as follows: the temperature in the morning and in the evening is 38.4. Grumbles terribly. Everything is tired, and you need to turn to the Tainin old man. Eats badly. Interested in everyone and everything. Penicillin after 4 hours around the clock, and this is very difficult for him.

February 19th. “We don’t understand why you don’t write to us. Konstantin Nikolaevich is worried. He is not feeling well. It hurts to swallow, and his tongue hurts. Eats with scandal. Write him, please".

February 23. “Feeling bad. The weakness is terrible. The liver has grown strongly. There will be a meeting again. We are waiting for you".

5th of March. “Dear M. M.! We never waited for you, but how would you still need to see Konstantin Nikolaevich.

I visited him today after a break of 12 days and was convinced of a sharp deterioration in his condition. He can hardly speak and has lost faith in his recovery. He already has a look on the other side. And it is clear that he is dying.

How long this state will last is unknown, but it is hopeless. Still trying to ask about some earthly things, about music affairs, but somewhere he is already out of these interests.

If you want to catch him with a fresh head - hurry up to come. It seems to me that the end is near. It seems like there is nothing more to treat him with. Yours, A. Rumnev.”

On March 10, I received a telegram: “The situation is difficult. They take you to the hospital. Come soon."

On the evening of March 15, I entered Konstantin Nikolayevich's room. Twilight. Instead of a sofa bed. The air in the room is seriously ill. K.N. alone. I went up to him - he was dozing. I sat down and waited for him to open his eyes. I didn't wait long. In a hoarse alien voice, K.N. said: “Drink.” I gave it to him. He took a few sips with difficulty, looked at me silently and closed his eyes again.

I stayed with him for a long time. Looked at him. Served him. Left late at night with one feeling - "it's all over."

The next three days, which were at my disposal, I did not leave him. His mind was clear. He was accountable for everything. His personal "I" remained untouched, Igumnov's. Severe weakness often plunged him into oblivion, but when he opened his eyes, he controlled all his five senses.

At his request, I wrote a letter to his distant friend with a warm farewell and greetings, and we also spoke with him about his "last will." This heavy topic he spent it calmly and thoughtfully, and on the same day instructed his friend Rodionov to draw up a will.

On March 18, I left for my work, and the next day Konstantin Nikolayevich was transferred to the Kremlin department of the Botkin hospital.

March 22. “Dear M. M.! Today I saw Yegorov at the conservatory, and he told me that he had been to Konstantin Nikolayevich in the hospital. He lies from the Kremlin department, that there are only three people there, but all three are very heavy. K.N. is bad. It looks like we won't be able to meet him again.

A terrible loss for art and for the conservatory. Sergei Simonov.

March 24. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! Today, having come to the conservatory at six in the evening, I learned about the death of Konstantin Nikolayevich.

No matter how natural the death of a person at the age of 75, besides being seriously ill, this news was absolutely shocking.

I could neither listen nor do anything at the conservatory. Yes, and I'm not alone. Everyone felt a state of numbness. Feeling like a disaster. Irreparable misfortune.

This loss is absolutely irreplaceable for us. Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev was once called "the conscience of the conservatory". Konstantin Nikolaevich had the same conscience.

Such an example of service to art, passionate and disinterested service, as the needs of your whole nature - who can you meet now? And with all the softness and delicacy, what an unbending adherence to principles, firmness and clarity of convictions.

Eh, what can I say! Who are we going to look at now, who should we take as an example from?! Sergei Simonov.

March 27th. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! On Friday the 19th, Konstantin Nikolayevich was taken to the hospital. On the morning of that day, they gathered at his place: Milstein, Elyash, the Ushakovs, myself. They dressed him up. A car came, they brought a stretcher. I, in order to lighten the atmosphere a little, offered everyone to drink a sip of wine for his health and for a safe journey. K. N. also clinked glasses and took a sip. Then he said goodbye to everyone.

They put him on a stretcher, wrapped him in blankets and carried him out... It was very difficult, because everyone understood that he would never return alive here.

The Ushakovs went to the hospital with him. They put it in there just fine. Care and nutrition are excellent. He felt good there.

On Wednesday, March 24, I received a call from the hospital about a sharp deterioration in his condition. By three o'clock I was there. It was dinner time, and they didn't let him in.

The Ushakovs, Egorov, Milshtein and I gathered in the lobby. Here we learned that at night Konstantin Nikolaevich had heavy bleeding and he was very weak.

And so, when we were waiting, the nanny came up and said: "Why are you here. He died ...".

Konstantin Nikolaevich lay calm and strict. The next day there was an autopsy, which showed that K. N. died of milliary tuberculosis. All his organs were affected by it.

For 27 years, I had the closest friendship with him. His cordiality and sound advice. His humor. His subtle understanding of people - how many times they helped me and played a decisive role in my actions.

And "Lullaby" by Tchaikovsky, with which he usually ended his "clavirabends" in Tarusa and with which he ended his last concert on December 3, sounds in the ears and heart. Alexander Rumnev.

"On the same day. "Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! On the 5th at five o'clock in the evening we transported the body of Konstantin Nikolayevich to his room and laid it on two tables covered with white.

At 9 p.m. the first memorial service began. More than 20 people gathered. Everyone was in high spirits and exalted. The students, old and young, were very enthusiastic.

The next day at nine o'clock the Parastasis and the funeral took place.

I distributed 340 candles, and they were not enough. Obukhova, Stepanova, Kozlovsky, Migai were at the funeral and sang. A large choir sang. The service is excellent. It seemed that the fire in the souls is burning. Many cried.

Dear M.M., I am deeply saddened. All the time I feel that before him and for him to blame. I write absent-mindedly and can't write anymore. K. Rodionov.

March 27th. “Dear Mikhail Mikhailovich! Today we buried our Konstantin Nikolaevich. In the morning, his body was transferred to the Great Hall of the Conservatory. At about 10 o'clock it was no longer possible to enter the hall and even approach the conservatory. At 12 o'clock the civil memorial service began. Half of the hall, near the stage where the coffin stood, was buried in greenery, wreaths and fresh flowers. The music lasted four hours. All kinds and kinds of musical art sent the last "sorry". Orchestra. Quartet. Organ. Chorus. Singers. Singers.

In the face of death, everything again and again sounded like an unsolvable riddle...

new life

Dawn shines on me too.

And we will meet. Soon

In an unknown country...-

sang Obukhova.

Wait a bit,

Relax and you...

sang Kozlovsky.

The heart is silent

the path is unknown...

Sang Dorliak.

At four funeral procession moved along Nikitskaya. Huge crowds of people stood up to Kudrinskaya Square, from where the cars with the body, wreaths and escorts went faster,

The grave of Konstantin Nikolaevich was prepared along with Scriabin, Rubinstein and Taneyev.

It was a bright sunny day. The ancient domes and towers of the monastery glittered in the sun. The speeches began. They were few and that was good.

There was a moment of silence. The coffin was lowered into the grave. And at that moment the bell of the monastery chimed loudly. After the first blow, a second one lingered, and the chime for the vigil began. It was the last music on earth that sent Konstantin Nikolayevich to his grave.

How bitter it is for me that in this difficult hour I cannot hug you and shake your hand. Sergei Simonov.

Igumnov, Konstantin Nikolaevich- Konstantin Nikolaevich Igumnov. IGUMNOV Konstantin Nikolaevich (1873-1948), pianist, teacher at the Moscow Conservatory; one of the founders of the Russian pianistic school. A subtle interpreter of piano works by P.I. Tchaikovsky. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Igumnov, Konstantin Nikolaevich Date of birth April 17, 1873 Place of birth Lebedyan Date of death March 24, 1948 Place of death ... Wikipedia

- (1873 1948) pianist, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR (1946). Founder of one of the domestic pianistic schools. Professor of the Moscow Conservatory (since 1899, in 1924 29 rector). USSR State Prize (1946) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Soviet pianist, People's Artist of the USSR (1946), Doctor of Arts (1940). He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1894 in the piano class of P. A. Pabst. In 1895 he participated in ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (1873 1948), pianist, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR (1946). Founder of one of the domestic pianistic schools. Professor of the Moscow Conservatory (since 1899, in 1924 29 rector). State Prize of the USSR (1946). * * * IGUMNOV Konstantin ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

A good pianist, born April 19, 1873 in Lebedyan (Tambov province.). While at the gymnasium and Moscow University, he studied at the same time to play the piano. with Zverev, and then at the Moscow Conservatory, where he was first a volunteer in the class of Ziloti, and then ... Big biographical encyclopedia

- (1873, Lebedyan, Tambov province 1948, Moscow), pianist, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR (1946). A native of the merchant class. In Moscow since 1887. He studied at the 1st Moscow classical, at the legal, then at the historical-philological ... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

Born April 19 (May 1), 1873 in Lebedyan, Tambov province, into a merchant family. From 1887, also studying at the First Moscow Classical Gymnasium, he took private piano lessons from the famous teacher N.S. Zverev (at the same time with Rachmaninov and Scriabin). In 1888 he entered the Moscow Conservatory as a volunteer in the class of A.I. Siloti, then P.A. Pabst; at the same time he studied polyphony with S.I. Taneev, tried his hand at composition. In 1892 he entered the Moscow University - first of all to the law, later to the historical and philological faculty. He graduated from the conservatory in 1894 with a gold medal and at the same time made his debut as a soloist. Participated in 1895 in the International Piano Competition named after A.G. Rubinstein in Berlin, where he received a commendable review. In the future, he always gave concerts, mainly in Moscow, gave private piano lessons, and was one of the most popular teachers in Moscow. In 1898 he accepted an invitation to become a teacher in the Tiflis branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society; in 1899 he became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, continuing to perform both in Russia and abroad. According to contemporaries, Igumnov's pianism avoided extremes: a slightly muffled dynamics, soft touch, melodious, velvety sound, and nobility of interpretation were typical for him.

After October revolution 1917 Igumnov became a member of the Musical Council under the People's Commissariat for Education (concert subdepartment). With his participation, the restructuring of musical education took place; in particular, courses in aesthetics, the history of culture, and the history of literature were created at the conservatory, and a chamber ensemble class was introduced. Since 1919 - a permanent member of the educational and artistic committee of the conservatory; in the spring of 1924 he was elected director for five years. Among Igumnov's students are Ya.V. Flier, L.N. Oborin, M.I. Grinberg, Ya.I. Milshtein, O.D. IN concert repertoire pianist of the 1930s - a series of monographic concerts: Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov (Igumnov - the first performer in Russia of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", 1939), Medtner, Taneyev; especially often Igumnov played as a soloist and ensemble player of Tchaikovsky's works, becoming their unsurpassed interpreter.

He gave his last concert in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory on December 3, 1947. Igumnov died in Moscow on March 24, 1948.

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“Igumnov was a man of rare charm, simplicity and nobility. No honors and glory could shake his deepest modesty. There was not a shadow of that vanity in him, which some artists sometimes suffer from. This is about Igumnov the man. “A sincere and exacting artist, Igumnov was alien to any kind of affectation, posture, external gloss. For the sake of colorful effect, for the sake of superficial brilliance, he never compromised artistic sense... Igumnov did not tolerate anything extreme, harsh, excessive. His playing style was simple and concise." This is about Igumnov the artist.

“Strict and demanding of himself, Igumnov was demanding of his students as well. Astute in assessing their strengths and capabilities, he constantly taught artistic truth, simplicity and naturalness of expression. He taught modesty, proportionality and economy in the means used. He taught speech expressiveness, melodious, soft sound, plasticity and relief of phrasing. He taught the "living breath" of musical performance." This is about Igumnov the teacher.

“Basically and chiefly, Igumnov’s views and aesthetic principles remained, apparently, quite stable... His sympathies as an artist and teacher have long been on the side of music that is clear, meaningful, truly realistic at its core (he simply did not recognize any other), his "credo" of a musician-interpreter always revealed himself through such qualities, such as the immediacy of the performing embodiment of the image, the penetrating and subtlety of the poetic experience. This is about the artistic principles of Igumnov. The above statements belong to the students of the outstanding teacher - J. Milshtein and J. Flier, who knew Konstantin Nikolayevich very well for for long years. Comparing them, one involuntarily comes to the conclusion about the amazing integrity of Igumnov's human and artistic nature. In everything he remained true to himself, being a personality and an artist of deep originality.

He absorbed the best traditions of Russian performing and composer school. At the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1894, Igumnov studied piano first with A.I. Siloti and then with P.A. Pabst. Here he studied music theory and composition with S. I. Taneyev, A. S. Arensky and M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov and in chamber ensemble with V. I. Safonov. At the same time (1892-1895) he studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University. Muscovites met the pianist Igumnov back in 1895, and soon he took a prominent place among Russian concert performers. In his declining years, Igumnov drew up the following scheme of his pianistic development: “My performing path is complex and tortuous. I divide it into the following periods: 1895-1908 - academic period; 1908-1917 - the period of the birth of searches under the influence of artists and writers (Serov, Somov, Bryusov, etc.); 1917-1930 - a period of reassessment of all values; passion for color to the detriment of rhythmic pattern, abuse of rubato; 1930-1940 - the gradual formation of my current views. However, I fully realized them and “found myself” only after the Great Patriotic War”... However, even if we take into account the results of this “introspection”, it is quite obvious that the defining features were inherent in Igumnov’s game in all internal “metamorphoses”. This also applies to the principles of interpretation and repertoire inclinations of the artist.

All experts unanimously note a certain special attitude of Igumnov to the instrument, his rare ability to conduct live speech with people with the help of the piano. In 1933, the then director of the Moscow Conservatory B. Pshibyshevsky wrote in the newspaper “ Soviet art”: “Igumnov as a pianist is a completely exceptional phenomenon. True, he does not belong to the family of piano masters, who are distinguished by their brilliant technique, powerful sound, and orchestral interpretation of the instrument. Igumnov belongs to pianists like Field, Chopin, i.e. to the masters who came closest to the specifics of the piano, did not look for artificially caused orchestral effects in it, but extracted from it what is most difficult to extract from under the external rigidity of the sound - melodiousness. Igumnov's piano sings, as rarely among modern great pianists. A few years later, A. Alschwang joins this opinion: “He gained popularity thanks to the breathtaking sincerity of his playing, lively contact with the audience and excellent interpretation of the classics ... Many rightly note the courageous severity in K. Igumnov's performance. At the same time, Igumnov's sound is characterized by softness, proximity to speech melody. His interpretation is distinguished by liveliness, freshness of colors. Professor J. Milshtein, who started as an assistant to Igumnov and did a lot to study the legacy of his teacher, repeatedly pointed out these same features: “Few could compete with Igumnov in the beauty of sound, which was distinguished by an extraordinary richness of color and amazing melodiousness. Under his hands, the piano acquired the properties of a human voice. Thanks to some special touch, as if merging with the keyboard (by his own admission, the principle of fusion lay at the heart of his touch), and also thanks to the subtle, varied, pulsating use of the pedal, he produced a sound of rare charm. Even with the strongest blow, his carcass did not lose its charm: it was always noble. Igumnov rather preferred to play quieter, but only not to “shout”, not to force the sound of the piano, not to go beyond its natural limits.

How did Igumnov achieve his amazing artistic revelations? He was led to them not only by natural artistic intuition. Reticent by nature, he once opened the "door" to his creative laboratory: “I think that any musical performance is live speech, a coherent story ... But just telling is not enough. It is necessary that the story had a certain content and that the performer always had something that would bring him closer to this content. And here I cannot think of a musical performance in the abstract: I always want to resort to some everyday analogies. In short, I draw the content of the story either from personal impressions, or from nature, or from art, or from certain ideas, or from a certain historical era. For me, there is no doubt that in every significant work something is sought out that connects the performer with real life. I can't imagine music for music's sake, without human experiences... That's why it's necessary that executable work found some response in the personality of the performer, so that it was close to him. You can, of course, reincarnate, but there must always be some connecting personal threads. It cannot be said that I necessarily imagined the program of the work. No, what I imagine is not a program. These are just some feelings, thoughts, comparisons that help to evoke moods similar to those that I want to convey in my performance. These are, as it were, a kind of “working hypotheses”, facilitating the comprehension of the artistic conception.”

On December 3, 1947, Igumnov took to the stage of the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory for the last time. The program of this evening included Beethoven's Seventh Sonata, Tchaikovsky's Sonata, Chopin's B Minor Sonata, Lyadov's Variations on a Theme by Glinka, Tchaikovsky's play Passionate Confession, unknown to the general public. Rubinstein's Impromptu, Schubert's "Musical Moment" in C-sharp minor and Tchaikovsky-Pabst's Lullaby were performed for an encore. This farewell program included the names of those composers whose music has always been close to the pianist. “If you still look for what is the main, constant in Igumnov’s performing appearance,” noted K. Grimikh in 1933, “then the most striking are the numerous threads connecting his performing work with the romantic pages of piano art ... Here - not in Bach, not in Mozart, not in Prokofiev, not in Hindemith, but in Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff - the virtues of Igumnov's performance are most convincingly revealed: restrained and impressive expressiveness, fine mastery of sound, independence and freshness of interpretation.

Indeed, Igumnov was not, as they say, an omnivorous performer. He remained true to himself: “If a composer is alien to me and his compositions do not personally give me material for performing creativity, I cannot include him in my repertoire (for example, piano works Balakirev, french impressionists, late Scriabin, some pieces by Soviet composers)". And here it is necessary to highlight the pianist's incessant appeal to the Russian piano classics, and, first of all, to the work of Tchaikovsky. It can be said that it was Igumnov who revived many of the works of the great Russian composer on the concert stage.

Everyone who has listened to Igumnov will agree with the enthusiastic words of J. Milstein: “Nowhere, even in Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Igumnov’s special, full of simplicity, nobility and chaste modesty, is expressed so successfully as in the works of Tchaikovsky. It is impossible to imagine that the subtlety of performance can be brought to a higher degree of perfection. It is impossible to imagine greater smoothness and thoughtfulness of melodic outpourings, greater truthfulness and sincerity of feelings. Igumnov's performance of these works differs from others, as an extract differs from a diluted mixture. Indeed, everything in it is amazing: every nuance here is a role model, every stroke is an object of admiration. To evaluate the pedagogical activity of Igumnov, it is enough to name some students: N. Orlov, I. Dobrovein, L. Oborin, J. Flier, A. Dyakov, M. Grinberg, I. Mikhnevsky, A. Ioheles, A. and M. Gottlieb, O. Boshnyakovich, N. Shtarkman. All of these are concert pianists who have gained wide popularity. He began teaching shortly after graduating from the conservatory, and was a teacher for some time. music school in Tbilisi (1898-1899), and since 1899 he became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory; in 1924-1929 he was also its rector. In his communication with his students, Igumnov was far from any kind of dogmatism, every lesson he taught was alive. creative process, the discovery of inexhaustible musical riches. “My pedagogy,” he says, “is closely connected with my performance, and this causes the lack of stability in my pedagogical attitudes.” Perhaps this explains the amazing dissimilarity, sometimes the contrasting opposition of Igumnov's pupils. But, perhaps, all of them are united by a reverent attitude towards music, inherited from the teacher. Saying goodbye to his teacher on a sad day of requiem. J. Flier correctly identified the main "subtext" of Igumnov's pedagogical views: "Konstantin Nikolaevich could forgive a student for false notes, but he did not forgive and could not stand false feelings."

Speaking about one of his last meetings with Igumnov, his student Professor K. Adzhemov recalled: “That evening it seemed to me that K.N. was not quite healthy. In addition, he said that the doctors did not allow him to play. “But what is the meaning of my life? Play..."

Lit .: Rabinovich D. Portraits of pianists. M., 1970; Milshtein I, Konstantin Nikolaevich Igumnov. M., 1975.

Grigoriev L., Platek Ya.

Lebedyan! Which of the great Russian writers did not remember you in their immortal creations?
ingenious artist the words of L. N. Tolstoy in the story "Two Hussars" several times mention Lebedyan.
In the play "Forest" by A. N. Ostrovsky, Gennady Neschastlivtsev says:
- The last time I played Belisarius in Lebedyan ...
Passionate hunter and great writer I. S. Turgenev liked to visit the Lebedyan horse fairs that thundered throughout Russia. In memory of this, he wrote the story "Lebedyan", and the illustration for it was made by his friend, the famous Russian artist P.P. Sokolov. He also visited our city and wrote a famous Tretyakov Gallery painting "Horse Fair in Lebedyan".
A deaf province, only disturbed by the fair cry of gypsies and the drunken song of a drunken merchant - this is how you can call Lebedyan of that time, where Konstantin Nikolaevich Igumnov was born on May 1 (according to New Style), 1873.
The father of the future musician, Nikolai Ivanovich, was famous for his humanity far beyond Lebedyan. He was a well-read, educated man who loved music and literature. There is no doubt that he passed this love on to his son.
In addition, the music teacher A.F. Meyer lived in the house, although not gifted, she did her best to instill in the boy a love of the piano. She was not a professional musician and therefore could not teach much, although she had teaching aids for piano playing. A.F. Meyer tried to use them in her pedagogical activity.
Despite his talent and vocation for music, the boy lacked knowledge in the field of art. If in the capitals, St. Petersburg and Moscow, it was possible to attend concerts and listen to the playing of famous musicians, and in wealthy families - home music-making, then all this was absent from Kostya Igumnov. Before him there was no model by which he could be equal and to which he aspired. Outstanding musicians and composers did not come to the provincial and deaf Lebedyan.
In the family where Kostya Igumnov was brought up, they received newspapers and magazines, among which were musical ones. picturesque nature native land Yes, many beautiful choirs, which the city of Lebedyan was famous for - all this disposed to music, poetry and art.
Musical ability the boy showed up early. From the age of four he was taught to play the piano. On January 14, 1881, when he was in his eighth year, he had already performed in a mixed concerto with a fantasy from Verdi's opera Il trovatore. While studying at the gymnasium, Konstantin Igumnov in 1886, together with a friend, gave a concert. M. Morshanskaya, who was present at that concert, recalled: “I remember myself as a gymnasium student. At that time, I was resting in Lebedyan in the summer. My mother and I came to the concert of the students of the progymnasium. Strong impression a tall, thin young man made me. He had an aquiline nose among his long face. I was struck by his playing: long musical fingers, the bent figure of Konstantin Igumnov, it seemed, was itself musical organ who extracted from the piano with great virtuosity the wonderful sounds of music.
... Completed progymnasium. Childhood years have passed, and early youth has come. He is already fourteen, and the choice of profession was made long ago. He goes to Moscow and before him, a gifted young man, the doors of the conservatory open.
As soon as spring came and the earth was covered with the white color of the gardens, he came to Lebedyan for the holidays. parental home on Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya I was buried in the greenery of pyramidal poplars and dwarf elms. In the middle of the building, like an impromptu stage, rose a balcony. In the evenings, when a life-giving coolness enveloped the earth, a conservatory student opened the doors to the balcony and sat down at the piano. The wonderful sounds of music were extracted by the fingers of the young man. This was new for Lebedyan. Many townspeople stopped in front of the house and listened with great attention to the pouring musical melodies. Nikolai Ivanovich, putting an interesting book aside, went up to the window, and tears of fatherly happiness flowed down his face:
- Well done, Kostya! You will great musician, he said at the time. - Look how many people! So your music is coming...
... 1891. A terrible scourge, like cholera, swept over the central provinces of Russia. The best people Russian land fiercely fought against hunger. L. N. Tolstoy went to Dankovsky district, where he organized canteens for the starving. The writer A. I. Ertel also provided assistance to the starving, having spent all his fortune on this. N. I. Igumnov, having stocks of flour, did not sell it to speculators, but distributed it to starving peasants at a low price. He met with Leo Tolstoy on the issue of fighting hunger.
... In order to receive a comprehensive education, Konstantin Nikolayevich entered Moscow University in 1892, and two years later he graduated from the conservatory with a gold medal, and his name was entered on a marble plaque. In 1895, as the best musician, he went to Berlin for the Anton Rubinstein International Piano Competition. For the high skill of performance, K. N. Igumnov receives an honorary diploma.
And four years later, Konstantin Nikolayevich became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Since that time, his whole life has been devoted not only to pedagogical, but also to artistic activity. He makes concert tours home country And Western Europe.
KN Igumnov played several times in the presence of Leo Tolstoy (in Moscow, in Khamovniki in 1899), performed Chopin's works. Here is what L. N. Tolstoy’s secretary P. A. Sergeenko wrote about this game: “Igumnov has a graceful, poetic game. Chopin’s things are especially good with him. After the game, Lev Nikolaevich said a lot of pleasant things to Igumnov, praising his game and developing the idea that in art it is important not to say anything superfluous, but only to give a series of concise impressions, and then a strong place (and a note trembled in the voice of Lev Nikolayevich) will give a deep impression.In 1901, K. N. Igumnov came to Lebedyan. The majority of those who gathered to listen to the concert were representatives of the privileged classes: the merchant class, the nobility, the bureaucracy, and it was very rare to meet a raznochintsy.
With a large bushy beard, a proud posture and an expressionless look, the Zemstvo chief Apraksin sat next to his portly wife. Selivanov, a member of the district court, perched nearby. "He had a head shaved like a pumpkin, a sharp beard and pince-nez; with it he mowed in different sides, quite grinning and greeting the "eminent" townspeople. Singing teacher A.P. Merkulov sat on the sidelines and looked forward to the musician's performance with great impatience.
At the appointed time, Igumnov went up to the piano, bowed and played enthusiastically ... But the "eminent" townspeople did not understand the art young pianist. Although Konstantin Nikolaevich masterfully performed classical works Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Lyadov, Glazunov, he saw dull indifference on the faces of those present. At the end of the concert, the teacher Merkulov approached him:
"Don't be surprised, Konstantin Nikolayevich," he complained. These people don't understand classical music...
Igumnov left his hometown with disappointment...
After October, in the difficult conditions of devastation and civil war, the Soviet state did not forget to protect musical personnel. Among them was K. N. Igumnov, who enthusiastically welcomed the formation of the new government and remained among the teachers of the Moscow State Conservatory. A new listener came to the music auditorium: a Red Army soldier and a Red Navy man, a worker and a peasant.
In July 1921, K. N. Igumnov again came to Lebedyan and gave a free concert at the local theater. Then he performed a Russian song arranged for piano folk song"Storm on the Volga": now as if the wonderful sounds of a human voice are heard over the great river, now like a ringing splash of waves, followed by the roar of a storm that has broken out and, like the wreckage of sailing ships thrown ashore - Igumnov reproduced all this with his obedient fingers. The majestic melody of the Russian folk song was demonstrated to the audience with breadth and scope.
The new Lebedyan listener applauded the performance of his native musician with thunderous applause.
But KN Igumnov was not only a good performer of works by Russian composers, works of Western European classical music. He was also a remarkable teacher, who brought up more than one generation of Soviet pianists, and was the founder of the Igumnov pianistic school. "My pedagogy is closely connected with performance," Igumnov said. As his student Ya.I. Milshtein noted about his activities as a teacher: “The work, as a rule, was painstaking, distinguished by extraordinary thoroughness. There were cases when he sat with a student for a long time over one phrase, but then everything went differently ".
Konstantin Nikolaevich was characterized by a deep sense of responsibility both for himself and for his students, to whom he always sought to instill a creative individuality. Here is how K. Adzhemov told about this: “In the class, Igumnov was always fascinated by the atmosphere creative music making. Each work is every time, as it were, born anew to life. The student tried to achieve possible perfection already at the first playing. It was not conceivable to show the teacher a piece without having studied it by heart, without having mastered the technical difficulties to the proper degree, without having thought through the fingerings and nuances.
Konstantin Nikolaevich listened to either the entire work or part of it. Here began his intervention, his finest work of the artist. He plays, "awakens", searches for the sound, the student, following him, is also involved in the search, during which a sound image arises - so rich that it cannot be grasped immediately. The finest details of phrasing, hatching, mastering the form, and most importantly, the richness of sound expression are born from this joint modeling of the image.
Igumnov's teaching methods were described by the talented successor of his school, Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory L. N. Oborin: and offered to play the sonata again for me. Immediately stopping me, he worked for 15 minutes on the first phrase of the introduction, achieving the necessary sonority. And suddenly, from this phrase alone, the whole sonata began to play with some new for me and completely unexpected in its expression of colors.
But this does not mean that Igumnov the teacher imposed his performing techniques on his students. He was an enemy of all imitation and in his students he tried to reveal the individuality inherent in everyone. At the same time, he said: “A pianist must remain original ... Not every outfit suits a person. What suits one person looks like a caricature for another.
The creativity of each of KN Igumnov's students speaks about the "originality" of the performance. Lev Oborin's performance is not similar to that of Yakov Flier, Abram Dyakov, Maria Grinberg, Alexander Iocheles and other representatives of Igumnov's pianistic school. Each of them was a master of performance, the winner of many international competitions pianists, bringing to the game their own, special, colors inherent in each of them.
Magazine " Soviet music"For 1940, he wrote about the students of K.N. Igumnov: "None of them, studying with Igumnov, lost their individual originality. On the contrary, thanks to the truly creative guidance of the teacher, everyone was able to develop his talent to a truly amazing perfection and brilliance.
Konstantin Nikolayevich always told his students that the art of performance is not photography, but creativity. "The performer is primarily a creator... The performer is not a clerk, not a slave, not a serf... Without him, music written in notes is dead. The performer calls it to life.
Or here is another clear example, as Igumnov said about musicians-performers, about their great role in bringing the work to the listener: " Musical composition comes to life only through performance. Let composers create great works, let musicologists develop in depth historical, sociological and pedagogical problems- without performers standing at the proper height of artistic and technical requirements, call music to real life impossible.
Igumnov believed that the work of a performing musician should be active, creative, not deviating from the author's intention, but at the same time, the performer should find something new, bringing the work to life. He must bring something of his own. On the other hand, Konstantin Nikolayevich could not endure "gags" that distort the author's intention. He emphasized: "You shouldn't do what the author doesn't have... That performer who thinks more about himself than about what he performs is not a real performer.
Igumnov did not tolerate high effect games; for him, modesty and simplicity in execution were inherent above all. “It is necessary to perform simply, naturally and truthfully,” he said. “Modesty adorns the performer. For Igumnov, the main thing in performance was to bring the work to life, bring it closer to reality, make the listener live in images. Sharpness, excess, exaggeration in the performance of works by Konstantin Nikolayevich He emphasized: “Excessive speed (as well as excessive sound power) does not yet create life ... It does not at all check the presence of temperament and true virtuosity ... It rather indicates the musical inferiority of the performer.
Speaking about tempo, Igumnov especially warned against free performance - from the so-called rubato tempo: "... Playing rubato does not mean rhythmic anarchy at all; it must always obey the law of fair compensation - how much you borrowed, so much you gave away.
Konstantin Nikolayevich, speaking about performing and pedagogical skills, always emphasized the importance of the musician's ability to work, his love for work, continuity of work on himself, moving forward. He advised the musicians: “Do not spare yourself, give all the best to your art ... Our only and most important task is to play and play as best as possible while the head and fingers are active.
K. I. Igumnov combined his pedagogical activity with leading work: from 1924 to 1929 he was the rector of the Moscow State Conservatory. "During the years of his rectorship, the Moscow Conservatory turned from a closed academic institution of a patriarchal warehouse into a higher educational institution with a number of faculties, it was during these years that the Moscow Conservatory resolutely turned its face towards the working masses. In this he saw the realization of his old dream of bringing the art of music closer to wide circles people, about a closer connection between music and life.
The Soviet government highly appreciated his work. March 1, 1940 in the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory celebrated the anniversary of KN Igumnov - the 45th anniversary of artistic and 40th anniversary of teaching. For outstanding services in the training of musical personnel, he is awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Somewhat earlier, he was awarded the title of Honored Art Worker. On July 14, 1945, in connection with the 50th anniversary of his concert and performing activities, K. N. Igumnov was awarded the Order of Lenin. Later he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR and laureate of the State Prize.
Until the end of his life, K.N. Igumnov did not stop his artistic and pedagogical activities. Being ill, he held his last concert in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Those present at this concert, which took place on December 3, 1947, note the excellent game of Konstantin Nikolayevich, it was his swan song. March 24, 1948 Igumnov died.
On May 19, 1973, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of K.N. Igumnov, a memorial plaque was opened on the house (on Sovetskaya St.), where he was born. So the Lebedyans paid tribute to the memory of their native musician.

A.S. Kurkov
Lebedyan