Arensky, Anton, 1861-1906

Anton Stepanovich Arensky was born on July 12, 1861, in Novgorod, Russia.

He was a Russian composer and pianist. After studying with various teachers, he finally became a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov at the Conservatoire of St. Petersburg. In 1882, he became a Professor at the Moscow Conservatoire, and from 1894 to 1901, he was Director of music in the Imperial Chapel at St. Petersburg. His works consist mostly of chamber music, three operas (A Dream on the Volga, 1890; Raphael, 1894; and Nal and Damayanti, 1899), a ballet, several orchestral works (including a piano concerto, a violin concerto and two symphonies), many songs, and a large body of choral work, in addition to an extensive, though now sadly neglected, catalogue of works for his instrument, the piano. He had many friends and admirers, notably Tchaikovsky and Taneyev. Among his pupils were Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Glière, and Gretchaninov.

He died unmarried on February 25, 1906, in Terioki, Finland.