Born in Moscow in 1893 and died there in 1954; Sergei Protopopov was one of the experimentally minded composers of Russian modernism. After studying medicine in Moscow he studied composition with Boleslav Yavorsky at the Kyiv Conservatory from 1918 to 1921, worked as a choral director and taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1938 to 1943. Yavorsky’s theory of modal rhythm shaped both his musical thinking and his compositions; in 1930 his theoretical treatise on the elements of musical language appeared. The three piano sonatas of the 1920s in particular lead into his dissonance-rich sound world, while his output also comprises songs, cello music, orchestral pieces and an opera.
Sergej Protopopov
Composer / Music theorist
