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Dmitriy TemkinAmerican composer of Russian origin who wrote music for films
Date of Birth: 10.05.1899
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Dmitri Tiomkin
Dmitri Zinovievich Tiomkin, an American composer of Russian origin, was born in Kremenchug in 1894 or possibly 1899 (as stated in his passport). His mother, Maria Tiomkina, was a music teacher, and his father was a doctor. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he learned piano from Felix Blumenfeld and Isabella Vengerova, and composition, harmony, and counterpoint from Alexander Glazunov. He spent his free time at the "Brodsky Dog," interacting with other talented students such as Sergei Prokofiev and dancer Mikhail Fokine. Tiomkin earned a living by accompanying ballerina Tamara Karsavina and improvising during performances by comedian Max Linder.
Tiomkin's professional debut in film music came when he worked as a pianist in theaters in St. Petersburg, accompanying silent films, mostly Russian and French. Even in Russia, Tiomkin developed an interest in American popular music at the "Brodsky Dog" when he first heard Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Berlin introduced ragtime, blues, and early jazz to the "Brodsky Dog" through one of his students, a black singer who performed African-American songs from New Orleans and remained in Russia after a tour as part of the show. In 1920, as mentioned before, Dmitri Tiomkin played an active role in organizing the revolutionary spectacle "The Storming of the Winter Palace," which took place on October 25th (according to the old style calendar) on Uritsky Square (then known as Palace Square). Alongside Yuri Annenkov, his comrades in this challenging endeavor included Nikolai Evreinov, Hugo Warlich, Alexander Kugel, Nikolai Petrov, Konstantin Derzhavin, and Lev Nikulin.
In 1921, Dmitri Tiomkin emigrated to Berlin, where his father, who had long left his first family, had a medical practice (fortunately, Tiomkin spoke German and French). In Berlin, Tiomkin took lessons from Ferruccio Busoni, as well as his students Egon Petri and Michael Zadora. He performed in concerts, even appearing with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in Liszt's Second Piano Concerto, and composed light music such as foxtrots, marches, and waltzes. Tiomkin shared a room with his colleague, pianist Michael Kariton. They prepared a program for two pianos, which was extremely popular at the time, and went to Paris, where Tiomkin met his famous compatriot, Fedor Chaliapin.
The great singer took a liking to the talented young man and convinced him to seek happiness in America. It is likely that Chaliapin's patronage led to the piano duo of Tiomkin-Kariton receiving an invitation from one of Broadway's producers, Morris Gest, to participate in a vaudeville tour across the United States.
In 1925, Dmitri Tiomkin arrived in the United States. He and Kariton accompanied a ballet troupe led by Albertina Rasch, a ballet dancer and choreographer from Austria. After some time, their professional relationship turned into a personal one, and in 1927, Tiomkin married "Albertine." In early 1927, Tiomkin bid farewell to Kariton and embarked on a "coast-to-coast" tour with "Albertina Rasch's American Ballet." He served not only as a composer and arranger but also as the musical director of the troupe.
In the same year, he gave a concert at Carnegie Hall, introducing American audiences to contemporary works by Alexander Scriabin, Francis Poulenc, Alexandre Tansman, and Maurice Ravel, as well as his own composition "Quasi-Jazz."
In 1928, the newlyweds traveled to Paris, where Tiomkin performed "Rhapsody in Blue" and, for the first time in Europe, George Gershwin's "Concerto in F." It was a significant event, with the composer himself present at the concert. Among the audience were Sergei Diaghilev, Sergei Prokofiev, and Vladimir Dukelsky (Vernon Duke).
Upon returning to the United States, Tiomkin embarked on a tour, performing music by French impressionists and several jazz pieces. These tours turned out to be his last. The economic crash of 1929 left both him and Albertina Rasch without work.
An invitation to Hollywood to perform a ballet presentation at the premiere of the film "Broadway Melody" (produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) at Grauman's Chinese Theatre saved them. In February 1929, Rasch and Tiomkin arrived in California, and by the end of that year, Albertina Rasch had choreographed dance numbers for three MGM musicals. Tiomkin continued to provide music for the troupe.
In the autumn of 1929, Tiomkin signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and wrote music for plays such as "Devil-May-Care," "The Rogue Song," and "Lord Byron of Broadway." In 1931, his collaboration with Universal Studios began.
Orders for film music came in, but there weren't many until he met Frank Capra at a party. Their acquaintance turned into friendship and long-term collaboration.
They first worked together on the film "Lost Horizon" (1937). Tiomkin's rich orchestration, the use of unusual timbral combinations, and background music accompanying the dialogue of the characters, where the instrumentation matched the actor's voice, earned him recognition. The music for this film was even nominated for an Academy Award, although the award went to the head of the studio's music department.
In 1937, Dmitri Tiomkin finally obtained American citizenship.
In the following years, Capra and Tiomkin collaborated on films such as "You Can't Take It With You" (1938), "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), "Meet John Doe" (1941), and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1947).
During World War II, Capra enlisted Tiomkin to work on a series of films called "Why We Fight," which were made for the army. The result was a dozen documentaries, including "The Negro Soldier" (1944) and "The Battle of San Pietro" (1945). It is quite likely that in the immortal film "Seventeen Moments of Spring" by Lyudmila Lioznova, Tiomkin's music is heard during the scene where the fascist bonzes watch American propaganda films.
The connections Tiomkin made while working on patriotic films brought him work even after the war ended.
He wrote music for producer Stanley Kramer's films, such as "So This Is New York" (1948), "Champion" (1949), "Home of the Brave" (1949), "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1950), and "The Men" (1950). However, it was the film "High Noon" (1952) (produced by Stanley Kramer, directed by Fred Zinnemann) that changed the course of his career.
The song "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin'" became famous. It was followed by a series of Oscar-nominated songs: "Thee I Love" (from the film "Friendly Persuasion"), a song from the movie "Wild Is the Wind," "Strange Are the Ways of Love" from the film "The Young Land," "The Green Leaves of Summer" from the film "The Alamo," a song from the movie "Town Without Pity," and "So Little Time" from the film "55 Days at Peking." His talent for melody combined with his experience as a film composer elevated these songs to the level of dramatic scenes. Henry Henigson once said about him, "He agrees with everyone, but he does what he believes in."
Tiomkin also collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock, working on films such as "Shadow of a Doubt" (1942), "Strangers on a Train" (1951), "I Confess" (1953), and "Dial M for Murder" (1954). His twenty-year collaboration with Howard Hawks produced films such as "Only Angels Have Wings" (1939), "Red River" (1948), "The Thing" (1951), "The Big Sky" (1952), "Land of the Pharaohs" (1955), and "Rio Bravo" (1959).
Although he composed music for many Westerns, such as "Duel in the Sun" (1940s), his greatest fame came from his work on the film "High Noon" and John Wayne films such as "Red River," "Rio Bravo," and "The Alamo," as well as "Giant" (1956) and the television series "Rawhide."
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Tiomkin was at the peak of his popularity, receiving four Academy Awards in six years (from 1952 to 1958). His fame as a film composer was unprecedented. He was nominated for an Oscar for the music of "High Noon," won two Oscars for the music of "The High and the Mighty" and "The Old Man and the Sea" (inspired by his fishing trips with his old friend Frank Capra).
His list of works was expanded with the music for "The Guns of Navarone" (1961), and in collaboration with producer Samuel Bronston, "55 Days at Peking" (1963), "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964), and "Circus World" (1964).
Dmitri Tiomkin settled well in Hollywood, although he never managed to speak without an accent. Among his colleagues in the field of film music were many immigrants, such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Franz Waxman, but he was the only Russian among them.
Unlike his contemporaries, Tiomkin never had a long-term contract with any studio. His status as a freelance artist allowed him to negotiate contracts on the most favorable terms, which also benefited other film composers.
Tiomkin's remarkable life in America came to an end with the death of his wife, Albertina Rasch, in 1967. When he returned from her funeral, he was attacked by robbers. He likely saw it as a sign from above, sold his home in Windsor Square-Hancock Park in Los Angeles, and returned to Europe.
He played an active role in the creation and production of the film "Tchaikovsky," which was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film was shot in Russia, allowing him to return to his homeland.
In his later years, Dmitri Tiomkin lived in Paris and London. In 1972, he married Olivia Cynthia Patch.
Dimi, as his friends called him, passed away in London on November 11, 1979. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
