Stepan Degtyarev Russian composer, conductor Date of Birth: 18.03.1776 Country: Russia

Biography of Stepan Degtyarev

Stepan Anikievich Degtyarev was a Russian composer and conductor. He was born on March 18, 1766 in Borisovka, Grivensky District, Kursk Province. Degtyarev started his musical career as a singer in the theater of Count Sheremetev at the age of 7. He later studied at the school attached to the theater in the Moscow estate of Kuskovo, where he received an excellent musical education. He learned theoretical disciplines, solo singing from Babarin, and how to play the violin, piano, and gusli.

In 1780, Degtyarev began working as a cellist, composer, conductor, and teacher under the guidance of Johann Fasius at the Sheremetev theater. He furthered his education by studying with the renowned Italian maestro, Giuseppe Sarti, and attending classes in Russian literature and the Italian language at Moscow University. Degtyarev's extensive musical abilities included fluency in Italian, German, and French, as well as proficiency in playing the gusli, violin, and piano.

By 1786, Degtyarev had become one of the most educated musicians of his time and a leading opera singer. He excelled in various roles, both as a soloist and ensemble member, and served as the director of instrumental and vocal ensembles. Degtyarev also edited musical works by other composers and created his own compositions. His favorite endeavor was the choral ensemble he formed, consisting of approximately 40 members, which performed in the finest halls of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

After retiring from his career as an opera singer, Degtyarev became the head of Count Sheremetev's theater. As the musical director, he actively participated in horn and symphony orchestra concerts. His responsibilities also included teaching singing to the theater's actors and actresses, organizing public performances in Moscow at the request of the count, editing foreign operas to suit the needs of the theater, rehearsing with the orchestra, and conducting and directing performances.

Degtyarev's most significant work was the oratorio "Minin and Pozharsky, or The Liberation of Moscow" (1811, text by N.D. Goncharov), which closely resembled an opera in form. He also composed several sacred concerts. In addition to his compositions, Degtyarev played a significant role in training and educating instrumentalists and singers among the serfs. He compiled the "Historical Chrestomathy of Church Singing," which was published in St. Petersburg in 1902. He also translated Vincenzo Manfredini's extensive study, "Harmonic and Melodic Rules for Teaching Music," which became one of the first methodological works on music.

Degtyarev's legacy as a composer is extensive, although an accurate list of his works is not available. The choir of N.P. Sheremetev, which consisted of about 96 members, is known to have performed 69 four-voice concerts, 23 choral pieces, an oratorio called "Minin and Pozharsky, or The Liberation of Moscow," and several other works. The oratorio was performed under Degtyarev's direction in the patriotic atmosphere leading up to the Patriotic War of 1812. It made a tremendous impression with its symphony orchestra, horn orchestra effects, and cannon fire in the finale. The orchestra consisted of nearly 200 musicians and singers. The choral parts from the oratorio became widely known and were included in the repertoire of amateur, educational, and professional choirs.

Despite being one of Moscow's prominent musicians, Degtyarev, as a serf, endured the hardships and humiliations associated with his status. He was only allowed to marry in 1808, when he wed Agrafena Grigoryevna Kokhanovskaya, the 23-year-old daughter of a talented serf actor. With his wife and children, Degtyarev joined the stream of refugees and settled in Kursk during the war. After the liberation of Moscow, they returned home. Stepan Anikievich Degtyarev passed away on May 5, 1813, while living in poverty and suffering from illness. Before his death, he had begun composing a new oratorio called "The Triumph of Russia and the Annihilation of its Enemies, or Napoleon's Retreat from Russia," but he was unable to complete it.