The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Tanjeff, Serge Ivanovitch

TANJEFF, Serge Ivanovitch, Russian composer: b. 1856; d. Petrograd, 20 June 1915. He was son of a Russian government official and, while quite young, was studying the pianoforte at Moscow Conservatory under Lange. He was next sent to the public school but later it was decided to continue his music studies under Nicholas Rubinstein. He studied fugue under Hubert, leaving the conservatory (1875) with the award of the first gold medal. He played in Paris 1877-78, then performed through the Baltic provinces, next returning to Moscow, where he was appointed professor of instrumentation, succeeding Tschaikowsky (q.v.). On Rubinstein's death he became professor of the pianoforte but displayed his talents rarely before the public. He composed &lsquo;Oresteia&rsquo; a trilogy in eight acts (1895); &lsquo;John of Damascus,&rsquo; a cantata (1884), many choruses, some symphonies and quartets. He arranged for the piano works of Tschaikowsky, Glazounoff, Arinsky and others.