Vissarion Shebalin (1902-1963)
SHEBALIN, Vissarion (1902-1963) is a Russian composer and an educator. His formal name is Vissarion Yakovlevitch Shebalin. He was born in Omsk, Siberia region on 11th June 1902. In 1921, he entered Omsk Conservatory in 1921, and the next year, he turned into Moscov Conservatory to study under Nikolai Myaskovsky and graduated there in 1928. He started to have a lecture there while he was still a student, and enrolled there as a teacher after his graduation. Also, he was appointed as a professor in 1935, and became a chair of composition department in 1941. In 1942, he finally became the director of Moscov Conservatory and have brought up numerous pupils such as Denisov, Gubaidulina, and Khachaturian. In 1948, he was accused by Moscow Conference of Music to retire the position because his compositional was 'formalistic'. Also, in 1953, his right hand was parlyzed because of the circulatory disease. But he continued to compose until his death in Moscow on 28th of May, 1963. Although he is still remained fairly unknown in western world, Shebalin is one of the most famous and prestigous composer. Shostakovich once praised him as 'the most talented' educator of Stalinist regime.
