Semyon Barmotin

Semyon Alekseyevich Barmotin was a Russian pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born on January 26, 1877, in St. Petersburg.

From 1887 to 1896 he studied in the academic and regent classes of the Imperial Court Singing Chapel. He studied music-theoretical subjects with Anatoly Lyadov and composition with Sergey Lyapunov and Mily Balakirev. From 1899 to 1903 he continued his studies at the conservatory in the class of free composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, where he received a diploma conferring the title of free artist. Rimsky-Korsakov regarded Barmotin as one of his best students.

From 1897 to 1908 Barmotin worked as a teacher at the Court Singing Chapel and its regent classes. Beginning in the early 1900s, he was a member of the Belyayev Circle. In the late 1900s he taught at the Music School of the Kherson branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. From 1910 to 1917 he was a teacher at S. V. Smolensky's private Regent School in St. Petersburg.

Alongside his work in formal institutions, he taught in many music schools, gymnasiums, and municipal commercial schools, and also gave private music lessons. From 1918 to 1938 he taught in music schools and unified labor schools in Petrograd, later Leningrad. He was also active in musical enlightenment work in music clubs and circles.

From 1919 or 1920 until 1923, during his service in the Red Army, he worked as a teacher of choral singing at the Baltic Fleet club. In 1922 he completed military bandmaster courses. From 1923 to 1925 Barmotin taught elementary and compulsory music theory, as well as harmony and solfeggio, at the conservatory. One of his harmony students was V. Nielsen.

Barmotin died on April 15, 1939, in Solikamsk. The world premiere of some of his important piano works in 2019 brought him favorable critical recognition, with one review of his 20 Preludes, Op. 12, expressing surprise at how finely crafted and delightful these short compositions were and asking why their world premiere had taken place only then.

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