Sergey Protopopov
Sergey Protopopov was a Russian music theorist, composer, choral conductor, teacher, musicologist, and pianist. He was born in Moscow on March 21 (April 2), 1893. He studied medicine at Moscow University, then graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory in 1921. There he studied the ideas of Boleslav Yavorsky and became a committed follower of his musical-theoretical approach. Protopopov lived with Yavorsky from 1918 until Yavorsky’s death, with interruptions, and was associated with the Association for Contemporary Music.
From 1938 to 1943, Protopopov taught choral subjects at the Moscow Conservatory. His best-known book, Elements of the Structure of Musical Speech, appeared in 1930–31. Conceived as an application of Yavorsky’s teaching, it also developed some of his teacher’s ideas in original ways; the source material and Protopopov’s own contributions are difficult to separate.
Protopopov composed three piano sonatas, which show a strong influence from the late Scriabin, as well as works for voice and piano. These include Two Tales on Folk Texts, A Tale of the Wonderful Little Pipe, The Spring of Life, Two Songs, and Two Love Songs. His other works include The Spring of Life for voice and piano trio and, jointly with Yavorsky, five folk songs for mixed choir. Protopopov died in Moscow on December 14, 1954, and was buried at Danilov Cemetery.