Newmarch, R. (1915). Alexander Scriabin. The Musical Times, 56(868), 329–330.

Datos biográficos

«…permitted to study at the Moscow Conservatoire, where he finished his course in 1891. He
was then twenty, and had composed a few pianoforte pieces - the Etudes and Mazurkas, which
were a kind of youthful homage paid to his idol, Chopin. At the very outset of his career he
had the good fortune to meet Belaiev, the wealthy amateur publisher, who inmediately
undertook to bring out his compositions, and assisted him to make a long concert tour in order
to make them known in Western Europe. From 1897 to 1903, Scriabin was profesor of
Pianoforte at the Moscow Conservatoire». (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

«…Para ingresar en el conservatorio de Moscú, donde terminó sus estudios en 1891. Entonces
tenía veinte años y había compuesto algunas piezas para piano -los Estudios y Mazurkas- que
eran un homenaje de juventud a su ídolo, Chopin. En el comienzo de su carrera, tuvo la
fortuna de conocer a Belaiev, un rico joven editor, que pronto se ofreció a imprimir sus
composiciones, y lo asistió a hacer un largo tour de conciertos para darlo a conocer en la
Europa occidental. De 1897 a 1903 Scriabin fue profesor de piano en el conservatorio de
Moscú». (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

Definición de su música

«Hence that remarkable unity of thought and feeling observable in his whole output, which
may be compared to one great continuous poem, of which the individual works are merely
episodes» (Newmarch, 1915, 2)

«a man whose music was a medium carefully evolved, considered, and rarefied, for the
expression of his philosophy, or religión; and that apart from the expression of his spiritual
experiences it had neither meaning nor purpose for him» (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

«un hombre cuya música era resultado de una evolución con precisión, muy meditada y
exclusiva, para la expresión de su filosofía o religión; y que, alejada de la expresión de sus
experiencias espirituales, no tenía ni sentido ni finalidad para él» (Newmarch, 1915, 1)
«A Russian writer, Boris Schletser, has characterized Scriabin's music in a few pithy formulas:
“perpetual movement”, “continuous process”, “unceasing transition”, “flight”, “aspiration”»
(Newmarch, 1915, 2)

Objetivo artístico

«to reveal his ideology more fully with the publication of his future works, each one of which
would be a new stone in the building up of his musical and philosophical creed. The Mystery,
to which he was even then giving a definite plan, was to be a symphony of music, words, and
gesture, accompanied by secondary symphonies of colour and perfume. It would, in fact, be a
ritual; but a ritual which set up no barriers between the celebrants and those who were
passively initiated» (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

«revelar su ideología detalladamente con la publicación de algunas obras futuras, cada una
constituiría un nuevo paso en la construcción de su credo filosófico y musical. El Misterio, al
cual aún le estaba dando un plan definido, iba a ser una sinfonía de música, palabras y
movimientos, acompañada por sinfonías secundarias de variados colores y perfumes. Sería, de
hecho, un ritual; pero un ritual que no que no alzaría barreras entre los celebrantes y aquellos
que estaban pasivamente iniciados» (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

Desarrollo artístico

«His artistic development was comparatively slow, for he was not one of those temperaments
that pour forth their best inspirations in early years and soon begin to draw over and over again
upon the same sources. Scriabin rarely repeated himself and never looked back» (Newmarch,
1915, 2)

Contraste de personalidad: militar/frágil

«When we recall the personality of Scriabin - at least, the gentle and fragile outer man – it
seems strange to think how narrowly he escape dan uncongenial military career. It was chiefly
owing to the interest which he inspired in Professor Taneiev, who gave him private lessons
when he was ten years old, that he was taken away from the Cadett School, and permitted to
study at the Moscow Conservatoire, where he finished his course in 1891». (Newmarch, 1915,
1)
«Cuando analizamos la personalidad de Scriabin - al menos el amable y frágil hombre exterior
- parece extraño pensar cómo por poco escapó una incompatible carrera como militar. Fue
principalmente gracias al interés que inspiró en el profesor Taneiev, que le dio clases privadas
desde los diez años, que le fue permitido abandonar la escuela Cadet para ingresar en el
conservatorio de Moscú, donde terminó sus estudios en 1891». (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

Locuras

«He had an intense horror of anything of the nature of blood-poisoning, and perhaps his
extraordinary sensitiveness predisposed him to the very thing he dreaded» (Newmarch, 1915,
1)

«Tenía una intensa repulsión por todo lo relacionado con el envenenamiento por sangre y,
quizás, su extraordinaria sensibilidad lo predispuso en mayor medida a aquello que tanto
temía» (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

«His last words, beginning his painful agony were, clenching his hands: “I must be self-
possessed”. (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

[Telegram 12 th May from M. Briantchaninov to R. Newmarch]

«Sus últimas palabras, empezando su dolorosa agonía fueron, contrayendo las manos: “Debo
estar poseído”. (Newmarch, 1915, 1)

[Telegrama 12 de mayo de M. Briantchaninov a R. Newmarch]

Sonata n. 5

«the two pieces op. 52, the five sonatas and the Poem of Ecstasy show how he contrived a
basis of form wholly adequate for the new and somewhat elusive thoughts he desired to
translate into musical terms, and this he accomplished (...) by emphasizing the spirit of form»
(Newmarch, 1915, 2)

Críticas

«his spiritual outlook guided the employment of his creative gift, and that there was no ground
whatever for the charge of insincerity occasionally brought against him: namely, that he wrote
eccentric works and attatched theosophical programmes to them as an afterthought”»
(Newmarch, 1915, 1)

«su mentalidad espiritual guiaba el uso de su talento creativo, y que no había argumentos
sólidos que sustentaran una presunta insinceridad, de lo que en ocasiones se le acusaba:
específicamente, que escribía obras excéntricas y añadía contenido teosófico como añadidura»
(Newmarch, 1915, 1)