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The guide to the world of music

In the beginning of his career, renowned publisher and musician Vasiliy Bessel actively supported A.G. Rubinstein and his conservatory, but later he turned to the new Russian musical school. Due to his incredible ability to feel and to find young talents he managed to found his own business ≈ he began to publish works by little-known composers of the age.

Vasiliy Vasilievich Bessel (born April 13, 1843) was a founder of a publishing company dealing in musical works and printed music, publisher of two subject journals dedicated to music, renowned writer and author of series of articles on the history of music and author▓s right, organizer of several art associations, numerous exhibitions and founder of the museum devoted to Anton Rubinstein. Bessel started his education at Reformatorsky College in St. Petersburg. He demonstrated talent for music already in his early childhood. Supported by his elder brother, Vasiliy Bessel took lessons from a well-known musician and teacher R. Albrecht. By the late 1850s he played in the orchestra of Karl Schubert, where he got acquainted with Anton Rubinstein. Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein, (1829√1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival to Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos. He also founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory, which, together with Moscow Conservatory founded by his brother Nikolai Rubinstein, helped pave the way for Russia▓s emergence as a major musical power.

Catalogue of editions of the firm ⌠V. Bessel and Co■. SPb., 1905 [zoom (26k)]

Rubinstein told Bessel about the so-called ╚Music Classes╩, which later were transformed into Conservatory. Vasiliy Bessel entered the Petersburg Conservatory in 1862. There he studied the theory of music and violin playing (class of Professor Venyavsky). Among his mates were P. Tchaikovsky, L. Gomilius, L. Albrecht and others.

Bessel graduated from the Conservatory in 1865 having a diploma of ╚free╛lance artist╩ ≈ a title introduced by Anton Rubinstein for the graduates of the Conservatory. Notably, that title allowed the graduates to take employment at orchestras of Imperial theaters hors concours. Vasiliy Bessel gained a place of a violist with the highest salary six hundred roubles. However, alongside his main job Bessel was interested in many other things. He translated and published ╚Review of the Universal Theory of Music╩ by I. Shluter, founded private ╚Courses of Elementary Theory and Solfeggio╩, taught at Moscow and St. Petersburg Conservatories. In the late 1860s the Russian Musical Society sent the young man on a mission along the Western Europe to learn about the educational programs and methods at Conservatories in Prague, Brussels, Vienna, Paris and Milan.

In August milliner 1869, Vasiliy and his younger brother Ivan founded a trade company ╚V. Bessel and Co╩ in St. Petersburg. Their first store located on 58, Nevsky Prospect right in the center of the Russian capital. Vasiliy was in charge of the art and technical department, while Ivan was the head of administrative and commercial department.

In order to attract more customers the brothers established contacts with the major publishing houses of Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, Paris, Vienna and Warsaw.

P.I. Blaramberg. ⌠Tushintsy■. Opera in four acts. Published by ⌠V. Bessel and Co■. SPb., 1892 [zoom (30k)]

The first serious project realized by the firm ╚V. Bessel and Co╩ was publishing of music works by Anton Rubinstein (hitherto his works had been published only in Germany).

Soon after its foundation, the firm received the title of commission agent of St. Petersburg department of Imperial Russian Musical Society. In acknowledgement of Bessel▓s services, the administration of the Society made Vasiliy the active life-member of the association.

First, ╚V. Bessel and Co╩ published a specialized journal ╚Musical Sheet╩, the main goal of which was to make the wide public familiar with the oeuvre of prominent composers of the age Anton Rubinstein and Petr Tchaikovsky. In 1876 one of the journal▓s issues featured an article by Vasiliy Bessel dedicated to the problem of orchestra musicians.

In 1874 the firm published an album ╚Miscellanees╩, consisting of twenty-four piano pieces by Anton Rubinstein, the opera ╚Oprichnik╩ by Tchaikovsky, ╚Boris Godunov╩ by Modest Musorgsky, ╚Angelo╩ by Cеsar Cui, ╚Jackstraw╩ by A.K. Lyadov and a number of symphonies by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and A.P. Borodin.

V.V. Bessel. Photo. 1880 [zoom (26k)]

Bessel initiated the foundation of the museum (at St. Petersburg conservatory) dedicated to the great pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein. Vasiliy managed to form an extremely comprehensive collection of items related to the life and oeuvre of the composer. Many of the showpieces were donated by relatives and friends of Rubinstein.

Later Bessel worked as a journalist at the Leipzig-based magazine ╚Neue Musik-Zeitung╩. There Bessel got acquainted with Franz Liszt who was very popular among Russian composers and musicians. Since 1881 Bessel▓s articles dedicated to the opera art in the Russian Empire as well as author▓s right▓s problem were published in Russia, largely in ╚Novoe Vremya╩ (New Time) journal.

In 1885 Bessel founded a journal ╚Music Review╩ in which he covered major events in Russian musical life, works by Russian composers and more. Vasiliy Bessel died on February 16, 1907.