Unsung Composers

The Music => Composers & Music => Topic started by: Ilja on Monday 21 July 2025, 14:18

Title: Trying to find Arkady Dubensky's Symphony in G minor (1916)
Post by: Ilja on Monday 21 July 2025, 14:18
Arkady Dubensky (1890-1966) was a Russian-American composer and violinist. He studied composition with Alexander Ilyinsky - who was also the composition teacher of Vasily Kalinnikov, violin with Jan Hřĭmalý and conducting with Andrey Arends at the Moscow Conswevatory.

After playing first violin in the Moscow Imperial Opera Orchestra (1910-1919) he fled the Soviet Union and spent a year as a bar pianist in Constantinople. In 1921 he moved to the USA and settled in New York, soon finding a post as a violinist, first in the New York Symphony Orchestra (1922-1928) and then in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1928-1953). From 1935 onwards, Dubensky focused on composing mostly orchestral works.

Dubensky was known to compose in a highly conservative style and frequently use a musical language that followed the practices of the Belyayev circle. However, he made use of less orthodox instrumental combinations.

His only symphony in G minor from 1916 is said to be in that same conservative idiom, and because it might be a candidate for Hans Franke's "17th Symphony" I would like to have a look at the score. However, I've sofar been unable to trace it. If anyone has a clue where to find the score, I would be very grateful. He was able to take it with him the USA apparently, since =Dubensky%2C  Arkady %2F SYMPHONY]it was performed three times by the New York SO/Phil (https://archives.nyphil.org/search?search-type=singleFilter&search-text=dubensky&search-dates-from&search-dates-to&npp:ComposerWorksTitle_facet%5B0) between 1926 and 1946.

The biography above is based on a page on the Bach-cantatas.com website (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Dubensky-Arcady.htm).
Title: Re: Trying to find Arkady Dubensky's Symphony in G minor (1916)
Post by: tpaloj on Monday 21 July 2025, 17:29
NYPL has a small collection of his scores, have you already contacted them about the contents of their archive?
Dubensky collection page at NYPL (https://archives.nypl.org/mus/19960)
Title: Re: Trying to find Arkady Dubensky's Symphony in G minor (1916)
Post by: eschiss1 on Monday 21 July 2025, 17:51
Worldcat search on au:"Dubensky, Arcady" shows almost 100 published and manuscript interesting-looking works (and some arrangements) at e.g. NYPL and the British Library listed, by the way. Including (at the Danish Library, so title in Danish) "Concerto grosso : for 3 basuner og tuba med orkester, udgivet uden orkester") published by Ricordi around 1950, and a setting of Poe's The Raven (Ricordi, 1933) @ Library of Congress and at St Pancras.
IMSLP has 1890 for birthyear, I see Mr. Broeker's article (to which I have a reference anyway) has 1883. Didn't find the symphony via Worldcat but may not have searched correctly. (Also, so many alternative names are given at IMSLP that searching under those seems indicated.)
Title: Re: Trying to find Arkady Dubensky's Symphony in G minor (1916)
Post by: Ilja on Tuesday 22 July 2025, 13:38
Yes, Worldcat was my first stop, but no luck there. I've emailed the NY Phil archive in the hope that something may turn up there.