What is Alexander Scriabin?
[[File:Scriabin.gif|right|Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin]] '''Alexander Scriabin''' (also spelt: '''Skryabin''') (born [[Moscow]] January 6 1872; died Moscow April 27 1915) was a famous [[Russia]]n [[composer]] and [[pianist]]. He wrote music for the [[orchestra]] and for the [[piano]]. His music belongs to the Late [[Romantic music|Romantic]] period, but his later works sound quite modern, and he was [[influence]]d by [[Impressionism]]. He had some very unusual ideas about combining all the [[arts]] into one work. == Life == Scriabin was the only child in a family which had an [[aristocracy|aristocratic]] background. He was always proud of having been born on [[Christmas Day]] (6 January is Christmas Day in the [[Russian Orthodox]] church). His mother died when he was a year old and his father spent most of his time abroad working as a [[diplomat]]. He was looked after by his aunt, grandmother and [[great-aunt]], all of whom fussed over him so that he was a very [[wikt:spoil|spoilt]] child. When he grew up he was very short and his hands could only just stretch one [[octave]] (eight notes) on the piano. Scriabin was educated in the Moscow Cadet Corps. He learned to play the piano and became friends with the composer [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] who was just one year younger. He won the second [[gold medal]] ever to be awarded at the [[Moscow Conservatoire]] (Rachmaninoff had won the first one). He practised a piece called ''Islamey'' by [[Mily Balakirev|Balakirev]] but damaged his [[Position|right]] [[hand]] doing it. He still managed to continue his career as a pianist, but he wrote a few piano pieces for the left hand only. In 1895 he toured through many countries in [[Europe]] giving concerts and composing a lot of piano music. He married in 1897. He went with his wife to [[Odessa]] where he played his Piano [[Concerto]] and then spent several months in [[Paris]]. He taught at the Moscow Conservatoire and wrote some important orchestral music. Later he left his wife and children and went to Europe for several