Lwoff, Alexis von

1799-1870

Violin virtuoso; born at Reval, Russia. He was educated for the army and became a major-general, also aide-de-camp to Czar Nicholas. He had also had musical instruction, and in 1836 was appointed conductor of the Imperial Court Choir, succeeding his father. He was a great student of Old Russian Church Song and of Russian folk-music. In 1859 he published an essay On The Free and Non-symmetrical Rhythm of Old Russian Church Song. He was commissioned by the Czar to set to music the words of the national hymn, the words having been written by Zhukovski. He died on his estate in the Government of Kovno. His compositions include church-music, partsongs, arrangements of Russian folk-songs four operas, and much violin-music.