Composer
Samuel Maykapar
Biography
Samuel Maykapar, also known as Samuil Maikapar (1867-1938), was a pianist, composer, teacher and writer on music. Born in Kherson and raised in Taganrog, he studied at the St Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in 1893, while also completing a university degree in law. His teachers included Beniamino Cesi, Joseph Weiss and Nikolai Solovyov; he later pursued further piano studies with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna.
He taught at the St Petersburg Conservatory and became known for his piano teaching, writings on musical hearing and performance, and compositions for young pianists. His expressive miniatures combine accessible piano writing with the lyrical and harmonic language of the late Romantic tradition.