Deciphering the Musical Language of Nicolas Obouhow

Azadeh Atri

ISBN 10: 9815352059 / ISBN 13: 9789815352054

Published by Jenny Stanford Publishing Jun 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - Various styles and techniques of composition were experimented with and developed by avant-garde composers during the early 20th century. In this regard, Nicolas Borisovich Obouhow (1892-1954) plays a significant role as a composer who experimented, very early, with a 12-tone system and electronic sounds. His innovative ideas were not only a response to the Russian avant-garde movement but were also part of the wider international search for new means and techniques of composition. For Obouhow, art facilitated and advanced his mystical search, and his views on music place him in a broader international cultural context associated with the occult and a belief in the transcendental power of sound. The story of Obouhow and his life-long quest, through his craft, for peace and unity in a world destabilised by the upheavals of the 20th century is not just the curious tale of a maverick émigré of bygone, tumultuous days. He embarked on his search more than a century ago, and his journey is still relevant today in a world that continues to experience upheavals and wars. Drawing from a wide range of primary sources (in particular the Obouhow Archive at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France) and contemporary newspapers and journals, this book firstly demonstrates how Obouhow's idiosyncratic ideas were formed and influenced by his spiritual beliefs and significant historical events such as the Russian Revolution and the First World War. Secondly, by examining his Parisian circle and important relationships, the author explores how Obouhow's views were also in accord with the esoteric beliefs held by many others and how these views were part of a broader worldwide search for man's spiritual destiny in the interwar period and beyond. Finally, through detailed and intelligible analysis of form, harmonic language, synthetic scale systems, and orchestration, the book shows how Obouhow contributed to the early decades of modernism and 12-tone writing.

Seller Inventory # 9789815352054

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Deciphering the Musical Language of Nicolas Obouhow
• Publisher: Jenny Stanford Publishing Jun 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9815352059
• ISBN 13: 9789815352054
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 0D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 0 millimeters depth

About this title

Synopsis

Nicolas Borisovich Obouhow (1892–1954) plays a significant role as an avant-garde composer who experimented, very early, with a 12-tone system and electronic sounds. This monograph reveals that Obouhow composed under the guise of a highly organised system which was formed and influenced by a mystical search that places him in a broader international cultural context associated with the occult and a belief in the transcendental power of sound. Through detailed and intelligible analysis of his compositions, the author also deciphers how Obouhow’s 12-tone harmonies and synthetic scale systems operate.

The story of Obouhow and his life-long quest, through his craft, for peace and unity, in a world destabilised by the upheavals of the 20th century, amidst war, revolution and expatriation, is not just the curious tale of a maverick émigré of bygone, tumultuous days. He embarked on his search more than a century ago, and his journey is still relevant today in a world that continues to experience upheavals and wars. This research examines the way Obouhow’s views were expressed in musical terms and how Obouhow contributed to the early decades of modernism with his highly creative methods and original musical language.

About the Author

Azadeh Atri is a pianist, composer, scholar, and essayist. She gained first-class honours for writing piano compositions of pedagogical intent, becoming the first composer to incorporate aspects of traditional Persian sources into pedagogical pieces. These works are available on the website of the National Library of Australia. She completed her doctoral degree at the Australian National University and her primary research area is the compositional methods of early 20th-century composers, particularly those of Nicolas Obouhow. Dr Atri’s research interests also include arts education and the professional development of arts teachers about which she has contributed an article. She is the author of philosophical essays and short stories, titled Deliriums.