ELENA FABIANOVNA GNESINA — CREATIVE HERITAGE

2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Elena Fabianovna Gnesina, an outstanding teacher, pianist, public figure, founder and head of a complex of musical educational institutions. The article is devoted to the personality and creative heritage of E. F. Gnesina and is based on materials from the funds of the Elena Gnesina’s Memorial Museum-Apartment, where the lifetime environment and a large archive of the Gnesin family are completely preserved: letters, music and book memorial library, concert programmes, posters, photographs and other artefacts, as well as personal belongings of the musician. Publications on the life and work of E. F. Gnesina by the Museum staff were a valuable source of information for the article. The article presents a multifaceted image of E. F. Gnesina, characterising her unique legacy, which was directly related to her performing, teaching, administrative and composing activities. Attention is also paid to the musician’s creative environment. The article concludes with a review of Gnesina’s extensive musical activity, which made an invaluable contribution to the creation of a national pedagogical school and professional musical education, as evidenced by the establishment of a complex of educational institutions. The importance of E. F. Gnesina’s pedagogical methods, to which her numerous textbooks are devoted, and the role of compositional creativity aimed at composing music for children are emphasised.