Koussevitzky, Serge

American conductor and composer of Russian birth.

From the description of Autograph letter signed, dated : Berlin, 1 June 1911 to Herr [Emil] Gutmann, 1911 June 1. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270578961

From the description of Typewritten letter signed, dated : [n.p., Boston?], 30 September 1927, to Alfred Knopf in New York, 1927 Sept. 30. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270874483

Serge Koussevitzky, conductor and double bassist, was born July 26, 1874, in Vishniy Volochek. Koussevitzky founded the publishing house Editions russes de musique in 1909 which issued music by Scriabin, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff. He left Russia in 1920 for Berlin and then Paris, where he founded the Concerts Koussevitzky (1921-1929), with which he performed new music. He was conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949 from which position he championed the music of American composers. Koussevitzky died in Boston on June 4, 1951.

From the description of Serge Koussevitzky archive, 1920-1976 (bulk 1924-1951). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71055098

Epithet: conductor and double bass player

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000001027.0x0000a6

The Russian-born conductor Serge Koussevitzky was the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 until 1949. Josephine Forbes (born Crosby) was the wife of Allan Forbes, of the prominent Boston family, and the addressee of a letter from Koussevitzky.

From the description of Correspondence to Alma Mahler, 1940-1941. (University of Pennsylvania Library). WorldCat record id: 155863708

Composed 1902. First performance Moscow, 25 February 1905, Moscow Philharmonic Society, the composer as soloist.--Cf. Fleisher Collection.

From the description of Concerto p. contrebasse av. l'acc. de l'orchestre / S. Koussevitsky. [195-?] (Franklin & Marshall College). WorldCat record id: 52587892

A Geneology of the Ushkoff, Naumoff, and Koussevitzky Families

In an attempt to clarify the complex relationships between the Ushkoff, Naumoff and Koussevitzky families, I have arranged the names of family members -- as many as could be discovered in the available family correspondence -- in a vertical tabular format, as follows. This format was favored over the more traditional horizontal "family tree" format due to its superior legibility in view of the complexity of this geneology.

I have attempted to include as much information about each family member as is available: marriage dates (a "=" indicates a marriage; in the case of multiple marriages, names of spouses are preceded by a number between parentheses, indicating the order in which these marriages took place); birth and death dates (indicated by "*" and "†" respectively); and distant or uncertain family relationships (a "+" precedes the name of the family member).

In order to more readily identify various family members (many of whom possess the same name), each person appearing in this geneology has been assigned an identification number, appearing between square brackets ("[ ]"), and preceding the person's name. Family members have been further subdivided into arbitrarily named "generations," roughly grouping family members contemporary with each other. Available information is included here about family members belonging to "Generation 1" (the earliest members who can be identified) through "Generation 7" (the most recent members). Due to the complexity and sheer number of family members in the Ushkoff and Naumoff families, their geneological record appears first; that of the Koussevitzky family follows. In the case of the latter, family identification numbers pick up, within each generation, where those of the Ushkoff/Naumoff families have left off. Also, as the earliest available geneological information regarding the Koussevitzky family dates from the generation immediately preceding that to which Serge Koussevitzky belonged (that is, to the roughly contemporary "Generation 3" of the Ushkoff family), the Koussevitzky family records appearing in this section begin with the "Generation 3" designation. According to this numbering system, Serge Koussevitzky is listed as "[14]" when he first appears in this geneology as the husband of Natalie Ushkoff Koussevitzky ("[13]"); then also as "[69]" when appearing again in the Koussevitzky family list. Olga Naumoff Koussevitzky is listed as "[30]" in the Ushkoff/Naumoff Family list.

All names of family members are transliterated exactly from the Cyrillic, using (modified) Library of Congress transliteration standards; therefore the anglicized (or gallicized) "Ushkoff," "Na[o]umoff," and "Koussevitzky" become, respectively, "Ushkov," "Naumov," and "Kusevitskii" to accurately reflect their Russian spelling. Similarly, "Serge," "Natalie," and "Olga" become "Sergei," "Nataliia," and "Ol'ga," respectively. All Russian patronymics ("middle names," based on the name of a person's father) have been retained, as have traditional feminine forms of the family name (i.e., "Ushkova," "Kusevitzkaia").

Finally, this geneology was based on the work of musicologist Victor Yuzefovich, who participated in the processing and identification of much of the material contained in the Koussevitzky Archive, and without whose assistance this record could not have been created.

Kevin LaVine, June 1998

From the guide to the Serge Koussevitzky Archive, 1920-1976, (bulk 1924-1951), (Music Division Library of Congress)