A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Cui, Cesar

by J. A. Fuller-Maitland

CUI, Cesar Antonovitch, born Jan. 6, 1835, at Wilna, was educated at the School of Engineering in St. Petersburg, where he ultimately became Professor of Fortification, and published several books on the art of war. He received a thorough musical education from Moniuszko and Balakirew, and from 1864 to 1868 contributed musical articles to one of the St. Petersburg papers, in which he warmly advocated the cause of modern music, and in particular of Schumann, Berlioz, and Liszt. In 1878–9 he contributed a series of articles entitled 'La Musique en Russie' to the Paris 'Revue et Gazette musicale.' Of his four operas, 'Der Gefangene im Kaukasus,' 'Der Sohn des Mandarins,' 'William Ratcliff,' and 'Angelo' (the last on Victor Hugo's play), the two latter have been published with Russian and German words. Two scherzos and a tarantelle for orchestra, a suite for piano and violin, and upwards pf fifty songs, are mentioned by Biemann, from whose lexicon the above notice is taken. A very effective Polonaise in C was played by Rubinstein in London in 1886, and has lately been published by Stanley Lucas & Co.

[ M. ]