Composers Corner: Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev (April 23, 1891 - March 5, 1953) was born an only child in a Ukrainian village. Prokofiev's mother encouraged his fascination with music, but did not push him to become a child performer like Mozart or Clara Schumann; instead, she encouraged him to explore music on his own.

She wanted him to have fun with music and taught him songs to play on the piano but did not make him practice exercises. As a result, he had difficulties with his technique until he went to St. Petersburg Conservatory when he was 13.

After his graduation, he toured Europe as a pianist and lived in Paris and the U.S. for a few years. In Paris, he wrote two famous ballets, " Romeo and Juliet" and " Cinderella". He eventually returned to Moscow, where he wrote one of his most well-known works, "Peter and the Wolf".

Prokofiev wrote many works including 7 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 11 piano sonatas, 2 violin concertos, orchestral suites, operas, ballets, and many other short pieces.