About Serge Prokofiev’s American Tour at the End of 1920

Abstract

Prokofiev’s enormous correspondence reflects a universe that is densely populated and reflects the enormous amount of his correspondence. The multifaceted nature of his inner-self is revealed in his letters to different people, which displays great diversity in style. Varied accents and perspectives appear in his letters: some personality traits come forward, new facts emerge, some creative aspects appear in unaccustomed ways. Prokofiev’s fourteen letters to his mother chronologically cover a little more than the last two months out of three that he spent in America in the winter of 1920. One important feature of Prokofiev’s nature is reflected in letters to his mother: passion for travel. He moves constantly and still enjoys a difficult life, full of hassle, on tour. His letters to his mother were sent from the Savoiya crossing the Pacific Ocean, from the train to California, and from New York City, Chicago, Appleton, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. These documented sources are interesting not only because of their content. Prokofiev was writing to a person who had almost lost her sight. The composer’s usual briefness of utterance is maximized there. The informational content of this cursive writing is extremely high, and the short messages and postcards written in large round letters condense massive informative layers: the young musician’s life, the staging of his operas (about which he works many angles), tragic backwashes of the Russian history, signals from the past lost in Saint Petersburg flat where his papers had been missed, commissioned and uncommissioned works, an exhibit hall of nearly outlined characters, and a constant lack of money. This is a counterpoint voice to the Diary.

Keywords:

Serge Prokofiev, Maria Prokofiev, Mikhail Larionov, America in 1920, Russians in America, Prokofiev’s friends, Prokofiev-pianist, Prokofiev-voyager