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Prince Serge Wolkonsky ^[1] (Template:Lang-ru) also reffered to as Sergei Mikhailovitch Wolkonsky was born on 4th of May, 1860, in Fall estate near Revel in Estland province (Tallinn, Estonia, accordingly), dead on 25th of October 1937 in Hot-Springs, Virginia, was buried in Richmond. The outstanding theatrical worker, one of the first of Russian rhythmician, pupil of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, creator of the original system of actor's training including both the expressive gesture and the expressive speech. The Director of Imperial Theatres (1899-1901),

Wolkonsky Family

His mother Princess Elizabeth (Elizaveta Grigorievna) Wolkonsky, nee Princess Wolkonsky, too, was born in 1839. She was a daughter of Grigory Petrovich Wolkonsky (a son of Sophia, a sister of Decembrist Serge Wolkonsky) and of Mary A.Wolkonsky (nee Comptess Benkendorf, a daughter of Count Alexander Benkendorf. Princess Wolkonsky influenced his son Serge very much having defined a lot of his interests and among them, certainly, his religious views, as she belonged to Holy Church.Among her friends were many famous persons, it's suffice to point out the well-known Russian philosopher, teologist and a poet Vladimir Soloviev. She wrote some books on the religious matters: "On Church", "Church Tradition and Russian Theological Literature", and a book "The Family of Princes Wolkonsky". She dead on February 15th 1897 in St.Petersburg, and was buried in Fall, entailed estate of Count Benkendorf.

The father of Serge Wolkonsky, Michael Sergeevich, was born in 1832, in Petrovsky Zavod in Siberia. He was a son of Serge Wolkonsky and Mary, nee Raevsky. Ivan Puzschin was his godfather. From his birth, Michael was registered as serf. He graduated from the Irkutsk gymnasia but wasn't allowed entering the University as the son of the deportee. However, this reason didn't prevent him from his future career. In 1855, just after the death of Emperor Niclaus I, Michael Wolkonsky reached Russia from Siberia, and by the 70s, he became a member of the State Council. It's interesting to note that this his status didn't prevent him however from publishing the book of his father, "Memoirs of a Decembrist". He dead in 1909 in Rome, and was buried in Fall, as well.

The Beginning

Wolkonsky graduated from the philological faculty of St.Petersburg University in 1884.

Congress of Religions

In spring of 1893, in the frames of World Fair in Chicago a Congress of Religions was opened. Russian Orthodox Church categorically refused to be presented there and that's why Serge Wolkonsky, 33 years old layman, catholic of the East ceremony, was there as an official representative of Dep't of Public Instruction. His reports and speeches were of anordinary style and contents and made a deep resonance there. Messages on Congress had been regularly published in the journal "Zerkovny Vestnik" ("The Bulletin of Church") in spite of that attitude to the Congress. The article of Wolkonsky himself was published later on in journal "Vestnik Evropy" ("The European Bulletin") .

On December 2nd 1893 he went by ship "Oceanic" from San-Francisco, and was visiting Havai, Japan, China, Araby, Mediterranean Sea, Italy, and then he came back to Petersburg via Konstantinopol.

Directorship of the Imperial Theaters

Wolkonsky was director only during two years 1899-1901. He was able though did a lot: Serge Diaghilev was his immediate assistant and Wolkonsky entrusted he the edition of the famouse Annual of the Imperial Theaters in 1900. New names appeared in the Theatres - painters Alexandre Benois, Konstantin Somov, Léon Bakst.

Wolkonsky was forced to send in his resignation after the conflict with Mathilde Kschessinskaya.

Note

^ It's his own transcription

References

Art et Beaute — Nouvelle Revue, 1-r Avril, Paris, 1892
Art of The Stage — «The Outlook», May-June 1913, p.747
Bilder aus der Geschihte und Litteratur Russland", (перевод A.Hippius), E.Perthes, Basel, 1897 — 1 изд., 1904 — 2 изд.
Czlowiek wyrazisty. — Warszawa, I.Rzepecki, 1920
The Decembrists. The first Russian revolutionists — NY, Thought, v.3, 8, 1928
Die Dekabristen; einzige berechtige Ubersetzung aus dem Russischen, von R.Freiherr von Campenhausen. Riga: G.Löffler, 1926
Impressions: sketches of American life as observed by a Russian — Chicago, 1893
My reminiscences (translated by A.E.Chamot). — London: Hutchinson&Co, 2 volumes, 1924
Pictures of Russian History and Russian Literature. — Boston, NY, London; Lamson, Wolffe & Co. 1st ed. 1897; Pictures…, (Lowell lectures), 1898

The full list see please: Волконский, Сергей Михайлович

Bibliography

R.C.Beachem, Appia, Jaques-Dalcroze and Hellerau — NTQ, v.1, N 2-3, 1985
C.Bommeli, Vera Griner — Le Rythme, Geneve, bull.8-9, 1990—1991, p.24-25
Arnold L.Haskell. Diaghileff. His artistic and private life. — NY, 1935
Matilda Kshessinskaya. Dancing in Petersburg — London, 1960, 1973; Souveniers de la Kshessinskaya. — Paris, 1960.
F.J.Marker. Craig and Appia, a Decade of Friendship and Crisis, 1914—1924. — Essays theatre, v.3, p.69, 1985
F.Martin a.o. Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. L’Homme. Le Compositeur. Le createur de la Rythmique. — Neuchatel, 1965
Mrs.Seth French Engaged to Prince — New-York Times (NY), July 14, 1936, p.23
Prince Wolkonsky Dies in Virginia — Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va), Oct.27, 1937, p.6
Prince Wolkonsky Is Dead in Virginia — New-York Times (NY), Oct.26, 1937, p.17
D.Thompson. Another Sun, a play by Dorothy Thompson and Fritz Kortner. — New York, 1940, typewritten.
Mary Trofimov, Hundred to Beautiful Lady. Le Rythme, Geneve, bull.8-9, 1990—1991, p.22-24