May 5, 1925
Born in Leningrad Vladimir Vavilov — a seven-string guitarist, lutenist, and composer. The author of a number of hoaxes recognized as masterpieces of pseudo-Renaissance music.
My father was certain that the works of an unknown self-taught composer with the banal surname "Vavilov" would never be published. But he desperately wanted his music to become known. This was far more important to him than the fame of his family name. (Tamara Vavilova, daughter)
He grew up in a communal apartment. He inherited his musical talent from his father, a shoemaker whose artistic whistling captivated all the neighbors. During the war, he was drafted into the army and demobilized due to injury.
He became interested in music and graduated from a music school for adults in guitar class, and studied music theory and the laws of composition in a circle at the Union of Composers.
In 1949, he teamed up with six-stringer Lev Andronov. The duo created a sensation at the guitar competition during the World Youth Festival, winning silver. Vavilov was invited as an accompanist. Boris Shtokolov и Claudia Shulzhenko.
Then he fell in love with the lute. He studied reproductions, read articles, and drew plans. The instrument, custom-made by a private luthier, was different from medieval ones, but sounded beautiful. Lute sheet music was rare—Vavilov searched for it in libraries and from collectors. And he wrote it himself. He completed his first program by 1968.
No one had performed music like this before Dad, and music lovers bought tickets long before the concerts. The prima ballerina of the Kirov Theater, Natalia Makarova, danced to Dad's lute.
In 1970, the Melodiya company released a record of lute music from the 16th and 17th centuries performed by him.
It was later revealed that Vavilov himself was the author of most of the works. For example, "Canzona and Dance," which he attributed to Francesco Canova da Milano—the first part would later be written by Henri Volokhonsky, and would become known as City of GoldThe masterpiece Ave Maria was "gifted" to Giulio Caccini. Stylistic analysis has shown that such music could not have been written in the 16th century.
The hoaxes were revealed after Vavilov's death. He did not live to see 48.
