Tchaikovsky
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Paul Pabst

Christian Georg Paul Pabst, known in Russia as Pavel Avgustovich Pabst (Павел Августович Пабст), was a German pianist, teacher and composer, born at Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) on 15/27 May 1854.

After receiving lessons from his father, the composer and performer August Pabst (1811-1885), Paul gave his first public recitals at the age of 11, studying with Anton Door at the Academy of Music and Lyric Arts in Vienna, and later in Weimar with Franz Liszt. From 1875 he taught piano in Riga, and in 1878 was invited by Nikolai Rubinstein to teach piano at the Moscow Conservatory, where he became professor of piano in 1881.

Tchaikovsky was a great admirer of Pabst's virtuosity, and was particularly impressed by his Paraphrase (1880) on themes from the opera Evgenii Onegin. As well as his virtuosic transcriptions, Pabst also composed many smaller works, almost exclusively for piano.

In 1893 Tchaikovsky dedicated his piano piece Polacca de Concert (No. 7 of the Eighteen Pieces, Op. 72) to Paul Pabst.

Pavel Pabst died in Moscow on 16/28 May 1897, aged 43.