Alexander Nikolaevich Vertinsky lived a long and interesting life. In all respects, he had to end badly - to become a gangster, go to jail or die from cocaine. So Alexander Vertinsky himself thought of himself. Biography, personal life, the fate of other people similar to him all this only confirms. However, God kept him, and, contrary to the obvious, the star of the artist shone brightly and confidently with his original talent during his lifetime, continuing to shine with a quiet magical light in our days.
In this article we will talk about what kind of person Alexander Vertinsky was. Biography, personal life, children of the famous chansonnier will also not be ignored.
Songs
The performance of songs by Vertinsky is impossible not to recognize, forget or confuse with the performance of another artist. His mannerism, cutesy pronunciation, stretching of words and original arrangement of accents always attracted attention and forced to stop and listen.
The content of the lyrics often does not match the intonation chosen by Vertinsky for presentation from the scene. Putting on Pierrot’s costume, covering his face with whitewash, drawing thin lips and broken eyebrows, he acts as a mime, playing the role of a deeply unhappy, lonely person.
It is impossible to forget the "Junkers" sung by him, "About Us and the Homeland", "Magnolia", "Yellow Angel", "Little Creole", "Today I laugh at myself", "Purple Negro", "Lord's Ball", "Your fingers smell of incense ”or“ I am a little ballerina. ” Nowadays, Alexander Domogarov, Tatyana Kabanova, Boris Grebenshchikov, Alexander F. Sklyar and some other artists with great taste and delicacy perform his songs, trying to preserve the magic created around them by a wonderful master.
Childhood
Vertinsky’s biography is in his published memoirs. He wrote them, already returning to the Soviet Union. Alexander Nikolayevich forgot some dates a long time ago and gives them approximately, but the whole story is very fascinating and rich in vivid details. Difficult circumstances of their own children's life are interspersed with memories of the pre-revolutionary life of Kiev, about relatives and acquaintances of the future artist.
He lost his parents early and was given into the care of one of his mother's sisters - the old maid. What kind of education could a smart boy give a woman who grew up in a family in which, with the exception of her father, there were only women - a mother and four daughters? It so happened that the Vertinsky family (a biography is a confirmation of this) for our hero, both at a young age and at the sunset of life, was a female kingdom.
Having brilliantly passed the entrance exams to the most prestigious gymnasium, Alexander was not able to fall in love with his studies. He writes with dislike about teachers who not only did not understand and did not like children, but who seemed to have no idea about child psychology. Most likely, it was. The future famous artist was left several times in the second year and twice expelled from educational institutions.
Aunt did not spoil her nephew. He grew thin, long and constantly hungry. As for gifts, moderation was practiced with respect to them. He was glad when he once received the ball, but the toy was with a hole and did not have the proper jumping ability.
Alexander Nikolaevich recalls with enthusiasm how delicious and intricate dishes were prepared by his grandmother, what wide and plentiful feasts were during the great church holidays. It was real happiness, which became one of the warmest memories of early childhood. Vertinsky’s biography is a biography of the fate of a man seeking a safe haven, reminiscent of early childhood, when his parents, sister, grandparents were alive, and each family member was surrounded by the care and love of dear people. Subsequently, he devoted many pages of his manuscripts to the life and cuisine of various peoples, whom he met in exile.
In school years, Sasha learned to smoke, steal and masterfully lie. Fear of punishment for poor performance in high school disciplines and hunger, which tormented the growing boy constantly, pushed for crimes. Cheap cakes required no cents. And where to get them? For pocket expenses he was not given anything. Most likely, such a trifle simply did not occur to his trustee. First, he and the boys picked up coins in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Pilgrims threw them directly at the holy relics, and the guys, pretending to bend to kiss the shrine, collected money by mouth. Soon the monks noticed the tricks of the children and began to carefully monitor the safety of the donations.
Alexander Nikolaevich does not describe other methods of earning cash, but he mentions that they gambled, speculated, did not shun stealing and selling stolen goods.
In the end, his aunt kicked him out of the house. He spent the night in the porches, with friends and casual acquaintances.
Vertinsky writes that he is ashamed of much in life, but it would be wrong to hush up everything shameful. Autobiographical works often present authors in a better light than they really are, and he did not want the reader to perceive it in a distorted, emasculated form. We are very interested in what kind of person is the singer Vertinsky? His biography is an honest story about what was and was forever with this person. Do not live in the past - the credo of Alexander Nikolaevich. He said that skipping to the cemetery was the best fate for a man like him. Dull digging in insults is the most hopeless thing. Raising someone else’s child is difficult, and he is grateful to his mother’s sister for kindness, care and shelter.
Birth of Russian Pierrot
By twenty-four, Alexander had nothing to do in Kiev. It is interesting that, deep down, only Vertinsky Alexander Nikolaevich connected his theatrical stage and with nothing else. The biography of the artist indicates that his first experiments in the theater were not successful. Nevertheless, at the very least, and at home, that is, in Kiev, he acquired some skills in public speaking. In Moscow, he quickly made interesting acquaintances among the bohemians. Being a member of the literary and art salon Sophia Nikolaevna Zelinsky, Vertinsky met with Mikhail Kuzmin, Benedict Livshits, Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Osmerkin. In their literary heritage you can find references to our hero. It was forever under a cocaine dope and breaking the comedy "clown". Yes, Alexander Vertinsky did not immediately become a refined aristocrat. Biography, personal life, photos - these and other interesting information about the artist and about the development of his personality excite many today. Therefore, we continue.
Moving to Moscow was a pure adventure. Did Vertinsky Alexander Nikolaevich understand this then? The biography of a twenty-year-old youth does not contain facts that indicate in any way the practicality of the decisions he makes. No money, no recommendations, no profession behind. Little experience writing reviews of theatrical performances and several published stories gave him hope for a literary career. He finally established himself in his decision to become a writer after several unsuccessful work experiences - a merchant, a loader, an artist, a proofreader in a publishing house, and even an accountant in a hotel.
Moscow is a city of opportunities. So thought the future famous singer Alexander Vertinsky. The artist’s biography is closely connected with the capital. Having settled with his sister Nadia in the famous Kozitsky Lane, in the house of Bakhrushin, Vertinsky began to visit all kinds of exhibitions, performances, disputes and other places of accumulation of the elite. Meetings with futurist poets, symbolists, acmeists, etc., contributed to the image that Alexander Vertinsky invented for himself. A brief biography of the singer shows that their special perception of the world, in particular Blok's mysticism, shocking and assertiveness of Mayakovsky, Igor Severyanin’s subtle lyricism, played a major role in Vertinsky’s choice of the stage image.
Cocaine
The beginning of the last century is strongly associated with the fashion for cocaine and morphine. With their help, a lot of diseases were treated - from influenza and gout to insomnia and a simple breakdown. They were sold in pharmacies to everyone. They were very cheap. Caught in a pool of cocaine addiction and brother and sister Vertinsky. This is how A. N. Vertinsky himself writes about this. The biography of the artist in general, as you can see, is extremely interesting. Alexander Nikolaevich was lucky. In Moscow, near him was a soul mate. His older sister Nadia understood him better than anyone, was caring and affectionate with him. They liked to sit on couches in the evenings together and remember the past. In early childhood, after the death of their parents, the children were separated. Both were brought up by relatives of the mother, but for some absurd reason did not communicate. Sasha was assured that her sister was dead. Their meeting happened by chance.
Alexander was fond of the theater as a teenager and once on the poster of a Kiev theater among the performers he saw a familiar surname - N. N. Vertinskaya. He wrote a letter and invited to meet. N. N. turned out to be Nadezhda, his own sister. They became very close and really made friends.
At first, the drug gave confidence, helped to liberate and gave the illusion of success and happiness. So Vertinsky himself writes. A biography, a short version of which is in any modern encyclopedia of Russian art of the Silver Age, never misses this episode. We will light it too. Over time, among Vertinsky's entourage, cases of mental disorders and suicides began to increase. Alexander began to hallucinate. He was seriously scared and set out to end his dangerous hobby. He found the address of professor N. N. Bazhenov, a well-known psychiatrist in the capital, and went to see him. He voiced two treatment options. One - several years in a clinic for the mentally ill. The second is the patient’s own will, supported by heavy physical exertion. That was in 1914. There was a war with Kaiser Germany. Vertinsky got a job as a paramedic on a train that transported the wounded from the front line to Moscow. For several months - from the end of 1914 to the beginning of January 1915, he made about 35, 000 dressings. Cocaine addiction left him forever. In his absence in Moscow, Nadia died of an overdose. Alexander could not find the place of her death, nor the grave.
Emigration
Alexander Nikolaevich writes that his wanderings around the world were not an escape from the Soviet regime. The new government of Russia was not perceived by them hostilely. He traveled across countries and continents along with a stream of emigrants. Vertinsky’s biography is the story of an adventurer, explorer of new lands and peoples. The theatrical and poetic environment, actors, writers and their fans in the early years kept quite closely. As they say, until they sold out all the family diamonds and squandered their talent. Many drank and became impoverished. Russian-language writers, fashionable and respected at home, were unclaimed abroad. It is difficult to write in a foreign language, in order to understand the mentality and be interesting to the public, you need to be born in this country.
The Lord favored Alexander Nikolaevich. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, he once said that when God looked through the personal files of his wards, he asked who this Pieros was, that he worked on dressings of wounded soldiers in a medical train in a seriously injured carriage? He was told that this is an artist performing sad songs. The Lord, seeing how the young man works, assigned him such a fate: "Multiply the number of dressings made by him by a million and return them to him with applause." It is true or not, but few representatives of the world of art can boast that all his life, in the most different countries of the world, he was a sought-after and well-paid artist who speaks only one, Russian. What if this is not a gift that only one received from fate - Russian Pierrot Alexander Vertinsky? Biography, personal life, interests and amazing circumstances that we know about him show a noble man who knows how to work hard and hard, not sparing his health and not chasing personal comfort. He was one of those who most enjoys the joy of other people, whether it be spectators from the concert hall, little daughters, or Lytia Vertinsky's beloved wife, whose biography is given below.
The singing recitative and the beautiful expressive routing of pale and thin Pierrot made him listen to the words of his languid and decadent songs, penetrate their intonations. As soon as he said “Above the pink sea”, the audience fell into silence. In Vertinsky there was some aristocratic magic. He controlled the mood of the public, like a mystic or a hypnotist.
Alexander Nikolaevich at different times lived in Turkey, France, Romania, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, America and China. His wanderings lasted almost 25 years. A beloved of women, a friend of kings, grand dukes, politicians, cardinals and millionaires, a regular at closed clubs for the elite, a friend of the stars of the world stage of theater and cinema, he warmly recalled his homeland all these years, wrote poems about it, was interested in the news and waited for permission to return.
Homecoming
In November 1943, wanderings in the foreign lands of Russian Pierrot ended. Alexander Nikolaevich received permission to return to the Soviet Union. Together with him went his young wife, a tiny daughter, mother-in-law and her mother. I must say that few received permission to return from exile. Most of them regretted their decision, and those who remained either began to compose flattering and deceitful praises of the Soviet regime, or, failing to understand and accept the new system, perished from alcoholism and obscurity. Vertinsky’s wife, whose biography, personal life and all interests of which, until her death, were connected with only one man, Alexander Nikolaevich, did not perceive her move to the USSR at all.
During the years of emigration, Vertinsky was not forgotten in the USSR. While he was absent, parodists and imitators acted in his image and under his last name. Thus, he did not have to gain the interest of the audience from scratch. In the Soviet Union he was remembered and waited.
Soon, a second child appeared in the family. Now there were five people in the care of Alexander Nikolaevich. In this state of affairs, one did not have to be bored or discouraged. Two tiny daughters and Vertinsky’s wife Lydia, whose biography was now inextricably linked with his own, demanded a very balanced approach to plans for the future. Of course, Lydia, the girls, the mother-in-law and her mother were consolation and support for Alexander Nikolaevich, but women could not provide for themselves. Vertinsky began touring the country, giving several concerts a day. He wrote that he was chasing a long ruble. Its routes passed through the farthest points where the capital's celebrities had never traveled to - the Far East, the Far North, Chukotka, Russky Island, the southern regions - the Caucasus, Crimea, Kuban. Communication with the family took the form of letters. He rarely found himself at home on his beloved girls' birthdays and on holidays. If he did not give concerts, then acted in films. Thanks to the surviving letters, we have the opportunity to better get to know this wonderful person.
Pecochka
“What will I leave you after death? Only education, ”Vertinsky once wrote to his wife. Lydia Zirgvava was 34 years younger than him. When they got married, she was barely 19 years old. Soon, one after another, daughters were born - Marianna and Anastasia.
Alexander Nikolaevich insisted that his wife get higher education. She entered the Surikov Art Institute. Throughout the years of her studies, her husband helped her in everything, from advice on studying disciplines to questions of writing coursework, diplomas, internships, relationships with classmates and teachers. In touching and gentle letters, he addressed her: Pekochka, Lilochka, Munichka, called strict and divine, beautiful and severe, always interested in her desires and hobbies. I bought scarce cosmetics, clothes and shoes, liked to make pleasant surprises in the form of jewelry, perfumes or rare books.
Touring life did not pamper the artist with comfort. Often, Alexander Nikolayevich had to deal with cold, hunger and rats. Traveling in the Trans-Urals brought a lot of money, but significantly undermined health. In letters, the artist does not burden his problems with his young wife, in the care of whom are two small daughters, but sometimes it is rather sad to read them.
Interesting recommendations of Lydia Vladimirovna while working in the cinema. During her short marriage, she starred in small roles in five films - "Sadko", "Don Quixote" and "New Adventures of Puss in Boots", "Kievian" and "Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors". Exotic, some kind of unearthly appearance, a chilly temperament, an icy, piercing look, that is how her heroines look. The husband told her how to talk, how to stay in front of the movie camera. He led it, carefully and responsibly brought up. Not being a big fan of painting, Alexander Nikolaevich very accurately recognized the essence of the artistic talent of Lydia Vladimirovna, so his thoughts on how to act in order to reveal and realize her gift, ideally fell on suitable soil.
This marriage was the second in the life of the artist. The first wife, Polish Rachel Potocka, could not put up with her husband’s novels on the side. They had no children, so the union broke up. In the thirtieth year, the couple parted.
Alexander Nikolaevich lived with Lydia Tsirgvava for 15 years. When he died, she was only 34 years old. The second time she did not get married. After 56 years of widowhood, Lidia Vladimirovna quietly drowned to the voice of her husband, who sang from the tape “Your fingers smell like incense”:
"And when the spring messenger
You will go to the blue land
Lord Himself on the White Stairs
It will lead you to a bright paradise. ”
So beautifully left the world wife of Vertinsky. The biography of the charming wife of the sad Pierrot ended divinely sublimely, as she should end with fabulous lovers.
Daughters
Alexander Vertinsky has a very sweet, tender and slightly sad song, "Daughters." His two daughters, Marianna and Anastasia, were surrounded by the constant care of their father until the death of Alexander Nikolaevich. During the tour, he bought them outfits and gifts, brought fruits, sweets. In one letter, from somewhere in Central Asia, he writes that he will bring a lamb and a delicious dried persimmon "king". In the Soviet Union in those years, there were big problems with food and light industry products. The father considered it his duty to give the girls the maximum that a loving father can do. And he loved them selflessly and pampered with all his heart. Reading his letters and memoirs, you can see that he was constantly and systematically engaged in their education. He raised daughters with women who respect their human dignity, and this is a feature that was almost completely absent from their Soviet contemporaries, regardless of their social status.
Both daughters became beautiful and famous actresses, as well as charming beauties who turned their heads to a considerable number of interesting men.
Cinema
Remembering Alexander Vertinsky, you can not ignore his work in the cinema.
The acting talent of Alexander Nikolaevich began to look for a way out quite early. Ещё живя в Киеве, подростком, Саша пробовал заниматься в театральной студии и участвовал в постановках, играя небольшие роли. Специального образования он не получил, а при попытке поступить в Московский художественный театр, было это в 1913 году, его кандидатуру отклонили. Причина – дефект дикции. Первые серьёзные уроки актёрского мастерства он получил в Театре миниатюр М. А. Арцыбушевой. Исполненная им из-за кулис забавная песенка «Танго» была отмечена критиком одной из столичных газет в обзоре культурных новостей города.
Роли Александра Николаевича небольшие, однако по умению точно и ярко показать характеры аристократов ему не было равных. Князь в «Анне на шее» - это умный, тонкий, хорошо образованный и внутренне брезгливый родовитый дворянин.
За роль кардинала в кинофильме «Заговор обречённых» он получил Сталинскую премию. Персонаж отрицательный, много снятого материала не вошло в прокатную версию, и тем не менее Генеральный Секретарь ЦК КПСС счёл правильным наградить актёра. Вертинский настоял на том, чтобы ему дали возможность переделать роль по собственному усмотрению, ибо то, что он должен был играть, более походило на карикатуру – киевский поп в католическом облачении. Имея опыт общения с настоящими кардиналами, он сумел создать выразительного и достоверного католического священника высшего сословия.
