Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Samuil Feinberg
Person · male · Russian Empire · Odesa · born 1890 · died 1962 · recording since 1994
Russian pianist and composer (1890–1962)
streamingdatabasedatabasedatabasedatabase
Listen on SpotifyYouTube Music
Also known as Samuil Feinberg · Samouïl Feinberg · Samuel Feinberg · Samuil Jewgenjewitsch Feinberg · 萨姆伊尔·费恩伯格
Timeline
9 events▣ Album 6◦ Birth 1† Death 1★ Debut release 1
1890s
1960s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography354 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1376530850
Biography
Samuil Yevgenyevich Feinberg (Russian: Самуи́л Евге́ньевич Фе́йнберг, also Samuel; 26 May 1890 – 22 October 1962) was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist.
Biography
Born in Odessa, Feinberg lived in Moscow from 1894 and studied with Aleksandr Goldenweiser at the Moscow Conservatory. He also studied composition privately under Nikolai Zhilyayev. He graduated from the Conservatory in 1911, after which he embarked upon a career as a solo pianist, while composing on the side. However, he was soon sent to fight in the First World War for Russia until he became ill and was discharged. In 1922, he joined the faculty at the Moscow Conservatory, relaunching his pianistic career. By 1930, due to the political repressions in Stalin's Russia, Feinberg's concert activities became limited. He made only two foreign trips in the 1930s: Vienna in 1936 and Brussels in 1938; hence he is generally not well known outside Russia. In 1946, he was awarded the Stalin Prize.
Feinberg was the first pianist to perform the complete The Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach in concert in the USSR. He is most remembered today for his complete recording of it, and many other works from the classical and romantic eras. He also composed three piano concertos, a dozen piano sonatas (private recordings exist of him playing his piano Sonatas 1, 2, 9 and 12), as well as fantasias and other works for the instrument. Pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva said that each of his sonatas was a "poem of life". Feinberg has been called "A musical heir to Scriabin", who heard the young pianist play his fourth sonata and praised it highly.
He was a life-long bachelor. He lived with his brother Leonid, who was a poet and painter. He died in 1962, aged 72.
Honours and awards
Order of Lenin
Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1937)
Stalin Prize (1946)
Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour
Concertante
Op. 20: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major (1931)
Op. 36: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D major (1944)
Op. 44: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor (1947)
Violin sonatas
Op. 12: Violin Sonata No. 1 (1912, incomplete)
Op. 46: Violin Sonata No. 2 (1955–56)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 17 | 76.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -32 | 7.4th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (6 release groups · 6 studio albums)
Albums · 6
The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846-893
1994 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 48 tracks · 3:40:47
Disc 11Prelude & Fugue I In C Major, BWV 8464:422Prelude & Fugue II In C Minor, BWV 8472:543Prelude & Fugue III In C Sharp Major, BWV 8483:234Prelude & Fugue IV In C Sharp Minor, BWV 8497:415Prelude & Fugue V In D Major, BWV 8503:006Prelude & Fugue VI In D Minor, BWV 8513:377Prelude & Fugue VII In E Flat Major, BWV 8524:368Prelude & Fugue VIII In E Flat Minor, BWV 8539:099Prelude & Fugue IX In E Major, BWV 8542:1510Prelude & Fugue X In E Minor, BWV 8553:3911Prelude & Fugue XI In F Major, BWV 8562:0512Prelude & Fugue XII In F Minor, BWV 8577:06Disc 21Prelude & Fugue XIII In F Sharp Major, BWV 8582:592Prelude & Fugue XIV In F Sharp Minor, BWV 8594:523Prelude & Fugue XV In G Major, BWV 8603:124Prelude & Fugue XVI In G Minor, BWV 8614:445Prelude & Fugue XVII In A Flat Major, BWV 8624:006Prelude & Fugue XVIII In G Sharp Minor, BWV 8633:407Prelude & Fugue XIX In A Major, BWV 8642:498Prelude & Fugue XX In A Minor, BWV 8655:269Prelude & Fugue XXI In B Flat Major, BWV 8662:3010Prelude & Fugue XXII In B Flat Minor, BWV 8675:4311Prelude & Fugue XXIII In B Major, BWV 8683:1612Prelude & Fugue XXIV In B Minor, BWV 86910:04Disc 31Prelude & Fugue I In C Major, BWV 8704:052Prelude & Fugue II In C Minor, BWV 8713:213Prelude & Fugue III In C Sharp Major, BWV 8722:544Prelude & Fugue IV In C Sharp Minor, BWV 8736:555Prelude & Fugue V In D Major, BWV 8744:386Prelude & Fugue VI In D Minor, BWV 8753:217Prelude & Fugue VII In E Flat Major, BWV 8764:008Prelude & Fugue VIII In E Flat Minor, BWV 8776:229Prelude & Fugue IX In E Major, BWV 8785:3710Prelude & Fugue X In E Minor, BWV 8794:1511Prelude & Fugue XI In F Major, BWV 8803:5212Prelude & Fugue XII In F Minor, BWV 8813:21Disc 41Prelude & Fugue XIII In F Sharp Major, BWV 8825:372Prelude & Fugue XIV In F Sharp Minor, BWV 8837:073Prelude & Fugue XV In G Major, BWV 8842:124Prelude & Fugue XVI In G Minor, BWV 8855:515Prelude & Fugue XVII In A Flat Major, BWV 8867:556Prelude & Fugue XVIII In G Sharp Minor, BWV 8875:587Prelude & Fugue XIX In A Major, BWV 8882:238Prelude & Fugue XX In A Minor, BWV 8894:099Prelude & Fugue XXI In B Flat Major, BWV 8904:2110Prelude & Fugue XXII In B Flat Minor, BWV 8916:1611Prelude & Fugue XXIII In B Major, BWV 8925:3612Prelude & Fugue XXIV In B Minor, BWV 8933:192003 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:12:24
1Piano Sonata no. 1, op. 17:342Piano Sonata no. 2, op. 29:123Piano Sonata no. 3, op. 3: I. Prelude. Lento assai, ma sempre inquieto e rubato molto3:264Piano Sonata no. 3, op. 3: II. Marcia Funebre. Lugubre e maestoso6:495Piano Sonata no. 3, op. 3: III. Sonata. Allegro appassionato13:226Piano Sonata no. 4, op. 68:487Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 108:188Piano Sonata no. 6, op. 1314:552004 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:18:13
1Piano Sonata no. 7, op. 21: I. Allegro moderato10:492Piano Sonata no. 7, op. 21: II. Larghetto5:133Piano Sonata no. 7, op. 21: III. Epilogue. Tempo I2:364Piano Sonata no. 8, op. 21a: I. un poco animato7:355Piano Sonata no. 8, op. 21a: II. Andante4:086Piano Sonata no. 8, op. 21a: III. Allegro3:117Piano Sonata no. 9, op. 299:068Piano Sonata no. 10, op. 3011:429Piano Sonata no. 11 in C major, op. 4011:0810Piano Sonata no. 12, op. 48: I. Sonatina3:5311Piano Sonata no. 12, op. 48: II. Intermezzo4:3912Piano Sonata no. 12, op. 48: III. Improvisation4:132004 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:30:31
Disc 11Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548: Prelude6:032Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548: Fugue7:263Largo from Trio Sonata no. 5, BWV 5297:484Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 6635:525Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 7113:166Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 6627:117An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 6535:118Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 7203:209Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, BWV 6586:0610Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten, BWV 6472:4111Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter, BWV 6503:2712Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV 6553:4613Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 6654:2514Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 6594:3815Ach bleib’ bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 6492:3816Valet will ich dir geben, BWV 7353:36Disc 21Concerto in A minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 593: I. Allegro4:122Concerto in A minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 593: II. Adagio3:563Concerto in A minor (after Vivaldi), BWV 593: III. Allegro4:592016 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:07:02
1Four Etudes, op. 2: no. 1 in D minor2:142Four Etudes, op. 2: no. 2 in E minor2:583Four Etudes, op. 2: no. 3 in C minor3:344Four Etudes, op. 2: no. 4 in C minor1:255Grosse Klaviersuite, op. 6: I. Invention3:416Grosse Klaviersuite, op. 6: II. Chor5:247Grosse Klaviersuite, op. 6: III. Lied3:568Grosse Klaviersuite, op. 6: IV. Fuga3:309Piano Sonata no. 1, op. 1211:3610On the Other Side, op. 47: I. Allegretto1:2211On the Other Side, op. 47: II. Lento3:0412On the Other Side, op. 47: III. Vivo0:5713On the Other Side, op. 47: IV. Allegretto1:3514On the Other Side, op. 47: V. Andante cantabile3:3715On the Other Side, op. 47: VI. Vivo0:5116On the Other Side, op. 47: VII. Moderato1:4817Piano Sonata no. 6, op. 1315:302019 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 15 tracks · 59:32
1Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 1, op. 12: I. Allegro ma non troppo e cantando3:412Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 1, op. 12: II. Allegro2:583Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 1, op. 12: III. Largo5:214Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 1, op. 12: IV. Allegro vivace6:195Fantasia for Piano no. 1, op. 511:126Suite no. 1 for Piano, op. 11 “4 pièces en forme d’études”: I. Leggiero e cantando2:117Suite no. 1 for Piano, op. 11 “4 pièces en forme d’études”: II. Con moto0:438Suite no. 1 for Piano, op. 11 “4 pièces en forme d’études”: III. Affanato1:089Suite no. 1 for Piano, op. 11 “4 pièces en forme d’études”: IV. Tranquillo e cantabile1:3410Sonata for Piano no. 1: I. Agitato4:5511Sonata for Piano no. 1: II. Adagio4:1112Sonata for Piano no. 1: III. Molto vivace7:3413Suite 1945 (Theresienstadt) for Piano: I. Präludium1:4014Suite 1945 (Theresienstadt) for Piano: II. Intermezzo – Grave4:2515Suite 1945 (Theresienstadt) for Piano: III. Postludium – Presto1:40
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Samuil Feinberg head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 17 | 76.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 6 | 79.7th |
| Studio albums | 6 | 86.1th |
| Awards recorded | 5 | 97.4th |
| Timeline events | 9 | 85.5th |
| Recording span (years) | -32 | 7.4th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Honored art worker of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | won | |
| — | Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" | won | |
| — | Order of Lenin | won | |
| — | Order of the Red Banner of Labour | won | |
| — | Stalin Prize | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samuil_Yevgenyevich_Feinberg_%281890%E2%80%931962%29.pngaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d45c172a-05ae-4994-8f3b-211206b8bc35discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d45c172a-05ae-4994-8f3b-211206b8bc35core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1971227genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1971227seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuil_Feinbergbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuil_Feinberg
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q1971227 · MusicBrainz: d45c172a-05ae-4994-8f3b-211206b8bc35
Similar artists
Browse every Tier 3 artist →Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.
Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld
Russian Empire · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1994, same year · from Russian Empire
20 wikis
Ján Levoslav Bella
Austrian Empire · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1994, same year
15 wikis
Lord Berners
United Kingdom · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1995, 1 year apart
15 wikis
Marc Blitzstein
United States · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1991, 3 years apart
15 wikis
Woldemar Bargiel
Kingdom of Prussia · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1994, same year
15 wikis
John Luther Adams
United States · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1993, 1 year apart
14 wikis
Dionisio Aguado y García
Spain · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1996, 2 years apart
20 wikis
Francesco Barsanti
Kingdom of Great Britain · Person
classical music
1 shared genre tag · debut 1994, same year
13 wikis