Reinhold Glière

Reinhold Moritzovich Glière (January 11, 1875 - June 23, 1956) was a Russian composer.

He was born in Kiev, and studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Sergey Taneyev, Anton Arensky and Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov among others. He was himself professor of composition at the conservatory from 1920 to 1941, when his pupils included Sergei Prokofiev and Aram Khachaturian. From 1938 to 1948 he was chairman of the organising committee of the USSR Composers' Union. He died in Moscow.

Among his better known works are his concerto for harp, the last of his three symphonies (Ilya Mourometz, 1909-11) and his ballet score The Red Poppy (1927), which includes the sometimes-excerpted "Dance of the Russian Sailors". He also wrote several other ballets, operas, a concerto for coloratura soprano, and various other pieces. His music is in a fairly traditional Romantic idiom, with nationalistic elements.