Deciphering the Musical Language of Nicolas Obouhow

Nicolas Borisovich Obouhow (1892–1954) plays a significant role as an avant-garde composer who experimented, very early, with a 12-tone system and electronic sounds. This monograph reveals that Obouhow composed under the guise of a highly organised system which was formed and influenced by a mystical search that places him in a broader international cultural context associated with the occult and a belief in the transcendental power of sound. Through detailed and intelligible analysis of his compositions, the author also deciphers how Obouhow’s 12-tone harmonies and synthetic scale systems operate.

The story of Obouhow and his life-long quest, through his craft, for peace and unity, in a world destabilised by the upheavals of the 20th century, amidst war, revolution and expatriation, is not just the curious tale of a maverick émigré of bygone, tumultuous days. He embarked on his search more than a century ago, and his journey is still relevant today in a world that continues to experience upheavals and wars. This research examines the way Obouhow’s views were expressed in musical terms and how Obouhow contributed to the early decades of modernism with his highly creative methods and original musical language.

Azadeh Atri is a pianist, composer, scholar, and essayist. She gained first-class honours for writing piano compositions of pedagogical intent, becoming the first composer to incorporate aspects of traditional Persian sources into pedagogical pieces. These works are available on the website of the National Library of Australia. She completed her doctoral degree at the Australian National University and her primary research area is the compositional methods of early 20th-century composers, particularly those of Nicolas Obouhow. Dr Atri’s research interests also include arts education and the professional development of arts teachers about which she has contributed an article. She is the author of philosophical essays and short stories, titled Deliriums.