Bourgeois culture is particularly attractive. Both poetic and musical works of this genre have an intimate connotation. Oskar Strok composed tango and foxtrots for two, but millions of people fell in love with these dances.
A distant start
Music is able to unite, albeit for a short time, people of different nationalities and political preferences. In modern reference books, Oskar Davidovich Strok is presented as a Latvian, Russian and Soviet composer. It is difficult to find such a presentation in history. The famous composer and accompanist was born on January 6, 1893 in a large family. The boy was the youngest of eight children in the house. Parents at that time lived in the small town of Dinaburg, on the territory of the Vitebsk province of the Russian Empire.
The composer's father directed the army orchestra. The mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. The child grew up surrounded by care and love. In the parental home there was a piano, on which the children learned to play under the supervision of their mother. Oscar has demonstrated unique musical abilities from an early age. Already at the age of 12, he not only played the piano perfectly, but also composed his first romance. With great difficulty, the father obtained permission to move to St. Petersburg so that his son could receive a musical education at the conservatory in the piano class.
Commerce and creativity
As a student, Oskar Davidovich worked as an accompanist in cinema and on stage. After completing his studies, the young musician moved to Riga for permanent residence. Here he regularly gave concerts. He wrote new melodies and songs based on the words of famous poets. In the 1920s he often went on tour to Poland and Germany. With the money he earned, he began to publish the weekly magazine Novaya Niva and even opened a restaurant. However, commercial projects turned out to be unprofitable, and the composer ended up in a debt prison. In order not to waste time in vain, in the dungeons Strok wrote the tango, which was popular in the future, "My dear Mussenka."
Before the war, Soviet power was established in Latvia. The composer was allowed to work, which he did. When the war broke out, the Strokov family was evacuated to Moscow. Oscar Davidovich organized a musical group, with which he performed in front of the soldiers of the Red Army. Especially for such performances, he wrote the song "We will win!", Which he performed at the end of the concerts. After the victory, the composer and his wife returned to Riga, where he continued his musical work.
Recognition and privacy
Over the years, the music of Oskar Strok was unclaimed in the Soviet Union. All over the world, his melodies sounded without the slightest limitation. And only in the 70s, records with the maestro's recordings began to appear.
The personal life of the great composer went well. He married Louise Eduardovna Schusler back in 1918. The husband and wife raised a son and a daughter. Oscar Strok died of heart failure in June 1975.
