Joseph Schillinger

Key facts

Lived

1895–1943, Russian

Movement

• Modernism

1. 1895Born Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger on 31 August in Kharkov, Russian Empire (now Kharkiv, Ukraine), the only child of Moses and Anna Schillinger. Wrote his first composition at age 10.
2. 1914Entered the Imperial Conservatory of Music in St. Petersburg at age 19, after studying mathematics, physics and languages at Classical College.
3. 1918Became dean of the State Academy of Music in Kharkov at age 23, while also conducting the student orchestra and, from 1920, the Ukraine Symphony.
4. 1928Emigrated to the United States at age 33 at the invitation of the American Society for Cultural Relations with Russia, settling in New York City.
5. 1932Began teaching George Gershwin in New York at age 37. Their four-year collaboration influenced Gershwin's orchestration of "Porgy and Bess". Other students included Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.
6. 1943Died on 23 March in New York City at age 47. His posthumously published "Schillinger System of Musical Composition" formed the basis of the curriculum at what became Berklee College of Music.

• What is Joseph Schillinger known for?+

  Joseph Schillinger is known for his work as a music theorist and mathematician. He also authored The Mathematical Basis of the Arts and produced some Cubist paintings, though his visual art is a minor part of his overall legacy.
• What is Joseph Schillinger's most famous work?+

  Joseph Schillinger is not known for a single, definitive artwork. He is best known for his theoretical work, the Schillinger System of Musical Composition (also known as Schillinger System of Musical Creativity). Schillinger developed this system in the 1930s and 1940s. It provides a mathematical and geometric framework for creating music and art. The system uses mathematical principles to generate melodies, harmonies, rhythms and forms. Schillinger believed that these principles could be applied to all forms of artistic expression. Although Schillinger was not primarily a visual artist, his theories have had a significant impact on 20th-century art and design. Many artists and designers have used his system to create compositions and explore new aesthetic possibilities. His students included figures in music, such as George Gershwin, and in visual art, such as Thomas Wilfred. The Schillinger System offers a structured approach to creativity. It continues to be studied by artists interested in the intersection of mathematics and art.
• What should I know about Joseph Schillinger's prints?+

  To assess Joseph Schillinger's prints, it is helpful to understand the print market. An original print is conceived and executed solely as a print, often in a numbered edition signed by the artist. Each print is made individually from a plate, stone, screen, or block created for that purpose; each is a 'multi-original'. The artist determines the number of prints in the edition, and sequential numbering accounts for the prints (e.g., 12/25 means it is print number 12 from an edition of 25). Numbering has only recently become standard; earlier prints were often unsigned or unnumbered. Organisations like the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) have defined 'original print' to help regulate the marketplace. A reproduction is a copy of artwork initially created in another medium (painting, watercolour). Reproductions are usually made using photo-mechanical methods. Numbering or signing a reproduction does not change its essence; it remains a reproduction, not an original print. Some publishers create limited editions of prints on paper and smaller editions of canvas transfers of the same image, which have the appearance of a painting. When approaching a publisher, send a query letter, a short biography, a list of galleries representing your work, and image samples.
• What style or movement did Joseph Schillinger belong to?+

  Joseph Schillinger (1895-1943) was not directly associated with a single artistic movement. He is best known for developing the Schillinger System of Musical Composition, a mathematical method of music and art creation. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Schillinger initially studied music and art. He later emigrated to the United States, where he taught his system to many students, including George Gershwin. Gershwin used Schillinger's methods in his compositions, such as "Porgy and Bess". Schillinger's system aims to provide a scientific basis for artistic creation. It uses mathematical principles to generate patterns and structures in music, visual art, and other creative fields. The system involves analysing existing works and creating new ones based on mathematical relationships. While not a movement in itself, the Schillinger System influenced various artists and composers who sought a systematic approach to their work. His approach appealed to those interested in the intersection of art and science, and in using structured methods for creative expression.
• What techniques or materials did Joseph Schillinger use?+

  Joseph Schillinger's practice encompassed diverse materials and techniques. One notable method involved sandblasting flashed glass to create what he termed 'a new type of glass picture'. This process used opaque glass, typically with a milk-glass body covered by a thin coloured film. Designs were cut into a stencil applied to the glass, and sandblasting ground a relief into the exposed areas. Schillinger likened this to tombstone carving, but with greater precision than acid etching. Varying the duration of sandblasting could produce different effects, from a dulling of the surface to a deeper relief. Glass painters' colours could also be applied and kiln-fired for permanence, although this limited the colour range. Schillinger noted the technique allowed for unusual colour intensity, particularly pure white and deep black, with precise, flat design elements. He also worked with metal, employing factory techniques like gas and arc welding. His approach mirrored locomotive construction, prioritising functional form over surface embellishments. He utilised steel for its strength and versatility, employing methods such as casting, forging, and welding.
• What was Joseph Schillinger known for?+

  Joseph Schillinger was an influential composer, music theorist, and teacher. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1895, he emigrated to the United States in 1928, where he developed his comprehensive system of musical composition, the Schillinger System of Musical Composition. This system, detailed in his two-volume book of the same name, sought to provide a mathematical and geometric framework for creating music. Schillinger analysed diverse artistic forms, from music to visual arts, identifying underlying mathematical principles. He believed that these principles could be applied to compose music in a systematic and objective way. Schillinger's approach attracted a diverse range of students, including prominent musicians, composers, and arrangers such as George Gershwin, Glenn Miller, and Benny Goodman. His system influenced the development of popular music, film scores, and concert works. Schillinger died in 1943, but his ideas continue to be studied and debated by musicians and scholars interested in the intersection of mathematics, geometry, and music.
• When did Joseph Schillinger live and work?+

  Joseph Schillinger was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1895. He died in New York City in 1943. Schillinger's early career was centred in his homeland. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. By 1918, he was Head of the Methodology Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education. He then headed the experimental department of music education at the State Institute of Arts. In 1928, Schillinger emigrated to the United States, where he spent the rest of his life teaching and developing his theories. He is most known for the Schillinger System of Musical Composition, a method that uses mathematical principles to create music. This system attracted a following among musicians, composers, and even filmmakers. Some of his notable students included George Gershwin, Glenn Miller, and Benny Goodman. Schillinger also wrote on art and design, applying similar mathematical concepts to visual forms.
• Where can I see Joseph Schillinger's work?+

  It is difficult to say where one can view Schillinger's work. He is best known as a music theorist and composition teacher; information about his artwork is scarce. However, museums with collections of Art Deco objects sometimes include works by lesser-known associated figures. These include institutions in the United States, such as the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In the United Kingdom, the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) may be of interest. In Germany, see the Bauhaus Archive-Museum für Gestaltung (Berlin), the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, the Bröhan-Museum (Berlin), the Kunstgewerbe Museum of Decorative Arts (Berlin), the Museum beim Markt (Karlsruhe), and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg). The MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Art/Contemporary Art is located in Vienna, Austria.
• Where was Joseph Schillinger from?+

  Joseph Schillinger was born in Kharkiv (then part of the Russian Empire, now Ukraine) in 1895. He received his early education in music and art in Kharkiv, and later studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Schillinger's early career was centred in Russia. He taught at the Kharkiv Conservatory and the State Institute of Art History in Saint Petersburg. His theories gained attention in artistic and intellectual circles. In the 1920s, Schillinger emigrated to the United States. He continued developing and promoting his ideas, which he synthesised into the Schillinger System of Musical Composition. This system, applicable across various artistic disciplines, aimed to provide a scientific basis for creativity. Schillinger taught privately, with notable students including George Gershwin. He published *The Schillinger System of Musical Composition* in 1941, shortly before his death in New York City in 1943.
• Who did Joseph Schillinger influence?+

  Oskar Fischinger's ideas had a considerable effect on many in the arts, even though he lacked mainstream fame. His concept of a Gesamtkunstwerk (a synthesis of visual, musical, and dynamic elements) inspired people working in diverse fields. He had contact with Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Arnold Schoenberg, Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, Peter Krasnow, Harry Bertoia, and Knud Merrild in Los Angeles. Stanton Macdonald-Wright, co-creator of Synchromism, discussed colour-music relationships with Fischinger. Young filmmakers, such as the Whitney brothers, Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, Curtis Harrington, and Kenneth Anger, visited him. Harry Smith painted directly on film after meeting Fischinger. Harry Bertoia's moving metal sculptures that emit sound may owe something to their friendship. John Cage found inspiration in Fischinger's notion that all objects possess a spirit that can become sound through vibration. Fischinger's work also had an impact on European musicians, such as Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
• Who influenced Joseph Schillinger?+

  Joseph Schillinger's artistic and theoretical development was shaped by several factors, including his early exposure to Russian Futurism and his later engagement with mathematical and scientific principles. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1895, Schillinger initially absorbed the avant-garde ideas circulating in pre-revolutionary Russia. This included an appreciation for geometric abstraction and a desire to integrate art with modern life. Later, Schillinger synthesised diverse influences into his own comprehensive system. He drew upon mathematics, physics, and music theory to formulate a structured approach to artistic creation. This system aimed to provide artists with a rational framework for generating novel forms and compositions. While it is difficult to pinpoint specific individuals, the intellectual climate of early 20th-century Europe, with its emphasis on scientific rationalism and artistic experimentation, undoubtedly played a role in shaping Schillinger's thought. His focus on systematisation also suggests the influence of earlier theorists who sought to codify artistic principles.
• Who was Joseph Schillinger?+

  Joseph Schillinger (1895-1943) was an artist, composer, and music theorist of Russian origin. He received a diploma in engineering and architecture from Riga Technological University in 1916. In 1919, Marc Chagall invited Schillinger to teach graphics and architecture at the Vitebsk Art Institute. Schillinger later sided with Malevich, becoming a member of Posnovis and Unovis. In 1921, he lectured in the architecture department of the Vkhutemas in Moscow. He exhibited a Proun and other works at the First Russian Art Exhibition in Berlin, and created his Proun Room for the Great Berlin Art Exhibition of 1923. From 1925 to 1930, he taught in the wood and metalwork department of the Vkhutemas/Vkhutein in Moscow. In 1928, he planned and directed the installation of the Soviet Pavilion at the International Press Exhibition in Cologne. Schillinger is best known for his Schillinger System of Musical Composition, a mathematical approach to musical composition and art that influenced many 20th-century artists and musicians.