Origins & Early Life

Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (19 October [O.S. 6 October] 1916 – 14 October 1985; born Samuil) was a Russian and Soviet pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. His sister Elizabeth, three years his junior, was a violinist.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His daughter Elena became a pianist. Gilels was born to a Jewish family on 19 October [O.S. 6 October] 1916 in Odessa in the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) to Gesya and Grigory Gilels. His father worked as a clerk in a sugar refinery. Gilels had perfect pitch, and at the age of five-and-a-half, he began lessons with Yakov Isaakovich Tkach, a piano pedagogue in Odessa.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

A quick learner, he was playing all three volumes of Loeschhorn's studies within a few months, and soon afterwards Clementi and Mozart sonatinas. Gilels later credited this strict training with Tkach for establishing the foundation of his technique. In turn, Tkach commented of Gilels, using a diminutive, "Milya Gilels possesses the abilities of one who is born solely for the purpose of becoming a pianist, and that with the required attention to his development, the USSR would in the future enrich itself with the acquisition of a world...

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• 1916 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1916
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