A.F. Lvov

LVOV, Alexei Fyodorovich. b. 5 June 1798, Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia; d. Kovno (Now Kaunus), Lithuania, 28 December 1870. Lvov was the son of Prince Fyodor Petrovich Lvov, the director of music at the Court Chapel at St Petersburg. He served as an officer in the Imperial army, rising to the rank of General, and becoming an aide-de-camp to the Tsar. He succeeded his father as musical director at St Petersburg in 1837, remaining in post until 1861, when he was forced to retire owing to increasing deafness. He is remembered for the magnificent tune, sometimes given the name RUSSIA in hymnbooks (or RUSSIAN HYMN). It was originally a piece of music entitled ‘The Russian People’s Prayer’, but...