When he passed into orbit on
December 25 1995 at the age of 101 2/3,
it suddenly became apparent that the
Christian name of this secular Jewish
genius of modern music had assumed a
double entendre. After sharing names
with the Czar of Imperial Russia,
conductor, composer, musicologist and
lexicographer Nicolas Slonimsky now
had passed into Sainthood, musicologically,
chronologically and orthodoxically.
A man born on three dates in three
different cities had made a dramatically
timed exit - his parting Christmas
present to future writers on 20th Century
music of the avant-garde.

© 1996 Charles Amirkhanian