Vasilii Vasilevich Andreev

Born Jan. 3 (15), 1861, in Bezhetsk, Tver Province; died Dec. 26, 1918, in Petrograd. Russian musician and balalaika virtuoso.

Andreev organized and directed the first orchestra of Russian folk instruments in 1887 in St. Petersburg. Beginning in 1888 his orchestra was successful in Russia and abroad (France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and Canada). On Andreev’s initiative and with his participation, balalaikas of various sizes and ranges were created, the domra was perfected, and many orchestras of Russian folk instruments were organized. Andreev’s work was highly esteemed by L. N. Tolstoy, M. Gorky, I. E. Repin, P. I. Tchaikovsky, and others. Andreev created concert pieces for the balalaika (waltzes, etc.) and The Art of Playing the Balalaika (1894). The Leningrad Radio Folk Orchestra has adopted Andreev’s name.