TUMBLEWEED

About

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Taneev Museum is located in a sleepy hamlet close to Zvenigorod with several beautiful wooden houses with traditional decor. Dyutkovo stays half-empty in cold seasons, and is much more lively in summer when Moscovites come to enjoy the countryside here. It's been like that for over a century now, when middle-class Moscovites started to rent houses not too far from Moscow to enjoy the summer months outside the bustling city. And Sergei Taneev was one of them. A renowned pianist, composer and music theorist, whose teachers were Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein, Taneev became the head of the Moscow Conservatory after the resignation of Tchaikovsky. He taught in Conservatory for over 20 years, and became known as the master of countrpoint. Although he was born in Vladimir, and spent most of his life in Moscow, the only museum dedicated to him is located in the place where he spent the last few years of his life, and where he died in 1915. The old wooden houses has only 3 rooms, there're photos of Taneev, his notes, letters, books, and furniture. He never actually lived in this house, his house stands nearby, and there's a plaque on it so you won't miss it. The house where the museum is located once belonged to a close friend of Taneev, the one who persuaded him to rent a house in Dyutkovo. 

The best time to visit the museum is November-December, and May-July when the Taneev Music Festival is on, and there're concerts every weekend. Take time to explore the rest of the village, and see beautiful examples of old Russian houses with traditional wooden decor.