Prokofiev was born in Sontsovka (now Krasnoye in Donetsk oblast), Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. He displayed unusual musical abilities by the age of five. His first piano composition to be written down (by his mother), an 'Indian Gallop', was in the key of F Lydian (F major with a B natural instead of B flat) as the young Prokofiev felt 'reluctance to tackle the black notes'[2]. By the age of seven, he had also learned to play chess. ...show more

Prokofiev was born in Sontsovka (now Krasnoye in Donetsk oblast), Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. He displayed unusual musical abilities by the age of five. His first piano composition to be written down (by his mother), an 'Indian Gallop', was in the key of F Lydian (F major with a B natural instead of B flat) as the young Prokofiev felt 'reluctance to tackle the black notes'[2]. By the age of seven, he had also learned to play chess.

Much like music, chess would remain a passion his entire life, and he became acquainted with world chess champions Capablanca and Botvinnik. At the age of nine he was composing his first opera,[3] The Giant, as well as an overture and miscellaneous pieces. In 1902, Prokofiev's mother obtained an audience with Sergei Taneyev, director of the Moscow Conservatoire. Taneyev suggested that Prokofiev should start lessons in composition with Alexander Goldenweiser, who declined, and Reinhold Glière.[4] Glière visited Prokofiev in Sontsovka twice during the summer to teach him.[5] By then Prokofiev had already produced a number of innovative pieces.

As soon as he had the necessary theoretical tools, he quickly started experimenting, laying the base for his own musical style. After a while, Prokofiev felt that the isolation in Sontsovka was restricting his further musical development.[6] Although his parents were not too keen on forcing their son into a musical career at such an early age,[7] in 1904 he moved to Saint Petersburg and applied to the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, after encouragement by the director Alexander Glazunov, who was later unhappy with Prokofiev's music.[8] By this point Prokofiev had composed two more operas, Desert Islands and The Feast during the Plague and was working on his fourth, Undine.[9] He passed the introductory tests and started his composition studies the same year. Being several years younger than most of his classmates, he was viewed as eccentric and arrogant, and he often expressed dissatisfaction with much of the education, which he found boring.[10] During this period he studied under, among others, Anatol Liadov, Nikolai Tcherepnin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Later, he would regret squandering his opportunity to learn more from Rimsky-Korsakov.[citation needed] He also became friends with Boris Asafiev and Nikolai Myaskovsky. ...show less