Foundation and Publishing House

In 1884, the Russian music lover and patron Mitrofan Petrovich Belaieff (1836-1903) set up a foundation for the encouragement of young Russian composers in St. Petersburg. A year later, Belaieff was granted permission to pursue ‘the trade of music publisher-dealer’ in Leipzig, the business being entered in the Commercial Register of Leipzig on 4 July 1995. Thus, the foundation was laid for two institutions which can be said without exaggeration to have gone down in music history. The importance and fame of many Russian composers such as Borodin,Glazunow, Scriabin might not have been possible without the pioneering work of Belaieff – a man who invested almost all his money, human power, even his whole life into the development and flourishing of Russian music without being driven by selfishness and thirst for glory.

Belaieff’s charisma was so great, even during his lifetime, that he attracted a circle of composers and musicians who regularly gathered at his home. In the musical life of that time, ‘Friday evenings’ played an important role. In addition, in 1884, Belaieff introduced the ‘Russian Symphony Concerts’ in St. Petersburg.

Upon his death in December 1903, he left a legacy that has lasted well beyond his death. Until his death, the Foundation was headed by him, later by a board of trustees. In his will, the ‘publisher-artist’ had laid down clear guidelines as to how both publishing house and foundation should be continued after his death. Since then, the acitivities of the publishing house and the foundation have also included the organisation of the so-called Belaieff-Concerts which now take place regularly in Hamburg.

After 1949, the company moved to Bonn. From 1971 to 2006, the publishing house was managed by the music publisher C.F. Peters in Frankfurt; since 1 July 2006, the music publisher M.P. Belaieff has got ist own office near Hamburg and works in close collaboration with Schott Music, Mainz.