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The life and music of Alexander Scriabin: Megalomania revisited

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The life and music of Alexander Scriabin: megalomania revisited

Vladan Starcevic
Australas Psychiatry 2012 20: 57 originally published online 9 January 2012
DOI: 10.1177/1039856211432480

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Vladan Starcevic  Associate Professor, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Abstract
Objective:  To shed more light on the relationship between the grandiosity of the Russian composer Alexander
Scriabin (1872–1915) and his creative output, and discuss its implications for psychopathology.
Conclusions:  Scriabin was a highly original composer, who brought innovations to the idiom of music. He
firmly believed that music and philosophy were inseparable and that music was only a vehicle for expressing
ideas and emotional states. As Scriabin was getting more preoccupied with mysticism and as he was develop-
ing a belief that his mission was to save the world through his art, his music became more esoteric. Over the
last five years of his life, he composed relatively little, as he was working on a supergrandiose project that he
never completed. Scriabin’s grandiosity, which had delusional qualities, might have diminished his creativity
towards the end of his life and contributed to his destructive fantasies. All along, his social façade was well
preserved and he was not noted to exhibit overt psychotic behaviour, suggesting an encapsulated delusional
megalomania. The implications of megalomania, especially in creative or otherwise influential individuals,
are briefly discussed.

Keywords:  Alexander Scriabin, creativity, grandiosity, megalomania, music, narcissism

I am God!
I am nothing, I am play, I am freedom, I am life.
I am the boundary, I am the peak.

If these words were not uttered by a psychotic person,

perhaps they would be thought of as being a part of a
poem. The Russian composer Alexander Scriabin (1872–
1915) (Figure 1) was not regarded as having an overt psy-
chotic illness nor was he a poet. Yet he was making such
statements both privately and publically, and he was
apparently serious doing so. This intriguing composer
left a body of instantly recognisable work that continues
to nurture curiosity about the person behind the music.
The present article will attempt to shed more light on
the relationship between Scriabin’s grandiosity and his
music, discussing its implications for psychopathology.

Figure 1.  The Russian composer, Alexander Scriabin

Biography (1872-1915)
Scriabin was born into an aristocratic family in Moscow
in 1872. His mother was a gifted pianist and his father
Correspondence:
studied law and became a diplomat. Scriabin was their Associate Professor Vladan Starcevic, Nepean Hospital,
only child and his mother died when he was only one Department of Psychiatry, PO Box 63, Penrith NSW 2751,
year old. He was subsequently looked after by his pater- Australia
nal aunt. His father continued a diplomatic career, later Email: starcev@wahs.nsw.gov.au; vladan.starcevic@sydney.
remarried and kept little contact with his son. edu.au

57
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 Australasian Psychiatry 20(1)

Scriabin grew up in a nurturing and loving environment
provided by his aunt. His musical talent became apparent
in early childhood and he received musical lessons from
various teachers. At the age of 16, he entered the Moscow
Conservatory, where he distinguished himself, but also had
turbulent interactions with some of his teachers and fellow
students. As a result, he graduated from the Conservatory
with a diploma in piano, but not composition.
When he was 25, Scriabin married a pianist, with whom
he had four children. He became a teacher at the Moscow
Conservatory and composed mainly works for piano. He
quickly established himself as a concert pianist, touring
Russia and other countries.
Scriabin’s marriage was not a happy one. In 1903, he left
his family for another woman, provoking a scandal and
condemnation. Scriabin’s wife did not agree to a divorce,
and he could not remarry. This, however, did not pre-
vent him and his new partner from living together and
travelling extensively. They spent six years in several
European countries and the USA and, during this time,
Scriabin became even more widely known as a composer
and performer.
Scriabin returned to Russia in 1909, where he continued
composing, teaching and performing. In 1915, at the
age of 43, he died of septicaemia caused by an injured
carbuncle on his lip.
Evolution of Scriabin’s music
Scriabin’s creative output spans two distinct periods. In
the first, he composed mainly piano music in the tradi-
tional style, often compared to that of Chopin. The sec-
ond phase gradually emerged from the first and the
works composed during this period were increasingly
characterised by a novel musical language and new, bold
harmonies and textures. These compositions, which
include both piano pieces and symphonic works, have
come to epitomise his oeuvre.
During the second phase, Scriabin adopted a view that
music should not stand on its own and that it had to be
a ‘total work of art’, expressing certain ideas and being
tied to a philosophical system. In this regard, Scriabin
was initially influenced by Richard Wagner and Friedrich
Nietzsche, but it was ultimately Theosophy where he
found home for his philosophical and spiritual yearn-
ings. Accordingly, Scriabin embraced the notions of spir-
itual ecstasy, transformative experience and revelation,
and thought that they should be expressed by his music.
Not surprisingly, therefore, many of his compositions
written after 1900 have a rather unique, mystical, eso-
teric or even ‘psychedelic’ character. Scriabin went a step
further and saw his music not just as a powerful expres-
sive tool; eventually, he came to believe that it was his
mission to transform and even save the world through
his art and bring to it unlimited freedom.1-3
One striking feature of Scriabin’s later music is ‘economy
of expression’,4 which is evident in the condensing of
his compositions over time. While his First Symphony is
a protracted six-movement work that lasts almost 50
minutes, his last symphony ‘Prometheus – the Poem of
Fire’ is a very dense and compact 20-minute piece, con-
sisting of one movement and more akin to a tone poem.
Scriabin’s Piano Sonatas show a similar evolution, with
the last six of them being brief, one-movement works,
seemingly composed as outpourings of the rapturous
creative power.
The ‘Mysterium’, an ultimate
grandiose project
‘Prometheus – the Poem of Fire’ was Scriabin’s last com-
pleted orchestral work. Perhaps he had reached the lim-
its of his symphonic craftsmanship, following which he
could compose either miniatures, such as piano pieces,
or something more grandiose, surpassing the scope of
orchestral music. Thus, during the last five years of his
life, most of his energy went into the supergrandiose
project called ‘Mysterium’, which he never completed.
He also wrote several piano sonatas and other composi-
tions for piano.
Scriabin conceived of the ‘Mysterium’ as a synthesis of
all the arts, the performance of which would be so over-
whelming that it would lead to a cataclysm, formation
of a new world and the beginning of an age of ecstasy. In
preparation for the ‘Mysterium’, Scriabin started work-
ing on a ‘Prefatory Act’, which was to be a huge festival-
like event, taking place in India with the Himalayas in
the background. This would include music, dancing,
singing, special light and visual effects, and use of vari-
ous fragrances, thus engaging multiple human senses.
It is not entirely clear whether Scriabin believed that
such an outrageously grandiose and impossible project
was achievable. It appears that he took it seriously, but
even more strikingly, so did his friends, supporters and
some musicians. The conductor Sergei Koussevitsky
even bought the rights from Scriabin to publish and per-
form the ‘Mysterium’. And if the ‘Mysterium’ was a delu-
sional project,3 how did Scriabin manage to make others
adopt that delusion? Was this a case of an ‘artistic’ folie
à plusieurs?
As expected, the ‘Mysterium’ was subject to vastly differ-
ent reactions and interpretations. Some met it with out-
right rejection and saw it as a product of a troubled mind
and as final confirmation that Scriabin was ‘egomania-
cal’ and mad. Others were not so dismissive, but thought
of it as no more than a reflection of his flamboyant and
eccentric personality, which did not deserve much atten-
tion anyway. Some wondered what this work would
have been like had it somehow been completed. Owing
to the ‘Mysterium’, Scriabin was credited for ‘introduc-
ing madness’ into music.1 The ‘Mysterum’ was also
interpreted as an expression of a soul wounded by an
early loss of mother, perhaps suggesting Scriabin’s long-
ing for reunion with his mother and return into her
womb.5

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Starcevic
Scriabin’s idiosyncrasies and
vulnerabilities
It has been suggested that the origin of Scriabin’s extraor-
dinary personality, creativity and grandiosity can be
found in an unusual devotion of his aunt and her com-
plete focus on him.4 Accordingly, she might have
instilled in him a sense of omnipotence, although this
degree of attention and care might not have been suffi-
cient to compensate for the loss of his mother. Also, as
Scriabin grew up without a strong and consistently pre-
sent paternal figure, there was no male to serve as a role
model or with whom to compete. Perhaps as a result of
all this, Scriabin’s inner world was developing without
bounds and limitations, serving as the precursor of his
grandiosity and stimulating his creativity.
Much has also been made of the fact that Scriabin was
born on Christmas Day (according to the Julian calendar,
which was in official use in the tsarist Russia) and that
this heralded his ‘special mission’. Although it is not
clear whether Scriabin went so far as to identify himself
with a Christ-like figure, it was commented that he cer-
tainly nurtured a perception of himself as a new Messiah.1
It can only be speculated what effects, negative and pos-
itive, the absence of both parents coupled with the self-
less and endless care provided by his aunt, had on
Scriabin’s development. Still, there are indications of
some early difficulties and psychological problems
throughout his life. As a child, Scriabin was described as
thin, frail and shy with his peers, and he was apparently
teased by other boys because of his small stature.2 In a
biography of Scriabin, it was noted that he later exhib-
ited ‘nervous gestures’, had fears of infection and con-
tamination, often washed his hands, wore gloves at
home and was too concerned about minor ailments.2
The pianist Vladimir Horowitz observed him to have tics
and to be unable to sit still.
An obvious way for Scriabin to overcome physical limi-
tations and possible psychological difficulties was to
nurture his musical talent. However, his career as a vir-
tuoso pianist was thrown into doubt because of his small
hands and an injury of his right hand, at the age of 19.
The injury was so bad that his doctor thought he would
never recover. Scriabin’s reaction to this accident was to
compose a sonata in which his injury was depicted
through a funeral march, as a ‘cry against Fate, against
God’. Such coping with a trauma was not only a remark-
able act of resilience; it might have also convinced
Scriabin that he needed no God-like authority outside
himself.
Grandiosity scrutinised
The lives of famous people have always attracted atten-
tion and ignited curiosity, leading to accounts whose
veracity cannot always be trusted. Despite the lack of
corroboration of some of the descriptions of possible
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signs of Scriabin’s psychological problems, there is una-
nimity when it comes to his contemporaries’ depiction
of him as an eccentric, mystic and a self-obsessed figure.
With all the leeway accorded to creative and artistic
minds, there is no doubt that Scriabin’s grandiose pur-
suits did not remain within the bounds of ‘normality’.
Although some of Scriabin’s ideas might have been
regarded as bizarre or ‘crazy’, he was widely respected as
a composer and pianist. Until the end of his life, he was
viewed as an authority in all matters of music and the
arts and was treated as a celebrity by the Russian cultural
and intellectual elite and upper echelons of the society.
Scriabin’s funeral was an event of grandiose proportions,
as it was attended by so many people that tickets had to
be issued. Thus, it appears that Scriabin’s eccentricity
and grandiosity were socially tolerated and to a large
extent accepted, even with all the attendant extrava-
gance and peculiarities.
Was Scriabin’s grandiosity delusional? It is difficult to
escape an impression that this was so. As already noted,
Scriabin tended to regard himself as a man with a mis-
sion to save the world. He also seemed to be willing to
sacrifice reality for the sake of his grandiose and impos-
sible artistic project. At the same time, this delusional
vision did not lead to overtly psychotic behaviour and
did not impair his social functioning. Therefore, his
grandiosity could be understood as part of megaloma-
nia, referring to the relatively encapsulated delusions of
grandeur along with a fairly well preserved personality
and social façade. Likewise, it does not seem plausible
that Scriabin’s grandiosity could be better accounted for
by another illness, such as tertiary syphilis or bipolar
mania.
As noted by the authority on the subject,6 megalomania
or delusional disorder, grandiose type, is not well
described and people suffering from it are rarely reported
in the literature. The main reasons for this may also
account for the reluctance to attach a psychopathologi-
cal label on Scriabin: people with megalomania are least
likely to seek professional help and if they continue to
function sufficiently well and adopt a career or lifestyle
that accommodates and sanctions their delusional ten-
dencies, the condition is likely to be unnoticed and to
even become socially acceptable.
The vicissitudes of grandiosity
Scriabin was certainly not the only artist or creative per-
son exhibiting grandiosity. Nor was he the only person
in the world of arts making outrageously narcissistic
statements. However, there are several aspects of his
grandiosity that are rather unique and a subject of ongo-
ing interest.
First, as Scriabin’s ideas about himself and his music and
his world view were becoming more grandiose and more
removed from reality, their musical expression was
‘shrinking’ and becoming more condensed, as already
59

noted. This is in contrast to the enormity of works of
some other composers, e.g. Richard Wagner’s operas,
which have also been seen as an expression of grandios-
ity or unbridled narcissism.
Second, it could be speculated that Scriabin’s increasing
grandiosity actually suppressed his creativity. This is evi-
dent in the relatively few works he created during the last
five years of his life, when he was so preoccupied with his
grandiose ‘mission impossible’. Although some of these
late works are considered important, they are overshad-
owed by the compositions that he wrote previously.
Finally, Scriabin’s grandiosity had an increasingly
destructive character. He was hoping that the ‘Mysterium’
would cause a ‘cosmic cataclysm’ and that a new world
could be created only on the ruins of the previous one.
This destructive inclination is also reflected in Scriabin’s
apparently enthusiastic reaction to the cataclysm of
another kind – the outbreak of the First World War.2
Perhaps Scriabin’s increasing destructive fantasies were
related to his dwindling creativity, in accordance with
the notion that in creative individuals, destruction may
occur when there is no suitable outlet for creativity.4
The story of Alexander Scriabin has implications for our
understanding of the psychopathology of grandiosity.
An extreme grandiosity, even when it occurs in the con-
text of an indisputable talent and creative potential (and
perhaps also because of it), may ultimately become an
overwhelming force and distort one’s perception of the
reality. While grandiosity during hypomanic and manic
60
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Australasian Psychiatry 20(1)
states has been linked with creative activity,7 grandiosity
as part of an enduring megalomania may not necessarily
be a springboard for creative or artistic expression.
Instead of creating, grandiose individuals with megalo-
mania may develop a destructive urge, leading to aggres-
sion and violence. Accordingly, there may only be a small
step between the thwarting of their grandiosity and the
unleashing of destructive potential. While Scriabin’s
unexpected death perhaps prevented us from seeing
results of the latter, there are well-documented historical
and clinical examples of this dangerous transition.
Disclosure
The author reports no conflict of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and
writing of the paper.
References
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3. de Schloezer B, Scriabine M, Slonimsky N. Scriabin: artist and mystic. Berkeley: Univer-
sity of California Press, 1987.
4. Garcia EE. Rachmaninoff and Scriabin: creativity and suffering in talent and genius. Psy-
choanalytic Review 2004; 91: 423–442.
5. Garcia EE. Scriabin’s Mysterium and the birth of genius. Presented at the Mid-Winter
Meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association, New York, 2005.
6. Munro A. Delusional disorder: paranoia and related illnesses. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1999.
7. Jamison KR. Touched with fire: manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament.
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