Dmitry Mikhailovich Tsyganov – was a prominent Russian violinist and talented teacher. He was born on March 12, 1903 in Saratov, in the family of violinist. From an early age, Dmitry played the piano and the violin. His family supported the boy in the pursuit of musical creativity. In 1919, Dmitry Tsyganov volunteered for the Red Army, was accompanier in the symphony orchestra of the South-Eastern Front Political Department of the Political Department, the first violinist of the quartet and solo violinist.

Tsyganov began his independent musical concert activity in the early 1920s. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the classes of violin by Alexander Yakovlevich Mogilevsky and composition by Georgy Lvovich Catoire with honors in 1922. The name of Tsyganov name is inscribed on the Moscow Conservatoire marble plaque of outstanding graduates.

Dimitri was the first performer of the complete cycle of 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op.1 by Niccolò Paganini in Moscow Conservatory in 1923. The same year Tsyganov founded the Beethoven Quartet, in which he played first violin until 1977. Quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven and Dmitri Shostakovich were the core of the ensemble repertoire. The ensemble played the premieres of all of all quartets by Shostakovich except the first one and the last, as well as all of Nikolai Myaskovsky quartets from No.4 onwards. Dmitry Shostakovich dedicated his Twelfth Quartet to Tsyganov. As the composer rightly pointed out, "The flowering of our chamber music is largely due to the Beethoven Quartet. These musicians introduced the works by Reinhold Glière, Vissarion Shebalin, Nikolai Myaskovsky, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Anatoly Alexandrov and many other composers to the audience. The quartet was named after Beethoven on 14 March 1931, having previously performed as the Moscow Conservatoire Quartet. The quartet successfully performed Overture to Jewish Themes by Sergei Prokofiev for the first time in the USSR. On 27 November 1932, the ensemble performed this Overture in Moscow with the composer - Sergei Prokofiev playing the piano.

The quartet existed for about 50 years, performed over 600 pieces, and recorded more than 200 classical works by Russian and foreign composers. From 1930-1985 Tsyganov was teaching at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1935, Tsyganov was awarded the title of professor for his significant work in understandings of quartet literature; he reconciled concerts with teaching at the Moscow Conservatoire.

During the Second World War, Tsyganov gave concerts for soldiers and officers, performed in the battlefields and was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1946.

After the war, Tsyganov became intensively involved in pedagogical activities, making a huge contribution to the formation of the Soviet violin school and bringing up many outstanding Soviet violinists. Yuri Korchinsky, Sergei Grishchensky and others were his students. Dmitry received the title of Outstanding Art Worker of the Soviet Union for his services.

In 1956, Tsyganov headed the violin department of the Moscow Conservatoire. After becoming a professor, Dmitry never abandoned his concert activity, delighting violin connoisseurs in many countries with his brilliant display of the execution.

The pupils and his contemporaries of the violinist say that there was nothing in the musical literature dealing with violin that Dmitry Mikhailovich did not know. The musician had impeccable technique and the broadest erudition. The great musician, totally devoted to the world of art, had virtually no private life.
Dmitry Tsyganov died in Moscow on March 27, 1992.

A selection of music for the 120th birth anniversary of the outstanding violinist is posted in the museum Collection Sound Library.

The violinist  was awarded with the Commemorative Medal of the Queens Fabiola and Elisabeth of Belgium and the title of Honorary Member of the Japan Violin Teachers' Association. Tsyganov was honored with numerous other awards; he was a jury member of international classical music competitions on more than one occasion.

Ref.: https://www.mosconsv.ru/ru/person.aspx?id=46069
https://100philharmonia.spb.ru/persons/4865/
https://agro-archive.ru/stati/19589-cyganov-dmitriy-mihaylovich.html
https://www.peoplelife.ru/317524