Ivan Alexandrovich Vïshnegradsky (1893-1979), also transliterated as Wyschnegradsky, Wyshnegradsky, Wischnegradsky, Vishnegradsky, or Wishnegradsky (Russian: Иван Александрович Вышнеградский) was a Russian composer primarily known for his microtonal compositions, including the quarter tone scale, though he used scales of up to 71 divisions. Greatly influenced by Alexander Scriabin as a young man, Vïshnegradsky had a mystical vision which made him feel compelled to write music in intervals of less than a half-step. In 1920, he emigrated to Paris. In 1922, he traveled to Berlin to meet with other quarter-tone composers such as Aloïs Hába, Willy Moellendorf, and Jörg Mager. Plans to collaborate on a quarter-tone piano with Hába were interrupted by visa problems, and he was forced to return to Paris. During World War II, he entered a sanatorium, and was encouraged to continue composing by Olivier Messiaen upon his release in 1950. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.