Sergei Prokofiev was born to a Ukranian family on April twenty-third, 1891.

He showed considerable promise as a pianist, and composed some of his first pieces at five.

After he graduated from the conservatory at St. Petersburg (where he won many awards as a student) he became one of the first innovators in contemporary-style music.

During the period between World War One and the Russian Revolution he was very prolific. Some of his most famous operas were written during this period.

After this period was known as the "Foreign Period." It is called thus because he was exiled from Russia, reasons being many. He traveled to many countries, namely America, Germany, and Japan.

By 1927 he returned to Russia to immense adoration. He then toured Europe and America as a fine concert pianist.

By the time World War Two started he was a(n) (increasingly) rich man. However, he decided to stop touring a stay in Moscow for the remainder of his days. During World War Two he produced works that were increasingly nationalistic, writing pieces like "War and Peace" and "Ivan the Terrible."

In 1953 Prokofiev died of a cerebral hemorrhage, of 61 years of age, leading a long, productive, life.