Maisky Valery (1942, Kuibyshev — 2 June 1981, Germany) — organist and musicologist.
From 1945 Valery Maisky lived in Riga. From the age of seven he studied violin at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School (class of I. Abramis), later transferring to the theory and musicology department (class of L. I. Adams), which he completed in 1959. In 1961 he entered the Leningrad Conservatory, studying organ (class of Prof. I. A. Braudo), harpsichord, and musicology. In 1968 he defended his dissertation “Peculiarities of Voice Leading in J. S. Bach” (supervised by Yu. Tyulin) and received the degree of Candidate of Art History.
After graduating, he worked at the Department of Musicology of the Leningrad Conservatory, while simultaneously performing in concerts as an organist and harpsichordist—both solo and as a soloist with orchestras—in cities throughout the USSR.
In 1973 Valery Maisky moved to Israel. He made a major contribution to the popularization of early music in Israel. He taught musicology at Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan), gave organ concerts, and organized and conducted a series of lecture-concerts devoted to the music of Bach at the Bet Immanuel Church in Jaffa. Proceeds from these events were used to refurbish the building, install a new organ, and transform it into Israel’s principal organ concert hall.
He performed with all of the country’s orchestras in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, and other cities. He toured widely, giving about 40 concerts in Germany and Scandinavia in 1977, and performing at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1980. He also concertized together with his brother M. Maisky in many cities across Europe, Africa, and Australia. He participated in the Bach Festival in London, the organ festival in Treviso (Italy), the Bruckner Festival in Linz (Austria), the Rubens Festival in Antwerp (Belgium), and the Jewish Music Festival in Düsseldorf (Germany).
Valery Maisky was one of the founders of the Society of Lovers of the Music of J. S. Bach in Israel (1975), authored several scholarly works on Bach’s music, and released two solo recordings. He died in a car accident.
Brother of Lina Jakobson (née Maiskaya).