It’s Singapore’s 60th birthday, and the streets are dotted with red and white, the national colours!

But what if colours didn’t just look a certain way? What if they sounded a certain way too? Well, there once was a composer named Alexander Scriabin who believed exactly that—he thought each musical note had its own special colour!

Say it like a maestro: (Alex-zahn-der Skree-ah-bin)

On a freezing winter’s night in Moscow, Russia, a little boy named Alexander Scriabin was born.

As a young child, Scriabin was full of curiosity and was immensely fascinated by the piano. He was so intrigued by how it worked that he even built tiny homemade pianos all by himself. Imagine visiting his house and hearing music from a piano he made with his own hands!

Scriabin grew up to become one of the most eccentric yet imaginative composers in the world. He was obsessed with the idea that each musical note had a special colour—a phenomenon known as synaesthesia. When he heard music, he saw a rainbow of stunning colours in his mind: shimmering blues, fiery reds, bright yellows—all blending together to create a beautiful masterpiece!

Scriabin wanted everyone to experience music the way he did. So, he invented something clever—a clavier à lumières (keyboard with lights)! This special instrument would project coloured lights on a screen as music played. He used it to perform his orchestral piece, Prometheus: The Poem of Fire. It was like watching a rainbow dancing in time with the music!

Before he died, Scriabin dreamed of something truly magical. He imagined a week-long performance in the Himalayan mountains, and called it Mysterium. It would be a treat for the senses—music, smell, dance, and light! Sadly, this momentous feat was never accomplished by Scriabin, but parts of it have been brought to life by other musicians all over the world.

Alexander Scriabin believed that artists had a special power—to help people feel wonder, beauty and joy. Through his colourful music, he gave the world a whole new way to see sound.

Test your knowledge of Alexander Scriabin and discover some fun facts!