Rimsky-Korsakov, Nicolai Andreyevich
Rimsky-Korsakov, Nicolai Andreyevich
(nyĭkəlī əndrā`əvĭch rĭm`skē-kôr`səkôf), 1844–1908, Russian composer; one of the group of nationalist composers called The FiveFive, The,name of a group of late 19th-century Russian composers. They were Balakirev, the leader, Cui, Moussorgsky, Borodin, and Rimsky-Korsakov. These men, united by a nationalistic fervor, tried to write music of distinctively Russian character, drawing on the history,
..... Click the link for more information. . He prepared himself for a naval career, but after meeting BalakirevBalakirev, Mili Alekseyevich
, 1837–1910, Russian composer and conductor, leader of the group called the Five. He founded (1862) the Free School of Music in St. Petersburg and conducted (1867–69) the Russian Music Society and (1883–94) the Imperial Chapel Choir
..... Click the link for more information. in 1861 he turned seriously to composing. In 1871 he became professor of composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, retiring from the navy two years later. In 1883 he became assistant to Balakirev, who was director of the Imperial Chapel. He conducted the St. Petersburg Symphony Concerts, 1886–1900. His Synphony No. 1 (1865) and his symphonic poem Sadko (1867) were the first works in these forms by a Russian. In his oeuvre operas, often based on Russian history and legend, are extremely important. Notable among them are The Snow Maiden (1881, rev. 1884), based on the play by OstrovskyOstrovsky, Aleksandr Nikolayevich
, 1823–86, Russian dramatist. Ostrovsky's first play, The Bankrupt (1847; reworked as It's a Family Affair, 1850), was widely read but was banned from the stage.
..... Click the link for more information. ; The Maid of Pskov (1873, rev. 1892; also known as Ivan the Terrible); Sadko (1895); Le Coq d'Or (The Golden Cockerel, posthumously performed 1909); and The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitzeh (1904), a Wagneresque quasireligious work that situates heaven and hell on earth. The best known of Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral works is Scheherezade (1888), which was used by the Diaghilev ballet. It probably best exemplifies his romantic exoticism and mastery of orchestral color. GlazunovGlazunov, Aleksandr Konstantinovich
, 1865–1936, Russian composer, director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, 1906–30. He assisted his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, in completing Borodin's unfinished opera Prince Igor.
..... Click the link for more information. , GretchaninovGretchaninov, Aleksandr Tichonovich
, 1864–1956, Russian composer; pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. Among his works are four symphonies, two operas, a setting of the Russian Orthodox service, and sacred choral works.
..... Click the link for more information. , and StravinskyStravinsky, Igor Fedorovich
, 1882–1971, Russian-American composer. Considered by many the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20th cent., Stravinsky helped to revolutionize modern music.
Stravinsky's father, an actor and singer in St.
..... Click the link for more information. were among his many pupils. He also wrote a treatise on orchestration and an autobiography, My Musical Life (tr., 3d ed. 1942).