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Today is the birthday of Russian composer, Mikhail Glinka who was born on June 1, 1804, in the village of Novospasskoye, near the Desna River in the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire now in the Yelninsky District of the Smolensk Oblast. He was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own
country and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music.
Two of my favorite works by Glinka are the Oriental dance from Ruslan & Liudmila and his Nocturne in Eb major for solo harp (links below).
His compositions were an important influence on other Russian composers, notably the members of The Five, who produced a distinctive Russian style of music; Mily Balakirev (the leader), César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin. They never called themselves, nor were they ever called in Russia, 'The Five'".
The formation of the group began in 1856 with the first meeting of Balakirev and César Cui. Modest Mussorgsky joined them in 1857, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1861, and Alexander Borodin
in 1862. All the composers in The Five were young men in 1862.
Balakirev was 25, Cui 27, Mussorgsky 23, Borodin the eldest at 28, and
Rimsky-Korsakov just 18. They were all self-trained amateurs.
In contrast to the élite status and court connections of Conservatory composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Five were mainly from the minor gentry of the provinces. To some degree their esprit de corps
depended on the myth, which they themselves created, of a movement that
was more "authentically Russian," in the sense that it was closer to
the native soil, than the classic academy. Spurred on by Russian nationalist ideas, the Five “sought to capture
elements of rural Russian life, to build national pride, and to prevent
western ideals from seeping into their culture.
The circle began to fall apart during the 1870s, partially due
to the fact that Balakirev withdrew from musical life early in the
decade for a period of time. All of "The Five" are buried in Tikhvin Cemetery in Saint Petersburg.
In 1954 the Soviet Union issued a stamp honouring Glinka; in it he is depicted with Vasily Zhukovsky and Alexander Pushkin.
Mikhail Glinka postage stamp - 1954
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Britannica ~ Mikhail Glinka
Interlude ~ On This Day 15 February: Mikhail Glinka Died
The Kennedy Center ~ Mikhail Glinka
Tchaikovsky Research ~ Mikhail Glinka
YouTube links:
Glinka links (various)
