In the 17th century, Russian musicians began to emulate music of Western origin, at first through contacts with Ukrainian and Polish models. German influence became prominent in the 19th century, when various composers emulated the Protestant chorale in Russian church music. As a reaction to this trend, early scholars studying the history of Russian church music began to investigate the nearly forgotten traditional melodies that were still used in some monasteries resisting the introduction of polyphonic music. The restoration of Russian chant gained momentum in the early years of the 20th century and is best exemplified in the works of Aleksandr Kastalsky and Pavel Chesnokov, who, although writing for multi-voiced choirs, utilized supposedly traditional melodies and the style Mily Balakirev (Balakirev, Mily
Dargomyzhsky, Aleksandr
▪ Russian composer
in full Aleksandr Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky
born Feb. 2 [Feb. 14, New Style], 1813, near Tula, Russia
died Jan. 5 [Jan. 17], 1869, St. Petersburg
Russian composer of songs and operas whose works are now seldom performed.
Dargomyzhsky grew up in St. Petersburg as a talented amateur musician, playing the violin and piano and dabbling in composition. His acquaintance with the composer Mikhail Glinka (Glinka, Mikhail) (1833) turned his thoughts more seriously toward composition, and in 1839 he completed his first opera, Esmeralda (after Victor Hugo (Hugo, Victor); performed 1847). Two other operas followed: The Triumph of Bacchus (1845; performed 1867) and Rusalka (after Aleksandr Pushkin (Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeyevich); produced 1856). In his songs Dargomyzhsky developed an individual vein of humour and satire. His orchestral pieces (e.g., Finnish Fantasia, Cossack Dance, and Baba-Yaga) were notable for their harmonic experiments.
After 1866 he became interested in developing a Russian national music of great dramatic realism and began to set Pushkin's play Kamennygost (The Stone Guest) to a species of melodically heightened recitative, with entire passages composed in the whole-tone (whole-tone scale) mode. This work aroused the interest of Mily Balakirev (Balakirev, Mily) and his circle, particularly Modest Mussorgsky (Mussorgsky, Modest); when Dargomyzhsky died, the score was completed by César Cui (Cui, César) and orchestrated by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay).
Five, The
▪ Russian composers
also called The Russian Five or The Mighty Five , Russian Moguchaya Kuchka (“The Mighty Little Heap”)
group of five Russian (Russia) composers—César Cui (Cui, César), Aleksandr Borodin (Borodin, Aleksandr), Mily Balakirev (Balakirev, Mily), Modest Mussorgsky (Mussorgsky, Modest), and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay)—who in the 1860s banded together in an attempt to create a truly national school of Russian music, free of the stifling influence of Italian opera, German lieder, and other western European forms. The original name of the group, Moguchaya Kuchka, was coined in a newspaper article in 1867. Centred in St. Petersburg, the members of The Five are often considered to have been a rival faction to the more cosmopolitan, Moscow-centred composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich), although Tchaikovsky often used actual folk songs in his music and Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov emphasized traditional European training in their work. Precursors of The Five were Mikhail Glinka (Glinka, Mikhail) and Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky (Dargomyzhsky, Aleksandr). They were succeeded by a less energetic generation including Anatoly Lyadov (Lyadov, Anatoly), Sergey Taneyev (Taneyev, Sergey), and Aleksandr Glazunov (Glazunov, Aleksandr).
Rubinstein, Anton
▪ Russian composer and musician
in full Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein
born , Nov. 16 [Nov. 28, New Style], 1829, Vykhvatinets, Podolia province, Russia
died Nov. 8 [Nov. 20], 1894, Peterhof [now Petrodvorets]
Russian composer and one of the greatest pianists of the 19th century.
In 1835 Rubinstein's father opened a small factory in Moscow, and there in the same year his brother Nikolay was born. Both boys were taught piano, first by their mother and then by Aleksandr Villoing. Anton gave his first public recital in Moscow in 1839, and the following year Villoing took him abroad for a three-year concert tour. He appeared in Paris, London, The Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden, attracting the attention of Chopin and Liszt. From 1844 to 1846 he and his brother studied music theory in Berlin. Anton spent two more years abroad alone, mainly in Vienna, studying the piano and composition. On his return to Russia in 1848 he settled in St. Petersburg, where in 1852 his first opera, Dmitry Donskoy, was produced; Fomka durachok (Fomka the Fool) and Sibirskiye okhotniki (The Siberian Hunters) were introduced in St. Petersburg in 1853. The years 1854 to 1958 he spent abroad.
Under the patronage of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, Rubinstein in 1859 founded the Russian Music Society and later became conductor of its orchestral concerts. In 1862 he founded and became the director of the Imperial (or St. Petersburg) Conservatory, and in 1866 his brother founded the Moscow Conservatory, where Nikolay remained as director until his death in 1881. Anton Rubinstein resigned his directorship of the Imperial Conservatory in 1867 but resumed it in 1887 and continued to hold the post until 1891. From 1871 to 1872 he directed the Vienna Philharmonic concerts, and in 1872 he toured the United States.
Rubenstein's operas include Demon (first performed 1875; The Demon), Der Makkabäer (first performed 1875; The Maccabees), and Kupets Kalashnikov (first performed 1880; The Merchant Kalashnikov). He wrote six symphonies, the biblical opera Der Turm zu Babel (first performed 1870; The Tower of Babel), five piano concerti, songs, piano pieces, and numerous chamber works.
In 1889 Rubinstein published an autobiography, translated by Aline Delano as Autobiography of Anton Rubinstein (1890; reprinted 1988).
Balakirev, Mily
▪ Russian composer
in full Mily Alekseyevich Balakirev
born December 21, 1836 [January 2, 1837, New Style], Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
died May 16 [May 29], 1910, St. Petersburg
Russian composer of orchestral music, piano music, and songs. He was a dynamic leader of the Russian nationalist group of composers of his era.
Balakirev received his early musical education from his mother. He also studied with Alexander Dubuque and with Karl Eisrich, music director to A.D. Ulibishev, a wealthy landowner who published well-known books on Mozart and Beethoven. Balakirev had the use of Ulibishev's music library and at age 15 began to compose and was allowed to rehearse the local theatre orchestra. From 1853 to 1855 he studied mathematics at the University of Kazan, where he wrote, among other things, a piano concerto (completed 1856). He made his first appearance as a concert pianist in Kronshtadt in December 1855. Thereafter Balakirev performed often, composed an Overture on Russian Themes and music to King Lear (1858–61), and became the mentor of two young composers, César Cui and Modest Mussorgsky. In 1861 and 1862 his circle of disciples was joined by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and Aleksandr Borodin, forming the group known as The Five (Five, The). In 1862 he joined the Free School of Music, which had been opened in opposition to the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and soon became principal concert conductor.
During the 1860s Balakirev was at the height of his influence. He collected folk songs up and down the Volga and introduced them in his Second Overture on Russian Themes, which ultimately became the symphonic poem Russia; he spent summer holidays in the Caucasus, gathering themes and inspiration for his brilliant piano fantasy Islamey (1869) and his symphonic poem Tamara (1867–82); he published the works of composer Mikhail Glinka (Glinka, Mikhail) and visited Prague to produce them; and for a time (1867–69) he conducted the symphony concerts of the Russian Music Society.