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Biography of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-KorsakovName: Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-KorsakovBirth Date: March 6, 1844 Death Date: June 21, 1908 Place of Birth: Tikhvin, Russia Nationality: Russian Gender: Male Occupations: composer, conductor Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), composer, conductor, and pedagogue, was a member of the Russian "Mighty Five." He was largely responsible for establishing the rigor and uncompromising professionalism of the Russian school of the turn of the century.Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in the town of Tikhvin near Novgorod on March 6, 1844. His father had served prominently in the provincial government, and, although the boy showed an early musical talent, he was duly entered in the St. Petersburg Naval Academy at the age of 12. While there he took violoncello lessons and later piano lessons from Feodor Kanille (Théodore Canillé), who encouraged his efforts at composition.About 1861 Kanille introduced the young cadet to the circle of talented dilettantes who depended on Mili Balakirev for professional advice and guidance. This "Balakirev Circle" sought a Russian-based expression on the model of Mikhail Glinka. Its prominent members--Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Aleksandr Borodin, Modest Mussorgsky, and …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…other Russian composers, including Alexander Dargomyzhsky's Stone Guest, Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina and Boris Godunov, and (with Glazunov) Borodin's Prince Igor.Rimsky-Korsakov died on June 21, 1908. His establishment of professional mastery of technique as the exclusive route to musical legitimacy is a legacy still preserved in Russia. Further Reading Rimsky-Korsakov's own My Musical Life (1909; trans. 1924; new ed. 1942) is basic. M. D. Calvocoressi and Gerald Abraham devote a chapter to Rimsky-Korsakov in their Masters of Russian Music (1936). Essentially the same chapter was published by Abraham as Rimsky-Korsakov: A Short Biography (1945). Any music history, especially an account of the romantic era, will contain a section on Rimsky-Korsakov. The most recent reference is Mikhail Zetlin, The Five, translated and edited by George Panin (1959).Abraham, Gerald, Rimsky-Korsakov: a short biography, New York: AMS Press, 1976.Reminiscences of Rimsky-Korsakov , New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.Montagu-Nathan, M. (Montagu), Rimsky-Korsakof , New York: AMS Press, 1976.My musical life, London: Ernst Eulenberg Ltd, 1974. |