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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, was a Russian composer, one of five Russian composers known as The Five The Five

The Five, was a label applied in 1867 by the critic Vladimir Stasov [i] to a loose collection of Russia [i] ... 

, and was later a teacher of harmony and orchestration. He is particularly noted for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects, and for his extraordinary skill in orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synesthesia Synesthesia

Synesthesia -- from the Greek syn- meaning union and aesthesis meaning sensation -- is ... 

.

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Timeline

1844   Born

1908   Died



Encyclopedia


Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, was a Russian composer, one of five Russian composers known as The Five The Five

The Five, was a label applied in 1867 by the critic Vladimir Stasov [i] to a loose collection of Russia [i] ... 

, and was later a teacher of harmony and orchestration. He is particularly noted for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects, and for his extraordinary skill in orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synesthesia Synesthesia

Synesthesia -- from the Greek syn- meaning union and aesthesis meaning sensation -- is ... 

.

Biography

Born at Tikhvin Tikhvin

Tikhvin is a town in the northeast of Leningrad Oblast [i] of Russia [i], 200 km east of St. Petersburg [i] ... 

, near Novgorod Velikiy Novgorod

Velikiy Novgorod is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia [i]. ... 

, into an aristocratic family, Rimsky-Korsakov showed musical ability from an early age, but studied at the Russian Imperial Naval College in Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg listen is a city located in northwestern Russia [i] on t ... 

 and subsequently joined the Russian Navy Russian Navy

The Russian Navy is the naval arm of the Russian armed forces.... 

. It was only when he met Mily Balakirev Mily Balakirev

Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was a Russia [i]n composer [i]. ... 

 in 1861 that he began to concentrate more seriously on music. Balakirev encouraged him to compose and taught him when he was not at sea. He also met the other composers of the group that were to become known as "The Five", or "The Mighty Handful The Five

The Five, was a label applied in 1867 by the critic Vladimir Stasov [i] to a loose collection of Russia [i] ... 

", through Mily Balakirev Mily Balakirev

Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was a Russia [i]n composer [i]. ... 

. While in the Navy , Rimsky-Korsakov completed his first symphony , which some have deemed the first such piece to be composed by a Russian, but this is not the case . Before resigning his commission in 1873, Rimsky-Korsakov also completed the first version of his well known orchestral piece Sadko Sadko

----
Sadko was a mythical hero [i] of a Russian bylina [i] with the same name, a merchant and gusli [i] ... 

and the opera Opera

Opera is a dramatic [i] art [i] form, originating in Italy [i], in which the emotional content or... 

 The Maid of Pskov . These three are among several early works which the composer revised later in life.


In 1871, despite being largely group- and self-educated within The Mighty Handful rather than being conservatory-trained, Rimsky-Korsakov became professor of composition and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory Saint Petersburg Conservatory

The St Petersburg Conservatory is a music school [i] in Saint Petersburg [i]. ... 

. The next year he married Nadezhda Nikolayevna Purgol'd , who was also a pianist and composer. During his first few years at the Conservatory Rimsky-Korsakov assiduously studied harmony and counterpoint in order to make up for the lack of such thorough training during his years with The Mighty Handful.

In 1883 Rimsky-Korsakov worked under Balakirev in the Court Chapel as a deputy. This post gave him the chance to study Russian Orthodox church music. He worked there until 1894. He also became a conductor, leading Russian Symphony Concerts sponsored by Mitrofan Belyayev as well as some programs abroad.


In 1905 Rimsky-Korsakov was removed from his professorship in Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg listen is a city located in northwestern Russia [i] on t ... 

 owing to his expressing some political views the authorities disapproved of. This sparked a series of resignations by his fellow faculty members, and he was eventually reinstated. The political controversy continued with his opera The Golden Cockerel The Golden Cockerel

The Golden Cockerel is a 1834 poem by Alexander Pushkin [i] and an opera [i] in three acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov [i] ... 

, whose implied criticism of monarchy upset the censors to the point that the premiere was delayed until 1909, after the composer's death.

Towards the end of his life Rimsky-Korsakov suffered from angina. He died in Lyubensk in 1908, and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery Tikhvin Cemetery

Tikhvin Cemetery is located at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery [i], in St. Petersburg [i] ... 

 at the Aleksandr Nevsky Lavra Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter the Great [i] in 1710 at the southern ... 

 in St. Petersburg. His widow Nadezhda spent the rest of her life preserving the composer's legacy.

The Rimsky-Korsakovs had seven children: Mikhail , Sofia , Andrey , Vladimir , Nadezhda , Margarita , and Slavchik . Nadezhda married another Russian composer, Maximilian Steinberg in 1908. Andrey was a musicologist who wrote a multi-volume study of his father's life and work, which included a chapter devoted to his mother Nadezhda. A nephew, Georgy Mikhaylovich Rimsky-Korsakov , was also a composer.

Legacy


In his decades at the Conservatory Rimsky-Korsakov taught many composers who would later find fame, including Alexander Glazunov Alexander Glazunov

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a major Russia [i]n composer [i], as well as an influential music [i]... 

, Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian [i] composer who mastered numerous musical genres a ... 

, and Igor Stravinsky Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian [i]-born composer [i].
... 

.

Rimsky-Korsakov's legacy goes far beyond his compositions and his teaching career. His tireless efforts in editing the works of other members of The Mighty Handful are significant, if controversial. These include the completion of Alexander Borodin Alexander Borodin

Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russia [i]n composer [i] of Georgian [i] parentage ... 

's opera Prince Igor Prince Igor

Prince Igor is an opera [i] in four acts with a prologue by Alexander Borodin [i]. ... 

, orchestration of passages from César Cui César Cui

Csar Antonovich Cui was a Russia [i]n of French [i] and Lithuania [i]n descent.... 

's William Ratcliff for the first production in 1869, and the complete orchestration of Alexander Dargomyzhsky Alexander Dargomyzhsky

Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky was a 19th century [i] Russia [i]n composer [i]. ... 

's swan song, The Stone Guest. This effort was a practical extension of the fact that Rimsky-Korsakov's early works had been under the intense scrutiny of Balakirev and that the members of The Mighty Handful The Five

The Five, was a label applied in 1867 by the critic Vladimir Stasov [i] to a loose collection of Russia [i] ... 

 during the 1860s and 1870s experienced each other's compositions-in-progress and even collaborated at times.

While the effort for his colleagues is laudable, it is not without its problems for musical reception. In particular, after the death of Modest Mussorgsky Modest Mussorgsky

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky , one of the Russian composers known as the Five [i], was an innovator of ... 

 in 1881, Rimsky-Korsakov took on the task of revising and completing several of Mussorgsky's pieces for publication and performance. In some cases these versions helped to spread Mussorgsky's works to the West, but Rimsky-Korsakov has been accused of pedantry for "correcting" matters of harmony, etc., in the process. Rimsky-Korsakov's arrangement of Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain Night on Bald Mountain

Night on Bald Mountain, is a tone poem [i] by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky [i], a Russia [i]n composer [i] ... 

is the version generally performed today. However, critical opinion of Mussorgsky has changed over time so that his style, once considered unpolished, is now valued for its originality. This has caused some of Rimsky-Korsakov's other revisions, such as that of Boris Godunov Boris Godunov

Boris Feodorovich Godunov was de facto regent of Russia from 1584 [i] to 1598 [i] and then the first n... 

, to fall out of favour and be replaced by productions more faithful to Mussorgsky's original manuscripts.

Synesthesia

Rimsky-Korsakov perceived colours with keys as follows :
Note Colour
C white
D yellow
Eb dark bluish-grey
E sparkling sapphire
F green
G rich gold
A rosy coloured

Overview of compositions

Rimsky-Korsakov was a prolific composer. Like his compatriot Cui César Cui

Csar Antonovich Cui was a Russia [i]n of French [i] and Lithuania [i]n descent.... 

, his greatest efforts were expended on his opera Opera

Opera is a dramatic [i] art [i] form, originating in Italy [i], in which the emotional content or... 

s. There are fifteen operas to his credit, including Kashchey the Immortal and The Tale of Tsar Saltan The Tale of Tsar Saltan

The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and of the... 

. The subjects of the operas range from historical melodramas like The Tsar's Bride, to folk operas, such as May Night, to fairytales Fairy tale

[i], [[goblin]... 

 and legends like Snowmaiden. In their juxtaposed depictions of the real and the fantastic, the operas invoke folk melodies, realistic declamation, lyrical melodies, and artificially constructed harmonies with effective orchestral expression. Most of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas remain in the standard repertoire in Russia Russia

Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country [i] that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia [i] ... 

 to this day. The best known selections from the operas that are known in the West are "Dance of the Tumblers" from Snowmaiden, "Procession of the Nobles" from Mlada, "Song of the Indian Guest" from Sadko Sadko

----
Sadko was a mythical hero [i] of a Russian bylina [i] with the same name, a merchant and gusli [i] ... 

, and "Flight of the Bumblebee Flight of the Bumblebee

"The Flight of the Bumblebee" is a famous orchestra [i]l interlude [i] written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov [i] ... 

" from Tsar Saltan, as well as suites from The Golden Cockerel The Golden Cockerel

The Golden Cockerel is a 1834 poem by Alexander Pushkin [i] and an opera [i] in three acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov [i] ... 

and The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya

Nevertheless, Rimsky-Korsakov's status in the West has long been based on his orchestra Orchestra

An orchestra is a musical ensemble [i] used most often in classical music [i]. ... 

l compositions, most famous among which are Capriccio Espagnol, Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade Scheherazade

Scheherazade or Shahrazad is the storyteller of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights [i].
... 

. In addition, he composed dozens of art songs, arrangements of folk songs, some chamber and piano Piano

piano or pianoforte is a musical instrument [i] classified as a keyboard [i], ... 

 music, and a considerable number of choral works, both secular and for Russian Orthodox Church Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church , also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia, is that body of ... 

 service, including settings of portions of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom was a notable Christian [i] bishop [i] and preacher [i] from the 4th [i] ... 

.

Major literary works

  • My Musical Life. [???????? ???? ??????????? ????? -- literally, Chronicle of My Musical Life.] Trans. from the 5th rev. Russian ed. by Judah A. Joffe; ed. with an introduction by Carl Van Vechten. London : Ernst Eulenberg Ltd, 1974.
  • Practical Manual of Harmony. [???????????? ??????? ????????.] First published, in Russian, in 1885. First English edition published by Carl Fischer in 1930, trans. from the 12th Russian ed. by Joseph Achron. Current English ed. by Nicholas Hopkins, New York, NY: C. Fischer, 2005.
  • Principles of Orchestration. [?????? ???????????.] Begun in 1873 and completed posthumously by Maximilian Steinberg in 1912, first published, in Russian, in 1922 ed. by Maximilian Steinberg. English trans. by Edward Agate; New York: Dover Publications, 1964 .

Bibliographic sources

  • Abraham, Gerald. Rimsky-Korsakov: a Short Biography. London: Duckworth, 1945; rpt. New York : AMS Press, 1976. Later ed.: Rimsky-Korsakov. London: Duckworth, 1949.
  • Griffiths, Steven. A Critical Study of the Music of Rimsky-Korsakov, 1844-1890. New York: Garland, 1989.
  • Rimsky-Korsakov, A.N. ?.?. ???????-????????: ????? ? ?????????? [N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov: Life and Work]. [5 vols.] ??????: ??????????????? ??????????? ????????????, 1930.
  • Richard Taruskin. "The Case for Rimsky-Korsakov," Opera News, vol. 56, nos. 16 and 17 , pp. 12–17 and 24-29, respectively.
  • Yastrebtsev, Vasily Vasilievich. Reminiscences of Rimsky-Korsakov. Ed. and trans. by Florence Jonas. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985. '

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References


External links