Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is a personality without whom Russian music, in particular world music, cannot be imagined. The conductor, composer and musician wrote for his long creative activity:
- 15 operas;
- 3 symphonies;
- 80 romances.
In addition, the maestro had a significant number of symphonic works. Interestingly, as a child, Nikolai dreamed of a career as a sailor. He loved geography and could not imagine his life without traveling. When his dream came true, and he went on a trip around the world, he violated his plans. The maestro wanted to return to land as soon as possible and devote himself to music.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Childhood and Youth
The maestro was born in the small provincial town of Tikhvin. The family lived richly, so a large family did not need anything.
Parents raised two wonderful boys - Warrior and Nikolai. The eldest son decided to follow in the footsteps of his great-grandfather. He rose to the rank of naval rear admiral. It is noteworthy that the Warrior was 22 years older than Nikolai. The brother was an authority for the maestro. He always listened to his opinion.
Nikolai was being prepared for the fact that he would serve in the Navy. The head of the family perfectly mastered the game on several musical instruments at once. He contributed to the fact that both sons showed a great love for music. In particular, little Kolya sang in the church choir. And already at the age of 9 he wrote the first piece of music.
As a teenager, Nikolai entered the Naval Cadet Corps. From that time on, he not only became interested in geography, but also in art. In the northern capital, he visited opera houses and joined the cultural secular circle. It was in Moscow that he first got acquainted with the compositions of famous foreign and Russian maestro.
Here he took cello lessons from the teacher Ulich, and then studied with the pianist Fyodor Kanille. In 1862, Rimsky-Korsakov graduated with honors from the navy. Joy replaced grief. Nikolai learned that the head of the family had passed away. After the death of his father, the family moved to live in the cultural capital of Russia.
The creative path of the composer
In 1861, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was fortunate enough to meet Mily Balakirev (the founder of the Mighty Handful school). The acquaintance grew not only into a strong friendship, but also influenced the formation of Rimsky-Korsakov as a composer.
Under the influence of Milius, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote Symphony No. 1, op. 1. The maestro could not make up his mind to present the work, but after some revisions, he presented the composition in the circle of the Mighty Handful organization. When the family moved to St. Petersburg, Nikolai plunged headlong into creativity.
During this period of time, the composer was imbued with the subtleties of folklore. New knowledge inspired the maestro to create the musical composition "Sadko". Rimsky-Korsakov opened to the public and his colleagues such a concept as "programming". In addition, he invented a symmetrical mode, thanks to which the music acquired a completely different, previously unheard sound.
innate talent
He constantly experimented with fret systems, and this gave him genuine pleasure. The fact is that by nature he was endowed with the so-called “color hearing”, which allowed him to make his own discoveries in the sound of classical music. So, he perceived the tonality of C major as a light shade, and D major as yellow. The maestro associated E major with the sea element.
Soon another musical suite "Antar" appeared in the music world. Then he began to work on writing the first opera. In 1872, fans of the work of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov enjoyed the beautiful music of the opera The Maid of Pskov.
The maestro had no musical education, but in the early 1870s he became a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He spent over 30 years within the walls of the educational institution.
He loved his job and honed his craft at the same time. During the period of teaching at the conservatory, Nikolai wrote polyphonic, vocal compositions, and also created concertos for an instrumental ensemble. In 1874 he tested his strength as a conductor. After 6 years, he already performed with an orchestra in the capital of the Russian Federation.
Rimsky-Korsakov worked tirelessly in the 1980s. During this period of time, he replenished the musical piggy bank with a number of immortal works. We are talking about the orchestral suites "Scheherazade", "Spanish Capriccio" and the overture "Bright Holiday".
The decline in the creative activity of the maestro
The 1890s were marked by a decline in the activity of the famous composer. During this period of time, the philosophical works of the maestro came out. In addition, he made changes to a number of old compositions. The work took on a completely different tone.
The overall picture changed in the mid-1890s. During this period, Rimsky-Korsakov set about writing a number of brilliant works with renewed vigor. Soon he presented the most popular opera in his repertoire, The Tsar's Bride.
After the presentation of a number of operas, Nikolai became popular. The picture changed slightly in 1905. The fact is that Rimsky-Korsakov was fired from the educational institution and included in the so-called "black list". With the beginning of the revolutionary movement, the composer supported the striking students, which caused indignation in the authorities.
Details of the personal life of the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov dreamed of a strong and friendly family all his adult life. At one of the creative evenings, he met the charming pianist Nadezhda Nikolaevna Purgold. Under the pretext of helping to write one of the operas, he turned to a woman for help.
During the long work on the creation of the opera, feelings arose between young people. They soon decided to get married. Seven children were born in the family. Notably, several of them died in infancy. The youngest daughter, Sofia, followed in her father's footsteps. Since childhood, she has been a creative person. It is known that Sofia Rimskaya-Korsakova became famous as an opera singer.
The maestro's wife lived longer than her husband by 11 years. The woman died of smallpox. After the revolution, the Korsakov family was evicted from their home. There used to be immigrants there. And only in the early 1870s of the last century, the authorities created a museum in honor of the composer.
Interesting facts about the composer
- As a three-year-old child, Nikolai already hit the notes by playing the drum.
- Once he quarreled with the writer Leo Tolstoy. As a result, Tolstoy criticized the maestro's creation, saying that any music is harmful and does not make sense.
- He loved to read. On his shelf was an impressive library of Russian classics.
- After the death of the maestro, his memoirs were published, in which he spoke about his composing activities.
- "The Tsar's Bride" by the Russian composer entered the top 100 most popular operas in the world.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: The last years of his life
The maestro passed away on June 8, 1908. The cause of death was a heart attack. After the composer found out that the opera The Golden Cockerel was banned from being staged, he suddenly became ill. Initially, the body was buried in St. Petersburg. Later, the remains were re-buried already in the "Masters of Arts Necropolis" of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
