Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Russia

Birth

:

June 1, 1804 in Novospasskoye, Smolensk, Russia

Death

:

February 15, 1857 in Berlin, Germany

Period

:

Romantic

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

 

Opera

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Vocal

 

Mikhail Glinka was a Russian composer who is considered to be the father of Russian classical music. He was born on June 1, 1804, in Novospasskoye, a small village in the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire. His father, Ivan Glinka, was a wealthy landowner and his mother, Maria Petrovna Glinka, was a talented pianist who introduced him to music at an early age. Glinka's musical education began at home, where he received piano lessons from his mother. He also learned to play the violin and the guitar. In 1817, he was sent to St. Petersburg to study at the School of Engineering. However, he soon became more interested in music than in engineering and began taking music lessons from the Italian composer and conductor Francesco Antonio Uttini. In 1824, Glinka left the School of Engineering and began studying music full-time. He studied composition with the German composer Siegfried Dehn and the Italian composer and conductor Giovanni Paisiello. He also studied singing with the Italian tenor Luigi Lablache. Glinka's early compositions were influenced by Italian and German music. His first opera, "A Life for the Tsar," was premiered in 1836 and was a great success. The opera tells the story of Ivan Susanin, a peasant who sacrifices his life to save the Tsar from the Polish invaders. The opera was praised for its patriotic themes and its use of Russian folk music. Glinka's second opera, "Ruslan and Lyudmila," was premiered in 1842. The opera is based on a fairy tale by Alexander Pushkin and tells the story of the knight Ruslan who rescues his bride Lyudmila from the evil sorcerer Chernomor. The opera was not as successful as "A Life for the Tsar," but it is considered to be a masterpiece of Russian opera. In addition to his operas, Glinka composed a number of orchestral works, including the "Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila," the "Spanish Overture No. 1," and the "Kamarinskaya." The "Kamarinskaya" is a folk dance that Glinka arranged for orchestra. It is considered to be the first piece of music that is truly Russian in character. Glinka's music was not only important for its artistic value, but also for its role in the development of Russian classical music. He was the first Russian composer to use Russian folk music in his compositions. He also helped to establish a national style of music that was distinct from the music of Western Europe. Glinka's influence on Russian music was significant. His use of Russian folk music and his establishment of a national style of music inspired a generation of Russian composers, including Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Glinka died on February 15, 1857, in Berlin, Germany. He was buried in the Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg. His legacy lives on in his music and in the influence that he had on Russian classical music.

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