M. I. Glinka – the father of Russian classical music. LONGFELLOW

LONGFELLOW

a great Russian composer. He is regarded as the father

of Russian classical music. He deeply understood the Russian national character and had a talent to express the Russian heroic spirit with his music.

NOVOSPASS-
KOYE
M.I. Glinka was

born on June, 1 1804 in the village of Novospasskoye in Smolensk region. His father was a retired army captain who owned a manor. Mikhail received an excellent education including music. His uncle has his own orchestra where Mikhail played the violin and the flute, and later the piano.

EDUCATION

At the age of 13 Glinka was sent to St. Petersburg to study at a privileged school. There he took music lessons and often visited the theatres where he listened to the operas of the famous composers.
In 1820s Glinka wrote a lot of small musical plays, songs and romances.
In 1830 he went to Germany and Italy. There he decided to compose a Russian opera.

two great operas. It was originally entitled "Ivan Susanin". Set

in 1612, it tells the story of the Russian peasant and patriotic hero Ivan Susanin who sacrificed his life to save the Tsar’s life bу leading а group of Polish invaders hunting him into the swamp. It was а great success at its premiere оn December 9, 1836, under the direction of Catterino Cavos, who had written аn opera оn the same subject in Italy. There are two themes in this opera: My Motherland and Glory. The theme of Glory was played for some time after the collapse of the Soviet Union as the anthem of the Russian Federation.

epic tale. Glinka himself called it “a big fairy tale

opera”. It was based on one of Punkin’s fairy tale with whom Glinka was familiar.

KAMARINSKAYA
In 1848 the composer

went to Spain. Having nostalgia for his faraway Russia he created a symphonic fantasy “Kamarinskaya” with Russian folk motifs.

his last trip abroad-to Berlin. He was full of creative

plans but his health was poor. M.I. Glinka died on February, 15 in Berlin. Later his relatives brought his remains back to Russia. The great composer was buried at the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

was awarded аnnuаllу. In the first years the winners were

Alexander Borodin, Мily Balakirev, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Cesar Cui and Anatoly Lyadov.

great musician. But his music is still alive. We are

proud of our countryman.