M balakirev works. A Mighty Bunch of Russian Composers: Balakirev

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev

Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich (1836-1910) - Russian music and public figure, composer, conductor and pianist. The head of the creative association of Russian composers "New Russian Music School" ("Balakirevsky Circle" or "Mighty Handful"), which arose in 1856 and took shape in the early 1860s.

In 1862, together with the conductor G. Ya. Lomakin, he organized a free music school in St. Petersburg and was its leader (1868-1873, 1881-1908). In 1883-94. - chief conductor Imp. Of the Russian Musical Society, manager of the Court Choir Choir.

Popularized the legacy of M.I. Glinka in Russia and abroad. Author of music for the tragedy of W. Shakespeare "King Lear", two symphonies (1897, 1908), symphonic poems "Tamara" (1882), "Rus" (1887), "In Bohemia" (1905), chamber instrumental compositions and romances ...

Orlov A.S., Georgieva N.G., Georgiev V.A. Historical Dictionary. 2nd ed. M., 2012, p. 28.

Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich (12.21.1836-16.05.1910), Russian composer, conductor, music and public figure, head of the creative association of Russian composers "New Russian Music School" ("Balakirevsky Circle", or "Mighty Handful"), which arose in 1856 and formed in n. 1860s.

In 1853 - 55 Balakirev was a volunteer at the Faculty of Mathematics of Kazan University. In 1855 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he began to meet with M. I. Glinkoy and A. S. Dargomyzhsky, debuted as a composer and pianist. In 1862, together with the conductor G. Ya. Lomakin, he organized a free music school in St. Petersburg and was its leader (1868-73, 1881-1908). Chief conductor of the Russian Musical Society, director of the "Court Singing Capella" (1883 - 94). As a conductor of the operas A Life for the Tsar and Ruslan and Lyudmila, Balakirev popularized the operatic legacy of MI Glinka in Russia and abroad. Balakirev is the author of music for Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear", symphonic poems "Tamara", "Rus", "In the Czech Republic", oriental fantasy for the piano "Islamey", chamber instrumental compositions and romances, processed a number of Russian folk songs.

V. A. Fedorov

BALAKIREV, MILY ALEKSEEVICH (1837-1910), Russian composer, pianist, conductor, head and inspirer of the famous "Five" - ​​"The Mighty Handful" (Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov), which personifies the national movement in the Russian musical culture of the 19th century.

Balakirev was born on January 2, 1837 in Nizhny Novgorod, into an impoverished noble family. Brought to Moscow at the age of ten, he took lessons from John Field for some time; later, A.D. Ulybyshev, an enlightened amateur musician, philanthropist, author of the first Russian monograph about Mozart, took a large part in his fate. Balakirev entered the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Kazan University, but in 1855 met in St. Petersburg with M.I. Glinka, who convinced the young musician to devote himself to composition in the national spirit, based on Russian music - folk and church, on Russian plots and texts.

The "Mighty Handful" was formed in St. Petersburg between 1857 and 1862, and Balakirev became its leader. He was self-taught and drew knowledge mainly from practice, therefore he rejected the textbooks and methods of teaching harmony and counterpoint adopted at that time, replacing them with a wide acquaintance with the masterpieces of world music and their detailed analysis. The "Mighty Handful" as a creative association existed for a relatively short time, but had a huge impact on Russian culture. In 1863, Balakirev founded the Free Music School - in contrast to the Petersburg Conservatory, the direction of which Balakirev assessed as cosmopolitan and conservative. He performed a lot as a conductor, regularly introducing listeners to the early works of his circle. In 1867 Balakirev became the conductor of concerts of the Imperial Russian Musical Society, but in 1869 he was forced to leave this post. In 1870 Balakirev experienced a severe spiritual crisis, after which he did not study music for five years. He returned to composition in 1876, but by this time he had already lost his reputation in the eyes of the musical community as the head of the national school. In 1882, Balakirev again became the director of concerts of the Free Music School, and in 1883 - the manager of the Court Singing Chapel (during this period he created a number of church compositions and transcriptions of ancient chants).

Balakirev played a huge role in the formation of the national music school, but he himself composed relatively little. In symphonic genres he created two symphonies, several overtures, music to Shakespeare's King Lear (1858–1861), symphonic poems Tamara (c. 1882), Rus (1887, 2nd edition 1907) and In the Czech Republic (1867, 2nd edition 1905). For piano, he wrote a sonata in B-flat minor (1905), Islamey's brilliant fantasy (1869) and a number of pieces in different genres. Romances and arrangements of folk songs are of high value. Balakirev's musical style is based, on the one hand, on the folk origins and traditions of church music, on the other, on the experience of new Western European art, especially Liszt, Chopin, Berlioz. Balakirev died in St. Petersburg on May 29, 1910.

The materials of the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used.

Literature:

Mikhail Balakirev: Research. Articles. L., 1961

Balakirev M.A. Memories and letters. L., 1962

MABalakirev: Chronicle of life and work. L., 1967

The name of Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev is familiar to many, it immediately evokes associations with the "Mighty Handful" in their memory. However, there is hardly a person who is far from musicology who is capable of naming even one or two of his works offhand. It so happened that Balakirev is known as a public figure, teacher, but not as a composer. Why did his creative destiny remain in the shadow of great contemporaries and what is the true meaning of his personality in Russian culture?

A short biography of Milia Balakirev and many interesting facts about the composer can be found on our page.

Brief biography of Balakirev

Mily Balakirev was born on December 21, 1836, the heir to an old noble family, the first mention of which dates back to the 14th century. The Balakirevs were in military service for several centuries, but the father of the future composer, Alexei Konstantinovich, was a civilian civil servant. The house where Miliy Alekseevich was born is a family mansion in Nizhny Novgorod on Telyachaya Street. The boy received such an unusual name from his mother, Elizaveta Ivanovna, in whose family it was quite common.

In the biography of Balakirev, like many other Russian composers, one can find references to the fact that the first acquaintance with music in general and the piano in particular was due to his mother. Balakirev is no exception - Elizaveta Ivanovna played beautifully herself and taught her son the basics of using the instrument, and at the age of 10 she took him to Moscow to the famous teacher A. Dubuk. She died soon after returning home, but Mili began to study with the conductor K. Eiserich.

At the age of 16, the young man graduated from the walls of the Nizhny Novgorod Noble Institute and entered the mathematical faculty of Kazan University as a volunteer. He had to earn a living by teaching music. Not having studied in Kazan for two years, he returns home, where he begins to conduct the K. Eiserich's orchestra, performing at the fair, in the theater and in the Noble Assembly.

HELL. Ulybyshev, the first Russian musicologist, also a native of Nizhny Novgorod, in whose house symphony evenings with the participation of Balakirev were often held, highly appreciated the talent of the young man. He entered the musical circles of the capital and in 1855 brought 19-year-old Milia to St. Petersburg. Balakirev immediately began performing as a pianist and met with M.I. Glinka... This acquaintance, as well as the rapprochement with the critic V. Stasov, became fateful in his life. Thanks to Glinka, he took an active part in composing music, and together with Stasov they became ideologists " Of the mighty handful”, Which was subsequently joined by Ts.A. Cui, M.P. Mussorgsky, ON. Rimsky-Korsakov and A.P. Borodin.

Balakirev considered the main task of his whole life to be the formation of Russian music and a musical school. He took an active part in the work of not only the "Kuchkists", but also other composers, Tchaikovsky, for example, prompting them new themes and plots for creativity. Thus, their own writing faded into the background. In 1862, Balakirev founded the Free Music School, and a few years later refused an invitation to become a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, considering himself insufficiently educated to teach within the academic walls. Since 1867 he has been a conductor of concerts of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. His removal from this post in 1869 was the result of both court intrigues and his own implacable radicalism in his views on music.

By the beginning of the 1870s, the paths of Kuchkist composers parted ways, Balakirev was deeply worried about the loss of influence on his former associates. He gave up musical studies, entered the routine service on the Warsaw Railway, fell into religion and, in moments of spiritual devastation, even thought about leaving for a monastery. Only in the next decade, the composer returned to full-fledged musical activity, once again heading his school and accepting in 1883 an offer to become the head of the court singing chapel. For 11 years in this position, he demonstrated his best organizational qualities - from the reconstruction of the chapel building and ending with taking care of the fate of the singers who have lost their voice. From that moment on, the institution has its own full-fledged orchestra, which still exists today.

After leaving the chapel, Mily Alekseevich gets the opportunity and time to do his own work. He writes new works, revises those that were written in his youth. Becoming more and more despotic and intolerant, he supports Slavophil views and condemns the 1905 revolution, which alienates many people from his inner circle. On May 10, 1910, the composer died. Despite the fact that he had not participated in public musical life for a long time, he was buried as a great figure of Russian culture.

Interesting facts about Balakirev

• The symphonic poem "Tamara" was not ignored "Russian Seasons" by S.P. Diaghilev, who was personally acquainted with the composer. In 1912 M. Fokin staged the ballet of the same name with Tamara Karsavina in the title role.

• It was Balakirev who became interested in the young pianist N.A. Purgold. Not meeting reciprocity, the girl turned her attention to Rimsky-Korsakov, whom she later married. And Miliy Alekseevich never married.
• Balakirev was an ardent opponent of conservatories, believing that talent is nurtured only at home.
• The composer spent the summer months in Gatchina, a remote suburb of St. Petersburg.
• After the death of Emperor Alexander III in 1894, Balakirev resigned from the post of head of the Court Chapel, also because he did not favor the heir to the throne, Nicholas II, and this was mutual. However, he was left with an indifferent patron at court - the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. She took part in the fate of the composer, answered his requests. So, she allocated money to send Balakirev's nieces, sick with tuberculosis, to Europe for treatment.
• Balakirev's biography says that the composer studied folk art a lot, collecting unknown songs on trips to the Volga villages and villages of the Caucasian peoples - Georgians, Armenians, Chechens.
• Balakirev was a very poor man all his life. He was able to improve his financial situation only during the years of service in the chapel. Nevertheless, those around him noted his generosity and responsiveness, he always came to the aid of those who turned to him.

• Through the efforts of Balakirev in Berlin, on the house where Glinka died, a memorial plaque was erected in 1895. This historic building was demolished, a new one was built in its place, but the memory of the Russian composer has been immortalized to this day. The new commemorative plaque includes an image of the original one, Balakirevskaya, with an inscription in Russian.

Creativity Milia Balakirev

Balakirev wrote his first works while still a student at Kazan University. Among them is Fantasy on the themes of the opera “ Ivan Susanin", Which he played when he first met Glinka, making a huge impression on the latter. Dargomyzhsky I also liked the young musician, and Mily left with great enthusiasm for the summer in Kazan to work as a private teacher, hoping to create and compose. His plans included a symphony and a piano concert ... But, being alone with a sheet of music paper, he felt anxiety that grew into depression. He was not sure of himself, he wanted to be the best, to be on the same level with Glinka, or Beethoven but was afraid of disappointment and failure. Much better he succeeded in the role of a music consultant and editor, the inspirer of his colleagues in “ To the mighty handful", Just not to write yourself. Ideas "for himself" quickly disappointed him and, as a result, were rejected. Perhaps because he gave the most advantageous subjects to his pupils-kuchkists.

According to the biography of Balakirev, in 1857 he began work on the theme of the Overture on the theme of the Spanish March, presented to him by Glinka. Written the same year, the Overture was completely revised 30 years later. Symbolically, but the first work, which in 1859 introduced the St. Petersburg public to the young composer, was the Overture on the themes of three Russian songs. In 1861, Shakespeare's "King Lear" was staged at the Alexandrinsky Theater, the music for the play was ordered to Balakirev. As a result, the composer produced an independent symphonic work, the plot of which in some scenes did not correspond to the plot of the tragedy. But this music never sounded in Alexandrinka - Balakirev did not have time to finish it by the day of the premiere.

In 1862, the composer wrote the symphonic poem "1000 Years", which was later renamed "Rus". The reason for its writing was the opening in Veliky Novgorod of the monument to the millennium of Russia. This music became a reflection of the views of the emerging "Mighty Handful", its ideas can be traced in the later works of Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

In 1862-63, the composer visited the Caucasus and, under the impression of the trips, began to write the symphonic poem "Tamara" based on the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov, his favorite poet. The work dragged on for almost 20 years. The premiere of the work took place only in 1882. On an oriental theme in 1869, after the third visit to the Caucasus, the most technically difficult piece of piano work by the composer "Islamey" was written.

In 1867, after a trip to Prague to conduct concerts from the works of Glinka, Balakirev wrote the overture "In Bohemia", in which he gave his own interpretation of Moravian folk songs. The creation of the First Symphony took a long time: the first sketches date from the 1860s, and the completion - 1887. This symphony, of course, comes from the times of The Mighty Handful, since the construction of its main themes is reflected in both Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov. The work is based on the melody of Russian and Eastern folk music. The Second Symphony was born at the end of the composer's life, in 1908. In his symphonic works, Balakirev focuses primarily on Berlioz and Liszt however, the lack of academic education does not allow him to fully utilize all the achievements of the style of these composers.

In 1906, a monument to M.I. Glinka. For this ceremony, Balakirev writes Cantata for choir and orchestra - one of his four choral works. Another work written for the opening of the monument, this time Chopin , in 1910 - Suite for Orchestra, composed of 4 works by a Polish composer. Concerto Es-dur for piano and orchestra is the last major work of Balakirev, which was already finished by his colleague S.M. Lyapunov. It, like many compositions for piano, is distinguished by its performing complexity. Balakirev, being an excellent pianist, tried to emphasize the musician's skill in his works, sometimes to the detriment of the melodic value of the piece. The most extensive in terms of quantity is the legacy of Balakirev in the genre of romance and song - a total of more than 40 works on the verses of the leading poets of the era: Pushkin, Lermontov, Fet, Koltsov. The composer created romances throughout his life, starting from the 1850s.

Sadly enough, Balakirev's works almost never go beyond the narrow philharmonic circle of lovers of Russian classical music. Even experts from the world cinema turned to the composer's work only once - in the 2006 Swiss film Vitus about the young virtuoso pianist, where the oriental fantasy Islamey was performed.

Domestic cinema used the image of Balakirev in the 1950 film "Mussorgsky", his role was played by Vladimir Balashov.

With the members of the "Mighty Handful" Balakirev shared not only time, but also what he was striving for - their original composer development on the basis that he gave them. Ultimately, he was not only a genius composer or an outstanding performer. He was something big - a great Russian musician. A person who, like no one else, felt the music. A person who has been endowed by the universe with the gift of discovering talents. He did not write an opera, but would the successful chemist Borodin have created his only, but infinitely brilliant "Prince Igor" without him? He could not found his own school of composition, but was it not under his influence that the naval officer Rimsky-Korsakov found the strength to quit his service and become not only a composer, but also the greatest teacher? Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev is one of the main passionaries of Russian music. And just as the big is better seen at a distance, so today his services to the national culture are becoming more and more valuable.

Video: watch a film about Balakirev

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev is a Russian composer, pianist, conductor and musical and public figure. Head of the "Mighty Handful", one of the founders (in 1862) and head (in 1868-1873 and 1881-1908) of the Free Music School. Conductor of the Russian Musical Society (1867-1869), director of the Court Choir Choir (1883-94). “Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs” (1858; 2nd edition 1881), symphonic poems “Tamara” (1882), “Rus” (1887), “In the Czech Republic” (1905), oriental fantasy for piano “Islamey” ( 1869), romances, arrangements of Russian folk songs.

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev was born on January 2, 1837 (December 21, 1836 according to the old style), in Nizhny Novgorod, in the family of an official from the nobility. Took lessons from the pianist Alexander Ivanovich and the conductor Karl Eizrich (in N. Novgorod). Miliy's musical development was facilitated by his rapprochement with the writer and music critic Alexander Dmitrievich Ulybyshev. In 1853 - 1855 Miliy Alekseevich was a volunteer at the Faculty of Mathematics of Kazan University. In 1856 he made his debut in St. Petersburg as a pianist and conductor.

"Ruslan" finally won the Czech audience for itself. The enthusiasm with which he was received does not diminish even now, although I have already conducted it 3 times. (about "Ruslana and Lyudmila" by Glinka)

Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich

A great influence on the formation of Balakirev's ideological and aesthetic positions was exerted by his friendship with art and music critic, art historian, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov.

In the early 60s, under the leadership of Miliy Alekseevich, a musical circle was created, known as the "New Russian Music School", "Balakirevsky Circle", "Mighty Handful". In 1862, the composer, together with the choral conductor and music figure Gavriil Yakimovich Lomakin, organized a Free Music School in St. Petersburg, which became a hotbed of mass music education, as well as a center for the propaganda of Russian music. From 1867 to 1869 he was the chief conductor of the Russian Musical Society.

MA Balakirev contributed to the popularization of the operas by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka: in 1866 he conducted the opera Ivan Susanin in Prague, in 1867 he directed the Prague production of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila.

The late 1850s - 60s were a period of intense creative activity by Milia. Works of these years - "Overture on three Russian themes" (1858; 2nd ed. 1881), the second overture on three Russian themes "1000 years" (1862, in a later edition - symphonic poem "Rus", 1887, 1907) , the Czech Overture (1867, in the 2nd ed. - the symphonic poem "In the Bohemia", 1906), etc. - developed the traditions of Glinka, they clearly showed the characteristic features and style of the "New Russian School" (in particular, reliance on genuine folk song). In 1866, his collection "40 Russian folk songs for voice from the piano" was published, which was the first classical example of folk songs processing.

In the 70s, Balakirev left the Free Music School, stopped writing, giving concerts and broke up with the members of the circle. In the early 80s, he returned to musical activity, but it lost its militant "sixties" character. In 1881 - 1908 he again headed the Free Music School and at the same time (in 1883 - 1894) was the director of the Court Singing Chapel.

The central theme of the composer's work is the theme of the people. Folk images, pictures of Russian life, nature pass through most of his works. Miliy Balakirev is also characterized by an interest in the theme of the East (Caucasus) and musical cultures of other countries (Polish, Czech, Spanish).

The main sphere of creativity of Miliy Alekseevich is instrumental (symphonic and piano) music. He worked primarily in the field of program symphony. The best example of his symphonic poem is Tamara (circa 1882, based on the poem of the same name by the Russian poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov), ​​built on the original musical material of a pictorial landscape and folk dance character. The name Milia is associated with the birth of the genre of the Russian epic symphony. The concept of the 1st symphony dates back to the 60s (the sketches appeared in 1862, the first movement in 1864, the symphony was completed in 1898). In 1908, the 2nd symphony was written.

Miliy Balakirev is one of the creators of the original Russian piano style. The best of his piano works is the oriental fantasy "Islamey" (1869), which combines a vivid picture, the originality of folk-genre color with virtuoso brilliance.

Romances and songs by Miliy Alekseevich occupy a prominent place in Russian chamber vocal music.

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev died on May 29 (May 16, old style), 1910, in St. Petersburg.

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev gained fame as a man who was better at creating great composers than great music. His "" is not as famous as "", and his romances are lost in the shadow of vocal masterpieces. But if it were not for Balakirev, there probably would be no masterpieces, and there would be no Russian music in the form as we know it now.

A native of Nizhny Novgorod, the son of a titular councilor, Balakirev showed musical talent already in childhood. His mother became the first teacher of piano playing for him. When the boy was ten years old, his mother, during the summer holidays, went with him to Moscow, where Miliy took several piano lessons from the composer Alexander Dubuc. Upon returning to his hometown, he began to study with the conductor and pianist Karl Eiserich.

Balakirev is studying at the Alexander Institute. A meeting with diplomat Alexander Ulybyshev played a significant role in his fate. This man is an amateur musician, one of the first music critics, the author of a biography, who introduced the young man to classical literature, and in the amateur orchestra created by Ulybyshev, Balakirev learns in practice the basics of conducting and instrumentation. The orchestra's repertoire was rich - it even included Beethoven's symphonies.

In 1853 Balakirev entered Kazan University, but after a year left him to study music. He creates romances as well as piano works. Ulybyshev follows the success of the young composer. In St. Petersburg, he introduced Miliy Alekseevich. Mikhail Ivanovich approved the works of Balakirev, gave him some advice.

In the capital, Balakirev becomes famous as a performer-pianist, he continues to compose music. Soon he meets Caesar Cui and, and later - with and. This is how a community of young composers arose, which the critic Vladimir Stasov later called "The Mighty Handful". None of these people received a musical education: an officer, a sailor, a chemist, a military engineer Cui, and Balakirev himself, who became the soul of this community, did not study at the conservatory. But perhaps that is why they could say a new word in art, opposing the dominance of the West, which reigned in professional music, works on a national basis.

Friends-composers gathered at Balakirev's every week, played a lot of pieces on the piano in four hands - and, of course, demonstrated their own. Balakirev, according to his own words, proved to be an "amazing technical critic", carefully examining all the works, and he played a decisive role in the self-education of his friends. But, of course, he did not limit himself to giving advice. By that time, he had already created two dozen romances, which were highly appreciated by Alexander Serov. He became famous for his symphonic works - in particular, the overture "King Lear", as well as piano pieces.

Balakirev travels along the Volga and visits the Caucasus three times, during these trips he records folk songs. The result of communication with barge haulers on the Volga was the "Collection of Russian folk songs." Mily Alekseevich created an Overture on the themes of three Russian songs, conceived a symphony dedicated to the millennium of Russia, but this work was not completed. Caucasian impressions were reflected in the works created years later - "Islamee" and "".

In 1862, the composer, together with Gabriel Lomakin, created the Free Music School. The choir that existed in it made it possible for everyone to become familiar with the art of music. The orchestra, conducted by Balakirev, also participated in these concerts, including the creations of the Kuchkists in the programs. Mily Alekseevich also conducted concerts of the Russian Musical Society.

1870s became difficult for Balakirev: unfair dismissal from concerts of the RMO, material problems. All this leads to thoughts of suicide. The composer still did not do this, but came to a decision about "musical suicide" - he decides to give up creativity forever. For some time he serves in the railway office, then earns private lessons. Only by the end of the 1870s. he gradually comes to his senses: again begins to communicate with friends, again heads the Free Music School, completes "", creates piano pieces and romances, and since 1883, for eleven years, heads the Court Singing Chapel. Through his efforts, an orchestra was created at the chapel.

Balakirev's music is performed not only in Russia, but also in Brussels, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Balakirev died in 1910. His last work - the Suite for Orchestra - remained unfinished, completed by Sergei Lyapunov.

Music Seasons

There are people who personified an entire era. Such a person was Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev, who was one of the key and influential figures in the development of Russian classical music. A person without whom all knowledge about music would look and sound completely different. A short biography of Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev will be presented to your attention further.

Childhood

In the birth registers of the Ascension Church of Nizhny Novgorod for 1836 there is a record of the birth of a son in the family of the titular councilor Alexei Konstantinovich Balakirev. A few days later, Balakirev, together with his wife Elizaveta Ivanovna, baptized the boy in the same church and call him Miliy.

The boy receives a classic upbringing inherent in that time. On Sunday morning, as well as holidays, the whole family attended church without fail. Mom Miliya, Elizaveta Ivanovna, organized a corner in her son's room with icons. The boy was very proud of this part of his room and spent a lot of time there. Often the child would just sit in silence and look at the images.

Miliy grew up as a very active and inquisitive child. He was not even 6 years old when he began to take an interest in music. The first musical instrument he wanted to learn to play was the piano.

Elizaveta Ivanovna, seeing her son's interest in music, decides to test his hearing. Making sure that the boy has an absolute ear for music, she directs all her strength to the development of his musical talent.

The first years of study

Mily and her mother are leaving for Moscow to study. Good luck smiles at them, because Alexander Dubuka, one of the most famous teachers and musicians of that time, teaches how to master the boy's piano. It is thanks to his teacher that Milia manages to very quickly and masterly polish his technique of playing a musical instrument.

After a while, the boy returns home to Nizhny Novgorod, but does not stop his studies. Karl Eiserich, a talented musician and conductor, becomes his mentor. He supervises the daily lessons of Milia.

During these years, life often presents the boy with fateful gifts. One of them is the acquaintance with Alexander Dmitrievich Ulybyshev, a true lover and true connoisseur of music. A new acquaintance appreciated Balakirev's talent. Miliy becomes a frequent guest at Ulybyshev's house, where the city's musical elite gathers. It is under the influence of these circles that the inner world and ideological views of the young man are formed.

At the end of the 40s of the XX century, when Milia was only 13 years old, he entered the Nizhny Novgorod noble institute. The training lasts 4 years, and after graduation, the young man moves to Kazan. For two years, Miliy has been listening to lectures at the Kazan University at the Faculty of Mathematics. It was then that the early works of the talented young man appeared, the romance "You are full of captivating bliss" and the concert Allegro.

By this time, the young man's mother, who had always been his main support and support, had died several years ago. The father, having entered into a new marriage, in which new children were born, could hardly make ends meet. In order to somehow keep afloat, Miliy gave music lessons.

Acquaintance with M.I. Glinka

All this time, Mily Balakirev continues to maintain close relations with Ulybyshev. It should be noted that the latter played a very important role in the life of our hero. In his estate, the patron maintained a personal orchestra, in which Balakirev first tried his hand as a musician. He not only conducted Beethoven's symphonies, but also figured out how the orchestra was organized and how to lead people. And on the instrument of the landowner, Mily had an unlimited opportunity to study a lot and hone his technique. Later, a wealthy landowner brought Balakirev to St. Petersburg and introduced him to Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka.

The latter is considered the first classic of Russian music. Glinka was then going to leave Petersburg for good. However, the meeting between the two musicians did take place, although it was very short. Mikhail Ivanovich praised Balakirev, promised a great future, and also said that the glory of "the second Glinka" awaits him.

From that moment on, a legend about Balakirev began to spread in musical circles. The whole Petersburg started talking about the young, talented and ardent musician, who can do everything and knows a lot. The gates of great possibilities opened before the musician. At the age of 19, Balakirev gave his first big concert in front of spoiled St. Petersburg spectators. The audience greeted the virtuoso pianist with admiration. Many true connoisseurs of musical art became interested in the work of Milia Balakirev.

Balakirev Music School

There was another passion in the life of the composer Milia Balakirev. It is a passion for teaching, a desire to pass on your skills to someone else, to teach how to play classical music and write your own works. Under the influence of this desire and with the support of the emperor, Miliy Alekseevich, together with his friend Gabriel Yakimovich Lomakin, founded a music school.

However, in 1866 Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka invites Balakirev to work together and cooperate. The young genius moved to Prague, where he worked on the operas Ruslan and Lyudmila and A Life for the Tsar. The audience enthusiastically accepts the work of two eminent musicians.

The fate of the school all this time was occupied by Lomakin. However, in 1868 he shifts all responsibilities from himself to Miliy Alekseevich, who for 6 years remained its director.

Balakirev and his students

Balakirev very responsibly approached the position of a teacher in his school. He dreamed that dozens of talented musicians would come out of the walls of his institution, who would glorify his name. However, his teaching and mentoring was extremely tough and authoritarian.

The first student in whom Miliy Alekseevich tried to realize his ambitions was a chemist student Apollon Gussakovsky. The young man showed great promise and was ready to study music for hours on end. Balakirev taught his student a lot, investing in him a lot of physical and moral strength. Gussakovsky, after graduation, said goodbye to his mentor and went abroad. They never met again.

However, the Balakirev school had gained popularity by that time. And young youths came in droves to study. Among the students was an officer from the Preobrazhensky regiment, Modest Mussorgsky. Acquaintance with him was of crucial importance for Balakirev.

"The Mighty Bunch"

Officer Mussorgsky brings with him Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin, a doctor from the hospital where he was once on duty, and also a passionate lover of classical music. And a little later they were joined by an engineer officer Caesar Cui, librarian Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov and a very young teenager, the future midshipman Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov.

Balakirev was delighted with his new students. For each of them, he became a mentor. However, in the process of work and creativity, men became like-minded people. And Balakirev understood that it would be difficult to continue his ideology within the walls of the school.

Therefore, Miliy Alekseevich, who lived in rented apartments, arranges circles and gatherings in them for his new friends. The group of musicians soon became famous and received the name "The Mighty Handful". In fact, they were an amateur philharmonic society, they became a folk project of amateur performances.

However, their judgments were not always acceptable. The goal of the "Mighty Handful" was to develop its own characteristic style in music, which would oppose the official musical organizations, the Imperial Russian Musical Society and the Conservatory.

All members of the group were self-taught musicians. They composed musical works, and Balakirev was the main critic. He made changes, approved and supported his like-minded people. Often, using his authority among his comrades, Miliy Alekseevich in a sharp form and rather aggressively could cross out the entire piece of music.

This affected the further fate of the "Balakirev group". Disputes and discontent within like-minded people grew. As a result, at the end of the 1860s, all members of the "Mighty Handful" finally quarreled. The group disintegrated, but still left a significant mark on Russian music.

Musical career of Miliy Alekseevich

After the collapse of the "Mighty Handful" Miliy Alekseevich worked in the Imperial Russian Musical Society, which he hated. The musician is at the pinnacle of his career. The whole world and the elite of St. Petersburg comes to listen to the eminent pianist and conductor.

However, the radical views on conservatism in classical music, which he had to play at concerts in this institution, put an end to his work. Miliy Alekseevich allowed himself to express himself in a harsh form against the leadership of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. Nobody began to endure the rudeness of the conductor. After two years of work, he was fired in a scandal.

Balakirev is left alone with his music. The conductor returns to his home in Nizhny Novgorod and gives a concert there, to which very few spectators come. However, at this time, he finally finishes his oriental fantasy "Islamei" on the piano. At that time, only this work and several of its overtures were known to the general public.

Mental crisis

As the biography of Milia Balakirev testifies, by the age of 33 he outlived himself as a musician. He is going through a serious mental crisis and disappears from the musical community. Nobody knew where he was. Balakirev did not keep in touch with any of his friends. However, in narrow circles it was known that the musician entered the government service.

He went to work every day at the freight station of the Warsaw Railway. His position was called a store management official. He was in charge of warehousing and cargo transportation. In this service, Balakirev, who in his youth was a student of the Faculty of Mathematics, quickly promoted his career.

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev, whose biography is presented to your attention in the article, meets Tertiy Ivanovich Filippov, a personnel officer of the Warsaw Railway, who was a well-known person in higher circles. Balakireva and Filippova unite and bring together religious views and faith. At this time, the musician, who is going through a mental crisis, even thinks about going to church.

Tertiy Ivanovich, when the question arose of strengthening the court singing chapel, proposes the candidacy of Miliy Alekseevich. Thanks to his authority among the top officials, Balakirev was invited to a new position.

Work in the court singing chapel

As soon as Miliy Alekseevich took over as head of the court singing chapel, he appointed Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, who was an efficient and true professional, as his assistant. Balakirev entrusted all musical affairs to him, but at first he himself was exclusively engaged in administrative matters.

The building of the academic chapel at 20 Moika, which exists today in St. Petersburg, was built thanks to the efforts of Miliy Alekseevich. He showed himself to be a responsible official.

Balakirev did a lot for the court chapel. He achieved that a school was created under her, in which students received a high-quality singing education. Music classes were created, in which they taught how to play the instruments. This made it possible for the students after graduation to stay to work here, in the orchestra.

Rimsky-Korsakov, who selected talented musicians for the orchestra, created an excellent team of talented professionals. Balakirev did not teach in the chapel, but only controlled this complex mechanism. He controlled everything: from the kitchen of the institution to the organization of the educational process. In this mode, he worked for 11 years, having retired in 1884 with the rank of state councilor.

Balakirev's musical heritage

After retiring, Balakirev no longer thought about financial problems. He devoted himself entirely to composing pieces of music. 4 years after his resignation, Miliy Alekseevich finishes the First Symphony, which was discussed and played for quite a long time.

Balakirev died in 1910, leaving a small musical legacy. Among the main masterpieces of Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich can be noted:

• the symphonic poem "Tamara";
• piano fantasy "Islamey";
• music to the tragedy "King Lear"
• fantasy on the theme of the opera "Ivan Susanin";
• the first symphony in C major;
• as well as many romances and songs.

The unfinished works of Miliy Alekseevich, after his death, were finalized and completed by his associates and students.

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev went down in history as one of the first critics of Russian music. His life was a series of victories and failures. The musician never created a family, devoting himself entirely to music. In addition to musical achievements, Balakirev left his mark as a talented official and leader.