Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was born on May 20, 1804. They say that at the birth of Mikhail, nightingales sang near his house all morning.

There were no outstanding ancestors creative personalities, perhaps that is why no one, at first, gave much importance to this sign.

His father is a retired captain of the Russian army, Ivan Nikolaevich. The first years of the boy's life, his paternal grandmother was involved in his upbringing, who did not let his mother near him.

The grandmother was too kind to her grandson. The child grew up like a real “mimosa”. The room he was in was heavily heated, and he was allowed out for walks only in warm weather.

Already in early age little Misha reacted sensitively to folk fun and songs. Folklore made a great impression on the boy, which he cherished throughout his life. These impressions and experiences will subsequently be reflected in the work of the great.

Mikhail Glinka grew up as a devout boy. The days of church holidays made a strong impression on him. He especially liked the ringing of bells, which captivated the little genius’s heart.

One day, Misha heard the sound of an ordinary copper basin in the room. He was not at a loss and, approaching him, began to tap sounds on the basin that resembled the ringing of a bell.

The grandmother ordered to bring another basin, the boy gave a real concert. Soon the priest of the local parish brought Misha small bells from the belfry. The boy's joy knew no bounds.

When he was six years old, his grandmother died. His mother begins to raise her son. In four years, Glinka will begin learning to play the violin and piano.

In 1817 he moved to the capital of the Russian state. In St. Petersburg he enters the Noble boarding school at the Main Pedagogical Institute. In the capital, Mikhail Ivanovich takes private lessons from the strongest musicians of his time.

An interesting fact is that Mikhail’s classmate was his younger brother, Lev. Great poet often visited his brother, which is how Glinka met Pushkin.

In 1822, Mikhail Ivanovich graduated from the boarding school. From that moment on, he was actively involved in music, trying himself as a composer, looking for his creative niche, working in different genres. During this period, he wrote several romances and songs that are still known today.

Glinka was a creative person, naturally in need of communication with interesting people. Soon he meets Zhukovsky and other famous personalities.

In the spring of 1830, the composer went to Germany. The journey lasted all summer. In the fall he visited Italy, Milan made a special impression on him. Three years later, Mikhail again goes to Germany, visiting Vienna along the way.

In 1834, Glinka returned to his homeland, with many thoughts in his head. He dreams of creating a Russian national opera, and is looking for a plot for it. As the plot, on the advice of Zhukovsky, the story about.

In 1836, work on the opera “A Life for the Tsar” was completed. The premiere took place on November 27. The public was impressed by the opera for a long time, and the premiere went off with a bang.

After the opera “A Life for the Tsar”, the composer wrote such brilliant works as “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Kamarinskaya”, “Night in Madrid”, “Waltz - Fantasy”.

Glinka traveled a lot European countries, discovered new horizons and spaces for the flight of thought and creativity. He was a truly brilliant man, on whose works more than one generation of Russian composers grew up.

At the end of his life, Mikhail Ivanovich began to compose and remake church melodies. Something worthwhile should have come out of his undertaking, which would later be generally known. But illness cut short the life of the talented Russian composer. In February 1857 he died. Mikhail Glinka was buried in Berlin, but soon, at the insistence of his ashes, were transported to the capital of Russia.

Mikhail Ivanovich was a wonderful composer, whose work has been carried forward by the Russian people for decades. Glinka was not only talented composer, but also a true patriot. After all, only true patriot could write a wonderful opera - “A Life for the Tsar”.

He was very worried about all the events that took place in the country during his lifetime. made a strong impression on Glinka. He sympathized not so much with the ideas of the people who organized it, but with their subsequent suffering.

The work of M. I. Glinka marked a new historical stage of development - classical. He managed to combine the best European trends with national traditions. All of Glinka’s work deserves attention. All the genres in which he worked fruitfully should be briefly described. Firstly, these are his operas. They have acquired enormous significance because they truthfully recreate the heroic events of past years. His romances are filled with special sensuality and beauty. Symphonic works are characterized by incredible picturesqueness. IN folk song Glinka discovered poetry and created a truly democratic national art.

Creativity and Childhood and youth

Born May 20, 1804. His childhood was spent in the village of Novospasskoye. The fairy tales and songs of nanny Avdotya Ivanovna were vivid and memorable impressions for a lifetime. He was always attracted by the sound of bells, which he soon began to imitate on copper basins. He began reading early and was naturally inquisitive. Reading the ancient publication “On Wanderings in General” had a beneficial effect. It aroused great interest in travel, geography, drawing and music. Before entering the noble boarding school, he took piano lessons and quickly succeeded in this difficult task.

In the winter of 1817, he was sent to St. Petersburg to a boarding school, where he spent four years. Studied with Boehm and Field. Glinka's life and work in the period from 1823 to 1830 were very eventful. From 1824 he visited the Caucasus, where he served until 1828 as assistant secretary of communications. From 1819 to 1828 he periodically visited his native Novospasskoye. Afterwards he meets new friends in St. Petersburg (P. Yushkov and D. Demidov). During this period he created his first romances. This:

• Elegy "Do not tempt me" to the words of Baratynsky.
• "Poor singer" to the words of Zhukovsky.
• “I love you, you kept telling me” and “It’s bitter for me, it’s bitter” to the words of Korsak.

He writes piano pieces and makes his first attempt to write the opera “A Life for the Tsar.”

First trip abroad

In 1830 he went to Italy, visiting Germany along the way. This was his first trip abroad. He went here to improve his health and enjoy the surrounding nature of an unknown country. The impressions he received gave him material for the oriental scenes of the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila". He was in Italy until 1833, mostly in Milan.

Glinka’s life and work in this country are successful, easy and relaxed. Here he met the painter K. Bryullov and Moscow professor S. Shevyryaev. Of the composers - with Donizetti, Mendelssohn, Berlioz and others. In Milan, with Riccordi, he published some of his works.

In 1831-1832 he composed two serenades, a number of romances, Italian cavatinas, and a sextet in the key of E-flat major. In aristocratic circles he was known as Maestro russo.

In July 1833 he went to Vienna, and then spent about six months in Berlin. Here he enriches his technical knowledge with the famous contrapuntist Z. Dehn. Subsequently, under his leadership, he wrote the Russian Symphony. At this time, the composer's talent was developing. Glinka’s work becomes freer from other people’s influence, he treats it more consciously. In his “Notes” he admits that all this time he was looking for his own path and style. Longing for his homeland, he thinks about writing in Russian.

Return to homeland

In the spring of 1834, Mikhail arrived in Novospasskoye. He thought about going abroad again, but decides to stay in his native land. In the summer of 1834 he went to Moscow. He meets here with Melgunov and restores his former acquaintances with musical and literary circles. Among them are Aksakov, Verstovsky, Pogodin, Shevyrev. Glinka decided to create a Russian one. He took on the romantic opera “Maryina Roshcha” (based on the plot of Zhukovsky). The composer's plan was not realized, the sketches did not reach us.

In the fall of 1834 he came to St. Petersburg, where he attended literary and amateur circles. One day Zhukovsky told him to take the plot of “Ivan Susanin”. During this period of time he composed the following romances: “Don’t call her heavenly”, “Don’t say love will pass", "I just recognized you", "I'm here, Inesilya". A big event is happening in his personal life - marriage. Along with this, he became interested in writing Russian opera. Personal experiences influenced Glinka's work, in particular the music of his opera. Initially, the composer planned to write a cantata consisting of three scenes. The first was to be called a rural scene, the second - a Polish scene, the third - a solemn finale. But under the influence of Zhukovsky, he created a dramatic opera consisting of five acts.

The premiere of “A Life for the Tsar” took place on November 27, 1836. V. Odoevsky appreciated it. Emperor Nicholas I gave Glinka a ring for 4,000 rubles for this. A couple of months later he appointed him bandmaster. In 1839, for a number of reasons, Glinka resigned. During this period, fruitful creativity continues. Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich wrote the following compositions: “Night View”, “North Star”, another scene from “Ivan Susanin”. Accepted for new opera on the plot of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" on the advice of Shakhovsky. In November 1839 he divorced his wife. During his life with the “brothers” (1839-1841), he created a number of romances. The opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was a long-awaited event; tickets were sold out in advance. The premiere took place on November 27, 1842. The success was stunning. After 53 performances the opera was no longer performed. The composer decided that his brainchild was underestimated, and apathy sets in. Glinka's work is suspended for a year.

Traveling to distant countries

In the summer of 1843 he travels through Germany to Paris, where he stays until the spring of 1844.

Renews old acquaintances, becomes friends with Berlioz. Glinka was impressed by his works. He studies his programmatic works. In Paris he maintains friendly relations with Merimee, Hertz, Chateauneuf and many other musicians and writers. Then he visits Spain, where he lives for two years. He was in Andalusia, Granada, Valladolid, Madrid, Pamplona, ​​Segovia. Composes "Aragonese Jota". Here he takes a break from pressing St. Petersburg problems. Walking around Spain, Mikhail Ivanovich collected folk songs and dances, wrote them down in a book. Some of them formed the basis of the work "Night in Madrid". From Glinka’s letters it becomes obvious that in Spain he rests his soul and heart, he lives very well here.

Last years of life

In July 1847 he returned to his homeland. Lives for some time in Novospasskoye. The work of Mikhail Glinka resumed with renewed vigor during this period. He writes several piano pieces, the romance “You Will Soon Forget Me” and others. In the spring of 1848 he went to Warsaw and lived here until the fall. He writes "Kamarinskaya", "Night in Madrid", romances for the orchestra. In November 1848 he came to St. Petersburg, where he was sick all winter.

In the spring of 1849 he again went to Warsaw and lived here until the autumn of 1851. In July of this year, he fell ill after receiving the sad news of his mother’s death. In September he returns to St. Petersburg, lives with his sister L. Shestakova. He composes extremely rarely. In May 1852 he went to Paris and stayed here until May 1854. From 1854-1856 he lived in St. Petersburg with his sister. He is interested in Russian singer D. Leonova. She creates arrangements for her concerts. On April 27, 1856 he left for Berlin, where he settled next door to Dehn. He came to visit him every day and supervised classes in a strict style. The work of M. I. Glinka could continue. But on the evening of January 9, 1857, he caught a cold. On February 3, Mikhail Ivanovich died.

What is Glinka's innovation?

M. I. Glinka created the Russian style in musical art. He was the first composer in Russia who combined musical technique (this concerns melody, harmony, rhythm and counterpoint) with the (Russian folk) song style. The work of the composer Glinka contains quite vivid examples of this type. This is his folk musical drama "Life for the Tsar", the epic opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila". As an example of the Russian symphonic style, one can name “Kamarinskaya”, “Prince Kholmsky”, overtures and intermissions to both of his operas. His romances are highly artistic examples of lyrically and dramatically expressed songs. Glinka is rightfully considered a classical master of world significance.

Symphonic creativity

For symphony orchestra The composer created a small number of works. But their role in history musical art turned out to be so important that they are considered the basis of Russian classical symphonism. Almost all belong to the genre of fantasies or one-part overtures. " Aragonese jota", "Waltz-Fantasy", "Kamarinskaya", "Prince Kholmsky" and "Night in Madrid" make up symphonic creativity Glinka. The composer laid down new principles of development.

The main features of his symphonic overtures:

• Availability.
• The principle of generalized programming.
• Uniqueness of forms.
• Conciseness, laconism of forms.
• Dependence on the general artistic concept.

Glinka’s symphonic work was successfully characterized by P. Tchaikovsky, comparing “Kamarinskaya” to an oak and an acorn. And he emphasized that this work contains a whole Russian symphonic school.

The composer's operatic legacy

"Ivan Susanin" ("Life for the Tsar") and "Ruslan and Lyudmila" make up operatic creativity Glinka. The first opera is a folk musical drama. It intertwines several genres. Firstly, this is a heroic-epic opera (the plot is based on the historical events of 1612). Secondly, it contains the features of epic opera, lyrical-psychological and folk musical drama. If "Ivan Susanin" continues European trends, then "Ruslan and Lyudmila" represents new type dramaturgy - epic.

It was written in 1842. The public could not appreciate it; it was incomprehensible to the majority. V. Stasov was one of the few critics who noticed its significance for the entire Russian musical culture. He emphasized that this was not just an unsuccessful opera, but a new type of dramaturgy, completely unknown. Features of the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila":

• Slow development.
• No direct conflicts.
• Romantic tendencies - colorfulness and picturesqueness.

Romances and songs

Vocal creativity Glinka was created by the composer throughout his life. He wrote more than 70 romances. They embody a variety of feelings: love, sadness, emotional impulse, delight, disappointment, etc. Some of them depict pictures of everyday life and nature. Glinka is capable of all types of everyday romance. "Russian song", serenade, elegy. It also covers such everyday dances as waltz, polka and mazurka. The composer turns to genres that are characteristic of the music of other peoples. These are the Italian barcarolle and the Spanish bolero. The forms of romances are quite diverse: three-part, simple verse, complex, rondo. Glinka's vocal work includes texts by twenty poets. He managed to convey the features in music poetic language each author. The main means of expression of many romances is the melodious melody of wide breathing. The piano part plays a huge role. Almost all romances have introductions that introduce the action and set the mood. Glinka's romances are very famous:

• "The fire of desire burns in the blood."
• "Lark"
• "A passing song."
• "Doubt".
• "I remember a wonderful moment."
• "Don't tempt."
• "You will soon forget me."
• "Don't say it hurts your heart."
• "Don't sing, beauty, in front of me."
• "Confession".
• "Night View".
• "Memory".
• "To her."
• "I'm here, Inesilla."
• "Oh, you are night, little night."
• "At a difficult moment in life."

Glinka's chamber and instrumental works (briefly)

The most striking example of an instrumental ensemble is Glinka’s major work for piano and string quintet. This is a wonderful divertissement based on Bellini's famous opera La Sonnambula. New ideas and tasks are embodied in two chamber ensembles: the Grand Sextet and the Pathetic Trio. And although these works feel dependent on the Italian tradition, they are quite distinctive and original. In the “Sextet” there is a rich melody, a prominent thematic theme, and a harmonious form. concert type. In this work, Glinka tried to convey the beauty of Italian nature. "Trio" is the complete opposite of the first ensemble. His personality is gloomy and agitated.

Glinka's chamber music significantly enriched the performing repertoire of violinists, pianists, violists, and clarinetists. Chamber ensembles attract listeners with their extraordinary depth of musical thoughts, variety of rhythmic formulas, and naturalness of melodic breathing.

Conclusion

Glinka's musical creativity combines the best European trends with national traditions. Associated with the name of the composer new stage in the history of the development of musical art, which is called "classical". Glinka's work covers various genres that have taken their place in the history of Russian music and deserve attention from listeners and researchers. Each of his operas opens up a new type of dramaturgy. "Ivan Susanin" is a folk musical drama that combines various features. "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is a fabulously epic opera without bright expressed conflicts. It develops calmly and slowly. It is characterized by colorfulness and picturesqueness. His operas have acquired enormous significance as they truthfully recreate the heroic events of past years. Few symphonic works have been written. However, they were able not only to please listeners, but also to become a real asset and the basis of Russian symphonism, since they are characterized by incredible picturesqueness.

The composer's vocal work includes about 70 works. They are all charming and delightful. They embody various emotions, feelings and moods. They are filled with special beauty. The composer addresses different genres and forms. As for chamber instrumental works, they are also few in number. However, their role is no less important. They expanded the performing repertoire with new worthy examples.

A brief message about the life and work of Mikhail Glinka for children in grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

1804 - the village of Novo Spasskoye, Smolensk province, the family with its grandfather, a composer Polish nobleman, added a child. A boy was born and they named him Misha.

Later, Mikhail inherited family heirlooms and a family coat of arms. After Russia's victory in the war, the Smolensk region became a Russian region, with the Russian city of Smolensk. And Glinka himself, in short, took and changed his citizenship and accepted the faith of the Russian Orthodox.

Raising the child fell on the shoulders of the grandmother, Fekla Alexandrovna. His mother did not raise him. This is probably the main reason why Mikhail grew up nervous, in the form of a kind of mimosa.

But after his grandmother passed away, the guy began to live with his mother, who tried to re-educate the boy. The boy mastered playing the violin already in the tenth year of his life, and by the age of eleven he could play the piano. Glinka received his musical basics from his governess. After some time, his parents settled him in the St. Petersburg boarding school for nobility. Here Mikhail had the honor of meeting Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

In 1822, he graduated from a boarding house, but this did not become a reason to stop making music. Glinka began to play music in salons for nobles, and sometimes replaced his uncle, who was the leader of the orchestra.

During these years, Mikhail first announced himself as a composer. Tries to write works with different genre, even tried writing romances. And how famous his songs “Don’t tempt me unnecessarily” and “Don’t sing in front of me, beauty” became; their words and music have survived to this day.

Success among familiar composers made its own adjustments to Glinka’s work. His dissatisfaction with the style required improvement, which the composer worked on meticulously.

The 30s brought a move to Italy and a trip to the cities of Germany. Living on Italian soil, Glinka, short biography which reveals to us the essence of how the composer tries to create Italian operas, and he succeeds.

In 1833 he moved to Berlin, where he got a job. And upon receiving a letter about his father’s death, he leaves for his homeland.

While in his native country, Mikhail Ivanovich had the idea to create a Russian opera. As evidenced by his painstaking work on the legend he chose to embody the idea. The choice of hero in the legend fell on the popularly known Ivan Susanin. In the same year, Mikhail got married and moved to Novospasskoye, where he continued his work. The result, the opera, “A Life for the Tsar,” appeared in 1836. In order for people to see the production, she had to go through the Katarino Kaovusovsky trial, the decision of which was a flattering review of the play.

About Glinka, briefly speaking, it should be said that his works acquired maturity, not a trace remained of his youth. What is evidenced by the work on creation symphonic genre. Glinka, to put it briefly, spent most of his life traveling. He lived in Paris, in Italy, in Berlin, but still periodically returned to his homeland. On one of these trips in 1856, Glinka went to Berlin, where on February 15 his life left him.

Personal matter

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 - 1857) born in the village of Novospasskoye, Smolensk province, located twenty miles from the city of Yelnya. His father was a landowner. At the age of ten, the boy began learning to play the piano and violin. In 1817, he was sent to the Noble boarding school at the Main Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg. Mikhail studied well special success achieved in drawing and foreign languages. At the same time, he seriously studied music with the Irish pianist and composer John Field, who lived in Russia since 1802, as well as with other teachers. During the summer holidays at his parents' estate, Glinka performed works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and other authors with serf musicians. In 1822 he completed his studies at the boarding school. In the summer of 1823, Glinka made a trip to the Caucasus. From 1824 to 1828 he was assistant secretary of the Main Directorate of Railways.

First musical works Mikhail Glinka creates in the 1820s. Already in 1825 he wrote the famous romance “Don’t Tempt” based on Baratynsky’s poems. At the end of April 1830, Glinka went abroad. He visited Naples, Milan, Venice, Rome, Vienna, Dresden. Having settled in Milan, I listened to a lot of Italian operas. “After each opera,” he recalled, “when we returned home, we selected sounds to remember the favorite places we had heard.” Continued to work on own writings. Among the works he created during these years, “Sextet for piano, two violins, viola, cello and double bass” and “Pathetic trio for piano, clarinet and bassoon” stand out. Glinka meets major composers of that time: Donizetti, Bellini, Mendelssohn, Berlioz. In Berlin he studies music theory under the guidance of the famous teacher Sigmund Wilhelm Dehn.

Glinka's studies abroad were interrupted by the news of his father's death. Returning to Russia, he began to implement the plan that had arisen in Italy - to create a Russian national opera. On the advice of Vyazemsky, Glinka chose a story about the feat of Ivan Susanin. At the end of April 1835, Glinka married Maria Ivanova. (“Besides a kind and most blameless heart,” he wrote to his mother about his chosen one, “I managed to notice in her the qualities that I always wanted to find in my wife: order and frugality... despite her youth and liveliness of character, she is very reasonable and extremely moderate in desires"). The composer settled on the family estate, devoting almost all his time to working on the opera.

The premiere of the opera “A Life for the Tsar” took place on November 27 (December 9), 1836. The years after the production of the first opera became a time of recognition for Glinka in Russia and abroad. At this time he wrote many wonderful works. Based on the poems of Nestor Kukolnik, Glinka created a cycle of twelve romances “Farewell to Petersburg” and the romance “Doubt”. At the same time, the best romances based on Pushkin’s poems were composed - “I’m here, Inesilya”, “Night Zephyr”, “The fire of desire burns in the blood”, “I remember a wonderful moment”. There were romances based on poems by Zhukovsky and Delvig. As the head of the court singing chapel, Glinka traveled around the country in search of good votes(he held this position until 1839).

In 1837, Glinka began work on the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. Because of Pushkin's death, he was forced to turn to other poets with a request to compose a libretto. Among them were Nestor Kukolnik, Valerian Shirkov, Nikolai Markevich and others. The final text belongs to Shirkov and Konstantin Bakhturin. It included some fragments of the poem, but overall it was written anew. Glinka and his librettists made a number of changes to the composition characters. Some characters disappeared (Rogdai), others appeared (Gorislava), underwent some alteration and storylines poems. The opera was written by Glinka over five years with long breaks: it was completed in 1842. The premiere took place on November 27 (December 9) of the same year on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg exactly six years after the premiere of the first opera. If Glinka designated the genre of “A Life for the Tsar” as “domestic heroic-tragic opera,” then he called his second opera “grand magic opera.” According to Glinka, the audience received the opera “very unfriendly”; the emperor and his court demonstratively left the hall before the end of the performance. Fadey Bulgarin sharply criticized the opera in print. Odoevsky spoke in support of Glinka. He wrote: “...a luxurious flower has grown on Russian musical soil - it is your joy, your glory. Let the worms try to crawl onto its stem and stain it - the worms will fall to the ground, but the flower will remain. Take care of it: it is a delicate flower and blooms only once in a century.”

In 1844, Glinka went to Paris, then from 1845 to 1848 he lived in Spain, studying folk songs and dances. The results of this were overtures on folk themes"Aragonese Jota" (1845) and "Night in Madrid" (1848). In subsequent years, he lives in different cities: St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin. He writes orchestral variations of the Waltz-Fantasy, the influence of which is felt in the symphonic waltzes of P. I. Tchaikovsky. Arriving in Berlin, Glinka again meets with his teacher music theory Denom. He studies Bach's polyphonic works, dreaming of creating Russian polyphony. However, he no longer had time to do this. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka died in Berlin in February 1857.

What is he famous for?

Mikhail Glinka

The traditions established by Glinka's two operas developed in Russian music into the genres of heroic-epic and fairy-tale opera. The heirs to these traditions were Dargomyzhsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky. “A Life for the Tsar” made such an impression on contemporaries and descendants that, despite the fact that Russian composers had created operas before it, the history of Russian opera music often counted from its premiere. More scrupulous historians still recognize its significance, attributing all previous Russian operas to the “pre-Glinka era.”

Initially, Glinka doubted whether he should take on an opera about Susanin, since there was already an opera by Caterino Cavos “Ivan Susanin”, first staged in 1815. However, Zhukovsky convinced the composer, saying that many works were created on the same plots, and this does not prevent them from coexisting. At Zhukovsky's suggestion, Baron Yegor Rosen was invited to write the libretto. During the Soviet period, biographers characterized him as a “very mediocre poet, who also had poor command of the Russian language,” imposed on Glinka. But we must admit that Rosen managed to cope with a very difficult task, since the opera was created in an unusual way: first Glinka wrote the music, and only then Rosen composed the poetry. Rosen was also characterized by extreme tenacity. If the composer did not like any verse, Rosen stubbornly argued with him to the last, defending his version.

The opera was completed in October 1836. The director of the imperial theaters, A. Gedeonov, handed it over to Kavos, the author of the 1815 opera “Ivan Susanin,” for review. Kavos wrote a glowing review and put a lot of effort into helping the production, and on the day of the premiere he conducted the orchestra himself. There is a legend that Nicholas I changed the title of the opera “Ivan Susanin” to “Life for the Tsar”. In fact, Glinka himself changed the name on the advice of Zhukovsky - they considered it incorrect to use the name of Kavos’s opera, which was still in theaters at that time. Selected new option"Death for the Tsar." Nicholas I, having said: “He who gives his life for the Tsar does not die,” corrected the word “death” to “life.”

The premiere was scheduled for November 27 (December 9), 1836. Mikhail Ivanovich refused the fee due to him, saying: “I don’t trade my inspiration!” The audience of the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg enthusiastically received the opera, the emperor cried during the performance.

What you need to know

After February revolution A. Gorodtsov proposed replacing the final anthem in the libretto of the opera “A Life for the Tsar” with a new version with the words: “Hail, freedom and honest work.” After October 1917, the opera “A Life for the Tsar” was not staged until 1939, when preparations began under the leadership of conductor S. A. Samosud new production- under the name “Ivan Susanin”. The libretto was written by the poet Sergei Gorodetsky. In his version, the plot was changed quite a bit. The action was moved from 1613 to October 1612, when Polish troops in Moscow were surrounded by the militia of Minin and Pozharsky. The plot has become somewhat strange: King Sigismund sends a detachment to defeat the Russian militia, but the detachment, heading from Poland to Moscow, for unknown reasons ends up near Kostroma, in the village where Ivan Susanin lives. From Susanin, the Poles demand that he show them the way to Minin’s camp. The new version did not say anything about the fact that Susanin saved Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, who was in a monastery near Kostroma. There was no mention of the Tsar at all in the libretto. In the final hymn, instead of " Glory, glory, our Russian Tsar, / the Tsar-Sovereign given to us by the Lord! / May your royal family be immortal, / May the Russian people prosper for them!"they began to sing: “Glory, glory, you are my Rus'! / Glory, my native land! / May our beloved native country be strong forever and ever!.." In this version, Glinka's opera was staged from February 21, 1939. In 1992 Bolshoi Theater staged the opera with the original title and libretto.

Direct speech

“We have a serious task ahead of us! Develop your own style and pave a new road for Russian operatic music,” - M. Glinka.

“Glinka... corresponded to the needs of the time and the fundamental essence of his people to such an extent that the business he started flourished and grew into the very short time and gave such fruits as were unknown in our fatherland throughout all its centuries historical life», - V. V. Stasov.

“Glinka elevated the folk tune to tragedy,” - V. F. Odoevsky.

“The jota has just been performed with the greatest success... Already at the rehearsal, the understanding musicians... were amazed and delighted by the lively and poignant originality of this charming piece, minted in such fine contours, trimmed and finished with such taste and art! What delightful episodes, wittily connected with the main motive... what subtle shades of color, distributed among the different timbres of the orchestra!.. What fascinating rhythmic moves from beginning to end! What the happiest surprises, abundantly coming from the very logic of development! Franz Liszt on Glinka's Aragonese Jota.

“When you think about where, first of all, the extraordinary power of Glinka’s creative genius was manifested, you invariably come to the thought of the beginning of all beginnings in his art - about the composer’s deepest comprehension of the spirit of the people,” - D. D. Shostakovich

22 facts about Mikhail Glinka

• In addition to the French, English, German, and Latin languages ​​studied at the Noble Boarding School, Mikhail Glinka also studied Spanish, Italian and Persian.
• Due to his busy schedule, Zhukovsky could not write the libretto for the opera himself. He just created a small song for her, “Oh, not for me, poor man...”.
• The part of Susanin in the first production of the opera was performed by Osip Petrov, and the part of Vanya was performed by contralto singer Anna Vorobyova. Soon after the premiere, she married her stage partner and also became Petrova. As wedding gift Glinka composed an additional Vanya aria (“The poor horse fell in the field…” in the fourth act).
• As a sign of his admiration for the opera, Nicholas I gave Glinka a diamond ring.
• On the day of the premiere of the opera “A Life for the Tsar,” A. S. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, P. A. Vyazemsky and M. Yu. Vielgorsky composed it in honor of Glinka.
• Glinka first used ballet scenes in the opera not for purely decorative purposes, but by forcing them to serve the revelation of the characters’ images and the development of the plot. After Glinka, a stereotype even developed in Russian opera: the Russians sing, the enemies dance (the polonaise in A Life for the Tsar, then the Poles in Mussorgsky, the Polovtsians in Borodin).
• In the third act, when the Poles convince Susanin to lead the detachment, the Poles' lines are written in the rhythm of a polonaise or mazurka in 3/4 time. When Susanin speaks, the size of the music is 2/4 or 4/4. After Susanin decides to self-sacrifice and pretends that he is interested in the money offered by the Poles, he also switches to a three-part meter (with the words “Yes, your truth, money is power”).
• Up to late XIX century, it was accepted that the second act of A Life for the Tsar, where the famous “dance suite” sounds, was conducted not by an opera conductor, but by a ballet conductor.
• Glinka's "Patriotic Song" was the official anthem of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 2000.
• Novel based on Pushkin’s poems “I Remember” wonderful moment", dedicated to Anna Kern, Glinka dedicated her to her daughter Ekaterina Kern.
• The first performers of the “Pathetique Trio” were in 1832 the musicians of the La Scala theater orchestra: clarinetist Pietro Tassistro, bassoonist Antonio Cantu and Glinka himself, who performed the piano part.
• During the first production of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” in the scenery of the garden of the wizard Chernomor, the artist used images of single-celled organisms: foraminifera and radiolaria, taken from a German zoological atlas.
• Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich disliked Glinka’s second opera so much that he ordered the guilty soldiers to be sent to listen to “Ruslan and Lyudmila” instead of the guardhouse.
• In Finn's aria in the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, Glinka used the melody of a Finnish folk song he heard from a Finnish coachman.
• In Ruslan and Lyudmila, Glinka came up with an orchestral technique of imitating the gusli: pizzicato harp and piano, which was adopted by other composers, in particular Rimsky-Korsakov in The Snow Maiden and Sadko.
• The part of the Head is performed hidden from the audience male choir. The Head's story about the history of Chernomor and the wonderful sword can be called the only aria for a choir in history.
• The Ratmir party is intended for female voice contralto, and Glinka’s Chernomor doesn’t sing at all.
• Chernomor's march usually features the celesta, an instrument that entered the orchestra only in the late 1880s. It replaces the glass harmonica used by Glinka and which has now become rare. Relatively recently, the original sheet music with the glass harmonica part was found in Berlin and the original version of the opera was staged at the Bolshoi Theater.
• The Georgian folk melody, which Glinka based on the romance “Don’t sing, beauty, in front of me...” based on Pushkin’s verses, was recorded in Georgia and reported to Glinka by Alexander Griboedov.
• The reason for the creation of “A Passing Song” was the opening of the first railway in Russia in 1837.
• The first monument to Glinka was erected in 1885 in Smolensk. The bronze fence of the monument is made in the form of musical lines, where 24 excerpts from the composer’s works are recorded.
• Based on “A Life for the Tsar,” the play “The Hammer and Sickle” was created in the 1920s, in which the action of Glinka’s opera was transferred to the Civil War.

Materials about Mikhail Glinka

We have a serious task ahead of us! Develop your own style and pave a new road for Russian operatic music.
M. Glinka

Glinka... corresponded to the needs of the time and the fundamental essence of his people to such an extent that the business he began flourished and grew in a very short time and gave such fruits as were unknown in our fatherland during all the centuries of its historical life.
V. Stasov

In the person of M. Glinka, Russian musical culture nominated a composer of world significance for the first time. Based on the centuries-old traditions of Russian folk and professional music, achievements and experience European art, Glinka completed the process of forming a national composer school, which conquered in the 19th century. one of the leading places in European culture, became the first Russian classical composer. In his work, Glinka expressed the advanced ideological aspirations of the time. His works are imbued with the ideas of patriotism and faith in the people. Like A. Pushkin, Glinka sang the beauty of life, the triumph of reason, goodness, and justice. He created an art so harmonious and beautiful that you never tire of admiring it, discovering more and more perfections in it.

What shaped the composer’s personality? Glinka writes about this in her “Notes” - a wonderful example memoir literature. He names Russian songs as the main impressions of his childhood (they were “the first reason that later I began to predominantly develop Russian folk music”), as well as his uncle’s serf orchestra, which he “loved most of all.” As a boy, Glinka played the flute and violin, and as he grew older, he conducted it. The ringing of bells and church singing filled his soul with “the liveliest poetic delight.” Young Glinka drew well, passionately dreamed of travel, and was distinguished by his liveliness of mind and rich imagination. Two greats historical events appeared for the future composer the most important facts his biographies: the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Decembrist uprising in 1825. They determined the basic idea of ​​creativity (“Let us dedicate our souls to the Fatherland with wonderful impulses”), as well as political beliefs. According to his youth friend N. Markevich, “Mikhailo Glinka... did not sympathize with any Bourbons.”

Glinka’s stay at the St. Petersburg Noble Boarding School (1817-22), famous for its progressive-minded teachers, had a beneficial influence on Glinka. His teacher at the boarding school was V. Kuchelbecker, the future Decembrist. His youth passed in an atmosphere of passionate political and literary disputes with friends, and some of the people close to Glinka, after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, were among those exiled to Siberia. No wonder Glinka was subject to interrogation regarding his connections with the “rebels.”

Russian literature with its interest in history, creativity, and the life of the people played a significant role in the ideological and artistic formation of the future composer; direct communication with A. Pushkin, V. Zhukovsky, A. Delvig, A. Griboyedov, V. Odoevsky, A. Mitskevich. The musical impressions were also varied. Glinka took piano lessons (from J. Field and then from S. Mayer), studied singing and playing the violin. Frequently visited theaters, visited musical evenings, played music in 4 hands with the Vielgorsky brothers, A. Varlamov, began composing romances and instrumental pieces. In 1825, one of the masterpieces of Russian vocal lyricism appeared - the romance “Do not tempt” to the verses of E. Baratynsky.

Glinka's travels gave him many bright artistic impulses: a trip to the Caucasus (1823), a stay in Italy, Austria, Germany (1830-34). A sociable, passionate, enthusiastic young man who combined kindness and straightforwardness with poetic sensitivity, he easily made friends. In Italy, Glinka became close to V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, met with F. Mendelssohn, and later G. Berlioz, J. Meyerbeer, S. Moniuszko appeared among his friends. Eagerly absorbing various impressions, Glinka studied seriously and inquisitively, completing music education in Berlin with the famous theorist Z. Dehn.

It was here, far from his homeland, that Glinka fully realized his true destiny. “The idea of ​​national music... became more and more clear, and the intention arose to create a Russian opera.” This plan was realized upon returning to St. Petersburg: in 1836 the opera “Ivan Susanin” was completed. Its plot, suggested by Zhukovsky, made it possible to embody the idea of ​​heroism in the name of saving the homeland, which was extremely captivating to Glinka. This was new: in all European and Russian music there has not appeared a patriotic hero like Susanin, whose image summarizes the best typical features of the national character.

The heroic idea is embodied by Glinka in forms characteristic of national art, based on the rich traditions of Russian songwriting, Russian professional choral art, which are organically combined with the laws of European opera music, with the principles of symphonic development.

The premiere of the opera on November 27, 1836 was perceived by leading figures of Russian culture as an event of great importance. “With Glinka’s opera there is... a new element in Art, and a new period begins in its history - the period of Russian music,” wrote Odoevsky. Russian, and later foreign, writers and critics highly appreciated the opera. Pushkin, who was present at the premiere, wrote a quatrain:

Listening to this new thing,
Envy, clouded with malice,
Let him grind, but Glinka
Can't trample into the mud.

Success inspired the composer. Immediately after the premiere of “Susanin”, work began on the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (based on the plot of Pushkin’s poem). However, all sorts of circumstances: an unsuccessful marriage ending in divorce; the highest mercy - the service in the Court Choir, which took a lot of energy; tragic death Pushkin in a duel that ruined plans collaboration over the work - all this was not favorable creative process. Domestic unsettled conditions got in the way. For some time, Glinka lived with the playwright N. Kukolnik in the noisy and cheerful environment of the puppeteer “brotherhood” - artists, poets, who significantly distracted him from creativity. Despite this, the work progressed, and other works appeared in parallel - romances based on Pushkin’s poems, the vocal cycle “Farewell to Petersburg” (at Kukolnik’s station), the first version of “Waltz-Fantasy”, music for the Kukolnik’s drama “Prince Kholmsky”.

Glinka’s activities as a singer and vocal teacher date back to the same time. He writes “Etudes for Voice”, “Exercises for Improving Voice”, “School of Singing”. Among his students are S. Gulak-Artemovsky, D. Leonova and others.

The premiere of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” on November 27, 1842 brought Glinka many difficult experiences. The aristocratic public, led by the imperial family, greeted the opera with hostility. And among Glinka’s supporters, opinions were sharply divided. Reasons complex relationship to the opera lie in the deeply innovative essence of the work, with which a fabulously epic epic, previously unknown to Europe, began opera house, where various musical and figurative spheres appeared in a bizarre interweaving - epic, lyrical, oriental, fantastic. Glinka “sang Pushkin’s poem in an epic manner” (B. Asafiev), and the leisurely unfolding of events, based on the change of colorful pictures, was suggested by Pushkin’s words: “Deeds of days gone by, traditions of deep antiquity.” Other features of the opera also appeared as a development of Pushkin’s innermost ideas. Sunny music, glorifying the love of life, faith in the triumph of good over evil, echoes the famous “Long live the sun, let the darkness disappear!”, and the bright national style of the opera seems to grow from the lines of the prologue; “There is a Russian spirit there, it smells of Russia.” Glinka spent the next few years abroad in Paris (1844-45) and Spain (1845-47), specially studying before the trip Spanish. A concert of Glinka’s works was held in Paris with great success, about which he wrote: “...I first Russian composer, who introduced the Parisian public to his name and his works written in Russia and for Russia" Spanish impressions inspired Glinka to create two symphonic plays: “Aragonese Jota” (1845) and “Memory of a Summer Night in Madrid” (1848-51). Simultaneously with them, in 1848, the famous “Kamarinskaya” appeared - a fantasy on the themes of two Russian songs. Russian symphonic music began with these works, both “reports to experts and the common public.”