Domestic composer. Great classical composers: a list of the best. Russian classical composers

The melodies and songs of the Russian people inspired the work of famous composers of the second half of the 19th century century. Among them were P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.P. Mussorgsky, M.I. Glinka and A.P. Borodin. Their traditions were continued by a whole galaxy of outstanding musical figures. Russian composers of the 20th century are still popular.

Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin

Creativity of A.N. Scriabin (1872 - 1915), a Russian composer and talented pianist, teacher, and innovator, cannot leave anyone indifferent. In his original and impulsive music, mystical moments are sometimes heard. The composer is attracted and attracted by the image of fire. Even in the titles of his works, Scriabin often repeats words such as fire and light. He tried to find the possibility of combining sound and light in his works.

The composer's father, Nikolai Alexandrovich Scriabin, was a famous Russian diplomat and active state councilor. Mother - Lyubov Petrovna Skryabina (nee Shchetinina), was known as a very talented pianist. She graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Her professional career began successfully, but soon after the birth of her son she died of consumption. In 1878, Nikolai Alexandrovich completed his studies and received an appointment to the Russian embassy in Constantinople. The future composer's upbringing was continued by his close relatives - his grandmother Elizaveta Ivanovna, her sister Maria Ivanovna and his father's sister Lyubov Alexandrovna.

Despite the fact that at the age of five Scriabin mastered playing the piano, and a little later began to study musical compositions, according to family tradition, received a military education. He graduated from the 2nd Moscow Cadet Corps. At the same time, he took private lessons in piano and music theory. Later he entered the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a small gold medal.

At the beginning of its creative activity Scriabin consciously followed Chopin and chose the same genres. However, even at that time his own talent had already emerged. At the beginning of the 20th century, he wrote three symphonies, then “Poem of Ecstasy” (1907) and “Prometheus” (1910). It is interesting that the composer supplemented the Prometheus score with a light keyboard part. He was the first to use light music, the purpose of which is characterized by revealing music by the method of visual perception.

The composer's accidental death interrupted his work. He never realized his plan to create “Mystery” - a symphony of sounds, colors, movements, smells. In this work, Scriabin wanted to tell all of humanity his innermost thoughts and inspire them to create a new world, marked by the union of the Universal Spirit and Matter. His most significant works were only the preface to this grandiose project.

Famous Russian composer, pianist, conductor S.V. Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) was born into a wealthy noble family. Rachmaninov's grandfather was a professional musician. His first piano lessons were given to him by his mother, and later they invited music teacher A.D. Ornatskaya. In 1885, his parents sent him to a private boarding school with the professor of the Moscow Conservatory N.S. Zverev. Order and discipline in educational institution provided significant influence on the formation of the future character of the composer. He later graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a gold medal. While still a student, Rachmaninov was very popular among the Moscow public. He has already created his “First Piano Concerto”, as well as some other romances and plays. And his “Prelude in C sharp minor” became a very popular composition. Great P.I. Tchaikovsky drew attention to Sergei Rachmaninov’s graduation work - the opera “Oleko”, which he wrote under the impression of the poem by A.S. Pushkin "Gypsies". Pyotr Ilyich achieved its production at the Bolshoi Theater, tried to help with the inclusion of this work in the theater’s repertoire, but unexpectedly died.

From the age of twenty, Rachmaninov taught at several institutes and gave private lessons. By invitation famous philanthropist, theatrical and musical figure Savva Mamontov, at the age of 24 the composer became the second conductor of the Moscow Russian Private Opera. There he became friends with F.I. Chaliapin.

Rachmaninov's career was interrupted on March 15, 1897 due to the non-acceptance of his innovative First Symphony by the St. Petersburg public. Reviews of this work were truly devastating. But the composer’s biggest disappointment was the negative review left by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, whose opinion Rachmaninov greatly valued. After this, he fell into a prolonged depression, from which he managed to get out of it with the help of the hypnotist N.V. Dalia.

In 1901, Rachmaninov completed work on the Second Piano Concerto. And from this moment his active creative activity as a composer and pianist began. Rachmaninov's unique style combined Russian church chants, romanticism and impressionism. He considered melody to be the main leading principle in music. This found its greatest expression in the author’s favorite work, the poem “Bells,” which he wrote for orchestra, choir and soloists.

At the end of 1917, Rachmaninov and his family left Russia, worked in Europe, and then went to America. The composer had a hard time experiencing the break with his homeland. During the Great Patriotic War he gave charity concerts, the proceeds of which he sent to the Red Army Fund.

Stravinsky's music is distinguished by its stylistic diversity. At the very beginning of his creative activity, it was based on Russian musical traditions. And then in the works one can hear the influence of neoclassicism, characteristic of the music of France of that period and dodecaphony.

Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), in 1882. The father of the future composer Fyodor Ignatievich is a famous Opera singer, one of the soloists Mariinsky Theater. His mother was pianist and singer Anna Kirillovna Kholodovskaya. From the age of nine, teachers taught him piano lessons. After graduating from high school, at the request of his parents, he entered the law faculty of the university. For two years, from 1904 to 1906, he took lessons from N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, under whose guidance he wrote his first works - a scherzo, a piano sonata, and the suite “Faun and Shepherdess”. Sergei Diaghilev highly appreciated the composer's talent and offered him cooperation. The result of the joint work was three ballets (staged by S. Diaghilev) - “The Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”.

Shortly before the First World War, the composer left for Switzerland, then to France. A new period begins in his work. He studies music XVIII styles century, writes the opera “Oedipus the King” and music for the ballet “Apollo Musagete”. His author's handwriting changed several times over time. The composer lived in the USA for many years. His last famous work"Requiem". A special feature of the composer Stravinsky is the ability to constantly change styles, genres and musical directions.

Composer Prokofiev was born in 1891 in a small village in the Ekaterinoslav province. The world of music was opened to him by his mother, a good pianist who often performed works by Chopin and Beethoven. She became a real musical mentor for her son and, in addition, taught him German and French.

At the beginning of 1900, young Prokofiev managed to attend the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” and listen to the operas “Faust” and “Prince Igor”. The impression received from the performances of Moscow theaters was expressed in his own creativity. He writes the opera "The Giant" and then the overture to "Desert Shores". The parents soon realize that they cannot continue teaching their son music. Soon the aspiring composer, at the age of eleven, was introduced to the famous Russian composer and teacher S.I. Taneyev, who personally asked R.M. Gliera to study musical composition with Sergei. S. Prokofiev passed the entrance exams to the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 13. At the beginning of his career, the composer toured and performed a lot. However, his work caused misunderstanding among the public. This was due to the features of the works, which were expressed in the following:

• modernist style;
• destruction of established musical canons;
• extravagance and ingenuity of compositional techniques

In 1918, S. Prokofiev left and returned only in 1936. Already in the USSR, he wrote music for films, operas, and ballets. But after he was accused, along with a number of other composers, of “formalism”, he practically moved to live in the country, but continued to write musical works. His opera “War and Peace”, ballets “Romeo and Juliet”, “Cinderella” have become the property of world culture.

Russian composers of the 20th century, who lived at the turn of the century, not only preserved the traditions of the previous generation of creative intelligentsia, but also created their own, unique art, for which the works of P.I. remained as models. Tchaikovsky, M.I. Glinka, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

Every person should know their history, as well as the people who made it. For example, in this article we invite the reader to remember famous Russian composers who are respected and loved not only in our country, but also abroad.

People who have made an unprecedented contribution to Russian and world classical music

In the old days, classical music was very popular. They knew the leading composers very well by sight and even knew how to distinguish the works of one great classic from another. Now times, morals and tastes have changed significantly. And now we more often listen to monotonous melodies or rhythmic recitatives, most of which are forgotten the next day. However, several years ago scientists proved the fact that classics have a beneficial effect on the human body. There is even a confirmed hypothesis that children who have been listening since childhood classical music, are much ahead in development of their peers. That is why it is necessary to get used to elegant and exciting melodies from an early age.

But if in childhood such a hobby seemed unfashionable to a child or he simply did not think about changing his taste, the situation can be corrected at any time. And the best place to start is to get acquainted with Russian composers, famous and beloved. Such as:

• Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857).
• Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869).
• Alexander Borodin (1833-1887).
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881).
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908).
• Sergei Rachmaninov (1872-1915).
• Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978).
• Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975).

The stories of their lives are complex, and the fates of many are quite tragic. You can talk about these people endlessly, but we will try to mention only the most important facts biographies to give the reader an idea of ​​what the great Russian composers were like.

Mikhail Glinka

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was born on May 20, 1804. His family was large and wealthy, living on the territory of the Smolensk province ever since the Polish nobleman who started the family chose Russia as his country. The parents of the future composers were related to each other second cousins and sister. Perhaps that is why the grandmother took upon herself the upbringing of the baby. This continued until her death. The young talent's passion for music arose at the age of ten. Soon he was sent to study in St. Petersburg. There he met Pushkin, Griboedov, Zhukovsky, Odoevsky and others famous personalities those times. And I realized that I wanted to make music my destiny.

After this, Mikhail Glinka wrote his first romances, but was not completely satisfied with the result. His own music seemed everyday to him; he sought to expand the boundaries. And then, working on himself, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka went to Italy, and then to Germany. There he met people like Donizetti and Bellini, as a result of which he completely changed the style of his music.

Upon his arrival in Russia, the composer again presented his operas to the country. But some of them were heavily criticized, and Glinka decided to leave the country. And he returned many years later, becoming a singing teacher and actively influencing the formation of classical music.

Mikhail Ivanovich died on February 15, 1857 in Berlin. His ashes were brought to St. Petersburg, where the composer rests to this day.

Alexander Dargomyzhsky

This musical figure, unrecognized during his lifetime and almost forgotten now, was born on February 2, 1813 in the Tula province. Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky’s passion for music arose at the age of seven. And it was then that he mastered the art of playing the piano to perfection. And at the age of ten he already wrote his first plays and romances. Then the future composer entered the service, and after he met Mikhail Glinka he significantly improved his skills.

Alexander Sergeevich read notes like a book, and tried to make his works so that the music did not overshadow the voices of the performers. At a certain period of his life, he gave singing lessons to non-professional singers completely free of charge, and after that he became one of the consultants of the Russian musical community. His greatest opera, Rusalka, almost burned down in a fire at the St. Petersburg Opera House. But even now it is performed quite infrequently, so only true connoisseurs of classical music know Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky. This is very sad, because another unusual opera by the composer, “The Stone Guest,” consists of recitatives that fully correspond to the rhythm of Pushkin’s verse, and not the usual drawn-out arias.

This is what sets the composer apart from others. He did not succumb to the influence of Italy and France, did not pander to the tastes of the public, and was not afraid to try something new. He went his own way, based on his own taste. And inextricably linked sound and word.

Alexander Borodin

Alexander Porfirievich was born on November 12, 1933 as a result of an extramarital affair between a Georgian prince and the daughter of a military man. The age difference between the parents was just over forty years. That is why the newborn was registered with the valet's last name. But the mother still paid great attention to her baby and selected the best teachers and tutors for him.

From an early age, the future composer was attracted to music. And after some time he wrote his first plays, the publication of which was taken care of by his mother. It was then that the country learned about a young talent - a sixteen-year-old composer. By the way, Alexander Porfiryevich was also attracted to the young (at that time) chemistry. He carried out various experiments in his own room with special interest, which sometimes drove his mother into indescribable horror. And then Borodin entered the Medical-Surgical Academy. At one time, he met Mendeleev, who believed that Alexander should forget about music. However, the future famous Russian composer did not abandon his second hobby, but brought it to such a level that Borodin’s work was recognized not only in the country, but also abroad.

Alexander Porfiryevich died unexpectedly. After the rhythmic dance, his heart could not stand it and stopped forever. This happened on February 27, 1887.

Modest Mussorgsky

The next greatest composer was born on the territory of the Pskov province on March 9, 1839. All that is known about his early years is that until the age of ten he was educated at home and mastered the piano. Then he went to St. Petersburg, where he became interested in church music and tried his hand at composing. Soon his works began to be performed in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is a true genius, innovator, third most performed in the whole world. His work is familiar to many, especially the music from the opera “Boris Godunov”. However, he was a deeply lonely man, so at a certain moment he plunged into apathy and became addicted to the bottle. As a result, Modest Petrovich began to experience delirium tremens. The first serious attack was stopped, but the composer could not be cured of his illness. And on March 16, 1881, the greatest genius died.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Perhaps the work of this composer is the most recognizable, not only among adults, but also among children. After all, who doesn’t know the famous “Dance of the Little Swans”? And it was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky who wrote it.

The future genius was born in April 1840 in the city of Votkins (Udmurtia) and by the age of five he was excellent at reading notes and playing the piano. As a youth, he began to visit the St. Petersburg Opera House, where he was especially impressed by the works of Glinka and Mozart. Being an employee of the Department of Justice, he gave up everything for the sake of “the pipe,” as his relatives said. But the contribution that Pyotr Ilyich made to Russian and world classical music is so great that it completely justifies the decision of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The great genius died suddenly on March 25, 1893. According to the official version, the cause was cholera. But there is also a hypothesis that he was poisoned. Moreover, many believe that the composer did this on his own, deciding to commit suicide. However, this is not known for certain, so the public prefers to stick to the first option.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

The most popular Russian composer, who could write music without an instrument, was born on March 18, 1844 in Tikhvin (near St. Petersburg). The child began to study music very early, but it did not attract him much. Nikolai Andreevich was attracted by the sea, so at the age of twelve he entered the Naval Cadet Corps to study, but did not give up studying music. A little later he meets life path such great people as Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky and Alexander Porfirievich Borodin. Then he sails on a ship and serves in the navy, continuing to compose music and drawing inspiration from the nature of the Russian lands, Russian fairy tales, epics, songs and sayings. And then he became a teacher at the conservatory in St. Petersburg, which now bears his name.

However, despite his merits, Nikolai Andreevich is very critical of himself, highlighting only two of his operas - “The Tsar’s Bride” and “The Snow Maiden”.

The great Russian composer Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov died on June 8, 1908 due to an exacerbation of heart disease.

Sergei Rachmaninov

The great musical figure was born in the Novgorod province on March 20, 1873. He was interested in music almost from infancy, at the age of five he was already playing the piano, and at nine he entered the conservatory. At thirteen he met Tchaikovsky, who became the mentor of the young Rachmaninoff. Young genius writes his works, which are a huge success. But one work is still assessed negatively by Rimsky-Korsakov. This becomes the reason for the protracted depression of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, as a result of which he did not write works for three years. Soon after the start October revolution the composer leaves his homeland, going on a tour of European cities.

The last years of the Russian genius’s life pass in America. On March 28, 1943, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov dies, living at that time in the city of Beverly Hills.

Aram Khachaturyan

A musical genius from a simple Armenian family was born on May 24, 1903. In his early years, Aram Ilyich’s future is determined by his father, who sees the boy as a biologist. But everything changes when in 1921 the future composer goes to study in the capital and lives with his brother - famous director. He introduces him to creative world. This turns the consciousness of Aram Ilyich Khachaturian upside down. He enters the Gnessin Technical School, and then gives up biology for the sake of music. The composer writes many works, which are received with great delight by domestic and foreign audiences.

The last years of the life of the Russian genius are very difficult. He is fighting a difficult battle with cancer. He undergoes many operations, but the sudden death of his wife greatly weakens him. And on May 1, 1978, Aram Ilyich Khachaturian dies.

Dmitry Shostakovich

The last great Russian composer about whom we would like to tell the reader was born in St. Petersburg on September 25, 1906 in musical family. Therefore, it is not surprising that the fate of Dmitry Dmitrievich was to some extent predetermined. He wrote his first creation at the age of nine, and at thirteen he entered the conservatory.

It will not be an exaggeration that Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich lived by music. Constantly improving his skills, he was able to envelop the listener with sounds and feelings. In addition, he was an improviser and came up with musical masterpieces literally on the go.

Died musical genius due to a tumor that doctors could not diagnose for a very long time. And when they finally succeeded, it was too late. On August 9, 1975, Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich passed away.

Famous works of mentioned composers

We mentioned earlier that classical music has beneficial influence on the human body, improving brain activity, increasing sensitivity to science, calming and giving a feeling of peace. That is why further we will present to the reader the best and most popular musical works of Russian composers whom we described above.

Let's start in order:

• Mikhail Glinka - “Pathetique Trio”, “Waltz-Fantasia”, operas “Ivan Susanin”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Kamarinskaya”.
• Alexander Dargomyzhsky - operas “Esmeralda”, “The Triumph of Bacchus”, “Rusalka”, “The Stone Guest”.
• Alexander Borodin - operas “Heroes”, “Mlada”, libretto “Prince Igor”.
• Modest Mussorgsky - operas “Marriage”, “Boris Godunov”, “Khovanshchina”, “Sorochinskaya Fair”.
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Russian composer, whose most famous works everyone knows: “Slavic March”, “ Swan Lake", "Eugene Onegin", "Sleeping Beauty", " Queen of Spades", "The Nutcracker".
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - operas “The Golden Cockerel”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, “The Snow Maiden”, “Scheherazade”, “Sadko”, “ The Tsar's Bride", "Mozart and Salieri".
• Sergei Rachmaninov - “Aleko”, “ Stingy Knight", "Francesca da Rimini".
• Aram Khachaturian - ballets “Happiness”, “Gayane”, “Spartacus”.
• Dmitri Shostakovich - “The Nose”, “The Great Lightning”, “Lady Macbeth” Mtsensk district", "Katerina Izmailova", "Players", "Moscow, Cheryomushki".

Here are the famous Russian composers you should pay attention to Special attention every citizen.

Russian composer school, the successor of whose traditions were the Soviet and today's Russian schools, began in the 19th century with composers who united the European musical art with Russian folk melodies, linking together the European form and the Russian spirit.

About each of these famous people you can tell a lot, everyone is not simple, and sometimes tragic fates, but in this review we tried to give only brief description life and work of composers.

1. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka

(1804-1857)

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka during the composition of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. 1887, artist Ilya Efimovich Repin

“To create beauty, you yourself must be pure in soul.”

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is the founder of Russian classical music and the first Russian classical composer to achieve world fame. His works, based on the centuries-old traditions of Russian folk music, were a new word in the musical art of our country.

Born in the Smolensk province, he received his education in St. Petersburg. The formation of the worldview and the main idea of ​​​​Mikhail Glinka’s work was facilitated by direct communication with such personalities as A.S. Pushkin, V.A. Zhukovsky, A.S. Griboyedov, A.A. Delvig. The creative impetus for his work was added by a many-year trip to Europe in the early 1830s and meetings with the leading composers of the time - V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, F. Mendelssohn and later with G. Berlioz, J. Meyerbeer.

Success came to M.I. Glinka in 1836, after the production of the opera “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”), which was enthusiastically received by everyone; for the first time in world music, Russian choral art and European symphonic and opera practice were organically combined, and a hero like Susanin also appeared, whose image summarizes the best features of the national character.

V.F. Odoevsky described the opera as “a new element in Art, and a new period begins in its history - the period of Russian music.”

The second opera is the epic “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (1842), work on which was carried out against the backdrop of Pushkin’s death and in the difficult living conditions of the composer, due to the deeply innovative nature of the work, was received ambiguously by the audience and the authorities, and brought difficult times for M.I. Glinka experiences. After that, he traveled a lot, alternately living in Russia and abroad, without stopping composing. His legacy includes romances, symphonic and chamber works. In the 1990s, Mikhail Glinka's "Patriotic Song" was the official anthem of the Russian Federation.

Quote about M.I. Glinka:“The entire Russian symphonic school, like the entire oak tree in an acorn, is contained in symphonic fantasy"Kamarinskaya". P.I.Tchaikovsky

Interesting fact: Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was no different good health, despite this, he was very easy-going and knew geography very well; perhaps, if he had not become a composer, he would have become a traveler. He knew six foreign languages, including Persian.

2. Alexander Porfirievich Borodin

(1833-1887)

Alexander Porfirievich Borodin, one of the leading Russian composers of the second half of the 19th century, in addition to his talent as a composer, was a chemist, doctor, teacher, critic and had literary talent.

Born in St. Petersburg, from childhood everyone around him noted his unusual activity, passion and abilities in various directions, primarily in music and chemistry.

A.P. Borodin is a Russian composer-nugget, he did not have professional musician teachers, all his achievements in music are thanks to independent work on mastering compositing techniques.

The formation of A.P. Borodin was influenced by the work of M.I. Glinka (as indeed all Russian composers of the 19th century), and the impetus for intensive study of composition in the early 1860s was given by two events - firstly, his acquaintance and marriage with the talented pianist E.S. Protopopova, and secondly, a meeting with M.A. Balakirev and joining the creative community of Russian composers, known as the “Mighty Handful”.

In the late 1870s and 1880s, A.P. Borodin traveled and toured a lot in Europe and America, met with leading composers of his time, his fame grew, he became one of the most famous and popular Russian composers in Europe at the end of the 19th century. th century.

The central place in the work of A.P. Borodin is occupied by the opera “Prince Igor” (1869-1890), which is an example of national heroic epic in music and which he himself did not have time to complete (it was completed by his friends A.A. Glazunov and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov). In “Prince Igor”, against the backdrop of majestic paintings historical events, reflected the main idea throughout the composer's work - courage, calm greatness, spiritual nobility of the best Russian people and the mighty strength of the entire Russian people, manifested in the defense of their homeland.

Despite the fact that A.P. Borodin left a relatively small number of works, his work is very diverse and he is considered one of the fathers of Russian symphonic music, who influenced many generations of Russian and foreign composers.

Quote about A.P. Borodin:“Borodin’s talent is equally powerful and amazing in symphony, opera and romance. Its main qualities are gigantic strength and breadth, colossal scope, swiftness and impetuosity, combined with amazing passion, tenderness and beauty.” V.V. Stasov

Interesting fact: Named after Borodin chemical reaction silver salts of carboxylic acids with halogens, resulting in halogenated hydrocarbons, which he first investigated in 1861.

3. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

(1839-1881)

“The sounds of human speech, as outward manifestations of thought and feeling, must, without exaggeration and violence, become music that is truthful, accurate, but artistic, highly artistic.”

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is one of the most brilliant Russian composers of the 19th century, a member of the Mighty bunch" Mussorgsky's innovative work was far ahead of its time.

Born in the Pskov province. Like many talented people, he showed ability in music from childhood, studied in St. Petersburg, and was, according to family tradition, a military man. The decisive event that determined that Mussorgsky was born not for military service, but for music, was his meeting with M.A. Balakirev and joining the “Mighty Handful”.

Mussorgsky is great because in his grandiose works - the operas "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina" - he captured dramatic milestones in music Russian history with radical novelty, which Russian music had not known before him, showing in them a combination of mass folk scenes and a diverse wealth of types, the unique character of the Russian people. These operas, in numerous editions, both by the author and by other composers, are among the most popular Russian operas in the world.

Another outstanding work of Mussorgsky is the cycle of piano pieces "Pictures at an Exhibition", colorful and inventive miniatures permeated with a Russian theme-refrain and Orthodox faith.

Mussorgsky's life had everything - both greatness and tragedy, but he was always distinguished by genuine spiritual purity and selflessness.

His last years were difficult - unsettled life, lack of recognition of creativity, loneliness, addiction to alcohol, all this determined him early death at 42, he left relatively few works, some of which were completed by other composers.

The specific melody and innovative harmony of Mussorgsky anticipated some features musical development 20th century and played an important role in the formation of the styles of many world composers.

Quote about M.P. Mussorgsky:“The original Russian sounds in everything that Mussorgsky created” N.K. Roerich

Interesting fact: At the end of his life, Mussorgsky, under pressure from his “friends” Stasov and Rimsky-Korsakov, renounced the copyright to his works and donated them to Tertius Filippov.

4. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893)

“I am an artist who can and should bring honor to my Motherland. I feel great in myself artistic power, I haven't done even a tenth of what I can do yet. And I want to do this with all the strength of my soul.”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, perhaps the greatest Russian composer of the 19th century, raised the unprecedented height Russian musical art. He is one of the most important composers of world classical music.

A native of the Vyatka province, although his paternal roots are in Ukraine, Tchaikovsky showed musical abilities from childhood, but his first education and work was in the field of jurisprudence.

Tchaikovsky was one of the first Russian “professional” composers; he studied music theory and composition at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Tchaikovsky was considered a “Western” composer, as opposed to the popular figures of the “Mighty Handful”, with whom he had good creative and friendly relations, but his work is no less permeated with the Russian spirit, he managed to uniquely combine the Western symphonic heritage of Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann with the Russians traditions inherited from Mikhail Glinka.

The composer led active life- was a teacher, conductor, critic, public figure, worked in two capitals, toured Europe and America.

Tchaikovsky was a rather emotionally unstable person; enthusiasm, despondency, apathy, hot temper, violent anger - all these moods changed in him quite often; being a very sociable person, he always strived for loneliness.

Selecting something best from Tchaikovsky’s work is a difficult task; he has several works of equal magnitude in almost all of them. musical genres- opera, ballet, symphony, chamber music. And the content of Tchaikovsky’s music is universal: with inimitable melodicism it embraces images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, it reveals works of Russian and world literature in a new way, and reflects the deep processes of spiritual life.

Composer quote:“Life has beauty only when it consists of alternation of joys and sorrows, of the struggle between good and evil, of light and shadow, in a word - of diversity in unity.”

“Great talent requires great hard work.”

Quote about the composer: “I am ready to stand as a guard of honor day and night at the porch of the house where Pyotr Ilyich lives - that is how much I respect him.” A.P. Chekhov

Interesting fact: The University of Cambridge awarded Tchaikovsky the title of Doctor of Music in absentia and without defending a dissertation, as did the Paris Academy Fine Arts elected him a corresponding member.

5. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov

(1844-1908)

Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is a talented Russian composer, one of the most important figures in the creation of an invaluable Russian musical heritage. His unique world and worship of the eternal all-encompassing beauty of the universe, admiration for the miracle of existence, unity with nature have no analogues in the history of music.

Born in the Novgorod province, according to family tradition he became a naval officer, and traveled around many countries in Europe and the two Americas on a warship. Musical education received first from his mother, then taking private lessons from pianist F. Canille. And again, thanks to M.A. Balakirev, the organizer of the “Mighty Handful,” who introduced Rimsky-Korsakov into the musical community and influenced his work, the world did not lose a talented composer.

The central place in Rimsky-Korsakov's legacy is made up of operas - 15 works demonstrating the diversity of genre, stylistic, dramatic, compositional solutions of the composer, nevertheless having a special style - with all the richness of the orchestral component, the main ones are melodic vocal lines.

Two main directions distinguish the composer’s work: the first is Russian history, the second is the world of fairy tales and epics, for which he received the nickname “storyteller.”

In addition to his direct independent creative activity, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov is known as a publicist and compiler of collections folk songs, in which he showed great interest, and also as a completer of the works of his friends - Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and Borodin. Rimsky-Korsakov was the creator of a school of composition; as a teacher and director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he trained about two hundred composers, conductors, and musicologists, among them Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

Quote about the composer:“Rimsky-Korsakov was a very Russian man and a very Russian composer. I believe that this primordially Russian essence of it, its deep folklore-Russian basis should be especially appreciated today.” Mstislav Rostropovich

Fact about the composer: Nikolai Andreevich began his first counterpoint lesson like this:

- Now I will talk a lot, and you will listen very carefully. Then I will talk less, and you will listen and think, and finally, I will not speak at all, and you will think with your own head and work independently, because my task as a teacher is to become unnecessary to you...

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World classical music is unthinkable without the works of Russian composers. Russia, a great country with talented people and its cultural heritage, has always been among the leading locomotives of world progress and art, including music. The Russian school of composition, the continuation of whose traditions were the Soviet and today's Russian schools, began in the 19th century with composers who combined European musical art with Russian folk melodies, linking together the European form and the Russian spirit.

A lot can be said about each of these famous people; all of them have difficult and sometimes tragic fates, but in this review we tried to give only a brief description of the life and work of the composers.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, perhaps the greatest Russian composer of the 19th century, raised Russian musical art to unprecedented heights. He is one of the most important composers of world classical music.
A native of the Vyatka province, although his paternal roots are in Ukraine, Tchaikovsky showed musical abilities from childhood, but his first education and work was in the field of jurisprudence. Tchaikovsky was one of the first Russian “professional” composers; he studied music theory and composition at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory. Tchaikovsky was considered a “Western” composer, as opposed to the popular figures of the “Mighty Handful”, with whom he had good creative and friendly relations, but his work is no less permeated with the Russian spirit, he managed to uniquely combine the Western symphonic heritage of Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann with the Russians traditions inherited from Mikhail Glinka.
The composer led an active life - he was a teacher, conductor, critic, public figure, worked in two capitals, toured in Europe and America. Tchaikovsky was a rather emotionally unstable person; enthusiasm, despondency, apathy, hot temper, violent anger - all these moods changed in him quite often; being a very sociable person, he always strived for loneliness.
Selecting something best from Tchaikovsky's work is a difficult task; he has several equal works in almost all musical genres - opera, ballet, symphony, chamber music. The content of Tchaikovsky's music is universal: with inimitable melodicism it embraces images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, it reveals works of Russian and world literature in a new way, and reflects the deep processes of spiritual life.

Composer quote:
“I am an artist who can and should bring honor to my Motherland. I feel great artistic strength in myself, I have not yet done even a tenth of what I can do. And I want to do this with all the strength of my soul.”
“Life has beauty only when it consists of alternation of joys and sorrows, of the struggle between good and evil, of light and shadow, in a word - of diversity in unity.”
"Great talent requires great hard work."

Quote about the composer: “I am ready to stand as a guard of honor day and night at the porch of the house where Pyotr Ilyich lives - that is how much I respect him.” A.P.Chekhov

Interesting fact: Cambridge University awarded Tchaikovsky the title of Doctor of Music in absentia and without defending a dissertation, and the Paris Academy of Fine Arts elected him a corresponding member.

P.I. Tchaikovsky. "Slavic March"

The work of Russian composers of the late 19th - first half of the 20th century is a holistic continuation of the traditions of the Russian school. At the same time, the concept of an approach to the “national” affiliation of this or that music was named; there is practically no direct quotation of folk melodies, but the intonation Russian basis, the Russian soul, remains.

Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin is a Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. Scriabin's original and deeply poetic creativity stood out for its innovation even against the backdrop of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in public life at the turn of the 20th century.
Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was raised by his aunt and grandfather, and showed musical talent from childhood. At first he studied in the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, and after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S.V. Rachmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer he toured in Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.
The peak of Scriabin's compositional creativity was the years 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony (" Divine Poem"), symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works. "Poem of Ecstasy", consisting of several themes-images, concentrated creative ideas Sryabin is his brightest masterpiece. It harmoniously combines the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. Embodied in the "Poem of Ecstasy" is colossal Vital energy, fiery passion, strong-willed power makes an irresistible impression on the listener and today retains the power of its impact.
Another masterpiece of Scriabin is “Prometheus” (“Poem of Fire”), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, was held without lighting effects.
The last unfinished “Mystery” was the plan of Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all of humanity and inspire it to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.

Quote from A.N. Scriabin: “I’m going to tell them (people) - so that they... do not expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves... I’m going to tell them that there is nothing to grieve about, that there is no loss So that they are not afraid of despair, which alone can give rise to real triumph. Strong and powerful is the one who has experienced despair and defeated it."

Quote about A.N. Scriabin: “Scriabin’s work was his time, expressed in sounds. But when the temporary, transient finds its expression in creativity great artist, it acquires permanent meaning and becomes enduring." G. V. Plekhanov

A.N. Scriabin "Prometheus"

7. Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov (1873 - 1943)

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the world's largest composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. Creative image Rachmaninoff the composer is often defined by the epithet “the most Russian composer,” emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg schools of composition and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in the world musical culture.
Born in the Novgorod province, at the age of four he began studying music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a large gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, and composed music. The disastrous premiere of the innovative First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg caused a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninov emerged in the early 1900s with a formed style that united Russian church song, leaving European romanticism, modern impressionism and neoclassicism - and all this is full of complex symbolism. During this creative period, his best works were born, including the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his most favorite piece- poem "Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.
In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the USA. For almost ten years after leaving, he composed nothing, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and a major conductor. For all his hectic activities, Rachmaninov remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the annoying attention of the public. He sincerely loved and missed his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, and helped financially. His last works - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) were the result creative path, incorporating all the best of his unique style and a mournful feeling of irreparable loss and longing for his homeland.

Quote from S.V. Rachmaninov:
“I feel like a ghost wandering alone in a world that is alien to me.”
"The most high quality All art is its sincerity."
"Great composers have always and first of all paid attention to melody as the leading principle in music. Melody is music, the main basis of all music... Melodic inventiveness, in the highest sense of the word, is the main life goal composer.... For this reason, the great composers of the past showed so much interest in folk melodies their countries."

Quote about S.V. Rachmaninov:
“Rachmaninoff was created from steel and gold: Steel is in his hands, gold is in his heart. I can’t think about him without tears. I not only admired the great artist, But I loved the person in him.” I. Hoffman
"Rachmaninov's music is the Ocean. Its waves - musical - begin so far beyond the horizon, and lift you so high and lower you so slowly... that you feel this Power and Breath." A. Konchalovsky

Interesting fact: during the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the proceeds from which he sent to the Red Army Fund to fight the Nazi occupiers.

S.V. Rachmaninov. Piano Concerto No. 2

8. Igor Fedorovich STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, a leader of neoclassicism. Stravinsky became a "mirror" musical era, his work reflects a multiplicity of styles, constantly intersecting and difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries musical history and subject to your own rules.
Born near St. Petersburg, he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was Stravinsky’s only composition school, thanks to which he mastered compositional technique to perfection. He began composing professionally relatively late, but his rise was rapid - a series of three ballets: “The Firebird” (1910), “Petrushka” (1911) and “The Rite of Spring” (1913) immediately brought him to the ranks of composers of the first magnitude.
In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out, almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having been forced to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and eventually stayed to live in the USA. His work is divided into three periods - “Russian”, “neoclassical”, American “mass production”, the periods are divided not by the time of his life in different countries, but according to the author's "handwriting".
Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person, with a wonderful sense of humor. His circle of acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, and statesmen.
Stravinsky's last highest achievement - "Requiem" (Funeral Hymns) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming the true apotheosis of the master's work.
One unique feature stands out in Stavinsky’s work - “uniqueness”, it was not without reason that he was called “the composer of a thousand and one styles”, constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to designs in which one can see Russian origin, Russian roots are heard.

Quote from I.F. Stravinsky: “I have been speaking Russian all my life, I have a Russian syllable. Maybe this is not immediately visible in my music, but it is inherent in it, it is in its hidden nature.”

Quote about I.F. Stravinsky: “Stravinsky is a truly Russian composer... The Russian spirit is indestructible in the heart of this truly great, multifaceted talent, born of the Russian land and closely connected with it...” D. Shostakovich

Interesting fact (fable):
Once in New York, Stravinsky took a taxi and was surprised to read his last name on the sign.
-Are you a relative of the composer? - he asked the driver.
- Is there a composer with such a surname? - the driver was surprised. - Hear it for the first time. However, Stravinsky is the name of the taxi owner. I have nothing to do with music - my last name is Rossini...

I.F. Stravinsky. Suite "Firebird"

9. Sergei Sergeevich PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev is one of the largest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist, and conductor.
Born in the Donetsk region, he became involved in music from childhood. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical “prodigies”, from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but they show a desire to create), at the age of 13 he passed the exams at St. Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and misunderstanding of his individual, fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style; the paradox is that, while destroying academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained faithful to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.
The country has changed and Prokofiev’s “free” creativity was forced to give in to the realities of new demands. Prokofiev's talent blossomed with renewed vigor - he wrote operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely precise music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera. In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: his first Spanish wife was arrested on suspicion of espionage and exiled to camps; a Resolution of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued, in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of “formalism” and the harm of their music; There was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health; he retired to his dacha and practically never left it, but continued to compose.
Some of the most striking works of the Soviet period were the operas “War and Peace” and “The Tale of a Real Man”; the ballets “Romeo and Juliet” and “Cinderella”, which have become a new standard of world ballet music; oratorio "Guardian of Peace"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano works.
Prokofiev’s work amazes with its versatility and breadth of themes, its originality musical thinking, freshness and originality constituted an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.

Quote from S.S. Prokofiev:
“Can an artist stand aside from life?.. I adhere to the conviction that a composer, like a poet, sculptor, painter, is called upon to serve man and the people... He, first of all, is obliged to be a citizen in his art, to sing human life and lead a person to a bright future..."
"I am a manifestation of life, which gives me the strength to resist everything unspiritual"

Quote about S.S. Prokofiev: "... all facets of his music are beautiful. But there is one completely unusual thing. Apparently, we all have some failures, doubts, just... Bad mood. And in such moments, even if I don’t play or listen to Prokofiev, but just think about him, I receive an incredible charge of energy, I feel a great desire to live and act.” E. Kissin

Interesting fact: Prokofiev loved chess very much, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, including the “nine” chess he invented - a 24x24 board with nine sets of pieces arranged on it.

S.S. Prokofiev. Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra

10. Dmitry Dmitrievich SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 - 1975)

Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most important and performed composers in the world, his influence on modern classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and chronicle of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and humanity, with the fate of his native country.
Born in St. Petersburg, the first music lessons received from his mother, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him to Mozart - so he amazed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and gift for composition. Already in the early 20s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers countries. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International Chopin Competition in 1927.
Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", Shostakovich worked as a free artist - an "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The severe demolition of this opera, organized in 1936, and the repressions of 1937 marked the beginning of the subsequent constant internal struggle Shostakovich for his desire to express his views by his own means in the conditions of state imposition of trends in art. In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, he and his relatives were awarded and were on the verge of arrest.
A gentle, intelligent, delicate person, he found his form of expressing creative principles in symphonies, where he could speak the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all Shostakovich’s extensive creativity in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy the central place; the most dramatically intense are the 5, 7, 8, 10, 15 symphonies, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich reveals himself in chamber music.
Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a “home” composer and practically never traveled abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world and was performed by the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich’s talent is so immense that full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is still ahead.

Quote from D.D. Shostakovich: “True music is capable of expressing only humane feelings, only advanced humane ideas.”

D. Shostakovich. Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"