Composer M. A. Balakirev

The head of the "New Russian school of music", M. A. Balakirev - Russian composer, pianist and conductor.

He is the author of two symphonies, piano works, as well as many romances and songs.
Balakirev believed that the duty of every composer to serve his people. So the music
it should be clear and accessible to everyone
Mily Alekseyevich Balakirev born December 21, 1836 ( 2 Jan 1837) in Nizhny Novgorod in the family of an official. Such an unusual name, given to him by his mother, whose family name was common.
He used to, and mainly self-education, have acquired extensive musical knowledge.
Since 1855 Balakirev lived in St. Petersburg, where he became friendly with Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka - a genius of Russian music. Mikhail Ivanovich and convinced him to write music in the folk style.
Musical-aesthetic views of Milia A. was formed under the influence of the democratic movement of the fifties and especially the sixties.
In its ideological education had great importance to the friendship with the art critic Vladimir Stasov.
Balakirev has set a great task - to create new Russian music based on deep ideological, ethnic and realism, educational achievements of the great Glinka.
This fact determined his further creative musical direction of Balakirev.
In the sixties he organized a musical club in the Commonwealth advanced
musicians. Besides Mily Balakirev, who was the head of the circle were:
A. P. Borodin, C. A. Cui, M. P. Mussorgsky, and N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
The art critic V. V. Stasov enthusiastically welcomed the birth of a mug and called it
The "mighty handful". Winged name stuck for circle in music history.
Members of the group have in common a burning desire to create a national musical art
inextricably associated with the song of the people.
Charm Balakirev was so great that friends listened to his reasoning about music as a real
a course of lectures. Along the way, discussed literature and public life of the country.
Balakirev was endowed with great talent: he could find and nurture talent. Without it, the chemist Borodin
I would never have created the greatest Opera "Prince Igor", and the naval officer Rimsky-Korsakov would not
composer, leaving the service in the Navy.
But in the 1870-ies, the circle broke up and Balakirev's terribly worried.
Throughout his life Balakirev lovingly studied folk music and songs.
In the early sixties he with the poet Nikolai Shcherbina made a trip on the Volga for the collection of folklore.
Processed materials Balakirev published a collection of "40 Russian folk songs".
These song motifs, he creatively used in his works are true, simple and deep listeners.
With great interest were Balakirev and innovative experience of contemporary Western European composers of the romantics.
In his works, he fully relied on folk-song musical creativity.
Very popular "Overture on themes of three Russian folk songs" (1858),
Overture on three Russian themes "Thousand years" in a later edition of " Rus," which was written for the opening of the monument to the Millennium of Russia in Novgorod in 1862. Balakirev also gave permanent attention to the East: the strict implementation of the Caucasian melodies in Oriental fantasy Islamey in 1869, the symphonic poem "Tamara" on Lermontov, 1882.
Interest in Slavic cultures affected the Overture "In Bohemia" in 1867 and "Les Sylphides" 1908.
Significant is the music of Balakirev's "King Lear" by Shakespeare 1859 -1861 years.
His works are characterized by beauty of the musical language expressed by the development of themes, subtlety of harmonic and rhythmic techniques. Wonderful restrained and passionate romances Balakirev.

Irina Arkhipova "Oboima kiss" on verses by A. Koltsov.

Balakirev founded in St. Petersburg three-year free music school, which
became the main means of propaganda art and mass musical education, and which produced many fine musicians.
School was the main arena of activities Balakirev. He directed it from 1862 until the early seventies, and then from 1881 to 1908. He also conducted the concerts of this school, and in 1883 - 1894 was ruled by the court singing chapel. He showed himself an excellent organizer: rebuilt the chapel building, and, most importantly, cared for in every way, their singers who lost their voice.
The chapel Balakirev said goodbye after the death of Alexander the Third, because Nicholas II
they had a mutual rejection.
All his strength Balakirev was given to the creation of progressive art but reactionary forces prevented him.
"To deal with musical authorship is the best way to starve to death" -
he wrote to Vladimir Stasov. All his life he waged a desperate struggle with poverty.

Balakirev died on 29 may 1910 in St. Petersburg...

He is dear to us and memorable as the great Russian musician, whose works bring the love of the Motherland, nature and people.