Mikhail Glinka is a Russian composer, founder of the Russian national opera, author of the world-famous operas A Life for the Tsar (Ivan Susanin) and Ruslan and Lyudmila.

Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich was born in the family estate of his family in the Smolensk region on May 20 (June 1), 1804. His father was a descendant of a Russified Polish nobleman. The parents of the future composer were distant relatives of each other. Mikhail's mother, Evgenia Andreevna Glinka-Zemelka, was a second cousin of his father, Ivan Nikolaevich Glinka.

Mikhail Glinka in recent years

The boy grew up as a sickly and weak child. For the first ten years of his life, Mikhail was raised by his father's mother Fyokla Alexandrovna. Grandmother was an uncompromising and strict woman, she cultivated suspiciousness and nervousness in the child. The grandson of Fyokla Alexandrovna studied at home. The first interest in music manifested itself in the boy in early childhood when he tried to imitate the ringing of bells with copper household utensils.

After the death of his grandmother, his mother took up the upbringing of Mikhail. She arranged for her son in a St. Petersburg boarding school, in which only selected noble children studied. There Mikhail met Lev Pushkin and his older brother. Alexander Sergeevich visited a relative and knew his close friends, one of whom was Mikhail Glinka.

In the boarding house, the future composer began to take music lessons. His favorite teacher was the pianist Karl Mayer. Glinka recalled that it was this teacher who influenced the formation of his musical taste. In 1822, Mikhail graduated from boarding school. On graduation day, he performed Hummel's Piano Concerto publicly with teacher Mayer. The performance was a success.

Carier start

The first works of Glinka belong to the period of release from the boarding school. In 1822, Mikhail Ivanovich became the author of several romances. One of them, "Do not sing, beauty, in front of me" was written in verse. The musician's acquaintance with the poet happened during his studies, but a few years after Glinka's graduation from the boarding school, the young people became friends on the basis of common interests.

Mikhail Ivanovich was distinguished by poor health from childhood. In 1923, he went to the Caucasus to be treated with mineral waters. There he admired the scenery, studied local legends and folk art took care of health. After returning from the Caucasus, Mikhail Ivanovich did not leave his family estate for almost a year, creating musical compositions.

In 1924 he left for the capital, where he got a job in the Ministry of Railways and Communications. After serving for five years, Glinka retired. The reason for leaving the service was the lack of free time for music lessons. Life in St. Petersburg gave Mikhail Ivanovich acquaintances with outstanding creative people of his time. The environment fueled the composer's need for creativity.

In 1830, Glinka's health deteriorated, the musician was forced to change the Petersburg dampness to a warmer climate. The composer went to Europe for treatment. Glinka combined a health trip to Italy with professional training. In Milan, the composer met Donizetti and Bellini, studied opera and bel canto. After four years of his stay in Italy, Glinka left for Germany. There he took lessons from Siegfried Dehn. Mikhail Ivanovich had to interrupt his studies due to the unexpected death of his father. The composer hastily returned to Russia.

Career heyday

Music occupied all Glinka's thoughts. In 1834, the composer began working on his first opera, Ivan Susanin, which was later renamed A Life for the Tsar. The first title of the composition was returned to Soviet times. The opera takes place in 1612, but the choice of plot was influenced by the war of 1812, which happened during the author's childhood. When it began, Glinka was only eight years old, but her influence on the consciousness of the musician remained for several decades.

In 1842, the composer completed work on his second opera. The work "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was presented on the same day as "Ivan Susanin", but with a difference of six years.

Glinka wrote his second opera for a long time. It took him about six years to complete this work. The composer's disappointment knew no bounds when the work did not have the due success. A wave of criticism crushed the musician. Also in 1842, the composer had a crisis in his personal life, which affected Glinka's emotional and physical health.

Dissatisfaction with life prompted Mikhail Ivanovich to undertake a new long-term journey to Europe. The composer visited several cities in Spain and France. Gradually, he regained his creative inspiration. The result of his trip was new works: "Jota of Aragon" and "Memories of Castile". Living in Europe helped Glinka regain her self-confidence. The composer again went to Russia.

Glinka spent some time in the family estate, then he lived in St. Petersburg, but social life tired the musician. In 1848 he ended up in Warsaw. The musician lived there for two years. This period of the composer's life was marked by the creation of the symphonic fantasy Kamarinskaya.

Mikhail Ivanovich spent the last five years of his life on the road. In 1852 the composer went to Spain. The musician's health was poor, and when Glinka got to France, he decided to stay there. Paris favored him. Feeling the rise of vitality, the composer began work on the symphony "Taras Bulba". After living in Paris for about two years, the musician went home with all his creative endeavors. The reason for this decision was the beginning of the Crimean War. Symphony "Taras Bulba" was never completed.

Returning to Russia in 1854, the musician wrote memoirs, which were published 16 years later under the title Notes. In 1855, Mikhail Ivanovich composed the romance "In a difficult moment of life" to verse. A year later, the composer went to Berlin.

Personal life

Glinka's biography is a story of a person's love for music, but the composer also had a more ordinary personal life. During his travels in Europe, Mikhail became the hero of several amorous adventures. Returning to Russia, the composer decided to get married. Following the example of his father, he chose his distant relative as his life partner. The composer's wife was Maria (Maria) Petrovna Ivanova.

The spouses had a fourteen-year age difference, but this did not stop the composer. The marriage was unhappy. Mikhail Ivanovich quickly realized that he had made the wrong choice. Marriage tied the musician to his unloved wife, and his heart was given to another woman. Ekaterina Kern became the composer's new love. The girl was the daughter of Pushkin's muse, to whom Alexander Sergeevich dedicated the poem "I remember a wonderful moment."

Glinka's relationship with her lover lasted almost 10 years. Most of this time, the musician was officially married. His legal wife Maria Ivanova, having not lived even a year in a legal marriage, began to look for amorous adventures on the side. Glinka knew about her adventures. The wife reproached the musician for squandering, scandalized and cheated. The composer was very depressed.

After six years of marriage with Glinka, Maria Ivanova secretly married cornet Nikolai Vasilchikov. When this circumstance was revealed, Glinka received hope for a divorce. All this time, the composer was in a relationship with Ekaterina Kern. In 1844, the musician realized that the intensity of love passions had faded. Two years later, he received a divorce, but he never married Catherine.

Glinka and Pushkin

Mikhail Ivanovich and Alexander Sergeevich were contemporaries. Pushkin was only five years older than Glinka. After Mikhail Ivanovich crossed the line of twenty years, he and Alexander Sergeevich had many common interests. The friendship of young people continued until the tragic death of the poet.

Painting "Pushkin and Zhukovsky at Glinka". Artist Viktor Artamonov

Glinka conceived the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila in order to be able to work with Pushkin. The death of the poet greatly slowed down the process of creating the opera. As a result, her production almost failed. Glinka is called "Pushkin from music", because he made the same feasible contribution to the formation of the Russian national opera school, as his friend to the development of Russian literature.

Death

In Germany, Glinka studied the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Not having lived in Berlin for a year, the composer died. Death overtook him in February 1857.

Monument at the grave of Mikhail Glinka

The composer was modestly buried in a small Lutheran cemetery. A few months later, Glinka's younger sister Lyudmila arrived in Berlin to arrange the transportation of her brother's ashes to their homeland. The coffin with the composer's body was transported from Berlin to St. Petersburg in a cardboard box with the inscription "PORCELAIN".

Glinka was reburied in St. Petersburg at the Tikhvin cemetery. An authentic tombstone from the first grave of the composer is still located in Berlin on the territory of the Russian Orthodox cemetery. In 1947, a monument to Glinka was also erected there.

• Glinka became the author of the romance "I remember a wonderful moment", which was written to the verses of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The poet dedicated the lines to his muse Anna Kern, and Mikhail Ivanovich dedicated the music to her daughter Ekaterina.
• After the composer received the news of his mother's death in 1851, his right hand. Mother was the closest person for the musician.
• Glinka could have children. Beloved musician in 1842 was pregnant. The composer during this period was officially married and could not get a divorce. The musician gave Ekaterina Kern a large amount of money to get rid of the child. The woman left for the Poltava region for almost a year. According to one version, the child was still born, since Ekaterina Kern was absent for too long a period of time. During this time, the musician's feelings faded, he left his passion. Glinka, towards the end of his life, was very sorry that he asked Catherine to get rid of the child.
• For many years, the musician sought a divorce from his wife Maria Ivanova, intending to marry his beloved Ekaterina Kern, but, having received freedom, he decided to refuse to marry. He left his passion, afraid of new obligations. Ekaterina Kern waited almost 10 years for the composer to return to her.

Born on May 20 (June 1), 1804 in the village of Novospasskoye, Smolensk province, on his father's estate.

An important fact of Glinka's brief biography is the fact that the boy was raised by his grandmother, and his own mother was allowed to see her son only after the grandmother's death.

M. Glinka began to play the piano and violin at the age of ten. Since 1817, he began to study at the Noble Boarding School at the Pedagogical Institute of St. Petersburg. After graduating from the boarding school, he devoted all his time to music. At the same time, the first compositions of the composer Glinka were created. As a real creator, Glinka does not fully like his works, he seeks to expand household genre music.

The heyday of creativity

In 1822-1823, Glinka wrote well-known romances and songs: “Do not tempt me needlessly” to the words of E. A. Baratynsky, “Do not sing, beauty, with me” to the words of A. S. Pushkin and others. In the same years, he met the famous Vasily Zhukovsky, Alexander Griboyedov and others.

After traveling to the Caucasus, he goes to Italy, Germany. Under the influence of the Italian composers Bellini, Doniceti Glinka changes his musical style. Then he worked on polyphony, composition, instrumentation.

Returning to Russia, Glinka diligently worked on the national opera Ivan Susanin. Its premiere in 1836 at the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg turned out to be a huge success. The premiere of the next opera Ruslan and Lyudmila in 1842 was no longer so loud. Strong criticism pushed the composer to leave, he left Russia, went to France, Spain, and only in 1847 returned to his homeland.

Many works in the biography of Mikhail Glinka were written during trips abroad. From 1851 in St. Petersburg he taught singing and prepared operas. Under his influence, Russian classical music was formed.

Death and legacy

Glinka left for Berlin in 1856, where he died on February 15, 1857. The composer was buried at the Lutheran Trinity Cemetery. His ashes were transported to St. Petersburg and reburied there.

There are about 20 songs and romances by Glinka. He also wrote 6 symphonic, several chamber-instrumental works, and two operas.

Glinka's legacy for children includes romances, songs, symphonic fantasies, as well as the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, which became even more fabulous after it was translated into music by the great composer.

Music critic V. Stasov briefly noted that Glinka became for Russian music what Alexander Pushkin became for the Russian language: they both created a new Russian language, but each in his own field of art.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky gave the following characterization to one of Glinka’s works: “The entire Russian symphonic school, like the whole oak in an acorn, is contained in the symphonic fantasy “Kamarinskaya””

The Glinka Museum is located in Novospasskoye village, in the composer's native estate. Monuments to Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka were erected in Bologna, Kyiv, Berlin. The State Academic Chapel in St. Petersburg was also named after him.

Other biography options

• The birthplace of the great Russian composer is the small village of Novospasskoye in the Smolensk province. The large Glinka family lived there from the very time that their great-grandfather, a Polish nobleman, took the oath of allegiance to the Russian Tsar and continued to serve in the Russian army.
• see all

1. Hothouse child: Mikhail Glinka's childhood
2. Studying in a St. Petersburg boarding school and the first musical experiences
3. From Variations to the First National Opera: The History of the Creation of A Life for the Tsar
4. Interesting Facts

Mikhail Glinka settled in Milan. In “Notes of M.I. Glinka" he wrote: “I came to life at the appearance of a wonderful Italian spring, my imagination stirred and I began to work”. The composer wrote variations on operas and ballets. Two themes from Donizetti's Anne Boleyn were printed in French music magazines. In 1832, Glinka wrote the romance "Venetian Night".

In Italy, the composer did not miss the premieres: the theater was his favorite pastime. He traveled a lot around the country: Bologna, Rome, Parma, Naples and met the Italian composers Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. However, already in 1833, Glinka admitted in a letter home: “I sincerely could not be Italian. The longing for the fatherland led me gradually to the idea of ​​writing in Russian..

In July 1833, Mikhail Glinka decided to leave Italy for Berlin. There he wrote two romances based on poems by Zhukovsky and Delvig, finished a variation of Alyabyev's "The Nightingale" and wrote several Russian songs for playing four hands. In April 1834 the composer returned to Russia.

Mikhail Glinka arrived in St. Petersburg and settled in the house of his friend Alexei Stuneev. Maria Ivanova, a relative of Stuneev, also visited the family. They spent a lot of time together and soon fell in love with each other. In 1835 Glinka and Ivanova got married.

Unknown artist. Lithograph "Ivan Susanin or "Life for the Tsar". 1862. Private collection

Composer returned to secular life: every week he attended the evenings of Vasily Zhukovsky in the Winter Palace. The creative elite gathered at the poet's, the regulars were Alexander Pushkin, critics Pyotr Pletnev and Pyotr Vyazemsky, writers Nikolai Gogol and Vladimir Odoevsky. At one of the evenings, Mikhail Glinka voiced the idea of ​​writing a national Russian opera. Zhukovsky immediately suggested a plot - the story of a peasant Ivan Susanin, who led a Polish-Lithuanian detachment into the forest and thereby saved the tsar from death. The poet liked Glinka's idea so much that he himself wanted to write the words and soon composed "Ah, not for me, the poor, violent wind." However, business affairs did not allow him to complete what he had begun - Zhukovsky asked his friend, Baron Yegor Rosen, to help the composer with the libretto for the opera.

“As if by magic action, the plan of the whole opera was suddenly created, and the idea of ​​contrasting Russian music with Polish music. Finally, many topics and even development details flashed all at once in my head.

Mikhail Glinka, Notes of M.I. Glinka

The composer composed quickly: in the spring of 1835, drafts were ready not only for the first and second acts, but also for most of all the themes. Baron Rosen wrote poems to music, taking into account its tempo and size. Glinka recalled: “Baron Rosen was good at it; if you order so many verses in such and such a size, 2x, 3x complex and even unprecedented - he doesn’t care; Come back in a day and you're done". The composer finished the opera already in the village of Novospasskoye - Glinka moved there with his wife after the wedding. In “Notes of M.I. Glinka" he wrote: “The scene of Susanin in the forest with the Poles was painted in winter; this whole scene, before I began to write, I often read aloud with feeling, and was so vividly transferred to the position of my hero that my own hair stood on end and frost crawled over my skin..

At the beginning of 1836 the opera was finished. Soon rehearsals began - they wanted to open the new season of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater with a performance. Rumors about the first national opera quickly spread throughout the capital: open rehearsals were held with full halls. Nicholas I came to one of the pre-premiere screenings. Mikhail Glinka decided to dedicate the opera to the Emperor and called it A Life for the Tsar. On December 9, 1836, the premiere took place.

“Last night my desires finally came true, and my long labor was crowned with the most brilliant success. The audience received my opera with extraordinary enthusiasm, the actors went berserk with zeal... the sovereign-emperor deigned to invite me to his box, took my hands, thanked me and talked with me for a long time. The heir, the Empress and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna also honored me with flattering reviews of my music.

Nicholas I liked the opera so much that he gave Mikhail Glinka a gift: a topaz ring surrounded by three rows of diamonds. And the composer's friends: Alexander Pushkin, Pyotr Vyazemsky, Vasily Zhukovsky and Mikhail Vielgorsky, decided to congratulate the composer with a comic song "for four voices". Each composed a quatrain.

“Sing in delight, Russian choir!
A new one has come out.
Have fun, Rus'! Our Glinka -
It’s not clay, but porcelain”

Alexander Pushkin

Work as a bandmaster and the idea of ​​"Ruslan and Lyudmila"

Ilya Repin. Mikhail Glinka while composing the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila (detail). 1887. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

In 1837 Mikhail Glinka was appointed Kapellmeister of the Court Choir. He was supposed to prepare new productions, but after a couple of rehearsals, the composer decided to first work with the singers and give a couple of lessons in solfeggio: the artists lacked skill. Glinka taught himself, he carefully prepared for classes and even wrote a couple of training pieces for the choir. At the same time, the composer had the idea to compose an opera based on the plot of Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila". As planned by Glinka, the libretto for the production was to be written by Pushkin himself. However, the poet soon died, and the musician abandoned the idea of ​​the opera for a while.

In 1838, Glinka, along with two assistants, was sent to Ukraine. He was instructed to find new choristers for the chapel. The selection took place in several stages: first they arranged an audition in the seminary, then the most talented were invited home and asked to perform already technically complex works. During the spring and summer of the same year, 19 boys and two adult men were selected. Impressed by Ukraine, Mikhail Glinka wrote the romances “Good wind” and “Don’t chirp the nightingale”.

In the autumn of the same year, Mikhail Glinka returned to St. Petersburg. He spent almost all the time in the service: he taught new singers, rehearsed with the choir or orchestra. The composer's relationship with his wife worsened: “My wife was one of those women for whom outfits, balls, carriages, horses, liveries, etc. were everything; she didn't understand music well.<...>» . Therefore, Glinka tried to spend free evenings outside the home.

In 1838, the composer returned to the idea of ​​the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila and set to work. However, she moved slowly, Glinka wrote in fits and starts - only small fragments came out. The musician recalled: “I always wrote in the morning after tea, and I was constantly torn away from this cavatina: I didn’t have time to write a page or two, as the uncle non-commissioned officer appeared, his hands at his sides, and respectfully reported:“ Your honor! The singers have gathered and are waiting for you".

In 1839, Glinka met Ekaterina Kern, the daughter of Anna Kern, Alexander Pushkin's muse. In “Notes of M.I. Glinka" the composer wrote: “... My gaze involuntarily rested on her: her clear expressive eyes, an unusually slender figure<...>and a special kind of charm and dignity, spilled in her whole person, attracted me more and more ”. Ekaterina Kern shared his passion for music: they played four hands, together they sang arias from the opera A Life for the Tsar. Mikhail Glinka wrote “Waltz-Fantasy” for his beloved and dedicated the romance “If I meet you” - Kern picked up the poem by Alexei Koltsov for music. Glinka decided to leave his wife: she did not give a divorce. At the same time, Ekaterina Kern fell seriously ill. The composer wrote: “I was not only sick, not just healthy: there was a heavy sediment in my heart from grief, and gloomy vague thoughts involuntarily crowded in my mind”. He stopped appearing in the service, and in December 1839 Glinka was fired with the rank of collegiate assessor.

Innovative music by Mikhail Glinka

In 1841, Ekaterina Kern recovered, but the doctors recommended that she leave for the south of Russia. Mikhail Glinka wanted to follow her and even wrote a cycle of 12 romances Farewell to Petersburg. However, the divorce proceedings with his wife forced the composer to stay. On the night when Kern was leaving the city, Glinka wrote music: “All night long I was in a feverish state, my imagination stirred, and that night I invented and realized the Finale of the opera, which later served as the basis for the overture of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila.. By 1842, the opera was ready, and almost immediately rehearsals began at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater.

On November 27, 1842, the premiere took place in St. Petersburg. The opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" failed: during the fifth act, the imperial family left the box.

“When the curtain was lowered, they began to call me, but they applauded very unfriendly, meanwhile they zealously hissed, mainly from the stage and the orchestra. I then turned to General Dubelt, who was in the director's box, with the question: "It seems they are hissing, should I go to the challenge?" - “Go,” answered the general, Christ suffered more than you.

Mikhail Glinka, “Notes of M.I. Glinka"

All circumstances were against the composer. At first, the chief decorator had a conflict with the theater director, and in retaliation he "made the most vulgar of all the scenery". Glinka recalled: “The castle looked like a barracks, the fantastic flowers of the proscenium were ugly and disgustingly painted with the simplest paints.<...>In a word, it was not a decoration, but a trap for the actors ". Then, just before the premiere, the prima fell ill and was replaced by a young, inexperienced artist. Nevertheless, during the winter of 1842, the opera was performed 32 times.

In 1844 Mikhail Glinka went to Paris. There, the composer became friends with the famous musician Hector Berlioz, and he included Glinka's compositions in his concert program. The full house applauded. Success gave Mikhail Glinka the idea to give in Paris solo concert which took place in April 1845. He recalled: “During the concert, the hall was full. Russian ladies like to decorate the concert of a compatriot; they came in splendid attire.". The concert was highly appreciated by the press: flattering articles appeared in three leading French magazines at once.

In 1845 Glinka came to Spain. The beautiful nature and atmosphere of the city of Valladolid impressed the composer - shortly after his arrival, he wrote an orchestral piece "Jota of Aragon". Glinka became interested in national music. He invited a mule driver to his apartment, asked him to sing folk songs and transferred them to sheet music.

In the summer of 1847 Glinka returned to Russia. For several months he stayed at home, in the village of Novospasskoye, but his health deteriorated, and the composer decided to spend a couple of months in Warsaw. Soon, a cholera epidemic began in the Polish city. Glinka did not leave the apartment and spent all his time at the piano. At this time, the romances “Do I hear your voice” to the words of Lermontov and “Zazravny Cup” to the poem of Pushkin appeared. In 1848 Glinka composed the dance Kamarinskaya. The composer combined the melodies of two folk songs: the wedding song “Because of the mountains, mountains, high mountains"and dancing Kamarinskaya. In “Notes of M.I. Glinka" he wrote: “Suddenly a fantasy broke out, and instead of a piano, I wrote a piece for an orchestra<...>I can assure you that when composing this piece, I was guided by the only inner musical feeling, without thinking about what happens at weddings, how our Orthodox people walk.. Glinka was the first Russian composer to combine in one piece of music different rhythms, characters and moods.

In 1851, Glinka briefly returned to St. Petersburg, where he gave singing lessons. Soon he again went abroad - this time to Paris. In France, the composer began work on the third opera "Taras Bulba", but soon abandoned it - there was no inspiration. The Crimean War of 1853 forced Glinka to leave Paris: Britain and France, in a coalition with the Ottoman Empire, fought against Russia. In 1854, the composer again came to St. Petersburg, but in 1856 he left it again. Mikhail Glinka left for Berlin, where he lived until the end of his life.

In February 1857 Glinka died. He was buried at the Lutheran cemetery in Berlin, but soon the ashes of the composer were transported to St. Petersburg and reburied at the Tikhvin cemetery.

1. Mikhail Glinka knew the writer and diplomat Alexander Griboyedov. Griboyedov was a great connoisseur of music and suggested to the composer the melody of a Georgian song. Later, Alexander Pushkin wrote the poem “Do not sing, sorceress, with me” especially for her.

2. Mikhail Glinka did not receive a single ruble from the theater for his first opera A Life for the Tsar. Director of the Petersburg Bolshoi Theater took a subscription from the composer that he would not demand remuneration.

3. The composer sometimes received letters from governors. If a member of the imperial family came to the region, the officials asked Glinka to compose a choir for the ball: the music of the famous patriotic author was supposed to endear the sovereign to the local nobility.

4. One of the main themes of the overture to "Ruslan and Lyudmila" parodies the clatter of knives and forks at the wedding of the daughter of Nicholas I, Grand Duchess Maria Romanova. The composer came up with the melody at the wedding ceremony. He recalled: “During dinner, music played, a tenor and court choristers sang; I was in the choirs and the sound of knives, forks, plates struck me and gave me the idea to imitate him in the introduction of "Ruslan", which I later did ".

5. During his visit to St. Petersburg in 1842, Franz Liszt listened to Glinka's new opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" and praised the composer for the work. In “Notes of M.I. Glinka" he wrote: “Liszt heard my opera, he truly felt all the wonderful places<...>he reassured me about success".

6. Mikhail Glinka tried to learn the language of the country he visited. In Italy, he hired a teacher in Italian, in Spain - in Spanish. The composer was easily given languages, and after a short time he could already understand the conversations on the street.

7. The music critic Theophilus Tolstoy not only gave his interpretation of Glinka's Kamarinskaya, but also convinced Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of his interpretation. In his opinion, the horn pedal in the last part of the dance depicts a drunkard who knocks with his foot on the room where the fun is, and asks to open the door for him.

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka(May 20 [June 1], Novospasskoe village, Smolensk province - February 3, Berlin; buried in St. Petersburg) - Russian composer. The works of Glinka influenced the largest Russian composers - A. S. Dargomyzhsky, M. P. Mussorgsky, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. P. Borodin, P. I. Tchaikovsky and others. In the words of V. V. Stasov, "both [Pushkin and Glinka] created a new Russian language - one in poetry, the other in music."

Encyclopedic YouTube

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  Mikhail Glinka was born on May 20 (June 1), 1804, in the village of Novospasskoye, Smolensk province, on the estate of his father, retired captain Ivan Nikolaevich Glinka (1777-1834). His mother was his father's second cousin, Evgenia Andreevna Glinka-Zemelka (1783-1851). The composer's great-grandfather was a gentry from the Glinka family of the Trzaska coat of arms - Viktorin Vladislav Glinka (Polish Wiktoryn Władysław Glinka). After the loss of Smolensk by the Commonwealth in 1654, V. V. Glinka accepted Russian citizenship and converted to Orthodoxy. The tsarist government retained land holdings and noble privileges, including the former coats of arms, for the Smolensk gentry.

  Childhood and youth

  Until the age of six, Mikhail was brought up by his grandmother (paternal) Fyokla Alexandrovna, who completely removed the mother from raising her son. He grew up as a nervous, suspicious and sickly child, touchy - "mimosa", according to Glinka's own characteristics. After the death of Fyokla Alexandrovna, Mikhail again passed into the complete disposal of his mother, who made every effort to erase the traces of her previous upbringing. From the age of ten, Mikhail began to learn to play the piano and violin. Glinka's first teacher was a governess invited from St. Petersburg, Varvara Fedorovna Klammer.

  In 1817, his parents brought Mikhail to St. Petersburg and placed him in the Noble Boarding School (in 1819 it was renamed the Noble Boarding School at St. Petersburg University), where his tutor was the poet, Decembrist V.K. -1871) married G. A. Glinka (1776-1818) - cousin of the composer's father.

  In St. Petersburg, Glinka took private lessons from prominent music teachers, including Karl Zeiner and John Field. In 1822, Mikhail Ivanovich successfully (second student) completed a course of study at the Noble Boarding School at the Imperial St. Petersburg University. At the boarding house, Glinka met A. S. Pushkin, who came there to his younger brother Leo, Mikhail's classmate. Their meetings resumed in the summer of 1828 and continued until the death of the poet.

  Periods of life and creativity

  1822-1835

  Glinka loved music. At the end of the boarding school, he worked hard: he studied Western European musical classics, participated in home music making in noble salons, and sometimes led his uncle's orchestra. At the same time, Glinka tried himself as a composer, composing variations for harp or piano on a theme from the Austrian composer Josef Weigl's opera The Swiss Family. From that moment on, Glinka paid more and more attention to composition and soon composed a lot, trying his hand at various genres. During this period, he wrote well-known romances and songs today: “Do not tempt me without need” to the words of E. A. Baratynsky, “Do not sing, beauty, with me” to the words of A. S. Pushkin, “Autumn night, night dear" to the words of A. Ya. Rimsky-Korsakov and others. However, he remains dissatisfied with his work for a long time. Glinka is persistently looking for ways to go beyond the forms and genres of everyday music. In 1823 he works on a string septet, an adagio and a rondo for orchestra, and on two orchestral overtures. In the same years, the circle of acquaintances of Mikhail Ivanovich expanded. He met V. A. Zhukovsky, A. S. Griboyedov, Adam Mitskevich, Anton Delvig, V. F. Odoevsky, who later became his friend.

  In the summer of 1823 Glinka traveled to the Caucasus, visiting Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk. Acquaintance with the music of the peoples of the Caucasus left a significant mark on the composer's creative mind and was reflected in his later works on oriental themes. So, on the basis of the Azerbaijani folk song “Galanyn dibinde”, the composer created the “Persian Choir” for his opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. From 1824 to 1828, Mikhail worked as an assistant secretary of the Main Directorate of Railways. In 1829, M. Glinka and N. Pavlishchev published the "Lyric Album", where Glinka's plays were among the works of various authors.

  At the end of April 1830, the composer went to Italy, stopping along the way in Dresden and making a long journey through Germany, stretching for all the summer months. Arriving in Italy in early autumn, Glinka settled in Milan, which at that time was a major center musical culture. In Italy, he met the outstanding composers V. Bellini and G. Donizetti, studied the vocal style of bel canto (Italian bel canto) and composed a lot in the "Italian spirit". In his works, a significant part of which were plays on the themes of popular operas, there was no longer anything student-like, all compositions were masterfully executed. Glinka paid special attention to instrumental ensembles, writing two original compositions: the Sextet for piano, two violins, viola, cello and double bass and the Pathetic Trio for piano, clarinet and bassoon. In these works, the features of Glinka's composer's style were especially clearly manifested.

  In July 1833 Glinka traveled to Berlin, stopping for a while in Vienna along the way. In Berlin, under the guidance of the German theorist Siegfried Den Glinka, he studied polyphony and instrumentation. Having received news of his father's death in 1834, Glinka decided to immediately return to Russia.

  Glinka returned with extensive plans for a Russian national opera. After a long search for a plot for the opera, Glinka, on the advice of V. Zhukovsky, settled on the legend of Ivan Susanin. At the end of April 1835, Glinka married Marya Petrovna Ivanova, his distant relative. Soon after, the newlyweds went to Novospasskoye, where Glinka set about writing an opera with great zeal.

  1836-1844

  1844-1857

  Hardly experiencing criticism of his new opera, Mikhail Ivanovich in the middle of 1844 undertook a new long trip abroad. This time he went to France and then to Spain. In Paris, Glinka met the French composer Hector Berlioz, who (later) became an admirer of his talent. In the spring of 1845, Berlioz performed Glinka's works at his concert: Lezginka from Ruslan and Lyudmila and Antonida's aria from Ivan Susanin. The success of these works led Glinka to the idea of ​​giving in Paris a charity concert from his writings. On April 10, 1845, the great concert of the Russian composer was successfully held in the Hertz Concert Hall on Victory Street in Paris.

  May 13, 1845 Glinka went to Spain. There, Mikhail Ivanovich studied the traditional culture, customs, language of the Spanish people, and recorded Spanish folklore melodies. The creative result of this trip was two symphonic overtures written on Spanish folk themes. In the autumn of 1845, Glinka completed the Jota of Aragon Overture, and in 1848, upon his return to Russia, Night in Madrid.

  In the summer of 1847, Glinka set off on his way back to his ancestral village of Novospasskoye. Glinka's stay in his native places was short. Mikhail Ivanovich again went to St. Petersburg, but after changing his mind, he decided to spend the winter in Smolensk. However, invitations to balls and evenings, which haunted the composer almost daily, drove him to despair and to the decision to leave Russia again [ ] . But Glinka was denied a foreign passport, therefore, having reached Warsaw in 1848, he stopped in this city. Here the composer wrote a symphonic fantasy "Kamarinskaya" on the themes of two Russian songs: a wedding lyric "Because of the mountains, high mountains" and a lively dance song. In this work, Glinka approved new type symphonic music and laid the foundations for its further development, skillfully creating an unusually bold combination of different rhythms, characters and moods. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky spoke of Glinka's work in the following way:

  In 1851, Glinka returned to St. Petersburg, where he gave singing lessons, prepared opera parts and chamber repertoire with such singers as N. K. Ivanov, O. A. Petrov, A. Ya. Petrova-Vorobyova, A. P. Lodiy , D. M. Leonov and others. Under the direct influence of Glinka, the Russian vocal school took shape. He visited M. I. Glinka and A. N. Serov, who in 1852 wrote down his Notes on Instrumentation (published 4 years later). A. S. Dargomyzhsky often came.

  In 1852, Glinka again set off on a journey. He planned to get to Spain, but tired of moving in stagecoaches and by rail, he stopped in Paris, where he lived for just over two years. In Paris, Glinka began work on the Taras Bulba symphony, which was never completed. The beginning of the Crimean War, in which France opposed Russia, was an event that finally decided the issue of Glinka's departure to his homeland. On the way to Russia, Glinka spent two weeks in Berlin.

  In May 1854 Glinka arrived in Russia. He spent the summer in Tsarskoye Selo at his dacha, and in August he again moved to St. Petersburg. In the same 1854, Mikhail Ivanovich began to write memoirs, which he called "Notes" (published in 1870).

  In 1856 Glinka left for Berlin. There he began to study the work of J. P. Palestrina and J. S. Bach. In the same year, Glinka wrote music for Church Slavonic liturgical texts: Litany and “May my prayer be corrected” (for 3 voices).

  Death

  Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka died on February 15, 1857 in Berlin and was buried in the Lutheran cemetery. In May of the same year, at the insistence of the younger sister of M. I. Glinka, Lyudmila (who, after the death of their mother and two of her children, from the beginning of the 1850s devoted herself entirely to caring for her brother, and after his death did everything to publish his works ) the ashes of the composer were transported to St. Petersburg and reburied at the Tikhvin cemetery.

  During the transportation of Glinka's ashes from Berlin to Russia, "PORCELAIN" was written on his coffin packed in cardboard. This is very symbolic, if we recall the canon composed by Glinka's friends after the premiere of Ivan Susanin. A monument was erected on the grave of Glinka, created according to the sketch of I. I. Gornostaev.

  In Berlin, at the Russian Orthodox cemetery, there is a monument that includes a tombstone from the original burial place of Glinka at the Lutheran Trinity Cemetery, as well as a monument in the form of a column with a bust of the composer built in 1947 by the Military Commandant's Office of the Soviet Sector of Berlin.

  Memory

  Main article: Memory of Mikhail Glinka

  The name was given to the Novosibirsk State Conservatory.

  Glinka's addresses in St. Petersburg

  M. I. Glinka International Vocal Competition

  The second most important vocal competition in Russia is named after Mikhail Glinka - the International Competition of Vocalists named after M.I.Glinka, which was organized in 1960. From 1968 to 2009, the permanent chairman of the jury was the singer and teacher, People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin Prize and State Prizes of Russia, academician, professor Irina Konstantinovna Arkhipova.

  Over the years, such outstanding artists as Vladimir Atlantov, Sergey Leiferkus, Yuri Mazurok, Evgeny Nesterenko, Elena Obraztsova, Maria Gulegina, Olga Borodina, Dmitry Khvorostovsky, Vladimir Chernov, Anna Netrebko, Askar Abdrazakov, Olga Abdrazakov, became the winners of the Glinka Competition. Trifonova, Elena Manistina, Mikhail Kazakov, Albina Shagimuratova, Vladimir Vasiliev, Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar and other singers.

  Major works

  operas

  • "Life for the Tsar" ("Ivan Susanin") (1836)
  • Ruslan and Lyudmila (1837-1842)
  Symphonic works
  • Symphony on two Russian themes (1834, completed and orchestrated by Vissarion Shebalin)
  • Music for the tragedy by Nestor Puppeteer "Prince Kholmsky" (1842)
  • Spanish Overture No. 1 "Brilliant Capriccio on the Aragonese Jota" (1845)
  • "Kamarinskaya", a fantasy on two Russian themes (1848)
  • Spanish Overture No. 2 "Memories of a Summer Night in Madrid" (1851)
  • "Waltz Fantasy" (1839 - for piano, 1856 - extended version for symphony orchestra)
  Chamber instrumental compositions
  • Sonata for viola and piano (unfinished; 1828, revised by Vadim Borisovsky in 1932)
  • Brilliant Divertimento on Themes from La Sonnambula by Vincenzo Bellini for Piano Quintet and Double Bass
  • Brilliant Rondo on a Theme from Vincenzo Bellini's "Capulets and Montagues" (1831)
  • Grand Sextet Es-dur for piano and string quintet (1832)
  • "Pathetic Trio" in d-moll for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1832)
  Romances and songs
  • "Venetian Night" (1832)
  • Patriotic song (was the official anthem of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 2000)
  • "I'm Here, Inezilla" (1834)
  • "Night Review" (1836)
  • "Doubt" (1838)
  • "Night Zephyr" (1838)
  • "The fire of desire burns in the blood" (1839)
  • Wedding song "Wonderful Tower stands" (1839)
  • Vocal cycle "Farewell with Petersburg" (1840)
  • "A Passing Song" (from the cycle "Farewell to St. Petersburg")
  • "Lark" (from the cycle "Farewell to St. Petersburg")
  • "Confession" (1840)
  • "Do I hear your voice" (1848)
  • "Healthy Cup" (1848)
  • "The Song of Margarita" from Goethe's tragedy "Faust" (1848)
  • "Mary" (1849)
  • "Adele" (1849)
  • "Gulf of Finland" (1850)
  • "Prayer" ("In a difficult moment of life") (1855)
  • "Don't Say Your Heart Hurts" (1856)
  • “I remember a wonderful moment” (to a poem by Pushkin)

  Notes

  1. Levasheva O. E., Lebedeva-Emelina A. V. Glinka // Big Russian encyclopedia. - M., 2007. - V.7. - S. 233-235.
  2. // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
  3. Findeisen N. F.// Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. - St. Petersburg. - M., 1896-1918.
  4. Rozanov, A. S. M. I. Glinka. Album. The first period of life in Novospasskoye (indefinite) . - M.: Music, . - “The domineering old woman, who treated the serf servants “not very well”, spoiled her grandson “to an incredible degree”.” Date of treatment September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014.
  5. // Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 4 volumes - St. Petersburg. , 1907-1909.
  6. Great friendship between the Azerbaijani and Russian peoples / Compiled by P. A. Azizbekova, Shikhali Kurbanov. Managing editor I. A. Guseynov. - B.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR, 1964. - S. 214.
  7. Karagicheva L. Kara Karaev. - M.: Soviet composer, 1960. - S. 9.
  8. Badalbaјli Ә. B. M. I. Glinka (Azerbaijan) - May 29, 1954.
  9. It's about about the original piano version of the famous fantasy waltz, known to everyone in the orchestral version, one of Glinka's works that amaze with their soulful beauty
  10. Maria Petrovna Ivanova (Glinka) b. 1817 . Entry:234301 (indefinite) . Rodovod. - “April 26, 1835 marriage: Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka; March 15, 1841 marriage: Nikolai Nikolaevich Vasilchikov; October 1846 divorce: Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka. Retrieved June 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014.

  Glinka's first experience in composing music dates back to 1822, the end of the boarding school. These were variations for harp or piano on a theme from the Austrian composer Weigl's opera The Swiss Family, which was fashionable at the time. From that moment on, continuing to improve in playing the piano, Glinka paid more and more attention to composition and soon composed a lot, trying his hand at various genres. For a long time he remains dissatisfied with his work. But it was during this period that the well-known romances and songs “Do not tempt me needlessly” were written to the words of E. A. Baratynsky, “Do not sing, beauty, with me” to the words of A. S. Pushkin, “Autumn night, Dear night” to the words of A. Ya. Rimsky-Korsakov and others.

  However, the main thing is not the creative victories of the young composer, no matter how highly they are valued. Glinka "with constant and deep tension" is looking for himself in music and at the same time comprehends the secrets of composer's skill in practice. He writes a number of romances and songs, honing the vocal melody, but at the same time persistently looking for ways to go beyond the forms and genres of everyday music. Already in 1823 he was working on a string septet, an adagio and a rondo for orchestra, and on two orchestral overtures.

  Gradually, Glinka's circle of acquaintances goes beyond secular relations. He meets Zhukovsky, Griboyedov, Mitskevich, Delvig. In the same years, he met Odoevsky, who later became his friend.

  All sorts of secular entertainment, numerous artistic impressions of various kinds, and even the state of health, which was increasingly deteriorating by the end of the 1820s (the result of an extremely unsuccessful treatment) - all this could not interfere with the composer's work, which Glinka devoted himself to with the same "constant and deep tension" . Composing music became an inner need for him.

  During these years, Glinka began to seriously think about traveling abroad. He was motivated to do this by various reasons. First of all, the journey could give him such musical impressions, such new knowledge in the field of art and creative experience, which he could not have acquired in his homeland. Glinka also hoped to improve his health in other climatic conditions.

  At the end of April 1830, Glinka left for Italy. On the way, he stopped in Germany, where he spent the summer months. Arriving in Italy, Glinka settled in Milan, which at that time was a major center of musical culture. The opera season of 1830 - 1831 was unusually eventful. Glinka was completely at the mercy of new impressions. “After each opera, returning home, we picked up sounds to remember our favorite places we heard.” As in St. Petersburg, Glinka still works hard on his compositions. There is nothing student left in them - these are masterfully executed compositions. A significant part of the works of this period are plays on the themes of popular operas. Glinka pays special attention to instrumental ensembles. He writes two original compositions Sextet for piano, two violins, viola, cello and double bass and Pathetic Trio for piano, clarinet and bassoon - works in which the features of Glinka's composer's style are especially clearly manifested.

  In July 1833 Glinka left Italy. On his way to Berlin, he stopped for a while in Vienna. Of the impressions associated with his stay in this city, Glinka notes little in Zapiski. He often and with pleasure listened to the orchestras of Lanner and Strauss, read Schiller a lot and rewrote his favorite plays. Glinka arrived in Berlin in October of the same year. The months spent here led him to reflect on the deep national roots of the culture of each people.

  This issue is now of particular relevance to him. He is ready to take a decisive step in his work. “The idea of ​​national music (not to mention opera music) became clearer and clearer,” notes Glinka in Zapiski.

  Best of the day

  The most important task facing the composer in Berlin was to put in order his musical and theoretical knowledge and, as he himself writes, ideas about art in general. In this matter, Glinka assigns a special role to Siegfried Dehn, a famous music theorist in his time, under whose guidance he studied a lot.

  Glinka's studies in Berlin were interrupted by the news of his father's death. Glinka decided to immediately go to Russia. The foreign trip ended unexpectedly, but he basically managed to carry out his plans. In any case, the nature of his creative aspirations had already been determined. We find confirmation of this, in particular, in the haste with which Glinka, having returned to his homeland, starts composing an opera, without even waiting for the final choice of plot - the nature of the music of the future work is so clearly presented to him. I didn’t have words, but “Maryina Grove” was spinning in my head.

  This opera briefly captured the attention of Glinka. Upon his arrival in St. Petersburg, he became a frequent visitor to Zhukovsky, at whom an elected society met weekly; predominantly engaged in literature and music. Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Gogol, Pletnev were regular visitors to these evenings.

  “When I expressed my desire to take on Russian opera,” writes Glinka, “Zhukovsky sincerely approved of my intention and offered me the plot of Ivan Susanin. The scene in the forest was deeply engraved in my imagination; I found in it a lot of originality, characteristic of Russians. Glinka's enthusiasm was so great that "as if by a magical action ... the plan of an entire opera was suddenly created ...". Glinka writes that his imagination "warned" the librettist; "... many topics and even development details - all this flashed in my head at once."

  But not only creative problems concern Glinka at this time. He is thinking about marriage. The chosen one of Mikhail Ivanovich was Marya Petrovna Ivanova, a pretty girl, his distant relative. “In addition to a kind and pure heart,” Glinka writes to her mother during the phase after marriage, “I managed to notice in her properties that I always wanted to find order and thrift in my wife ... despite her youth and liveliness of character, she is very reasonable and extremely moderate in desires. But the future wife knew nothing about music. However, Glinka's feeling for Marya Petrovna was so strong and sincere that the circumstances that subsequently led to the incompatibility of their fates at that time might not seem so significant.

  The young people got married at the end of April 1835. Shortly thereafter, Glinka and his wife went to Novospasskoye. Happiness in his personal life spurred his creative activity, he set to opera with even greater zeal.

  The opera advanced rapidly, but getting it staged at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater proved to be a difficult task. The director of the imperial theaters, A. M. Gedeonov, stubbornly prevented the acceptance of the new opera for staging. Apparently, in an effort to protect himself from any surprises, he gave it to the judgment of Kapellmeister Kavos, who, as already mentioned, was the author of an opera on the same plot. However, Kavos gave Glinka's work the most flattering review and withdrew his own opera from the repertoire. Thus, Ivan Susanin was accepted for production, but Glinka was obliged not to demand remuneration for the opera.

  The premiere of Ivan Susanin took place on November 27, 1836. The success was huge. Glinka wrote to his mother the next day, “Last night, my wishes finally came true, and my long work was crowned with the most brilliant success. The audience accepted my opera with extraordinary enthusiasm, the actors lost their temper with zeal ... the sovereign-emperor ... thanked me and talked with me for a long time ... "

  The sharpness of the perception of the novelty of Glinka's music is remarkably expressed in "Letters on Russia" by Henri Mérimée "A Life for the Tsar" by Mr. Glinka is distinguished by its extraordinary originality ... This is such a truthful summary of everything that Russia has suffered and poured out in the song; in this music one can hear such a complete expression of Russian hatred and love, grief and joy, complete darkness and a shining dawn ... This is more than an opera, this is a national epic, this is a lyrical drama raised to the noble height of its original purpose, when it was frivolous fun, but a patriotic and religious ceremony.

  The idea of ​​a new opera based on the plot of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" came to the composer during Pushkin's lifetime. Glinka recalls in "Notes" "... I hoped to draw up a plan at the direction of Pushkin, his premature death prevented the fulfillment of my intention."

  The first performance of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" took place on November 27, 1842, exactly - to the day - six years after the premiere of "Ivan Susanin". With Glinka's uncompromising support, as six years ago, Odoevsky spoke, expressing his unconditional admiration for the composer's genius in the following few, but bright, poetic lines: “... a luxurious flower has grown on Russian musical soil - it is your joy, your glory. Let the worms try to crawl up onto its stem and stain it - the worms will fall to the ground, but the flower will remain. Take care of him, he is a delicate flower and blooms only once a century.

  However, Glinka's new opera, in comparison with Ivan Susanin, aroused stronger criticism. F. Bulgarin, at that time still a very influential journalist, came out as the most violent opponent of Glinka in the press.

  The composer takes it hard. In the middle of 1844, he undertook a new long trip abroad - this time to France and Spain. Soon, vivid and varied impressions return Glinka's high vitality.

  Glinka's works were soon crowned with a new great creative success in the fall of 1845, he created the Jota of Aragon overture. In Liszt's letter to V. P. Engelhardt, we find a vivid description of this work “... I am very pleased ... to inform you that “Hota” has just been performed with the greatest success ... Already at the rehearsal, understanding musicians ... were amazed and delighted by the lively and poignant originality of this lovely piece, minted in such delicate contours, trimmed and finished with such taste and art! What delightful episodes, witty connected with the main motive... what subtle shades of color, distributed over the different timbres of the orchestra! What the happiest surprises, abundantly emanating from the very logic of development!”

  Having finished work on the Jota of Aragon, Glinka is in no hurry to take on the next composition, but devotes herself entirely to a further in-depth study of Spanish folk music. In 1848, after returning to Russia, another overture appeared on a Spanish theme - "Night in Madrid".

  Remaining in a foreign land, Glinka cannot but turn his thoughts to a distant homeland. He writes "Kamarinskaya". This symphonic fantasy on the themes of two Russian wedding songs, lyrical (“Because of the mountains, high mountains”) and lively dance, was a new word in Russian music.

  In "Kamarinskaya" Glinka approved a new type of symphonic music and laid the foundations for its further development. Everything here is deeply national, original. He skillfully creates an unusually bold combination of different rhythms, characters and moods.

  In recent years, Glinka lived in St. Petersburg, then in Warsaw, Paris and Berlin. The composer was full of creative plans, but the atmosphere of enmity and persecution to which he was subjected hindered his creativity. He burned several of the scores he had begun.

  Close, devoted friend recent years the life of the composer was his beloved younger sister Lyudmila Ivanovna Shestakova. For her little daughter Oli Glinka composed some of his piano pieces.

  Glinka died on February 15, 1857 in Berlin. His ashes were transported to St. Petersburg and buried in the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.