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 his grandmother was involved in raising the boy, and his own mother was admitted to her son only after the death of his grandmother.
M. Glinka began to play the piano and violin at the age of ten. From 1817 he began to study at the Noble Boarding School at the Pedagogical Institute of St. Petersburg. After graduating from the boarding house, he devoted all his time to music. At the same time, the first works of the composer Glinka were created. As a real creator, Glinka does not fully like her works, he seeks to expand everyday genre music.
The flowering of creativity
In the years 1822-1823, Glinka wrote extensively famous romances and songs: "Do not tempt me unnecessarily" to the words of E. A. Baratynsky, "Do not sing, beauty, with me" to the words of A. Pushkin and others. During these years he met the famous Vasily Zhukovsky, Alexander Griboyedov and others.
After traveling to the Caucasus, he leaves for Italy, Germany. Under the influence of Italian composers Bellini, Donizety Glinka changed her musical style. Then they worked on polyphony, composition, instrumentation.
Returning to Russia, Glinka diligently worked on the national opera Ivan Susanin. Its premiere in 1836 in The Bolshoi Theater Petersburg turned into 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, going to France, Spain, and only in 1847 returned to his homeland.
Many works in the biography of Mikhail Glinka were written during foreign trips. 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 of Glinka. He also wrote 6 symphonic works, several chamber instrumental pieces, 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 being embodied in 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 sphere 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 enclosed in the symphonic fantasy“ Kamarinskaya ””
The Glinka Museum is located in Novospasskoye Selo, in the composer's native estate. Monuments to Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka were erected in Bologna, Kiev, Berlin. The State Academic Capella 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. A large Glinka family lived there from the very time when 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
The text is compiled, all materials are in the public domain, I do not pretend to be discoveries, only the mix belongs to me. Never before have I met a collection where facts from the personal and private life of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka would have been brought together. Surely there is more, but I would not want to fall into the boulevard. Thanks for reading!
Mikhail Glinka with his mother Evgenia Andreevna and sister Pelageya. Miniature, 1817
Difficult overture
I must say that in childhood, the genius composer was not treated kindly. maternal love... It is difficult to establish for certain the circumstances of the discord in the family, but here is what Mikhail Ivanovich himself wrote about this: “I was born in 1804, on May 20th, in the morning at dawn in the village of Novospasskoye, which belonged to my parent, a retired captain, Ivan Nikolaevich Glinka .. Soon after my birth, my mother Evgenia Andreevna, nee Glinka, was forced to provide my initial upbringing to my grandmother Fyokla Alexandrovna (my father's mother), who took me to her room. With her, the nurse and nanny, I spent about three or four years, seeing my parents very rarely. I was a child of weak build, a very scrofulous and nervous disposition, my grandmother, a woman of advanced years, was almost always ill, and therefore her room (where I lived) was at least 20 degrees Celsius according to Reaumur (25 degrees Celsius). Despite this, I did not leave my fur coat ... they let me out into the fresh air very rarely and only in warm weather.
My grandmother spoiled me to an incredible degree; I was not denied anything; despite this, I was a meek and kind-hearted child ... "
After the death of Fyokla Alexandrovna, Mikhail passed into the full control of his mother, who made every effort to erase the traces of her previous upbringing. “While he lived with his grandmother, he had no friends and comrades; he grew up completely alone, "recalled his younger sister Lyudmila.
Polish roots. Deep
It is no coincidence that Mikhail Ivanovich clarifies that his mother is nee Glinka. The fact is that retired captain Ivan Nikolaevich Glinka (1777 - 1834) was married to his second cousin, Evgenia Andreevna Glinka-Zemelka (1783 - 1851). The great-grandfather of the composer was a nobleman from the noble family of Glinka (their coat of arms was called Tshaska), his name was Viktorin Vladislav Glinka. After the Rzecz Pospolita lost Smolensk in 1654, V.V. Glinka took Russian citizenship and converted to Orthodoxy. The tsarist power retained for the Smolensk gentry land holdings and noble privileges, including the former coats of arms.
Remembering her childhood, Glinka's sister Lyudmila told about her parents: “They respected each other all their lives and were happy. My father was by nature intelligent and by that time a very educated person. The peasants loved their father. He not only treated them humanely, but joyfully and lovingly recognized their needs and helped them. The mother was a beautiful woman, besides, she was very well educated and of a wonderful character. According to the mother, it was not difficult for her to get along with her brother, despite his spoiledness. "
However, in the future, Ivan Nikolaevich did not really like his brilliant son. The same sister Lyudmila testifies: “My father, when he was later dissatisfied with the fact that his brother left the service and studied music, often used to say:“ It was not for nothing that the nightingale sang at his birth at the window, so the buffoon came out. ”
What is home education
So, until the age of six, Misha was brought up by his grandmother. Here is a story that characterizes the atmosphere and customs of that time: “His nanny, who was with his grandmother, Tatyana Karpovna, told me that when my brother saw or heard his grandmother, it used to be angry with the servants or peasants, as soon as she began to shout, immediately ran out of the room, rushed to the nanny's neck and cried bitterly. Once the grandmother, noticing this, began to be wary, and the nanny was punished, saying that it was she who taught him.
The second nanny, or, as they now call it, a lift, to help Tatyana Karpovna, was a young, cheerful woman, Avdotya Ivanovna, who knew many different fairy tales and songs. Subsequently, she was my nanny, lived for a long time and told me the following: “Our life was terrible then; I was afraid of your grandmother like fire: as soon as I hear her voice, I would at least fail! And it used to happen, when grandmother noticed that Mikhail Ivanovich was boring or not quite healthy, she would now shout: "Avdotya, tell fairy tales and sing." And Barchuk, as we called him, was always pleased with this! " - wrote the sister of the composer.
And here is how Mikhail Ivanovich himself recalled his childhood many years later: “After the death of my grandmother, my way of life changed somewhat. Mother spoiled me less and even tried to accustom me to the fresh air, but these attempts for the most part remained unsuccessful. In addition to my sister, a year younger than me, and my nanny, they soon took on another nanny, the widow of a land surveyor named Irina Fedorovna Meshkova, with a daughter somewhat older than me. This nanny was a simple and extremely kind woman, and although mother did not spoil, she loved us, and we felt good. Subsequently, the Frenchwoman Rosa Ivanovna was attached to Irina Fyodorovna, and the architect hired by my father, instead of chalk, gave me a pencil in hand and began his drawing lessons, as usual, from eyes, noses, ears, etc., demanding unaccountable mechanical imitation from me; for all that, however, I was able to do it quickly. Moreover, one distant relative, an inquisitive, vigorous and very pleasant old man, often visited us: he loved to tell me about distant lands, oh wild people, about the climates and works of tropical countries and, seeing with what eagerness I listened to him, he brought me a book entitled "On wanderings in general", published during the reign of Catherine II. I began to read with zeal ... "
At the age of ten, Mikhail began to study piano and violin. The first teacher of Glinka was the governess Varvara Fyodorovna Klammer, invited from St. Petersburg.
In 1817, the parents brought 13-year-old Mikhail to St. Petersburg and placed him in the Noble boarding school at the Main Pedagogical Institute. Thus, the life of the capital began for the son of the Smolensk land. His tutor was the poet, Decembrist Wilhelm Küchelbecker (1797 - 1846), whose sister Justina (1784 - 1871) married G.A. Glinka (1776 - 1818), cousin of the composer's father.
Museum-estate in Novospasskoye. Main building
Earthly paradise
Later, Mikhail Ivanovich came to Novospasskoye more than twenty times: sometimes for six months, sometimes for several days. “Novospasskoe is an earthly paradise,” the composer liked to repeat.
Constantly unsettled at home, never knowing personal happiness, Glinka was not used to a settled life. Often he thought about future masterpieces on the way - on a long journey, or on an ordinary city walk. Maybe that's why he treasured Novospasskoye so much. Glinka visited many countries, where he spent twelve years. These are Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, France, Spain. But wherever he was, he missed his homeland, wrote home tender letters to his relatives, “dear, priceless mother,” sisters.
The native nest enriched him physically and spiritually. He liked the happy atmosphere of Novospassky. “Every morning I sat down at a table in a large and cheerful hall in our house in Novospasskoye. This was our favorite room; sisters, mother, wife, in a word, the whole family swarmed there, and the more they chatted and laughed, the faster my work went. It was a wonderful time ... "- wrote Glinka.
“Sometimes I was a little moped,” LI Shestakov’s sister noted, “but the orchestra of Uncle Afanasy Andreyevich and the music in general resurrected him.”
Ekaterina Kern
Almost "Let them talk"
Having received news of his father's death abroad in 1834, Glinka decided to immediately return to Russia.
The composer arrived with extensive plans for a Russian national opera. After a long search for a plot for the opera, Glinka, on the advice of Vasily Zhukovsky, settled on the legend about 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 with great zeal began to write "A Life for the Tsar." Its premiere took place on November 27 (December 9), 1836 (this is the birthday of the Russian opera). The success was great epic work was enthusiastically accepted by the society.
The first opera was followed by another grandiose work - Ruslan and Lyudmila. Its first performance took place at the end of 1842, exactly six years after the appearance of "Ivan Susanin".
During the years of writing the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, Glinka had a stormy relationship with Ekaterina Kern, the daughter of the famous Pushkin muse and commandant of Smolensk.
In November 1839, tormented by rumors about his wife's infidelity, Mikhail Ivanovich decides to make a final break with M.P. Ivanova. “I was disgusted at home. But how much life and pleasure on the other side! Ardently poetic feelings for E.K., which she fully understood and shared ... "- wrote Glinka.
At the time of meeting the girl was 22 years old, the relationship quickly grew into love. It should be noted that Glinka at one time was friends with Alexander Sergeevich himself. And just as Pushkin in 1825 dedicated one of his best poems to Anna Kern, 15 years later Glinka, in love, wrote the romance “I Remember a Wonderful Moment” to these verses ...
In 1841, Catherine Kern became pregnant. The divorce proceedings between Glinka and his wife, caught in a secret wedding (!) With the cornet Nikolai Vasilchikov, the nephew of a major dignitary, which began shortly before, gave Catherine the hope of becoming the composer's wife. Mikhail Ivanovich was also sure that the matter would be resolved quickly and he would soon be able to marry Catherine. But the trial took an unexpected turn. And although Glinka did not miss a single trial, the case dragged on.
Catherine constantly cried and demanded decisive action from Mikhail Ivanovich. Glinka made up his mind - he gave her a significant amount to "release" from an illegitimate child, although he was very worried about what had happened. To keep everything a secret and avoid a scandal in society, the young mother took her daughter to Lubny in Ukraine "for climate change."
In 1842 Kern returned to St. Petersburg. Glinka, who had not yet received a divorce from his former wife, often saw her, however, as he admits in his notes, “there was no previous poetry and previous hobby”. In the summer of 1844 Glinka, leaving St. Petersburg, stopped by Ekaterina Ermolaevna and said goodbye to her. After that, their relationship practically ended. Glinka received such a coveted divorce only in 1846, but he was afraid to tie the knot and lived the rest of his life as a bachelor.
Glinka with her beloved sister Lyudmila, 1850
The younger sister of Glinka, Lyudmila Ivanovna, who was repeatedly mentioned here, 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 she did everything to publish his works.
Catherine Kern had her own estate in the Smolensk province, where she often stayed. For ten long years she waited for the return of her beloved, and only then gave in to the persuasion of relatives - she married another (at that time she was already 36 years old, two years later she gave birth to a son). Ekaterina Ermolaevna kept her love for Glinka for her entire life, and even dying, in 1904, remembered him with deep feeling.
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 Lyudmila Ivanovna Shestakova, his sister, the remains of the great composer were transported to St. Petersburg and laid to rest in the Tikhvin cemetery
P. S... And about the spiritual affinity of Mikhail Glinka and John Lennon. Glinka owns a well-known aphorism: "The people create music, but we, composers, only process it." John Lennon in one of his last interviews (Barbara Grostark,Newsweek) said the following: “Popular music is the kind of music I like to listen to. This is folk music. Folklore. I've always thought so. And what I write is folk music. That which brings me creative pleasure appears to me in the form of simplyth popular music. Like this". Glinka, as you know, was very fond of the Russian song - see above.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is not just another talented Russian composer. This is the founder of classical Russian music and with Founder of the first national Russian opera... A talented person and a patriot of his homeland, who devoted his whole life to music. Glinka's works had a huge impact on the work of the next generation of composers.
In contact with
Before Glinka, Russian music concentrated in the field of romance and theater, as well as around liturgical needs. It was a kind of "situational", non-independent art. Glinka was the first who was able to make it an independent way of expression, which draws the means of embodiment, logic and meaning in itself.
Brief biography of Mikhail Glinka
The biographers of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka experience constant difficulties. He wrote a short biography of his life himself. And he did it in such a dry and clear language that there is practically nothing to add to what the composer himself has already said. Therefore, biographers can only retell what has already been written.
Glinka created in the history of Russian music new historical period... In his compositions, he used the peculiarities of the rhythm and voice-leading of Russian folk music. His work, which was based and grew on the soil of folk song and ancient Russian choral art, is deeply national. But at the same time, it is surprisingly connected with the advanced European musical culture.
Almost all are represented in the work of the composer musical genres, but the main one, of course, is the opera. In musical drama, Mikhail Ivanovich became an innovator - he refused to use spoken dialogue, and the operatic form received the integrity of the symphonic development.
Childhood
According to legend, on the day Mikhail Glinka was born, nightingales sang around his house all morning. It happened on May 20, 1804 on the estate of his father, Ivan Nikolaevich Glinka, located in the village of Novospasskoye. Mikhail was the second child in the family. But his older brother died before even a year. This circumstance became the reason that little Misha was taken up by his grandmother, practically blaming the parents for the death of their first son.
The future composer had the opportunity to get acquainted with professional music at an early age. On his uncle's estate, classical plays and Russian songs were often played by a serf orchestra. From early childhood, the boy learned to play the violin and piano.
At the age of 6, Mikhail returns to be raised by his mother, as his grandmother dies. The boy is raised at home for another 6.5 years. Then, at the age of 13, parents send their son to study at the St. Petersburg boarding house, located at the pedagogical institute. It was a prestigious educational institution in which only noble children could study. In St. Petersburg, Mikhail meets Lev and Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Evgeny Baratynsky and Vladimir Odoevsky.
The flowering of creativity
In addition to his main studies, the future musical genius begins to take lessons from the famous pianist Karl Mayer... Glinka argued that it was this teacher who influenced the formation of his musical taste. In 1822, the training ends. At the graduation party, Mikhail performs Hummel's concert on the piano. The performance was highly appreciated by everyone who attended the celebration.
Over the next 13 years, the future composer continues to improve his musical talent. In addition to directing his uncle's serf orchestra and playing music in the salons of the nobility, he continues to study European musical classics. At this time, he is especially fond of composition and begins to try his hand at different genres.
In this period the following songs and romances were written:
- “Don't tempt me unnecessarily”;
- "Autumn night, dear night";
- "Don't sing, beauty, with me."
Also at this time, successful orchestral overtures, string septets, works for harp and piano appeared. All works are successful, Glinka's popularity is growing rapidly. Despite this, the composer remains dissatisfied with himself, does not recognize and does not believe in his talent.
In the spring of 1830, Mikhail finally realizes his dream and goes to Italy. On the way, he decides to make a short trip to Germany, which eventually stretched out so much that the composer arrived in Italy only at the beginning of autumn. Settles in the center of the musical culture of that time - in Milan. In Italy, he studies the Italian style of singing - bel canto. Meets composers Vincenzi Bellini and Domenico Donizetti.
Having lived in Italy for about 4 years and having composed several works in the Italian style, Glinka left for Germany. There he plans to improve his knowledge of musical theory, which he did not know well enough. To do this, he takes lessons from many famous teachers, including Siegfried Dehn. Unfortunately, father's death message forces him to return to Russia without completing his studies.
The birth of the Russian opera
The musician returned from the trip with extensive plans. He decided to create his main work - the first Russian opera. After a long search, the plot was finally found. On the advice of Vasily Zhukovsky, the composer opted for a story about a Russian heroine.
The opera was named A Life for the Tsar, and despite obstacles from the director of the imperial theaters, it was staged on November 27, 1836. The performance was a resounding success, the emperor himself spoke to the composer personally and thanked him.
One year after the production "Lives for the Tsar", the author begins to create his second opera. This time, as a subject for the work, he chooses the poem of his friend Alexander Pushkin - "Ruslan and Lyudmila". Glinka was sure that he would draw up a plan for the opera according to Pushkin's instructions. Unfortunately, the death of the poet did not allow these plans to come true.
Opera was born for a long time, almost 6 years. The premiere of the new work took place in November 1842. I came to the show famous composer F. Liszt. Despite the fact that Glinka's new work could not repeat the deafening success of A Life for the Tsar, Liszt was delighted with the new opera and was amazed at the enormous talent of its creator.
New departure from Russia and foreign success
Glinka took the criticism of the new opera rather hard. The composer decides to change the situation and in 1844 leaves for France, where he meets the composer Hector Berlioz. At one of his concerts, Berlioz decides to include some of Glinka's works in the program. The success that fell on Mikhail Ivanovich prompted him to give a charity concert in the capital of France, which consisted entirely of his works.
In May 1845, the composer goes on to Spain... There he collects and records Spanish folk melodies, studies language and culture. In Spain, creative inspiration and self-confidence return to the composer. Impressed by the trip, he creates the following works:
- "Aragonese Hunt";
- "Remembrance of Castile".
In the middle of 1847, Glinka returned to Russia, to his native estate. Then he decides to spend the winter in Smolensk, but the increased attention of the light quickly tires the composer and he goes to Warsaw. Here he creates his symphonic fantasy "Kamarinskaya".
In 1851, the musician returned to St. Petersburg for a short time, and already in 1952 he again went on a trip, the purpose of which was Spain. Tired of moving, Glinka decides to stop and rest in France. As a result, he remains in Paris for about 2 years, where he works on symphony "Taras Bulba"... The beginning forced the composer to return to his homeland without completing the symphony.
Glinka arrived in Russia in May 1854. He spent the summer at a dacha in Tsarskoe Selo, and then returned to St. Petersburg, where he began to create his memoirs. And this time the musician could not stay in one place for a long time and after 2 years he left for Berlin.
In all my life the composer managed to visit such countries:
- Germany;
- Italy;
- Austria;
- France;
- Spain;
- Poland.
Personal life
It is quite difficult to briefly retell the musician's personal life, despite the fact that there were only 2 serious novels in his life. Relations with both women were quite tense and, unfortunately, ended unhappily.
Friends and relatives did not believe that Mikhail Ivanovich was able to tear himself away from his notes even for a minute. Therefore, they were shocked when in 1835 they learned that he was getting married. The chosen one was Maria Petrovna Ivanova, a woman without education and fortune, who hated music and did not even have a pretty appearance. The composer wrote to his mother that his chosen one has a kind heart, is moderate in desires and very reasonable.
Literally a few months later, Glinka realized that he had linked his life with a woman who was only interested in outfits and jewelry. Instead of caring, the young wife presented her husband with constant nagging, and as a result, he tried to be at home as little as possible.
Only 4 years after the wedding, the musician learned what all his friends had known for a long time - his wife practically openly lives with another man and even secretly married him. The composer filed for divorce. The process turned out to be far from being as fast as Glinka had expected. In the end, he managed to get a divorce only in 1846.
In 1840, the composer meets Catherine Kern and immediately falls in love with her. The girl responds to him in return. For several years she became the muse of Glinka, who dedicated several small works to her, as well as a romance to the poems of A. Pushkin “I remember a wonderful moment”.
In 1841, Catherine received hope for an early divorce of Glinka and his wife, as it became known about the secret wedding of Maria Petrovna with the cornet Vasilchikov. Mikhail Ivanovich is trying to complete the case as soon as possible, since Catherine informs him of her pregnancy. The hopes of Glinka and his chosen one for a quick outcome of the case are not justified. Ekaterina Kern begins to lose patience and accuses the composer of indecision, who eventually gives her money in order to get rid of the child.
Constant reproaches and quarrels with Catherine led to the fact that the composer did not dare to marry a second time and left the girl. For 7 years, she expected Glinka to return to her. Without waiting, she married another at the age of 36.
Death of a composer
In the winter of 1857, Mikhail Ivanovich fell ill. At this time he was in Berlin. The content of the composer's conversations with the doctors who treated him is unknown. But from the notes that he managed to write during this time, we can conclude that the doctors not only did not give him any predictions, but did not even try to treat the patient, just waiting for his end.
The composer died on February 15. Mikhail Ivanovich was buried in Berlin, at the Lutheran cemetery. In May 1857, his ashes were brought to Russia and reburied at the Tikhvin cemetery. The tombstone that was on the original grave of the composer was transferred to the Berlin Russian Orthodox cemetery. A photograph of her can be found on Wikipedia.
The work of M.I. Glinka (1804-1857) marked a new one, namely - classic stage development of Russian musical culture. The composer managed to combine the best achievements European music with the national traditions of the national musical culture. In the 30s, Glinka's music did not yet enjoy wide popularity, but soon everyone will understand:
“A splendid flower has grown on Russian musical soil. Take care of it! It is a delicate flower and blooms once a century ”(V. Odoevsky).
- on the one hand, a combination of romantic musical and linguistic means of expression and classical forms.
- on the other hand, the basis of his work is melody as a carrier of a generalized meaning(interest in specific details and recitation, to which the composer rarely resorted, will be more characteristic of A. Dargomyzhsky and).
Operatic creativity of M. I. Glinka
M. Glinka belongs to innovators, discoverers of new musical paths development, is the creator of qualitatively new genres in Russian opera:
— heroic-historical opera by the type of folk musical drama ("Ivan Susanin", or "Life for the Tsar");
- an epic opera (Ruslan and Lyudmila).
These two operas were created 6 years apart. In 1834 he began work on the opera Ivan Susanin (A Life for the Tsar), originally conceived as an oratorio. Completion of work on the work (1936) - year of birth the first Russian classical opera on a historical plot, the source for which was the thought of K. Ryleev.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
The peculiarity of the drama of "Ivan Susanin" lies in the combination of several opera genres:
- heroic-historical opera(plot);
- features of folk musical drama... Traits (not full embodiment) - because in a folk musical drama the image of a people must be in development (in the opera, he is an active participant in the action, but static);
- features of an epic opera(the slowness of the plot development, especially at the beginning);
- traits of drama(activation of action from the moment the Poles appeared);
- features of lyric-psychological drama, associated mainly with the image of the main character.
The choral scenes of this opera go back to Handel's oratorios, the idea of duty and self-sacrifice to Gluck, the liveliness and brightness of characters to Mozart.
Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila (1842), which appeared exactly 6 years later, was received negatively, in contrast to Ivan Susanin, which was enthusiastically received. V. Stasov was perhaps the only one of the critics of that time who understood its true meaning. He argued that Ruslan and Lyudmila was not an unsuccessful opera, but a work written according to completely new dramatic laws, previously unknown to the opera stage.
If "Ivan Susanin", continuing line of European tradition, gravitates more towards the type of dramatic opera with features of folk musical drama and lyric-psychological opera, then "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is a new type of drama, dubbed epic. The qualities perceived by contemporaries as shortcomings turned out to be the most important aspects of the new opera genre, dating back to the art of epic.
Some of its characteristic features:
- a special, wide and unhurried nature of development;
- the absence of direct conflict clashes of hostile forces;
- picturesque and colorful (romantic tendency).
The opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" is often called
"A textbook of musical forms."
After Ruslan and Lyudmila, the composer began work on the opera-drama The Two-Man (the last decade) based on A. Shakhovsky, which remained unfinished.
Glinka's symphonic works
P. Tchaikovsky's words about "Kamarinskaya" can express the meaning of the composer's work as a whole:
“Many Russian symphonic works have been written; we can say that there is a real Russian symphony school. And what? She's all in Kamarinskaya, just like the whole oak tree is in acorn ... ”.
Glinka's music outlined the following paths for the development of Russian symphony:
- National genre (folk genre);
- Lyric-epic;
- Dramatic;
- Lyric and psychological.
In this regard, it is especially worth noting "Waltz-Fantasy" (written for piano in 1839, later there were orchestral editions, the last of which dates back to 1856 and represents the 4th direction). Glinka's waltz genre turns out to be not just a dance, but a psychological sketch that expresses inner world(here his music continues the development of a trend that first manifested itself in the work of G. Berlioz).
Dramatic symphony is traditionally associated with the name, first of all, L. Beethoven; in Russian music, it receives the most striking development in connection with the work of P. Tchaikovsky.
Composer's innovation
The innovative nature of Glinka's works is fully expressed in connection with the line of folk-genre symphony, characterized by the following features and principles:
- the thematic basis of the works, as a rule, is made up of genuine folk song and folk dance material;
- widespread use in symphonic music of means and methods of development characteristic of folk music (for example, various methods of variant-variational development);
- imitation of the sound of folk instruments in the orchestra (or even their introduction into the orchestra). Thus, in the "Kamarinskaya" (1848) violins often imitate the sound of the balalaika, and in the scores of the Spanish overtures ("Aragonese Jota", 1845; "Night in Madrid", 1851) castanets were introduced.
Glinka's vocal works
By the time the genius of this composer was flourishing, Russia already possessed a rich tradition in the field of the genre of Russian romance. The historical merit of the vocal creativity of Mikhail Ivanovich, as well as of A. Dargomyzhsky, consists in the generalization of the experience accumulated in Russian music by the first half of the XIX v. and bringing it to the classic level. It is in connection with the names of these composers Russian romance becomes classic genre national music... Having equal importance in the history of Russian romance, living and creating at the same time, Glinka and Dargomyzhsky follow different paths in realizing their creative principles.
Mikhail Ivanovich in his vocal work remains lyricist, considering the main thing - the expression of emotions, feelings, moods. Hence - dominance of melody(only in later romances features of declamation appear, for example, in the only vocal cycle of 16 romances "Farewell to St. Petersburg" at the station of N. Kukolnik, 1840). The main thing for him is the general mood (as a rule, it is based on traditional genres - elegy, Russian song, ballad, romance, dance genres, etc.).
Speaking in general about Glinka's vocal work, it can be noted:
- the predominance of song and elegy genres in romances of the early period (1920s). In the works of the 30s. most often he turned to poetry.
- in the romances of later times, there is a tendency to dramatization ("Don't say that it hurts your heart" - the most vivid example manifestations of the declamatory style).
The music of this composer synthesizes the best achievements of European musical culture with national tradition. The legacy of the first Russian musical classic stylistically combines 3 directions:
- As a representative of her time, Glinka is an outstanding representative of Russian art;
- (in the ideological sense, it is expressed in the importance of the image of the ideal hero, the value of the ideas of duty, self-sacrifice, morality; the opera "Ivan Susanin" is indicative in this regard);
- (means of musical expression in the field of harmony, instrumentation).
The composer is also realized in the genres of dramatic music
(music to the Puppeteer's tragedy "Prince Kholmsky", romance "Doubt", cycle "Farewell to St. Petersburg"); about 80 romances are associated with lyric poetry (Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Delvig, Kukolnik, etc.).
Chamber instrumental creativity consists of the following works by Mikhail Ivanovich:
- piano pieces (variations, polonaises and mazurkas, waltzes, etc.),
- chamber ensembles ("Big Sextet", "Pathetic Trio"), etc.
Orchestration by Glinka
The composer made an invaluable contribution to instrumentation development, having created the first Russian textbook in this area ("Notes on instrumentation"). The work includes 2 sections:
- general aesthetic (indicating the tasks of the orchestra, composer, classifications, etc.);
- section containing the characteristics of each musical instrument and its expressive possibilities.
Orchestration by M. Glinka is distinguished by accuracy, subtlety, "transparency", which G. Berlioz notes:
"His orchestration is one of the easiest alive in our time."
In addition, the musician is a brilliant master of polyphony. Not being a pure polyphonist, he brilliantly mastered it. The historical merit of the composer in this area lies in the fact that he was able to combine the achievements of Western European imitation and Russian sub-voice polyphony.
The historical role of the composer M.I. Glinka
It lies in the fact that he:
- Became the founder of Russian classical music;
- He showed himself as the brightest innovator and discoverer of new ways in the development of Russian musical culture;
- He summed up the previous searches and synthesized the traditions of Western European musical culture and the peculiarities of Russian folk art.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka(1804 - 1857) - a great Russian composer.
Mikhail began to play the piano at the age of ten. From 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 and composed his first compositions. As a real creator, Glinka does not fully like her works; he seeks to expand the genre of everyday music.
In the years 1822-1823 Glinka wrote well-known romances and songs: "Do not tempt me unnecessarily" to the words of E. A. Baratynsky, "Don't sing, beauty, with me" to the words of A. Pushkin and others. During these years he met the famous Vasily Zhukovsky, Alexander Griboyedov and others.
After traveling to the Caucasus, he leaves for Italy, Germany. Under the influence of Italian composers Bellini, Donizety Glinka changed her musical style. Then they 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 into 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, going to France, Spain, and only in 1847 returned to his homeland.
He wrote many works during his trips abroad. From 1851 in St. Petersburg he taught singing and prepared operas. Under his influence, Russian classical music was formed.
