Born:
December 21, 1836 (or January 2, 1837)
Birthplace:
Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Died:
May 16, (or May 29] 1910 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Also Known As:
His full name was Mily Alekseyevich Balakirev; the leader of a group of Russian composers called "The Mighty Five" who expressed the importance of having a nationalist school of Russian music. He was a concert pianist and became concert conductor of the Free School of Music in 1862.
Type of Compositions:
He composed songs, symphonic poems, piano pieces and orchestral music.
Influence:
Balakirev received early music lessons from his mother and later studied with Alexander Dubuque and Karl Eisrich. At 15 he began composing and continued to do so while pursuing mathematics at the University of Kazan from 1853 to 1855. He began performing as a concert pianist by the end of 1855 and took under his wing four young composers starting off with
César Cui and
Modest Mussorgsky, then
Aleksandr Borodin and
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov later on. The five of them eventually formed what is known as "The Mighty Five" or "The Russian Five."
Notable Works:
Among his known works are: the music to "King Lear, "Islamey," "Tamara" (symphonic poem), "Piano Sonata," Symphony No. 2," "Overture on Russian Themes" and "Second Overture on Russian Themes."
Interesting Facts:
It has been mentioned that Balakirev's authoritative nature, almost to the point of being a tyrant, earned him many enemies. A string of personal struggles resulted in his gradual withdrawal from music. He eventually returned to his post at the Free School of Music and continued to compose.
Music Sample:
Listen to "
Islamey" by Mily Balakirev performed by Marina Mdivani courtesy of YouTube.
