Nikolai Titov is the "grandfather of the Russian romance". This is how Dargomyzhsky and Glinka once called him. This disagreeable nickname is also written on the composer's tombstone, which is located at the Smolensk churchyard.
Biography
Nikolai Titov was born in 1800, in April. He was born in St. Petersburg. Nikolai's father was General Alexei Nikolaevich Titov, who also bore the famous surname. The boy was baptized by Emperor Alexander I himself, who had not yet entered the royal throne, but was the heir.
Young Nikolai was taught at home. Teachers came here to help him study the basics of various sciences for eight years. Then the young man was assigned to the First Cadet Corps.
The boy was in poor health for this paramilitary school of life, and after 2 years his parents took him out of the cadet corps. Then he studied in private boarding houses.
Military career
Over time, the young man's health improved. And in 1818 he went to the Preobrazhensky regiment to serve as an ensign. After 2 years he was transferred to the Finnish regiment, and in 1822 he was awarded the high rank of officer. After 11 years, Nikolai Titov is sent to serve in the Ulan regiment.
But in 1834, an officer fell from his horse. Due to a serious injury, Nikolai Alekseevich was ill for a long time, then retired.
Personal life
In 1839, Nikolai Titov married Sofia Alekseevna Smirnova, who was a recognized Moscow beauty. The husband and wife gave birth to two sons. Nikolai the Younger appeared in 1842, and his brother Alexander in 1845.
Creation
Since childhood, Nikolai Alekseevich showed artistic and musical abilities. In their family, creativity was highly encouraged. And since Nikolai Alekseevich's father was a composer and musician, melodic works were often heard at home.
When Titov Jr. was 19 years old, he began to compose small pieces on the piano, whistle waltzes, romances.
But since in childhood, teachers did not help him discover and develop a musical gift, then he writes his romances in a manner unusual for such works. For example, his famous piece "The Bird of God" was created in the rhythm of the polka. Some other romances of Titov N. A. have a rhythmic style of gallop or waltz. But that warmth, sincerity, sentimentality, which is characteristic of the works of Nikolai Alekseevich Titov, buys, covers all the shortcomings of musical education.
N. A. Titov made a worthy contribution to the development of Russian romance, he was rightfully called the grandfather of this magnificent musical genre. This status is recorded even on the memorial sign of the great classic. The words are written on the tombstone, which is located at the Smolensk Orthodox cemetery.
The great composer was buried here after his death in 1975, when Nikolai Alekseevich turned 75 years old.
