Mikhail Glinka is a great Russian composer, author of the world famous operas "Ivan Susanin", "Ruslan and Lyudmila", works "The Aragonese Hunt", "Remembrance of Castile".
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is a famous Russian composer, the founder of the national opera. Descended from a noble family with Polish roots. His works influenced subsequent generations of composers, including members of the New Russian School.
Biography
Mikhail Glinka was born on May 20, 1804 in the village of Novospasskoye, Smolensk province. Until the age of six, he was brought up by his grandmother, who completely protected the mother from her son. The boy grew up suspicious, sickly. After the death of Fyokla Alexandrovna, he passed on to his mother's education. She tried to do everything so that not a single trace remained of her previous upbringing. From the age of 10, the boy began to learn to play the guitar, violin and piano. Especially for this, a governess was invited from St. Petersburg.
In 1817, the parents placed Mikhail in the "Noble boarding house". The Decembrist V. K. Küchelbecker was its tutor. There is an opportunity to be trained by Russian and foreign musicians with a worldwide reputation. In the boarding house, the young man meets A. S. Pushkin, who came to visit his younger brother Lev. In 1822, Glinka successfully completed his studies with the second highest academic performance. In the future, he refused to receive an academic education, because he understood for sure that he wanted to study only in music. On the day of graduation, together with his teacher Mayer, he performed Hummel's Concerto for Piano.
Personal life
No one believed that a young man could have a personal life, so strong was the passion for music. However, in 1835, relatives were amazed at the news of the wedding with Maria Petrovna Ivanova. Rumors began to circulate that Mikhail had married a young lady who had neither fortune, nor education, nor beauty.
It seemed to Glinka that he had found his happiness, but this did not last long. Within a few months, the realization came that a woman became a wife who was not interested in anything but outfits. The couple began to quarrel a lot, so my husband tried to be at home as little as possible. After 4 years, Mikhail learns that his wife is cheating on him. After a quarrel, he takes his things and leaves.
After a while, at my sister's home, she meets Catherine Kern, whose sister was fascinated by Pushkin. Despite the warm feelings, the relationship could not continue, since Glinka was still married. In 1841, a scandal broke out when Mikhail learned that his first wife had secretly married the cornet Nikolai Vasilchikov. This became the impetus for the divorce proceedings. It turned out to be very difficult. Ekaterina Kern, being in a position, requires stability. Then Mikhail Glinka decides to give "compensation" to the first wife.
The divorce was obtained in 1847. Having received freedom, Mikhail Ivanovich was afraid to tie the knot again, which was the reason for parting with Catherine. The composer spent the rest of his life as a bachelor.
Creativity and career
The first works of Glinka belong to the period of graduation from the boarding house. In 1822 he wrote several romances, some of them based on the poems of A. Pushkin. A year later, he went to the Caucasus to undergo treatment with mineral waters. After returning, he almost never left his family estate. All the time was spent on creativity.
Career:
- In 1924 Mikhail Glinka left for the capital to work in the Ministry of Railways and Communications. After five years, he retires, because there was no time for music.
- In 1830, the musician's health deteriorated sharply. He goes to Italy for health improvement and education. In Milan he meets Donizetti and Bellini, studies opera. After 4 years he leaves for Germany. In it, training has to be interrupted due to the death of his father.
- In 1834 the composer began working on his first opera, Ivan Susanin. The plot is based on the events that took place in the war of 1812.
- In 1842 the work "Ruslan and Lyudmila" was presented.
The second opera took a very long time to write. It took about six years to complete it. The composer was very disappointed when the piece did not have the desired success. Together with the crisis in his personal life, negative changes in both emotional and physical health were noted.
Against the background of the ongoing events, it was decided to go to France and Spain. An acquaintance with Berlioz takes place in Paris. In 1845 he performed works by Glinka. Success led Mikhail to the idea of a charity concert.
In 1851, the great musician returned to St. Petersburg. Here he begins to give singing lessons, prepare opera parts and a chamber repertoire with famous singers. A year later, he goes on a journey again, having lived in Paris for a little over two years. It was here that he worked on the Taras Bulba symphony.
Mikhail Ivanovich died on 02.16.1857 in Berlin. In May, at the insistence of his younger sister, the composer's ashes were transported to St. Petersburg and reburied at the Tikhvin cemetery. Monuments were erected to the composer:
- in Smolensk;
- St. Petersburg;
- Veliky Novgorod;
- Kiev;
- Zaporizhzhia;
- Dubna and some others.
In May 1982, the House-Museum was organized in the composer's estate. In the twentieth century, several feature films were released about the life of a musician. In 2004 the documentary “Mikhail Glinka. Doubts and Passions."
