Balakirev Milij Alekseevich, Russian composer, the head of "Mighty handful": biography, creativity

The largest Russian composer Balakirev Milij Alekseevich, whose works still do not lose their relevance, is known not only for his outstanding work, but also as the creator and ideological inspirer of the whole current in Russian music.

Childhood and family

The future composer was born on January 2, 1837 in Nizhny Novgorod. His father, Balakirev Alexei Konstantinovich, was a titular counselor of noble birth, his mother was engaged in children. The family adhered to traditional Christian views, and the boy grew very religious, he was even teased at home, calling "the future bishop". Faith throughout life remained an important topic for Balakirev. From an early age the child showed musical abilities, and my mother noticed it.

The first musical experiments

Already in 6-7 years Balakirev Mily Alekseevich under the guidance of his mother begins to learn to play the piano, demonstrating significant success. In order to give his son the best skills, his mother takes him to Moscow. There he passes a short course of piano technique from the famous composer and teacher Alexander Dubuque. Then at home, he continues to master the instrument under the guidance of the local pianist and conductor K. Eiserich. It was the musician who introduced Balakirev to Alexander Dmitrievich Ulybyshev, philanthropist, amateur musician, educator, who played a very important role in the life of the composer. A brilliant community of local thinkers, writers, musicians gathered in his house, concerts were held, problems of art were discussed. Here the foundation of the aesthetic worldview of Balakirev was laid.

Study

The mother of the future composer died early, this put an end to Balakirev's systematic studies of music. Later his father married again, his salary was barely enough for a big family, he could not go on paying for his studies. At the age of 12 the boy is given to the Nizhny Novgorod Nobility Institute, where he receives a secondary education at the expense of the local nobility. Four years later he entered the mathematics faculty as an auditor in Kazan University, but he was able to study for a bit more than a year, he had no money for further education, he earned his living by giving music lessons. During his studies Balakirev Mily Alekseevich writes the first musical works: romances, plays for piano.

Vocation

Seeing the undoubted gift of a young man, Ulybyshev took him to St. Petersburg in 1855, where he introduced the Russian composer M. Glinka.

Balakirev Milij Alekseevich, music for which became the most important part of life, showed his works to the master and received a very high appreciation and recommendation to devote his entire life to composing music. A year later, the beginning author presents his first opuses to the public, and also debuts as a pianist and conductor in the performance of his concerto allegro for piano and orchestra. This speech was very favorably received by critics and the public, Balakirev was invited to speak in rich houses, it helped to solve the financial problems of the composer, but it took quite a long time. The musician immediately declared himself as a Russian creator, national motives became his trademark.

Path to the profession

Balakirev Milij Alekseevich, whose work is gradually gaining popularity, for some time it conducts an active concert activity, revolves in secular circles. But it takes away too much of his time and energy, and he saw his destiny in composing music and spreading advanced ideas. He reduces the number of performances, although this negatively affects his financial situation, and decides to devote himself to music and enlightenment.

Balakirev and the "Mighty Handful"

In the late 50-ies of the XIX century Balakirev draws closer to a number of musicians: A. S. Dargomyzhsky, V. V. Stasov, A. N. Serov. This is how the circle is formed, which will later become known as the "Mighty Bunch". Like-minded people talked a lot about the fate of national music, discussed the works. Over time, the most important composers of the Russian Empire N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Borodin, M. Mussorgsky, C. Cui joined the group. Balakirev saw in each of these young people the divine light of music, helped them develop the gift, form their own musical style. There is a powerful team of authors, each of which works in their own manner, but at the same time they collectively help each other to develop a unified national style.

The group actively communicated with representatives of the creative intelligentsia of its time: with critics I. Turgenev, A. Grigorovich, A. Pisemsky, I. Repin. Close and complex connections with the composers were established with PI Tchaikovsky, to which the "Mighty Handful" had a strong influence. The musicians conducted an active propaganda of the ideas of the people in art, which were the avant-garde direction for Russian culture.

By the 1970s the group had disintegrated, but its ideas continued to live and develop. The "Mighty Handful" left a significant mark on Russian music, Lyadov, A. Arensky, S. Lyapunov, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov recognized her influence on herself, even in the French musical culture appeared the famous "six" by Eric Sati and Jean Cocteau, Repeating the path of the "Mighty Pile".

Pedagogical activity

Miliy Alekseevich Balakirev, whose biography is forever associated with music, made a big contribution to the formation of the national school. In 1862, together with the choir conductor G. Lomakin, Balakirev created the Free Music School, which became the center of enlightenment, propaganda of national art and the first place of mass musical education.

The emperor supported the initiative of the musicians, so the organizers had the opportunity to develop a vigorous activity. They arranged student concerts, accepted everyone in the educational institution who had the ability, but could not pay for tuition. The school taught solfeggio, music and vocal. Balakirev was the director of the institution and conductor of the concerts. In the second half of the eighties of the XIX century, the school felt an acute deficit of finance, which led to a significant reduction in its activity. Balakirev at that time was experiencing a severe crisis, he even left the post of director for a while.

But in 1881 he returned to the position of director of his beloved child and remains faithful to the school until the end of his life. In 1883 Balakirev, under the patronage of TI Filippova, took the post of administrator of the court singing chapel, where his organizational and pedagogical talents were useful. He improves the teaching system in the chapel, strengthens the scientific component in the taught disciplines, invites you to teach N. Rimsky-Korsakov, organizes an orchestral class, significantly improves the quality of life of students, builds a new chapel building. In 1894, he leaves the leadership of the chapel and retires with solid monetary support, from that time he could devote himself entirely to creativity.

Musical career

Balakirev Miliy Alekseevich spent his whole life studying music, his work began with the writing of the first amateur romances and piano pieces. The composer's activity began under the strong influence of M. Glinka, who played an important role in the musician's life. In 1866, Glinka invited Balakirev to direct the production of the operas Ruslan and Lyudmila and Life for the Tsar to the Prague Theater. The musician showed great activity and showed his conductor's talent in this work, which was a great success and contributed to strengthening the position of Balakirev in the music world.

In 1860, the composer traveled along the Volga, where he collected songs of burlaks, which later would be issued in a musical collection, which made a lot of noise in the Russian culture. In 1862, 1863 and 1868 he traveled to the Caucasus, the impressions from which influenced the musician's work. Soon the composer was invited to conduct the Russian musical society with the Imperial concerts, but in 1869 he was forced to leave this post.

Begins a difficult period in the life of Balakirev, the composer is subjected to persecution and slander, this causes him a psychological trauma, and for several years he greatly reduced his creative activity. In 1881 he returned to music, but more engaged in the management of the chapel, wrote a little, but at this time there are several strong, mature works, for example, the symphonic poem "Tamara".

In the late nineties the last creative and very productive period of the composer's life comes. He writes a lot of music for piano, works on symphonic poems "Rus" and "In the Czech Republic".

Creative heritage

Composer Milak Alekseevich Balakirev, whose years of life are devoted to the search for means of subsistence, educational and pedagogical activity, left a small but significant legacy. Among his main works include music to "King Lear", piano fantasy "Islamey", several serious treatments of other composers, about two dozen romances and songs, two symphonies.

Personal life

Balakirev Milij Alekseevich was passionate, carried away in kind, placed in difficult life circumstances. All his life he was constrained by means, he was pursued by detractors who slandered him, organized a campaign against the composer in the press. The financial crisis reached its greatest depth in 1872, when school concerts not only stopped making profits, but could not pass at all. In addition to this, the composer's father dies, and care for the well-being of younger sisters falls on his shoulders. The musician is desperate, he goes to a nervous exhaustion, even thought about suicide.

In 1874 Balakirev left school and entered the Warsaw Railway Department Office as a small employee, he again begins to give music lessons. He had neither the strength nor the time to maintain relations with friends, and he departs from the circle of like-minded people, does not compose music. This was the hardest period in his life. Balakirev found a way out in religion, he became very religious and gradually began to recover. In 1881, when he returned to work in the school, his mental state was leveled. Life's vicissitudes, passion for music did not allow Balakirev to create his own family, he lived as a bachelor, enthusiastic creativity.

The composer lived a long and busy life, he died on May 29, 1910 and was buried in the Tikhvin Cemetery.

Interesting facts about biography

The life of creative people is often full of ups and downs, different events, not an exception, and Balakirev Milii Alekseevich. Interesting facts make up a huge list, among them there are sad ones. So, with all the merits of the composer, not only in front of Russian culture, but also in front of all European music, in no city of the world he was never put up a monument. But one of the best music schools in Europe, if not the world, located in Moscow, proudly bears his name.

Balakirev was sick from childhood, he was often harassed by painful and persistent headaches that drove him to despair. In one of such protracted crises, he even wanted to drop everything and go to the monastery, but fortunately, the disease receded, and the composer remained in secular life.

By his education, in fact, Balakirev is indebted to himself, he worked hard on his technique and improved himself. However, when he was offered to take up the post of professor at the Moscow Conservatory already in his mature years, the composer refused, since he did not have an academic education.