Biography of Mikhail Glinka


Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka is a great Russian composer. The author of such famous works as: opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Kamarinskaya” symphony and “Waltz-fantasy”, “Pathetic trio” and many others.

Early years

Born May 20, 1804 in the village Novospassky Smolensk province in his father’s estate.

An important fact of the short biography of Glinka is the fact that his grandmother was engaged in the education of the boy, and his own mother was admitted to the son only after the death of the grandmother.

Playing the piano and violin M. Glinka became already at the age of ten. Since 1817, he began to study at the Noble Boarding School at the Pedagogical Institute of St. Petersburg. After finishing the boardinghouse, he devoted all his time to music. Then the first compositions of the composer Glinka were created. As a true creator, Glinka does not fully like his works, he seeks to expand the genre of music.

The
flowering of creativity

In 1822-1823 Glinka wrote well-known romances and songs: “Do not tempt me without need” to the words of EA Baratynsky, “Do not sing, beauty, with me” to the words of Alexander Pushkin and others. In the same years he met with famous Vasily Zhukovsky, Alexander Griboyedov and others.

After traveling to the Caucasus, he goes to Italy, Germany. Under the influence of Italian composers Bellini, Donizeti Glinka changes his musical style. Then they were working on polyphony, composition, instrumentation.

Returning to Russia, Glinka worked diligently on the national opera Ivan Susanin. Her premiere in 1836 at the Bolshoi Theater turned out to be 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, went to France, Spain, and only in 1847 returned to his homeland.

A lot of works in the biography of Mikhail Glinka were written during overseas trips. Since 1851 in St. Petersburg, he taught singing, preparing operas. Under

his influence, Russian classical music was formed.

Death and heritage

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 six symphonic, several chamber-instrumental works, 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 its embodiment in music by a great composer.

Music critic V. Stasov briefly noted that Glinka became for Russian music by those whom Alexander Pushkin became for the Russian language: they both created a new Russian language, but each in his own field of art.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky gave this characteristic to one of Glinka’s works: “The entire Russian symphonic school, like the whole oak tree in an acorn, is enclosed in the symphonic fantasy” Kamarinskaya “

The Glinka Museum is located in the Novospasskoye village, in the composer’s homestead. Monuments to Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka were installed in Bologna, Kiev, Berlin. His name was also named the State Academic Chapel in St. Petersburg.


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Biography of Mikhail Glinka