Born:

March 6, (or March 18) 1844

Birthplace:

Tikhvin in Russia

Died:

June 8, (or June 21) 1908 in Lyubensk

Also Known As:

His full name was Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov; he was one of the five composers who comprised "The Mighty Five," also known as "The Five" or "The Russian Five." He became conductor of military bands, became director of St. Petersburg's Free Music School from 1874 to 1881 and also conducted various concerts in Russia.

Type of Compositions:

He wrote operas, symphonies, orchestral works and songs.

Influence:

Rimsky-Korsakov's mother played the piano and his father was a government official. He entered a naval academy in St. Petersburg when he was 12. Three years later, he started taking piano lessons and later met Mily Balakirev, another member of "The Mighty Five," who became one of his mentors. He graduated at the naval academy in 1862 and went on a voyage which lasted until 1865 on board the ship Almaz. His long voyage at sea certainly influenced several of his works. The composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky also influenced his later works. He studied counterpoint and fugue from 1873 to 1875.

Notable Works:

His works include: "Scheherazade," "Sadko," "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia," "Fantasy on Serbian Themes," "The Maid of Pskov," "May Night," "The Golden Cockerel," "Overture on Russian Themes," "Symphony No. 3," "Capriccio espagnol" and "Russian Easter Festival."

Interesting Facts:

"Fantasy on Serbian Themes" premiered on May 24, 1867 in St. Petersburg and was conducted by Mily Balakirev. Critic Vladimir Stasov was in attendance and in his newspaper review, he mentioned that Russia also boasts of its own “mighty little heap” (Moguchaya Kuchka) of composers. The term “mighty little heap” became a collective description for the 5 composers, namely Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Cui, Borodin and Mussorgsky, who wanted to create music that is free from outside musical influences.

Rimsky-Korsakov also edited the works of Mussorgsky and Borodin and privately taught composer Igor Stravinsky.

Music Sample:

Watch the Nordic Youth Orchestra perform Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" courtesy of YouTube