Borodin a p short biography moral ideals. Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich - biography

18.04.2019

On November 12, 1833, the famous Russian chemist, physician and composer Alexander Borodin was born. The boy, who by birthright was considered a serf and could not get a higher education, managed to become a professor, academician and founding member of the Russian Chemical Society.

Serf with his own father

Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was born from an extramarital affair between a 62-year-old prince and a 25-year-old soldier's daughter. The boy's father, Luka Stepanovich Gedianov, came from an aristocratic Georgian family, so he could not recognize the child. The newborn was recorded as the son of Porfiry Ivanovich Borodin (Gedianov's serf servant) and his wife, Tatyana Grigoryevna - so the boy received someone else's surname and patronymic.

Until the age of 8, the child was formally a serf of his own father, but before his death, the prince nevertheless gave him freedom and even bought a four-story house for Avdotya Konstantinova Antonova, the mother of his "illegitimate" son. There, a young woman, who by that time had already been married to another, lived with her son - however, she had to introduce the boy as her nephew to everyone she knew.

The child grew up calm, flexible and very inquisitive.

A. P. Borodin. Portrait by Ilya Repin (1888) Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Study, study and study again

Since the son of a serf did not have the right to enter the gymnasium, the boy was taught at home. Even then it became clear that Sasha was interested in music - at the age of 9 he wrote the Helen polka, mastered the flute, piano, and later the cello.

When he was about ten, the child became interested in chemistry. Some time later, Alexander was enrolled in the Novotorzhskoye third guild of the merchants - so he received the legal right to graduate from the gymnasium and enter a higher educational institution. Having passed the exams, the young man became a volunteer at the Medical and Surgical Academy in St. Petersburg.

The student was most interested in chemistry. In his third year, Borodin turned to his teacher, Professor Zinin (organic chemist and academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences) with a request to study in an academic laboratory. All this time, the student studied music in parallel with his studies.

Medicine or music?

After graduation, the young doctor worked as an intern at the Second Military Land Hospital (where he met officer Mussorgsky, who was being treated), defended his doctoral dissertation, improved his knowledge at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, participated in the international congress of chemists in Karlsruhe, together with Professor Zinenko and his another Mendeleev ... But music still occupied Borodin. In his apartment in Heidelberg (the German city where the young specialist lived and studied at one time) there was a piano, and the scientist often played for his guests.

And in 1861, the chemist met Ekaterina Protopopova, a young pianist who came to Europe for treatment. But soon the girl's health deteriorated even more (she suffered from a chronic broncho-pulmonary disease), and the doctors advised her to go to Italy - the scientist accompanied her already as a groom.

Founders of the Russian Chemical Society. 1868. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

"Prince Igor" and benzoyl fluoride

At home, where the scientist and musician returned with his future wife, Borodin simultaneously built a scientific and musical career. There was not enough money, so he had to work hard, but he also found time for creativity. Borodin joined the circle of Mily Balakirev (later he received the name "Mighty Handful") and the Belyaevsky circle.

Borodin is the author of more than 40 works on chemistry and many musical works, the most famous of which is the opera Prince Igor. The musician worked on the last composition for 18 years, but did not have time to finish it - after the death of Borodin, two other composers finished his work: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. The opera was a huge success (it was staged in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater) and is still considered one of the masterpieces of Russian opera art.

But Borodin became famous not only for his "Prince Igor" - he is called the founder of Russian epic symphonism.

In chemistry, the famous composer also made several discoveries: for example, he invented a method for obtaining bromine-substituted hydrocarbons by the action of bromine on silver salts of acids (the so-called Borodin-Hunsdieker reaction) and obtained an organofluorine compound (benzoyl fluoride).

Despite the fact that the figure devoted a significant part of his life to chemistry (he was even one of the founders of the Russian Chemical Society), music nevertheless brought him the greatest fame. Now the State Quartet bears the name of Borodin, as well as several music schools and streets in different cities of Russia.

The scientist and composer himself said: "Everything that we do not have, we owe only to ourselves."

This article presents the biography of Borodin, a composer and scientist. He successfully realized himself in opposite areas of activity. This happens very rarely. His life is an example of diligence and love for any kind of creativity.

Biography

Alexander Borodin was born in St. Petersburg, 1833, on November 12. His father was Prince Luka Stepanovich Gedianov. The mother is a commoner Avdotya Konstantinovna Antonova. The father was 62 years old when the son was born, the mother was 25. Parents could not get married because of class differences. The prince could not recognize the baby. Therefore, he was recorded as the son of the serfs of Gedian. Until the age of eight, our hero was considered the property of his father. Fortunately, he managed to give his son freedom, shortly before his own death. The prince also bought a stone house for his child and his mother. The girl was married to the doctor Kleinecke. In 1840, Gedianov passed away, but this did not affect the well-being of his son. The obscure origin of our hero did not allow our hero to study at the gymnasium. However, he was educated at home. His mother paid special attention to this. He had excellent teachers.

Path in music

The Russian composer Borodin created a number of outstanding works while still a student. In addition, he played music as a cellist. Our hero continued to study music during his overseas internship. Composer A.P. Borodin, after returning to Russia, joined the circle of the intelligentsia. In the house of Botkin, his colleague, he meets Balakirev. This man, along with Stasov, influenced the formation of the aesthetic worldview of our hero. He introduced the composer to a group led by Mussorgsky. With the advent of our hero, this association acquired a completed form, after which it began to be called the "Mighty Handful".

The composer is a consistent successor to the traditions of the Russian school of M. Glinka. Our hero owns 4 large-scale opera works. His creations are the fruit of many years of work. "Bogatyrs" were written in 1868. Later, in collaboration with other authors, "Mlada" appeared. For 18 years, our hero has been working on his most grandiose creation - an opera called "Prince Igor". The basis of this work is "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". Our hero did not have time to complete this work. After the death of the composer, the work was collected from sketches by his friends. Opera composer Borodin's "The Tsar's Bride" was also not completed. The author made only its sketches.

Chamber music

The work of our hero is mainly represented by chamber works. Composer Borodin created quartets, concertos and sonatas. Experts put him on a par with Tchaikovsky. These composers are recognized as the founders of the Russian quartet. The music created by the composer Borodin is distinguished by a combination of epic and lyricism. He shows scope, actively uses traditional Russian motifs. At the same time, his works fit into world trends. The composer is called the progenitor of European impressionism.

Outstanding Writings

Composer Borodin is famous for a number of his creations. The first symphony, written by our hero in 1866, shocked his contemporaries with its brightness, originality and power. Thanks to this work, the composer gained European fame. All 3 completed symphonies of our hero are the pearls of Russian music. The operas "The Tsar's Bride" and "Prince Igor" gained worldwide fame. In them, the author embodies the best of what is present in the Russian song. Before the listener there are broad pictures of the history of Russia. The composer's work is not numerous, but each of his works is a real masterpiece. The music of our hero is often performed by modern orchestras. The work "Prince Igor" is present in the repertoire of all opera houses in Russia.

Society

The name of our hero is closely connected with pedagogical activity. Students appreciated the professor, who was passionately in love with chemistry. He was distinguished by delicacy and benevolence, he was ready to help poor students. He defended students from all sorts of political persecution. The composer supported the people who participated in the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II. In addition to pedagogy, our hero is organizing a special free music school. He helped young talents find their way. Our hero spent a lot of effort on providing opportunities for higher education for women. He organized medical courses for the weaker sex. Our hero taught them for free. In addition, he managed to edit a popular science magazine called "Knowledge" and lead a student choir.

Private life

Composer Borodin lived a rich creative and scientific life. In the family sphere, he did not find complete happiness. Our hero met his wife during a business trip abroad. They got married in 1863. The wife suffered from asthma and did not tolerate the climate of St. Petersburg well. She often had to leave for various warm climes. This situation undermined the family budget. The couple had no children. However, the family accepted several pupils, whom our hero considered daughters. An intense and difficult life undermined the health of our hero. He was torn between service, science and creativity. His heart could not bear such a load. 1887, February 27, Alexander Borodin died suddenly. After the death of our hero, his friends, under the direction of Rimsky-Korsakov, completed Prince Igor and collected the composer's creative legacy.

Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich

The composer's father, Prince of Imereti Luka Semyonovich Gedevanishvili, belonged to one of the most ancient and aristocratic families of Georgia, counting ancestors from the contemporaries of Jesus Christ. However, his son Alexander, who was born in 1833, was born out of wedlock, and the serf of Prince Porfiry Borodin was listed as the official father. Before his death in 1840, the real parent financially provided for the boy and his mother, although he could not pass on the surname and title. Nevertheless, Alexander Borodin today is among the most revered composers not only in Russia, but also in Georgia, and in both countries he is considered “one of their own”.
A.P. Borodin is one of the creators of the Russian classical symphony, the Russian classical string quartet. Borodin was a master of vocal lyrics; introduced images of the heroic epic into romance, embodied in music the liberating ideas of the 1860s.
Borodin was a member of the "Mighty Handful" (a creative community of Russian composers in the second half of the 19th century). In addition to musical creativity, Borodin was passionate about science, created brilliant works on organic chemistry, and made a number of chemical discoveries.
These are the main features of the successful happy fate of this creative person. But in reality, everything was much more complicated and far from always brought unalloyed joy and rarely gave reliable material satisfaction. Borodin spent his whole life trying to understand what was more important for him - music or chemistry, he was tormented by the thought of whom to give his best strength and time to. Since childhood, he played the flute, piano, cello, from the age of 9 he began to compose music, at the age of 16 they spoke of him as a gifted composer. But his soul was drawn to chemistry, at the age of 17 he entered the Medico-Chemical Academy in St. Petersburg (where he was born), eventually defended his doctoral dissertation, and was sent for 3 years on a business trip abroad. His friends were D.I. Mendeleev, A.M. Butlerov, I.M. Sechenov and some other future luminaries of Russian science. In the German city of Heidelberg, Borodin met the young Moscow pianist Ekaterina Sergeevna Protopopova.
They married in 1862 (he was 29 years old) when they returned to St. Petersburg, and he became an adjunct professor at the Medico-Surgical Academy. The marriage was successful, but not completely happy; the Borodins did not have their own children, so over time they had pupils. The life of their family was overshadowed over time by the illness of E.S. Borodina - incurable asthma. Due to illness, the wife could not live long in St. Petersburg and usually spent half a year with her parents in Moscow or the Moscow region. Borodin missed her. But when a seriously ill wife came to St. Petersburg, it became more difficult for him to live and create. Over the years, Borodin was overcome by all, to a large extent, material problems, especially since he was a decent and generous person. It was necessary to pay for the treatment of his wife, support the pupils, help relatives, needy students, spend money on the purchase of various drugs that are always missing in the laboratory. Borodin taught at the Forest Academy, for the sake of money he made translations from foreign languages ​​(he knew several of them perfectly). And in such conditions, Borodin conducted his scientific research, wrote music and even carried out social activities. Thanks to the efforts of Borodin, the Women's Medical Courses were opened and worked (but for a short time), the first and only educational institution in Russia at that time where women could receive a higher medical education.
M.A. had a great influence on Borodin and his musical work. Balakirev (1837-1910) - the largest composer, the recognized head and leader of the creative community of Russian composers ("The Mighty Handful"). Balakirev was the first to discern the phenomenal musical talent of Borodin. Apparently, it was he who helped him realize that although he is a capable scientific researcher, and most importantly, he is an extraordinary, most likely a brilliant composer. Creating music, Borodin felt like a happy person, music gave him strength for life, work, helping people. Musical works brought Borodin the admiration of the general public and professionals. His "Second Bogatyr Symphony" (1876), which opened the heroic-epic direction in Russian symphony, is on a par with the best works of world musical classics. It embodies the enduring spiritual values, the spiritual qualities of the Russian people. Music and musical creativity helped Borodin overcome everyday difficulties.
Over the years, Borodin's health worsened: the excessive workload at the academy, the overload from part-time jobs, unsettled life, anxiety for the life of his wife and the future of the pupils affected. Borodin realized that old age was approaching, the exacerbation of his own illnesses, material problems were not being solved.

Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833-1887) spent the summer of 1874 in the Kulomzin estate. The Borodins were invited here by a student of the St. Petersburg Higher Women's Medical Courses, Maria Alexandrovna Miropolskaya, who arranged them on the estate of her acquaintances, the Kulomzins.
Elizaveta Aleksandrovna Kulomzina (née Matyushkina) was 32 years old in the summer of 1874. Her husband Apollon Alexandrovich Kulomzin, a 43-year-old retired lieutenant commander of the fleet (the Kulomzins are hereditary sailors, Apollo's father Alexander Semenovich Kulomzin volunteered in the Battle of Trafalgar under the command of the legendary Nelson), a participant in the Crimean War in the Baltic, by that time served as a justice of the peace. The Kulomzins were wealthy landowners and lived in the Gubachevo estate a dozen and a half miles from Suzdal. From her mother, Elizaveta Alexandrovna, she inherited the Zernevo estate not far from Gubachevo. There remained a small manor house, where no one had lived for a long time.

Pond in Gubachevo, dug under the Kulomzins

Alexander Porfiryevich left for Gubachevo on June 19, 1874 with his wife Ekaterina Sergeevna and adopted daughter Liza. They were placed in Gubachevo in a manor house. But the composer wished to have the opportunity to retire for work, since it was difficult to compose music in a noisy estate with numerous inhabitants (the Kulomzins then had three children, plus Borodin's wife and daughter, as well as numerous servants). Then the Kulomzins put at the disposal of the guest a house near Rozhnovo. Here the Borodins settled in a small and dilapidated house on the manor's estate. The house was without any special amenities, but Borodin had an old harpsichord at his disposal.
The summer was warm, the composer walked a lot around the neighborhood, picked mushrooms, enjoyed the Central Russian nature, swam in the Urshma river, near Rozhnov, abounding in cold springs.
The Borodins, as usual, got acquainted with many local residents - teachers of rural schools, neighboring landowners, summer residents who lived here, etc.
It is curious how Borodin himself spoke of the places where he spent the summer of 1874. Here are excerpts from his letter to Elizaveta Kulomzina: “In front of me, as in a panorama, both Gubachevo and Rozhnovo passed, with all the peaceful, clear, bright memories of the time spent there, of good people and good nature ...” And further: “the images of Gubachev pass through , Rozhnova. Rozhnovsky's house was empty again, again plunged into hibernation ... "
That summer, Alexander Porfiryevich composed a comic waltz for piano. It can also be assumed that already at that time he could work on the first string quartet.
In August of the same 1874, the Borodins visited Suzdal and got acquainted with all its sights with interest. They left Gubachevo on September 12, keeping the warmest memories of this village for a long time.
In 1875, Borodin again wrote to Elizaveta Alexandrovna: “I remember with pleasure last summer, Gubachevo with its cordiality and truly kindred warmth and care, Rozhnovo with its archaic simplicity of morals, freedom, wide fields with waving rye, where I worked and was lazy same with pleasure.
In the summer of 1875, Borodin was also going to spend in Gubachevo with the Kulomzins, but urgent business did not allow him to make this already planned trip.
Soon the composer again visited the Vladimir land.
In 1877-1879. at the invitation of his beloved friend and student Alexander Pavlovich Dianin, who was the son of the priest Pavel Dianin, rector of the Transfiguration Church in Davydovo, the composer Borodin was visiting the Vladimir district (now the Kameshkovsky district).
is located 20 km from Vladimir, the local floodplain () is also named after him. The village of Davydovo and the neighboring villages of Filyandino with the settlement of Skuchilikha, Aksentsevo, Novskoye are united under the common name Valkovshchina. From Davydovo stretches a chain of lakes of the oxbow river. Klyazma (there are at least 15 of them). Davydovo is surrounded by a picturesque area with green hills and forests. It is not surprising that the composer A.P. really liked these places. Borodin.
For the last two seasons, he lived in the house of M.I. Volodina, because Dianin's house burned down. A.P. Borodin felt great here, in a peasant shirt and high boots he walked through the forests, fields, swamps. He was interested in folk life, old Russian songs and music. Especially fruitful was the communication with the 73-year-old old man Vakhromeich from, who knew many folk songs. From him, Borodin borrowed a musical version of the melody, which formed the basis of the "Choir of the Villagers" in the fourth act of the opera "Prince Igor", on which he worked here. When creating this opera, he traveled to the ancient cities of Vladimir in order to better imagine the ancient era using the surviving monuments. Especially often he visited Vladimir, Bogolyubovo, Suzdal, where he wrote and processed individual choirs and arias, revised the script and libretto of the opera. He had a literary gift, so he could successfully write the texts of arias and choirs.


Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich (1833-1887)

Some scenes of the opera "Prince Igor" were born here. He worked on it for the last 18 years of his life and died before he could complete what he started. This difficult and noble task was undertaken by his friends N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov and A.K. Glazunov.
The first production of "Prince Igor" took place in 1890, 3 years after the death of A.P. Borodin. Here we should note the brilliant performance in the role of Khan Konchak.
The fate of the singer is also connected with the Vladimir region. In the family estate, near Vladimir, he spent his childhood. Mikhail Mikhailovich received his education at the Vladimir Gymnasium, where he graduated from the course of sciences with a gold medal.
While still a student at the Moscow Conservatory, he made his debut at the Bolshoi Theatre, then in St. Petersburg he was accepted onto the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. Here he met with F.I. Chaliapin, and on February 25, 1896, Prince Igor was resumed at the Mariinsky. Chaliapin for the first time appears in the role of Galitsky, and Koryakin again shines in the role of Konchak.
This opera occupies a firm place in the creative life of Chaliapin. She went around all the stages of the world. It made a great impression on French listeners and viewers in 1909, when it was shown in Paris with Chaliapin in the role of Galitsky. Fedor Ivanovich also acted as the director of Prince Igor.
The singer's concert repertoire included arias from Borodin's opera - Prince Igor, Khan Konchak, Prince Galitsky, romances and songs.
The records made by F.I. Chaliapin on records. (By the way, he was very demanding on the sound quality). And lovers of the classics can find a brilliant performance by Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin of the arias and romances of Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.
“I am utterly pleased with Davydov,” Borodin wrote upon arrival, “how good it is here! What forests, groves, forests, floodplains. What kind of air ... the weather is excellent, and, in fact, now I feel summer, I feel it with my whole being. Very good here!”
Each time he delayed his departure to Petersburg, reluctantly leaving the places he loved, where, dressed in a peasant shirt and high boots smelling of tar, he measured tens of kilometers through forests, fields and swamps. The time spent by the composer in Davydov was fruitful. Here he wrote and processed individual choirs and arias, parts of paintings and actions. Possessing an outstanding literary talent, he himself wrote the texts of arias and choirs.
Leaving Davydovo, Borodin would write: “In truth, it is a pity for death to part with my luxurious office, with a huge green carpet lined with magnificent trees, with a high blue vault instead of a ceiling.”
In addition to Davydov, Borodin, although not for such a long time, visited the village of Mikhailovskoye - not far from. There he was received by the owner of the estate - His Serene Highness Prince Nikolai Gruzinsky from the Bagration family - the grandson of the last king of Georgia George XII, an admirer and compatriot of the composer, who knew his family history well.

The author of brilliant musical works and a number of scientific achievements (he developed in 1861-1862 methods for obtaining bromine-substituted and fluoroanhydrides of organic acids, discovered in 1872 aldol condensation) was not financially secure. Borodin wrote: “It is necessary to feed; pensions are not enough for everyone and everything, and you won’t get bread with music ... I would like to live in freedom, completely untied from government service! At the end of his life, Borodin fully realized that music, the composer's work is the main thing in his life, although they did not bring him decent material well-being, they took away a lot of strength, but they also gave incomparable and main joy from creative activity. His works were admired in Russia, as well as in the countries of Europe and America, they strengthened the glory of Russian national music. With all the difficulties of life, Borodin was happy as a creative person, as a composer who received recognition in his country and abroad during his lifetime. Beloved, although taking strength, time, health, creative work gave Borodin joyful sensations, allowed him to dream, make plans. However, at the age of 54, he died unexpectedly. His unfinished opera "Prince Igor" and the Third Symphony were completed by his friends - N.A. Rimsky Korsakov and A.K. Glazunov.

National Museum of Composer Borodin A.P.



National Museum of Composer Borodin A.P.

In Davydovo, the house of Dianin (where Borodin lived in 1877) was restored after a fire.
Since 1980, the Borodin Museum (Dianin's house-museum) has been located in the Dianin's house. The initiator of its creation was the grandson of Fr. Pavla and the son of professor-chemist Alexander Dianin - mathematician and physicist Sergey Dianin. A graduate of St. Petersburg University, he devoted many years to teaching, studied the epistolary heritage of Borodin (published several volumes of his letters), and ended up in the family home in Davydovo, having been evacuated from besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War.


Sergey Dianin in Davydovo

Having settled in the homeland of his ancestors, Sergei Alexandrovich, on his own initiative, opened a music school for rural children in his house. There was an old piano in the house, but S. Dianin taught the children not only the technique of playing, but also the comprehension of beauty. "Our grandfather Dianin" - that's what his students called him. In 1967, Dianin wrote a will, giving his house to the village council "for use as a museum or school." He died in 1968, on the eve of his 80th birthday.
The last will of Sergei Dianin was fulfilled only 12 years after his death, when in 1980 the Borodin Museum was opened in Davydovo. The long-term chairman of the Davydovsky village council, Claudia Shcherbakova, played a huge role in its creation. Thanks to her efforts, the old Dianinsky house was renovated, and an exposition was arranged in the rooms, telling about the composer's stay at the former owners.
Funds were collected bit by bit, which is why the opening was so delayed. If it were not for the loyalty to the idea and the assertiveness of K. Shcherbakova, perhaps nothing would have happened at all. “I hope only for you,” Sergei Dianin said, dying, to Claudia Ivanovna. And I wasn't wrong. She put her whole soul into the museum, not leaving it with attention and help until now.
The Dianin's house in Davydovo is a branch of the Kameshkovsky Museum of Local History.
There is considerable interest in the museum; excursions from Kameshkovo and other places are often brought there. The museum collection is replenished with new exhibits, which are brought even by Moscow summer residents who have bought up half of the houses in the village, with considerable respect for such a remarkable neighborhood. The museum has collected many unique exhibits, there are even 150-year-old engravings from the USA! The hospitable house of the Dianins and veterans do not leave their attention, constantly bringing something new to complement the exposition.
In February 2007, a renewed exposition was opened in the museum, the building and exhibits are in excellent condition. In 2002, the museum moved from the care of the local administration to the regional one and is officially a branch of the Kameshkovsky Museum of Local Lore, as a result of which its position has somewhat strengthened.




Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin, an extraordinary person who did a lot for Russian culture and science, was born on October 31 (November 12), 1833 in St. Petersburg.

The illegitimate son of a Georgian aristocrat, he did not have the opportunity to study at the gymnasium and, only by the trick of his mother and stepfather, who achieved the title of a merchant for him, a capable child got the opportunity to change home schooling to gymnasium.

Since childhood, Borodin was fond of music. The flute, piano and cello easily obeyed the boy, he early began to compose small works. And by the age of 10, chemistry took over the mind of the child.

In 1850, having brilliantly studied at the gymnasium, Borodin entered the Medico-Surgical Academy, where he studied medicine in conjunction with chemistry. N.N. becomes his mentor. Zinin, a famous chemist. In 1859 he went abroad. There, first in Germany, later in France, he continues to hone his knowledge of science. There, in Germany, he meets his future wife, a capable pianist with perfect pitch. It was she who prompted him to return to his slightly forgotten music lessons.

Returning to Russia, Borodin worked hard and in 1864 received the title of professor, later became the head of the laboratory, then an academician of the Medico-Surgical Academy. His works on organic chemistry are studied by students in many countries.

It is impossible to overestimate the talent of Borodin as a musician.

In 1862, the composer Balakirev introduced him to the "Mighty Handful" circle. Here he manifested himself as a supporter of the development of the Russian trend in music. The best qualities of the Russian people, their strength, love of freedom, greatness become the main theme of his works.

The largest and most recognizable musical creation of Borodin is the opera "Prince Igor".

The author began to work on it in 1869 at the suggestion of V.V. Stasov. The work dragged on for a long time, because it was impossible to leave scientific work. The opera was not completed due to the composer's sudden death in February 1887 from a heart attack. The opera was finished by Borodin's friends Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov, and the premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theater at the end of October 1890.

Borodin did not live a very long life, and his scientific activity did not allow him to fully engage in composing, but his contribution to the development of Russian musical classics is great and will be appreciated by many generations of music lovers.

Biography 2

Russian music is as great as our Russian language, our speech is important. Many names of Russian composers and musicians are known to people. Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky - they are all considered great people and have made an invaluable contribution to their native classical music. Borodin can also be attributed to this number of people. What is he famous for? And was Alexander only affected by music?

Alexander Borodin was born on October 31, 1833. It was in the city of St. Petersburg. His father was the prince of one of the plots of Georgian lands. By the way, it so happened that Alexander became an illegitimate child. That is why the boy had to be given to the prince's servant, Porfiry Borodin and his wife, hence Alexander's patronymic. For 8 years, the boy had to serve in the prince's house until he died, having previously left his child and Avdotya at home. Alexander had to get a lot of problems due to the fact that relationships outside of marriage were not yet the norm. Therefore, the real name had to be hidden from everyone. Moreover, thanks to a similar origin, gymnasiums were banned for Alexander, because of which he had to study science at home. But the boy was well trained.

Already at the age of 9, Borodin showed interest in music. Then he received his first musical creation - a polka called "Helen". At first he played the flute and piano, but from the age of 13 he also took up the cello. And at the same age, Borodin managed to hold his first concert, the main instruments of which were the flute and piano. In his first decade, Alexander began to enjoy chemistry. But all the same problem prevented the study of different sciences - this is an illegitimate origin. I had to ask for help from officials in order to enroll in the Novotorzhskaya third merchant guild. So Alexander had the opportunity to complete his studies.

What areas in science did Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin touch on?

Chemistry and medicine.

In 1858, Alexander became a doctor of medicine after he successfully defended his scientific work and conducted a series of experiments. At the same time, Borodin was sent to the city of Soligalich in order for him to conduct research with mineral water found by the merchant Kokorev. Then Alexander began to improve his chemical skills, wandering around other countries. In 1864 Borodin became a professor of chemistry.

Music.

One of the main members of the "Mighty Handful". He was the first to introduce epic symphonism to Russia. On account of Borodin such operas and works as "Prince Igor", "Bogatyrs" and "The Tsar's Bride".

Immanuel Kant was a great German philosopher who laid the foundations of classicism in philosophy. Most of the philosopher's works were sorted into quotations by descendants.

  • Lenin Vladimir Ilyich

    Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is a politician and revolutionary. Was born in 1870 in Simbirsk. Throughout his life he founded many parties of the Soviet Union. He graduated from the Simbirsk gymnasium, and entered Kazan University

  • Avdotya Konstantinovna.

    Due to his origin, which did not allow him to enter the gymnasium, Borodin was educated at home in all subjects of the gymnasium, studied German and French and received an excellent education.

    Already in childhood, he discovered musical talent, at the age of 9 he wrote his first work - the polka "Helen". He studied (at the behest of his mother, mostly at home) playing musical instruments - at first on the flute and piano, and from the age of 13 - on the cello. At the same time he created the first serious piece of music - a concerto for flute and piano.

    At the age of 10, he became interested in chemistry, which over the years turned from a hobby into his life's work.

    However, science and higher education were hindered by the same “illegal” origin of the young man, which, in the absence of a legal possibility of changing social status, forced Borodin’s mother and her husband to use the office of officials of the Tver Treasury to enroll their son in the Novotorzhskoye Third Guild merchant class. He received the right to finish the gymnasium and continue his education in a higher educational institution.

    In the summer of 1850, Borodin passed the matriculation exams at the First St. Petersburg Gymnasium, and in September of the same year, the seventeen-year-old "merchant" Alexander Borodin entered the St. Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy as a volunteer, from which he graduated in December 1856. While studying medicine, Borodin continued to study chemistry under the guidance of N. N. Zinin.

    In 1858, Borodin received a doctorate in medicine, having carried out chemical research and defended a dissertation on the topic "On the analogy of phosphoric and arsenic acid in chemical and toxicological relations."

    In the same year, the Military Medical Scientist Council sent Borodin to Soligalich to study the composition of mineral waters founded in 1841 by the merchant V. A. Kokorev hydropathic. The report on the work, published in the Moskovskie Vedomosti newspaper in 1859, became a real scientific work on balneology, which brought the author wide fame.

    Foreign business trip (1859-1862)

    From October 1859, Alexander Borodin improved his knowledge in the field of chemistry abroad - initially in Germany (Heidelberg University). In September 1860, Borodin, along with Zinin and Mendeleev (the first was his teacher, the second was his friend), participated in the famous international congress of chemists in Karlsruhe. Here, clear definitions were given to the concepts of "atom" and "molecule" ("particle", "corpuscle"), which meant the final triumph of the atomic-molecular theory of the structure of matter, and the so-called. "new" atomic weights established by the works of the brilliant French chemist Gerard (d. 1856) and his students. In the autumn of 1860, Borodin and Mendeleev visited Genoa and Rome, pursuing purely tourist purposes, after which Mendeleev returned to Heidelberg, and Borodin left for Paris, where he spent the winter. In Paris, Borodin was engaged in serious scientific work, visited the library, listened to lectures by famous scientists.

    In the spring of 1861, Borodin returned to Heidelberg. Here, in May 1861, he met Ekaterina Sergeevna Protopopova, a young unmarried woman who suffered from a serious chronic broncho-pulmonary disease and came to Germany for treatment. Ekaterina Sergeevna turned out to be a wonderful pianist and the owner of an absolute ear for music. According to her memoirs, Borodin "at that time almost did not know Schumann at all, and Chopin was perhaps a little more." Meeting with new musical impressions awakened Borodin's interest in composition, which began to fade somewhat, and Ekaterina Sergeevna soon became his bride. In September, her health deteriorated significantly, and the Heidelberg professor made a recommendation to urgently change the climate - to go south, to Italy, to Pisa. Borodin accompanied her. After a visit to the professor of chemistry at the University of Pisa, De Luca, who met the Russian colleague "with the highest degree of kindness," Borodin got the opportunity to study in the university laboratory, where he "undertook serious work with fluorine compounds." He returned to Heidelberg only in the summer of 1862.

    Professor of Chemistry

    Upon returning to Russia, Borodin had to temporarily part with his fiancee, who remained with her mother in Moscow, while he himself went to St. Petersburg, where he submitted a report on a business trip abroad and soon received the position of adjunct professor at the Medical and Surgical Academy. The new position did not at all improve the financial situation of the young scientist: the salary was only 700 rubles a year, while before, being a hospital intern, he received 900 rubles a year. In addition, for a long time Borodin could not get the state apartment promised to him in the new building of the Faculty of Natural History, where the finishing work was far from being completed. The material and domestic disorder prompted Borodin to postpone the wedding, which took place only in April 1863. Financial problems haunted the family for the rest of his life, forcing Borodin to work hard - to teach at the Forestry Academy and to translate.

    Since 1864, Borodin has been an ordinary professor, since 1874 - the head of a chemical laboratory, and since 1877 - an academician of the Medico-Surgical Academy. Since 1883 - an honorary member of the Society of Russian Doctors. A.P. Borodin is a student and closest collaborator of the outstanding chemist N.N. Zinin, together with whom in 1868 he became a founding member of the Russian Chemical Society.

    Musical creativity

    Even while studying at the Medical and Surgical Academy, Borodin began to write romances, piano pieces, chamber instrumental ensembles, which caused dissatisfaction with his supervisor Zinin, who believed that playing music interfered with serious scientific work. For this reason, during his internship abroad, Borodin, who did not abandon musical creativity, was forced to hide him from his colleagues.

    A.P. Borodin, upon his return to Russia, met the composer Mily Balakirev and entered his circle (which in later tradition received the name “Mighty Bunch”). Under the influence of M. A. Balakirev, V. V. Stasov and other members of this creative association, the musical and aesthetic orientation of Borodin's views was determined, as an adherent of the Russian national school in music and a follower of M. I. Glinka. A. P. Borodin was an active member of the Belyaevsky circle.

    In the musical work of Borodin, the theme of the greatness of the Russian people, patriotism and freedom is clearly heard, combining epic breadth and masculinity with deep lyricism.

    The creative heritage of Borodin, who combined scientific and teaching activities with the service of art, is relatively small in volume, but it made a valuable contribution to the treasury of Russian musical classics.

    The most significant work of Borodin is rightfully recognized as the opera Prince Igor, which is an example of a national heroic epic in music. The author worked on the main work of his life for 18 years, but the opera was never finished: after the death of Borodin, the composers N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov and A. K. Glazunov completed the opera and orchestrated based on Borodin’s materials. Staged in 1890 at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater, the opera, distinguished by its monumental integrity of images, the power and scope of folk choral scenes, and the brightness of national color in the tradition of Glinka's epic opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, was a great success and remains one of the masterpieces to this day. national opera art.

    A.P. Borodin is also considered one of the founders of the classical genres of symphony and quartet in Russia.

    Borodin's first symphony, written in 1867 and published simultaneously with the first symphonic works by Rimsky-Korsakov and P. I. Tchaikovsky, laid the foundation for the heroic-epic direction of Russian symphonism. The symphony was first performed in 1869 under the direction of M. A. Balakirev, its score was published by V. V. Bessel in 1882. The composer's Second ("Bogatyr") Symphony written in 1876 is recognized as the pinnacle of Russian and world epic symphonism. The first performance took place in 1877 under the direction of E. F. Napravnik. The score was published in 1887, posthumously, as revised by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov and A. K. Glazunov, who made significant changes to its music. Both symphonies already during the life of Borodin received recognition abroad, the First was much more popular at that time.

    Among the best chamber instrumental works are the First and Second Quartets, presented to music lovers in 1879 and 1881. In the last years of his life, Borodin worked on the Third Quartet.

    The music of the second part of Borodin's String Quintet was used in the 20th century to create the most popular song "I see a wonderful freedom" (to the verses of F. P. Savinov).

    Borodin is not only a master of instrumental music, but also a subtle artist of chamber vocal lyrics, a vivid example of which is the elegy "For the shores of the distant homeland" to the words of A. S. Pushkin. The composer was the first to introduce into the romance the images of the Russian heroic epic, and with them the liberating ideas of the 1860s (for example, in the works The Sleeping Princess, The Song of the Dark Forest), also being the author of satirical and humorous songs (Arrogance, etc. .).

    The original work of A.P. Borodin was distinguished by a deep penetration into the structure of both Russian folk songs and the music of the peoples of the East (in the opera "Prince Igor", the symphonic picture "In Central Asia" and other symphonic works) and had a noticeable impact on Russian and foreign composers. The traditions of his music were continued by Soviet composers (S. S. Prokofiev, Yu. A. Shaporin, G. V. Sviridov, A. I. Khachaturian, etc.)

    Public figure

    Borodin's merit to society is his active participation in the creation and development of opportunities for women to receive higher education in Russia: he was one of the organizers and teachers of the Women's Medical Courses, where he taught from 1872 until they were liquidated in 1885.

    Borodin devoted considerable time to working with students and, using his authority, defended them from political persecution by the authorities in the period after the assassination of Emperor Alexander II.

    Of great importance for the international recognition of Russian culture were the musical works of Borodin, thanks to which he himself gained world fame precisely as a composer, and not as a scientist, to which he devoted most of his life.

    Addresses

    Family life

    Ekaterina Sergeevna Borodina suffered from asthma and did not tolerate the unhealthy climate of St. Petersburg, and in the fall she usually left for Moscow, where she lived with relatives for a long time, returning to her husband only in winter, when dry frosty weather set in. However, this still did not guarantee her the absence of asthmatic attacks, during which her husband was both a doctor and a nurse for her. Despite a serious illness, Ekaterina Sergeevna smoked a lot; at the same time, she suffered from insomnia and fell asleep only in the morning. With all this, Alexander Porfiryevich, who dearly loved his wife, was forced to put up with it.

    The great-granddaughter of the composer Zinaida Timofeevna Borodina was married to the famous trainer Yuri Vladimirovich Durov, their daughter - Natalya Yurievna Durova (04/13/1934-11/27/2007) [ ]

    untimely death

    During the last year of his life, Borodin repeatedly complained of pain in the region of the heart. A detailed description of the circumstances of his sudden death is contained in the memoirs of M. V. Dobroslavina. Borodin died on the evening of February 15 (27) in his own state-owned "academic" apartment, in the midst of general fun at a costume party organized by him on the occasion of Maslenitsa. During a conversation with Dobroslavina, Borodin suddenly lost consciousness and fell. “Everyone rushed to him and immediately on the floor, without lifting him, began to bring him to his senses. Little by little, all the doctors and professors who lived at the academy came together. For almost an hour, every effort was made to bring him back to life. Every means has been tried, and nothing has worked."

    The cause of Borodin's death was recognized as a heart rupture.

    Major works

    operas

    • Bogatyrs (1868)
    • Mlada (together with other composers, 1872)
    • Prince Igor (1869-1887)
    • The Tsar's Bride (1867-1868, sketches, lost)

    Works for orchestra

    • Symphony No. 1 Es-dur (1866)
    • Symphony No. 2 in b-moll "Bogatyrskaya" (1875)
    • Symphony No. 3 a-moll (1887, completed and orchestrated by Glazunov)
    • Symphonic picture "In Central Asia" (1880)

    Chamber instrumental ensembles

    • string trio on the theme of the song “How did I upset you” (g-moll, 1854-55)
    • string trio (Big, G-dur, before 1862)
    • piano trio (D-dur, before 1862)
    • string quintet (f-moll, before 1862)
    • string sextet (d-moll, 1860-61)
    • piano quintet (c-moll, 1862)
    • 2 string quartets (A-dur, 1879; D-dur, 1881)
    • Serenade in Spanish Genus from B-la-f Quartet (collective composition, 1886)

    Works for piano

    In two hands

    • Pathetic adagio (As-dur, 1849)
    • Little Suite (1885)
    • Scherzo (As-dur, 1885)

    Three hands

    • Polka, Mazurka, Funeral March and Requiem from Paraphrase on an Unchangeable Theme (collective composition by Borodin, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, Ts. A. Cui, A. K. Lyadov, 1878)

    four hands

    • Scherzo (E-dur, 1861)
    • Tarantella (D-dur, 1862)

    Works for voice and piano

    • The red girl fell out of love (50s)
    • Listen, girlfriends, to my song (50s)
    • What are you early, dawner (50s)
    • (words by G. Heine, 1854-55) (for voice, cello and piano)
    • (words by G. Heine, translated by L. A. May, 1868)
    • (words by G. Heine, translation by L. A. May, 1871)
    • People have something in the house (words by N. A. Nekrasov, 1881)
    • (words by A. S. Pushkin, 1881)
    • (words by A. K. Tolstoy, 1884-85)
    • Wonderful Garden (Septain G., 1885)

    To the words of Borodin

    • Sea Princess (1868)
    • (1867)
    • . Romance (1868)
    • Song of the Dark Forest (1868)
    • Sea. Ballad (1870)
    • Arabic Melody (1881)

    vocal ensemble

    • Unaccompanied male vocal quartet Serenade of four gentlemen to one lady (words by Borodin, 1868-72)

    Notes

    1. ID BNF : Open Data Platform - 2011.
    2. N. Grushka // Russian biographical dictionary - SPb. : 1908. - T. 3. - S. 266–272.
    3. E. // Music dictionary: Translation from the 5th German edition/ ed. Yu. D. Engel - M .: Musical Publishing House P. I. Yurgenson, 1901. - T. 1. - S. 145–146.


    Similar articles