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Mikhail Glinka, the author of the first Russian Opera who suffered from abuse in his early childhood and barely survived the Napoleon's invasion of 1812, had lived most of his adult life outside of Russia and fused Spanish, Italian, French, and other influences in his own music.
He was born Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka on June 1, 1804 into a wealthy noble family, in Novospasskoe, Smolensk region, Russia. His early childhood development was disturbed by his emotionally unstable grandmother, who was manipulating his parents, until she died, when Glinka was 6 years old. In 1812 the invasion of Napoleon's Armies shook Russia, but the Glinka family and their estate survived. His loving mother hired help to mitigate the traumatizing memories.
Music was the best therapy for Glinka. He had a professional German teacher of music and a French instructor in languages living with the family and giving him lessons everyday. Glinka enjoyed the performances of a hired orchestra in their home. He wrote that orchestral music was a "special and happy impression". At age 12 he went to the Boarding School for Nobility in St. Petersburg. He took piano, violin, and voice lessons from the Italian, German, and Austrian celebrities of that time. His first love with a singer inspired him on writing his first compositions: Waltz for piano and Variations on the theme of Mozart for piano.
Glinka wrote most of his music while in Western Europe, where he lived and wandered for 23 years, absorbing the culture of the most artistically advanced European nations. He studied composition with Siegfrid Dehn in Berlin for 3 years and lived in Rome for 4 years. There he met Hector Berlioz and Giacomo Meyerbeer and the three composers remained good friends for many years. Glinka received critical acclaim from Hector Berlioz, who published an article about him in Paris. Such a publicity was well received and Glinka later promoted Hector Berlioz to the Russian Royalty and aristocracy, and helped him to sign and to accomplish a lucrative concert tour in Russia.
Glinka was inspired by the operas of Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Christoph Willibald Gluck. In 1845 he moved to Spain for 3 years and seriously studied Spanish culture, falling in love with flamenco. "Spain could cure the wounds of my heart", wrote Glinka to his mother. There he wrote two symphonic "Spanish Ouvertures". His music was performed in European capitals and was praised by Hector Berlioz. Such composers as Felix Mendelssohn and Giacomo Meyerbeer came to meet Glinka after his concerts. His personal favorites were Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric Chopin.
"A Life for the Tsar" (the feat of Ivan Susanin), became the first Russian opera, based on eclectic mix of music from Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish folk-tunes and other European influences. Premiered in 1836 in the presence of the Tsar, the opera became a model for some Russian composers. From 1837-1839 Glinka was the Emperor's Kapellmeister of the Imperial Choral Capella in St. Petersburg. In 1840 he again left Russia for Europe. He worked for six years writing his second opera "Ruslan and Ludmila", based on the eponymous poem of Aleksandr Pushkin. His other compositions include the orchestral "Kamarinskaya", quartets, piano pieces, choral and church works, and over 80 romantic songs.
During the 1850s Mikhail Glinka was at the peak of his popularity outside of Russia. From 1852-1855 he lived in Paris and Berlin and also performed his music in other European capitals. In December of 1856 Glinka had a gala-concert of his music performed in Berlin. It was a great success, and excited Glinka gave an all-night party for his friends and guests. He was exhausted after a long party and caught a cold that led to his death on February 15, 1857, in Berlin. Mikhail Glinka was buried in Berlin, but a few months later his body was taken to St. Petersburg and was laid to rest in Necropolis of the Masters of Arts at St. Aleksandr Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg, Russia.
