| Other author/creator | Rimskai︠a︡-Korsakova, Nadezhda Nikolaevna, 1848-1919, editor. |
| Other author/creator | Rimskiĭ-Korsakov, A. N. (Andreĭ Nikolaevich), 1878-1940, editor. |
| Other author/creator | Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964 editor, writer of introduction. |
| Other author/creator | Yofe, Yehudah, 1873-1966, editor. |
| Contents |
1844-56. Childhood years in Tikhvin ; First manifestations of musical abilities ; Studying music ; Reading ; Inclination towards the sea and maritime service ; First attempts at composition ; Leaving for St. Petersburg -- 1856-61. The Golovins ; The Marine Corps ; Getting acquainted with operatic and symphonic music ; Ulikh's and Kanille's lessons -- 1861-62. Acquaintance with Balakirev and his circle ; The symphony ; My father's death ; Reminiscences of him ; Graduation as a midshipman ; Detailed to sail in foreign waters -- 1862. My career in my parents' eyes ; My musical preceptors ; Balakirev as a teacher of composition and leader of his circle ; The other members of Balakirev's circle in the early sixties and the teacher-leader's attitude towards them ; Gusakovsky, Cui, Mussorgsky, and I ; The tendencies and spirit at the naval school and in the fleet in my time ; Sailing abroad -- 1862-65. The cruise abroad ; Sailing to England and the Liabu coast ; Rear-Admiral Lesovsky ; The voyage to America ; Our stay in the United States ; Ordered to the Pacific ; Captain Zelyony ; From New York to Rio de Janeiro and back to Europe -- 1865-66. Return to music ; Acquaintance with Borodin ; My first symphony ; Balakirev and the members of his circle ; The performance of the first symphony ; The musical life of the circle ; Overture on Russian themes ; My first song -- 1866-67. Rognyeda ; The circle's attitude towards Serov ; Writing the Serbian Fantasy ; Acquaintance with L. I. Shestakova ; The Slavic concert ; Growing intimacy with Mussorgsky ; Acquaintance with P. I. Tchaikovsky ; N. N. Lodyzhensky ; Balakirev's trip to Prague ; Writing Sadko and songs ; Analysis of Sadko -- 1861-68. Concerts of the Russian Musical Society ; Berlioz ; The circle's achievements in composition ; Soirees at Dargomyzhsky's ; Acquaintance with the Purgold family ; Writing of Antar and first thought of Pskovityanka (The Maid of Pskov) ; The popular concert ; Analysis of Antar ; Trip to Lodyzhensky ; Composing Pskovityanka -- 1868-70. Mussorgsky's Wedding ; Concerts of the Russian Musical Society ; Death of Dargomyzhsky ; Nizhegorodtsy and William Ratcliff at the Mariinsky theatre ; Boris Godonov ; Concerts of the free music school ; Gedenov's Mlada ; Completing the orchestration of The Stone Guest ; Songs -- 1870-71. Orchestration of Pskovityanka ; Entering on professional duties at the St. Petersburg conservatory -- 1871-73. Illness and death of my brother ; Living with Mussorgsky ; Difficulties with the censor about Pskovityanka ; N.K. Krabbe ; Production of The Stone Guest ; Marriage and trip abroad ; Production of Pskovityanka and scenes from Boris Godunov ; Symphony in C Major ; Appointment to the post of inspector of music bands of the navy department ; Study of wind instruments -- 1873-75. Debut as conductor ; Mussorgsky ; His Khovanshchina and Sorochinskaya Yarmarka (The Fair at Sorochintsy) ; Operatic prize contest ; Trip to Nikolayev and Crimea ; Studying harmony and counterpoint ; Directorship of the Free Music School -- 1875-76. A capella choruses ; Concerts of the Free Music School ; A. Lyadov and G. Dutsch ; Collections of Russian songs ; The pagan sun-cult ; Resumption of meetings with Balakirev ; The sextet and the quintet ; Editing the scores of Glinka ; Revision of Pskovityanka -- 1876-77. Various compositions ; The fate of the sextet and the quintet ; Three concerts of the Free Music School ; Borodin's second symphony ; The beginnings of May Night ; Prize contest for choral compositions ; Soirees of the Free Music School ; Our musical circle ; Borodin's home life ; Overture and entr'actes to Pskovityanka -- 1877-79. Beginning to compose May Night ; A. Lyadov ; Paraphrases ; Proposed trip to Paris ; Completion of May Night; its characteristics ; Borodin and Mussorgsky ; Concerts of the Free Music School ; First trip to Moscow ; Compositions to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Tsar's reign ; Beginning to write The Fairy-tale ; The Russian Quartet ; ork on Prince Igor ; Borodin at his summer home -- 1879-80. Production of May Night ; Opinions about it ; Concerts of the Free Music School ; Balakirev ; Lenova and Mussorgsky ; My second visit to Moscow ; Beginning of Snyegoorochka ; Krooshevsky ; Sasha Glazunov -- 1880-81. The summer at Stelyovo ; Composing Snyegoorochka ; Completion of Skazka (Fairy-tale) ; Analysis of Snyegoorochka -- 1881-82. Skaza (Fairy-tale) ; Concert of the Free Music School ; Death of Mussorgsky ; Resignation from directorship of the Free Music School ; Trip to the south ; Concerts of the Russian Musical Society ; Production of Snyegoorochka ; The critics ; Balakirev's return to the Free Music School ; Glazunov's first symphony ; Our circle ; Work on Khovanshchina ; Visit to Moscow ; Acquaintanceship with M.P. Byelayev ; Noch' na Lysoy Gorye (A Night on Bald Mountain) ; Concerto for the piano ; Tamara -- 1883-86. Court chapel ; The coronation ; Organizing the instrumental and the precentors' classes ; Abolition of the post of inspector of naval bands ; Byelayev's Fridays ; A. Lyadov's marriage ; Textbook of harmony ; Byelayev [Beliaev]: publisher ; Rehearsal at the Petropavlovsky school ; Revision of the symphony in C major ; Beginning of Russian Symphony concerts ; Trip to the Caucasus -- 1886-88. Russian symphony concerts ; Fantasy for the violin ; Death of Borodin ; Balakirev's circle and Byelayev's compared ; Orchestrating Prince Igor ; Composition of Capriccio, and its performance ; Scheherazada ; Easter Overture -- 1888-92. Production of Der Ring des Nibelungen ; The Polonaise from Boris Godunov with new orchestration ; Russian Symphony concerts ; Beginning of Mlada ; Trip to Paris ; Completion of the sketch of Mlada and its orchestration ; Trip to Brussels ; Domestic misfortunes ; Quarter-of-a-century jubilee ; New tendencies in Byelayev's circle ; Production of Prince Igor ; Production of Mlada does not take place ; Revision of Maid of Pskov ; Reorchestrating Sadko ; Acquaintanceship with Yastreyebtsev -- 1892-93. Studying aesthetics and philosophy ; Production of Mlada ; Yolanta ; "Friendly" dinner ; Weariness and ill health ; Production of Snyegoorochka in Moscow ; Altani ; May Night on a private stage ; Leoncavallo ; Safonov ; Impressions of a visit to Moscow ; Russian Symphony concerts ; Krooshevsky ; Ruslan and Lyudmila anniversary -- 1893-95. Quartet prize competition ; Decision to leave the chapel ; Summer at Yalta ; Tchaikovsky's death and sixth symphony ; Trip to Odessa ; My return to composing ; Beginning of Christmas Eve ; Summer ; Vyechasha ; Continuation of Christmas Eve and beginning of Sadko ; Death of Rubinstein ; Trip to Kiev ; Pskovityanka at the society of musical gatherings ; Censorship difficulties with Christmas Eve ; Composing the opera Sadko ; Byelsky -- 1895-97. Orchestrating Sadko ; Production and adventures of Christmas Eve ; Work on Boris and completing Sadko ; Boris at the Society of Musical Gatherings ; Russian Symphony concerts and Glazunov ; The operas Mlada, Christmas Eve, and Sadko compared ; Writing songs ; Beginning of Mozart and Salieri -- 1897-99. Sadko at S.I. Mamontov's private opera ; Vera Sheloga ; The Tsar's Bride ; Russian Symphony concert ; Snyegoorochka at the Mariinsky theatre ; The young composers of Moscow ; Tsar Saltan ; Lay of Olyeg the Prophetic ; S.I. Taneiev -- |
| Contents |
1899-1901. Beginning of Servilia ; May Night at the Frankfurt am Main opera house ; Trip to Brussels ; The Tsar's Bride on a private stage in St. Petersburg ; Composing and orchestrating Servilia ; Sadko at the Imperial opera ; Tsar Sultan on a private stage in Moscow ; Resignation from conductorship of Russian symphony concerts ; Thirty-fifth anniversary ; Various operatic plans -- 1901-05. Composing the prelude-cantata From Homer and Kashchey and the Deathless ; Vera Sheloga and The Maid of Pskov at the grand theatre in Moscow ; Composing Pan Voyevoda ; New orchestration of The Stone Guest ; Servilia at the Mariinsky theatre ; Kashchey on a private stage in Moscow ; Composing The Tale of Tityezh ; Sheloga and Pskovityanka at the Mariinsky theatre ; Tsar Saltan on a private stage ; Byelayev's death and his last will ; Pan Voyevoda and Servilia on private stages ; Boris Godunov at the Mariinsky theatre ; Death of Laroche -- 1905-06. Disturbances among student youth ; Performance of Kashchey in St. Petersburg ; Textbook of Instrumentation ; Pan Voyevoda in Moscow ; Arensky's death ; Affairs at the conservatory ; Revival of Snyegoorochka ; Concerts: Ziloti, Russian symphony, and Russian musical society ; Additions to the score of Boris Godunov ; Mussorgsky's Wedding ; Summer of 1906 -- Chronicle of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov's life during the period not included in My Musical Life (September 1906-June 1908) -- Appendices. Three letters of Mme. L. Shestakova ; Five subscription concerts of the Free Music School ; Concert of February 3 (15), 1876, at the Town Council Hall ; Concert of Marc 23 (April 4), 1876, at the Town Council Hall ; Two concerts, of June 22 and 29, 1889, at the Paris Universal exposition -- Two open letters of Rimsky-Korsakov. To the editor of the newspaper Roos' ; To the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory -- Rimsky-Korsakov's open letter to the directorate of the St. Petersburg branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (March 24 (April 6), 1905) ; Rimsky-Korsakov's letter to the art council of the St. Petersburg conservatory (January 30 (February 12), 1904). |
| Abstract |
The Russian composer describes his experiences in the musical life of the late nineteenth century, his role in the development of Russian nationalism in music, and his relations with his contemporaries. |
| General note | 5th Russian edition revised and edited by A. Rimskiĭ-Korsakov. |
| General note | Russian original edited by the author's wife. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
