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Identifier: moderncomposerso00elso (find matches)
Title: Modern composers of Europe : being an account of the most recent musical progress in the various European nations, with some notes on their history, and critical and biographical sketches of the contemporary musical leaders in each country
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Elson, Arthur, 1873-1940
Subjects: Composers
Publisher: Boston : L.C. Page
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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ed much sympathy for the young enthusiast.Soon afterward he met Cesar Cui, with whom hequickly became intimate. The constant exchangeof ideas between the two, and their discussion ofartistic subjects, soon led them to the principles ofnationalism upon which the new Russian school wasto be based. Balakireff was also active in other directions.£jiis piano playing won him some measure of fame/) v^and in 1862 he founded the Free Music School andorganized the concerts which were destined to makeknown the works of the five associates. He madea thorough study of the popular music of his nation,for according to his ideas this should form the basisof all Russian music, fashioned into classical formmuch as Dvorak wrote the New World Symphony.In 1866 he made an excellent collection of popularsongs and melodies. Soon after this he was en-trusted with the leadership of the concerts givenby the Imperial Musical Society, and still later hebecame director of the chorus in the imperial chapel. ^^m^^^
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/ MILY ALEXEJEVITCH BALAKIREFF. THE NATIONAL RUSSIANS 25 I His own compositions are not many, but are dis-tinguished by their beauty. They include a sym-phony, three overtures (on Russian, Czech, andSpanish themes respectively), the symphonic poem Russia/ an overture, march, and four entractesfor King Lear, and the symphonic poem Ta-mara. The last is a richly coloured work, basedon a legend of the Caucasus. Tamara was a cap-tivating but cruel princess, who lived in her towerin the gorge of Darial, through which ran the riverTarek. When a cavalier came in the evening, therewould be a night of feasting and revelry, but inthe morning the river would bear away his corpse.Another Oriental subject is the difficult piano fan- \/tasie Islamey. His other works include ma-zurkas, some four-hand pieces, and a score of songs.After a life of activity, Balakireff has become theprey of religious mania, and is now estranged fromhis former friends. Here is wrhat Cui has to say about his friend: A musi

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