The classical music composers of the 19th century
«Music has
healing power. It has the
ability to get people out of themselves for a few hours. “Elton John.
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Alexander
Porfiryevich Borodin (Russian: Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, tr. Aleksandr
Porfiryevich Borodin[a], IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin] ⓘ;[2] 12 November 1833 – 27
February 1887)[3] was a Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian-Russian
extraction. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as
"The Five", a group dedicated to producing a "uniquely
Russian" kind of classical music.[4][5][6] Borodin is known best for his
symphonies, his two string quartets, the symphonic poem In the Steppes of
Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor.
A doctor
and chemist by profession and training, Borodin made important early
contributions to organic chemistry. Although he is presently known better as a
composer, he regarded medicine and science as his primary occupations, only
practising music and composition in his spare time or when he was ill.[7] As a
chemist, Borodin is known best for his work As a chemist, Borodin is known best
for his work concerning organic synthesis, including being among the first
chemists to demonstrate nucleophilic substitution, as well as being the
co-discoverer of the aldol reaction. Borodin was a promoter of education in
Russia and founded the School of Medicine for Women in Saint Petersburg, where
he taught until 1885.
Life
and profession
Family
and personal life
Borodin
at the age of 14
Borodin
was born in Saint Petersburg as an illegitimate son of a 62-year-old Georgian
nobleman, Luka Stepanovich Gedevanishvili, and a Life and profession
Family
and personal life
Borodin
was born in Saint Petersburg as an illegitimate son of a 62-year-old Georgian
nobleman, Luka Stepanovich Gedevanishvili, and a married 25-year-old Russian
woman, Evdokia Konstantinovna Antonova. Due to the circumstances of Alexander's
birth, the nobleman had him registered as the son of one of his Russian serfs,
Porfiry Borodin, hence the composer's Russian last name. As a result of this
registration, both Alexander and his nominal Russian father Porfiry were
officially serfs of Alexander's biological father Luka.
The
Georgian father emancipated Alexander from serfdom when he was 7 years old
and
provided housing and money for him and his mother. Despite this, his mother, whom
did young Borodin as his “aunt, never publicly recognized Alexander, refer to Despite
his status as a commoner, Borodin was well provided for by his Georgian father
and grew up in a large four-storey house, which was gifted to Alexander and his
"aunt" by the nobleman.[10] Although his registration prevented
enrollment in a proper gymnasium, Borodin received good education in all of the
subjects through private tutors at home. During 1850 he enrolled in the
Medical–Surgical Academy in Saint Petersburg, which was later the workplace of
Ivan Pavlov, and pursued a career in chemistry. On graduation he spent a year
as surgeon in a military hospital, followed by three years of advanced
scientific study in western Europe
During
1862, Borodin returned to Saint Petersburg to begin a professorship of
chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy[8] and spent the remainder
of his scientific career in research, lecturing and overseeing the education of
others. Eventually, he established medical courses for women in 1872.
He began
taking lessons in composition from Mily Balakirev during 1862. He married
Ekaterina Protopopova, a pianist, during 1863, with whom he adopted several
daughters.[11] Music remained a secondary vocation for Borodin besides his main
career as a chemist and physician. He suffered poor health, having overcome
cholera and several minor heart failures. He died suddenly during a ball at the
academy, and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery
in Saint Petersburg.
Career
as a chemist
In his
profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work
on aldehydes.[12] Between 1859 and 1862 Borodin had a postdoctoral position at
Heidelberg University. He worked in the laboratory of Emil Erlenmeyer working
on benzene derivatives. He also spent time in Pisa, working on halocarbons. One
experiment published during 1862
described the first nucleophilic
displacement of chlorine by fluorine in benzoyl chloride.[13] The radical
halodecarboxylation of aliphatic carboxylic acids was first demonstrated by
Borodin during 1861 by his synthesis of methyl bromide from silver acetate.[14][15]
It was Heinz Hunsdiecker and his wife Cläre, however, who developed Borodin's
work into a general method, for which they were granted a US patent during
1939,[16] and which they published in the journal Chemische Berichte during
1942.[17] The method is
generally known as either the Hunsdiecker
reaction or the Hunsdiecker–Borodin reaction.[15]
During 1862, Borodin returned to the
Medical–Surgical Academy (now known as the S. M. Kirov Military Medical
Academy), and accepted a professorship of chemistry. He worked on self- generally known as either the Hunsdiecker
reaction or the Hunsdiecker–Borodin reaction.[15]
During 1862, Borodin returned to the
Medical–Surgical Academy (now known as the S. M. Kirov Military Medical
Academy), and accepted a professorship of chemistry. He worked on self- condensation of small aldehydes in a
process now known as the aldol reaction, the discovery of which is jointly
credited to Borodin and Charles Adolphe Wurtz.[18][19] Borodin investigated the
condensation of valerian aldehyde and oenanth aldehyde, which was reported by
von Richter during 1869.[20][21] During 1873, he described his work to the
Russian Chemical Society[22] and noted similarities with compounds recently
reported by Wurtz.[23][24][25]
He published his last full article during
1875 on reactions of amides and his last publication concerned a method for the
identification of urea in animal urine.
His successor as chemistry professor of the
Medical-Surgical academy was his son-in-law and fellow chemist, Aleksandr
Dianin.
Musical
avocation
Opera
and orchestral works
Borodin met Mily Balakirev
during 1862. While under Balakirev's tutelage in composition he began his
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major; it was first performed during 1869, with
Balakirev conducting. During that same year Borodin started on his Symphony No.
2 in B minor, which was not particularly successful at its premiere during 1877
under Eduard Nápravník, but with some minor re-orchestration received a
successful performance during 1879 by the Free Music School under Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov's direction. During 1880 he composed the popular symphonic poem
In the Steppes of Central Asia. Two years later he began composing a third symphony,
but left it unfinished at his death; two movements of it were later completed
and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov.[citation needed]
During
1868, Borodin became distracted from initial work on the second
symphony
by preoccupation with the opera Prince Igor, which is considered by some to be
his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian
operas. It contains the Polovtsian Dances, often performed as a stand-alone
concert work forming what is probably Borodin's best-known composition. Borodin
left the opera (and a few other works) incomplete at his death] Alexander
Glazunov. It is set in the 12th century, when the Russians, commanded by Prince
Igor of Seversk, determined to conquer the barbarous Polovtsians by travelling
eastward across the Steppes. The Polovtsians were apparently a nomadic tribe
originally of Turkic origin who habitually attacked southern Russia. A full
solar eclipse early during the first act foreshadows an ominous outcome to the
invasion. Prince Igor's troops are defeated. The story tells of the capture of
Prince Igor, and his son, Vladimir, of Russia by Polovtsian chief Khan Konchak,
who entertains his prisoners lavishly and orders his slaves to perform the
famous 'Polovtsian Dances', which
provide a thrilling climax to the second act. The second half of the opera
finds Prince Igor returning to his homeland, but rather than finding himself in
disgrace, he is welcomed home by the townspeople and by his wife, Yaroslavna.
Although for a while rarely performed in its entirety outside of Russia, this
opera has received two notable new productions recently, one at the Bolshoi
State Opera and Ballet Company in Russia during 2013, and one at the
Metropolitan Opera Company of New York City during 2014.[
Chamber
music
No other
member of the Balakirev circle identified himself so much with absolute music
as did Borodin in his two string quartets, in addition to his many earlier
chamber compositions. As a cellist, he was an enthusiastic chamber music
player, an interest that increased during his chemical studies in Heidelberg
between 1859 and 1861. This early period yielded, among other chamber works, a
string sextet and a piano quintet. Borodin based the thematic structure and
instrumental texture of his pieces on those of Felix Mendelssohn.[2
During
1875 Borodin started his First String Quartet, much to the displeasure of
Mussorgsky and Vladimir Stasov; the other members of The Five were known to be
hostile to chamber music. The First Quartet demonstrates mastery of the string
quartet form. Borodin's Second Quartet, written in 1881, displays strong
lyricism, as in the third movement's popular "Nocturne." While the
First Quartet is richer
in
changes of mood, the Second Quartet has a more uniform atmosphere and expression.[27]
Musical
legacy
Borodin's
fame outside the Russian Empire was made possible during his lifetime by Franz
Liszt, who arranged a performance of the Symphony No. 1 in Germany during 1880,
and by the Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau in Belgium and France. His music is
noted for its strong lyricism and rich harmonies. Along with some influences
from Western composers, as a member of The Five, his music is also
characteristic of the Russian style. His passionate music and unusual harmonies
proved to have a lasting influence on the younger French composers Debussy and
Ravel (in homage, the latter composed during 1913 a piano piece entitled
"À la manière de Borodine").
The
evocative characteristics of Borodin's music—specifically In the Steppes of
Central Asia, his Symphony No. 2, Prince Igor – made possible the adaptation of
his compositions in the 1953 musical Kismet, by Robert Wright and George
Forrest, notably in the songs "Stranger in Paradise", "And This
Is My Beloved" and "Baubles Bangles, & Beads". In
1954, Borodin was posthumously awarded a Tony Award for this show.
1993 Russian 1 rouble coin commemorating
the 160th anniversary of Borodin's birth
Tomb of Borodin in Tikhvin Cemetery.
With
affection,
Ruben
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