Memoirs in the Library of M.A. Balakirev: Pro et Contra

Main Article Content

Tatyana А. Zaitseva

Abstract

Among the documents of M.A. Balakirevʼs vast archive, the materials related to his personal library remain perhaps the least studied. The section devoted to memoirs has not yet attracted the attention of scholars. To identify and consider this Balakirev selection is the purpose of this article. The study of Balakirevʼs attitude to the genre of memoirs is carried out on the basis of archival documents, information from published and unpublished correspondence, discovered books and brochures that belonged to the composer. The methods and approaches that the composer was guided by, instructing his students and colleagues who turned to biographical sketches and memoirs, are highlighted. The conducted research allows us to expand the understanding of the relationship between M.A. Balakirev and his contemporaries – M.I. Glinka, A.I. Dyubyuk, A.P. Borodin,
N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. For the first time, Balakirevʼs letter to S.M. Lyapunov, introduced into scientific use, sheds light on the aging Masterʼs assessment of Rimsky-Korsakovʼs Chronicle
of My Musical Life, at the same time explaining why these memoirs were not included in the Balakirev collection. New information is able to replenish the biography of the creator of the New Russian School, and also make a certain contribution to the problem of studying the personal libraries of musicians, which is in dire need of further development.


Keywords: Balakirev, Glinka, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Dubuc, memoirs, autobiographies, personal libraries.

Article Details

How to Cite
Zaitseva Т. А. (2023). Memoirs in the Library of M.A. Balakirev: Pro et Contra. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 51(2), 41–57. Retrieved from https://musicscholar.ru/index.php/PMN/article/view/1444
Section
From the History of Domestic Musical Culture
Author Biography

Tatyana А. Zaitseva, Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, Saint Petersburg, Russia

DrSci, Professor