BIOGRAPHY

Rimsky-Korsakov showed no great love for music as a child. His parents insisted he study piano but he wanted to be a sailor. He liked to compose in his free time. At age 12, he entered Naval School where he heard opera and continued to study piano and composition. He grew to like naval life less and less, and after a three-year cruise, he decided to pursue music as a career.

As the Inspector of Navy’s Music, he became familiar with the technical aspects of each instrument and developed a gift for orchestration. He was a member of a group of composers who changed Russian music forever. The “Russian Five” included Mussorgsky, Cui, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Balakirev.