Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov (russian: Васи́лий Серге́евич Кали́нников; 13 January 1866 – 11 January 1901 ) was a Russian composer. His body of work consists of two symphonies, several additional orchestral works, and numerous songs, all of them imbued with characteristics of

folksong Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. His symphonies, particularly the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, were frequently performed in the early 20th century. His younger brother

Viktor Kalinnikov Viktor Sergeevich Kalinnikov, also Victor (russian: Ви́ктор Серге́евич Кали́нников; – 23 February 1927), was a Soviet choral composer, conductor and pedagogue. He was the younger brother of the better-known symphoni ...

(1870–1927) was also a composer, mainly of choral music.

Biography

Kalinnikov was a police official's son. He studied at the seminary at

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...

, becoming director of the choir there at fourteen. Later he went to the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

but could not afford the tuition fees. On a scholarship, he went to the Moscow Philharmonic Society School, where he received

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and composition lessons from Alexander Ilyinsky. He played

, timpani and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

in theater orchestras and supplemented his income working as a music copyist. In 1892,

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

recommended Kalinnikov for the position of main conductor of the

Maly Theatre The Maly Theatre, or Mali Theatre, may refer to one of several different theatres: * The Maly Theatre (Moscow), also known as The State Academic Maly Theatre of Russia, in Moscow (founded in 1756 and given its own building in 1824) * The Maly Thea ...

, and later that same year to the Moscow Italian Theater. However, due to his worsening

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, Kalinnikov had to resign from his theater appointments and move to the warmer southern climate of the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. He lived at

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...

for the rest of his life, and it was there that he wrote the main part of his music, including his two symphonies and the incidental music for

Alexey Tolstoy Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy (russian: link= no, Алексей Николаевич Толстой; – 23 February 1945) was a Russian writer who wrote in many genres but specialized in science fiction and historical novels. Despite having ...

's ''Tsar Boris''. In Yalta he joined two other famous tubercular patients,

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

and

Anton Chekov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. Exhausted, he died of

on 11 January 1901, just two days before his 35th birthday. He was survived by his widow and his brother,

, who composed choral music and taught at the Moscow Philharmonic Society School. Vasily Kalinnikov's reputation was established with his First Symphony, written between 1894 and 1895, which had great success when Alexander Vinogradsky conducted it at a

Russian Musical Society The Russian Musical Society (RMS) (russian: Русское музыкальное общество) was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstei ...

concert in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

on 20 February 1897. Further performances swiftly followed, in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. It was not published until after his death. At

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

's suggestion (following a visit to Kalinnikov in his illness), Tchaikovsky's publisher

P. Jurgenson P. Jurgenson (in Russian: П. Юргенсон) was, in the early twentieth century, the largest publisher of classical sheet music in Russia. History Founded in 1861, the firm — in its original form, or as it was amalgamated in 1918 with ...

bought three Kalinnikov songs for 120

ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

s. After Kalinnikov's death Jurgenson purchased the Symphony No. 2 in A major and other works from his widow for a high sum, commenting that his death "had multiplied the value of his works by ten". In Russia, his First Symphony remains in the repertory, and his place in musical history is secure. On 7 November 1943,

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a rare broadcast performance of the First Symphony; although the performance was recorded, it was never commercially released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, but was released as a CD recording in 2006.

Works

;Opera * ''In 1812'' (В 1812 году) (1899–1900); incomplete ;Orchestral * Fugue in D minor (1889) * ''Nymphs'' (Нимфы), Symphonic Picture after

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...

(1889) * Serenade (Серенада) in G minor for string orchestra (1891) * Suite (Сюита) in B minor (1891–1892) * ''Bylina'' (Былина: Эпическая поэма), Epic Poem (Overture) (c. 1892) * Overture in D minor (1894) * Symphony No. 1 in G minor (1894–1895) * Symphony No. 2 in A major (1895–1897) * Intermezzo No. 1 (Интермеццо No. 1) in F minor (1896) * Intermezzo No. 2 (Интермеццо No. 2) in G major (1897) * ''The Cedar and the Palm'' (Кедр и пальма; Le Cèdre et le palmier), Symphonic Picture after Heinrich Heine (1897–1898) * ''Tsar Boris'' (Царь Борис), Incidental Music to the tragedy by

Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (russian: Граф Алексе́й Константи́нович Толсто́й; – ), often referred to as A. K. Tolstoy, was a Russian poet, novelist, and playwright. He is considered to be the most ...

(1898) ;Piano * Moderato in E minor * ''Polonaise on a Theme from Symphony No. 1'' (Полонез на темы Симфонии No. 1) in B major for piano 4-hands * Scherzo in F major (1888–1889) * ''Chanson triste'' (Грустная песенка) in G minor (1892–1893) * Nocturne (Ноктюрн) in F minor (1892–1893) * ''Élégie'' (Элегия) in B minor (1894) * Minuet (Менуэт) in E major (1894) * ''Russian Intermezzo'' (Русское интермеццо) in F minor (1894) * Waltz (Вальс) in A major (1894) ;Vocal * ''Come to Me'' (Приди ко мне) for soprano, alto, baritone and piano; words by Aleksey Koltsov * ''I Am Yours, My Darling'' (Я ли тебя, моя радость) for voice and piano; words by Heinrich Heine * ''I Would Like to Make My Songs into Wonderful Flowers'' (Я желал бы своей песней) for voice and piano; words by Heinrich Heine * ''On the Old Burial Mound'' (На старом кургане) for voice and piano (1887); words by Ivan Savvich Nikitin * ''On Your Lovely Little Shoulder Dear'' (На чудное плечико милой; An Liebchens schneeweisse Schulter) for voice and piano (1887); words by Heinrich Heine in translation by Vasily Pavlovich Fyodorov (1883–1942) * ''When Life Is Weighed Down with Suffering'' (Когда жизнь гнетут страданья и муки) for voice and piano (1887); words by Polivanov * ''16 Musical Letters'' (16 Музыкальных писем) for voice and piano (1892–1899) * ''Bright Stars'' (Звёзды ясные) for voice and piano (1894); words by Konstantin Fofanov * ''The Gentle Stars Shone Down on Us'' (Нам звёзды кроткие мерцали) for voice and piano (1894); words by

Aleksey Pleshcheyev Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Никола́евич Плеще́ев; 8 October 1893) was a radical Russian poet of the 19th century, once a member of the Petrashevsky Circle. Pleshcheyev's first book of ...

* ''There Was an Old King'' (Был старый король) for voice and piano (1894); words by Heinrich Heine in translation by

* ''A Present for 1 January 1900'' for voice and piano (1899) * ''Bells'' (Колокола) for voice and piano (1900); words by K. R. * ''Prayer'' (Молитва: "О Боже мой") for voice and piano (1900); words by

* ''Do Not Ask Why I Smile in Thought'' (Не спрашивай, зачем...) for voice and piano (1901); words by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

;Choral * ''The Triumph of Lilliput'' for chorus and piano * ''Cherubic Hymn No. 1'' (Херувимская песнь No. 1) for chorus (1885) * ''Cherubic Hymn No. 2'' (Херувимская песнь No. 2) for chorus (1886) * ''The Mountain Tops'' (Горные вершины) for chorus (1887) * ''Christe Eleison'' for chorus (1889) * ''Lord, Our Lord'' for chorus (1889) * ''John of Damascus'' (Иоанн Дамаскин), Cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1890); words by

* ''A Beautiful Girl Sits by the Sea'' (Баллада: Над морем красавица дева сидит), Ballade for female chorus and orchestra (1894); words by

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (; russian: Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjurʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲɛrməntəf; – ) was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucas ...

References

Works cited

* * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalinnikov, Vasily 1866 births 1901 deaths People from Mtsensky District People from Mtsensky Uyezd Composers from the Russian Empire Russian male classical composers Russian Romantic composers Russian classical bassoonists 19th-century classical composers 19th-century male musicians 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century Russian male musicians Tuberculosis deaths in Russia