THE MIGHTY HANDFUL
(МОГУЧАЯ КУЧКА -MOGUCHAYA KUCHKA)

WHO WERE THEY?

(Milii Balakirev, Cesar Cui, Alexander Borodin, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov)

19th CENTURY RUSSIAN MUSIC
(A FIERCE RIVALRY IN PETERSBURG)

IMPERIAL MUSIC SOCIETY
vs.
FREE MUSIC SOCIETY


SAINT PETERSBURG CONSERVATORY (1862)



ANTON RUBINSTEIN (1829-1894)


THE GOD FATHER OF RUSSIAN NATIONAL MUSIC

MIKHAIL GLINKA (1804-1857)

- Inspired Balakirev's pursuit of a Russian style of music (specifically in form of opera)
- Well-known works: A Life for the Tsar, Ruslan and Ludmila

GLINKA'S DREAM

THE FREE MUSIC SOCIETY (1862)


THE MIGHTY HANDFUL: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Vladimir Stasov (1824-1906)

- An influencial critic who supported nationalist movements in art and music
- Encouraged, advised, supported and promoted the ideas of the Free Music Society.
- Coined the group's name "The Mighty Handful"

"Pray God that our Slavic guests remember forever how much poetry, feeling, talent and ability there is in this small, but already mighty handful of Russian Musicians"

THE MIGHTY HANDFUL

Milii Balakirev (1837-1910)

- Followed the growing interest (of the early 19th century) of Russian national music.
-collected Russian music on expeditions to the countryside (1858)
-Influenced by Glinka's dream and founded the Free Music Society (1862)
-Well-known Works: Song of the Volga Boatmen

Cesar Cui (1835-1918)

- Primary occupation: Army officer
- actively supported the five in critical reviews
- One of the first to join the Free Music Society
- wrote the most number of works (none of lasting success)

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)

- Primary occupation: chemist/doctor
- Arguably one of the most musically talented of the Five but GREATLY distracted by his first love, (SCIENCE and MEDICINE)
- Well-known works: Lay of the Host of Igor

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)

- Primary profession: Officer in the Russian Imperial Guard

- Well-known Works: Boris Godunov, Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition

- Born outside of Petersburg (influenced by the folk music of his youth)
- He was the most creative of the Five (also very lazy)
- Many of his works were largely unfinnished at the time of his death.

Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov (1844-1908)

- Primary Occupation: Officer in the Imperial Russian Navy (wrote his first symphony while at sea.
- Well-known works:
-largely unschooled in Music composition
-later in life taught at the Petersburg Conservetory
-Supported the career of his colleages and finished many of their works including Boris Godunov and Lay of the Host of Igor

WHAT ABOUT TCHAIKOVSKY?

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

- A contemporary of but NOT one of the Five in the Mighty Handful

- He struck out on his own after attending the St Petersburg Conservatory
- Influenced by western composers (a criticism of the Five)
- Shared similar nationalistic views as the Five
- Included many uniquely Russian themes to his work
- Well-known works: Romeo and Juliet, 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty

YOUNG TCHAIKOVSKY


THE LEGACY OF THE MIGHTY HANDFUL

IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)

- Studied under the mentorship of Rimsky-Korsakov
- A celebrated composer and champion of the "anti conservatory tradition" developed and promoted by the Mighty Handful.
-Well-known works: The Firebird, The Rite of Spring