Nikolai Lodyzhensky
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Nikolayevich Lodyzhensky (Russian: Николай Николаевич Лодыженский; 20 December 1842/1 January 18432/13 February 1916) was a minor Russian composer and diplomat.
Lodyzhensky was born in Saint Petersburg
. He was the son of an impoverished landowner, and came from a musical family related to the composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky
. His student years are obscure. He established a diplomatic career, and in 1866 he joined the circle of Mily Balakirev
and The Five
, but without abandoning his career. He was valued as an improvisor at the piano. His sister Anka fell in love with Alexander Borodin
, who had to write many letters to his wife to explain his daily meetings with her.
Lodyzhensky started several symphonies, an opera Dmitri the Usurper (based on Alexander Pushkin's play Boris Godunov) and a cantata The Rusalka, but never finished them. He abandoned his opera when Modest Mussorgsky
started writing an opera to the same libretto (Boris Godunov
). Mussorgsky nicknamed him "Fim" (Фим; the reverse spelling of миф, the Russian word for "myth"). Borodin wrote his String Quartet No. 2 in D
while spending a summer holiday at Lodyzhensky's estate at Zhitovo in 1881. Lodyzhensky himself wrote some music in the string quartet genre.
The only music he ever published was Six Romances for voice and piano, in 1873, which showed great promise, displaying melodic and harmonic invention. Another set of four romances is in manuscript. His early work gained the respect of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
and Vladimir Stasov, but he was criticised in other quarters and this may have discouraged him from continuing to compose. That year, 1873, he was sent to Budapest
, from where he wrote to Stasov saying he could not dedicate himself to composing as he had formerly intended.
He was posted to the Balkans and later to New York
, where he was Consul-General for Russia. He returned to Russia in 1907, where he was engaged on official duties, voluntary work, and founded the Society for the Unification of the Orthodox and Anglican Churches. He died in 1916 in the city of his birth, then known as Petrograd.
Lodyzhensky was born in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. He was the son of an impoverished landowner, and came from a musical family related to the composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky
Alexander Dargomyzhsky
Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky was a 19th century Russian composer. He bridged the gap in Russian opera composition between Mikhail Glinka and the later generation of The Five and Tchaikovsky....
. His student years are obscure. He established a diplomatic career, and in 1866 he joined the circle of Mily Balakirev
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
and The Five
The Five
The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin...
, but without abandoning his career. He was valued as an improvisor at the piano. His sister Anka fell in love with Alexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
, who had to write many letters to his wife to explain his daily meetings with her.
Lodyzhensky started several symphonies, an opera Dmitri the Usurper (based on Alexander Pushkin's play Boris Godunov) and a cantata The Rusalka, but never finished them. He abandoned his opera when Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
started writing an opera to the same libretto (Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
). Mussorgsky nicknamed him "Fim" (Фим; the reverse spelling of миф, the Russian word for "myth"). Borodin wrote his String Quartet No. 2 in D
String Quartet No. 2 (Borodin)
The String Quartet No. 2, written in 1881, by Alexander Borodin is a work in four movements:#Allegro moderato in D major and 2/2 time, with 304 bars;#Scherzo...
while spending a summer holiday at Lodyzhensky's estate at Zhitovo in 1881. Lodyzhensky himself wrote some music in the string quartet genre.
The only music he ever published was Six Romances for voice and piano, in 1873, which showed great promise, displaying melodic and harmonic invention. Another set of four romances is in manuscript. His early work gained the respect of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
and Vladimir Stasov, but he was criticised in other quarters and this may have discouraged him from continuing to compose. That year, 1873, he was sent to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, from where he wrote to Stasov saying he could not dedicate himself to composing as he had formerly intended.
He was posted to the Balkans and later to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he was Consul-General for Russia. He returned to Russia in 1907, where he was engaged on official duties, voluntary work, and founded the Society for the Unification of the Orthodox and Anglican Churches. He died in 1916 in the city of his birth, then known as Petrograd.
Source
- Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954