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Born in St. Petersburg as the illegitimate son of the Russian Prince
Gedianov and his mistress, Madame Antonova, Borodin placed his love for
chemistry above that of music already from the age of eight. Although a
multilingual speaker and accomplished cellist by the time he was a
teenager, Borodin's enthusiastic interest in science brought him to
study organic chemistry in 1850. His medical career brought him much
respect and recognition throughout Europe and he only began his musical
career through the meeting and formation of "The Five", a group of
fellow composers and avid supporters of Russian Nationalism. As a
member of the group, Borodin, although the least involved, was possibly
the most musically talented of them and completed his first chamber
piece, the Piano Quintet in C minor, in 1862. He always claimed music
came second to chemistry, and was thus only a hobby.
During this time of Borodin's "musical awakening", he met and
married Ekaterina Sergeyevna Protopopova in 1863, a brilliant pianist
in her own right. Although their married life was often chaotic and
overrun with uninvited houseguests, Borodin remained happy and devoted
to his wife. One might suggest that the happiness and joy he felt
through this constant company brought him to a state of heightened
musical inspiration, encouraging him to pursue his musical talents.
Although having written a number of successful musical accomplishments,
Borodin's most famous work was the grand Russian opera Prince Igor
which, although started in 1867, was not completed until after his
death in 1887 by composers Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. The Polovtsian
Dances that featured in Prince Igor became the world-renowned tune Strangers in Paradise when, with new lyrics, they were used in the Broadway show Kismet.
On a grand scale, Borodin's music is distinctly romantic, while at
the same time, patriotic and undeniably Russian. It is clearly apparent
that devotion to chemical research took precedence over his musical
work during his formative years. However, Borodin devoted himself
wholly to furthering his musicianship in the last ten years of his
life, thus making an indelible mark on the history of classical music
of 19th century Russia. |
