March 18, 1844:
Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov is born at (present) ulitsa Rimskogo-Korsakova 12 in Tikhvin, Novgorod government, Russian Empire, 175 km east of St. Petersburg, the son of Andrey Petrovich Rimsky-Korsakov and Sofiya Vasiliyevna Skariatina.
April 20, 1862:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (18) graduates from the College of Naval Cadets, St. Petersburg with the rank of midshipman.
November 2, 1862:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (18) begins his first voyage as a naval officer on the clipper Almaz for a cruise of two-and-a-half years.
December 31, 1865:
Symphony no.1 by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (21), entirely reorchestrated by Mily Balakirev (28), is performed for the first time, at the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg, conducted by the orchestrator. Advocates of a Russian national school of composition note this as the first performance of a truly Russian symphony.
December 23, 1866:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (22) Overture on Three Russian Themes is performed for the first time, at the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg.
May 24, 1867:
Overture on Czech Themes by Mily Balakirev (30) and Fantasia on Serbian Themes by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (23) are performed for the first time. The works are given in honor of Slav visitors to the All-Russian Ethnographical Exhibition. In writing of this concert, Stasov first uses the phrase Moguchaya Kuchka (Mighty Handful) to denote the Balakirev group.
August 13, 1867:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (23) writes to Mily Balakirev (30) describing a scale he has used in his current tone poem, Sadko. It is the first reference to an octatonic scale in Russian music.
October 12, 1867:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (23) writes to Modest Musorgsky (28) shortly after finishing Sadko. He thanks Musorgsky for giving him the original idea.
December 21, 1867:
Sadko op.5 for orchestra by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (23) is performed for the first time, by the Russian Musical Society, St. Petersburg, conducted by Mily Balakirev (30).
October 16, 1868:
Modest Musorgsky (29), Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (24), Cesar Cui (33), and Sergey Dargomizhsky (55) attend the first Russian performance of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner (55) at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. Rimsky-Korsakov recalls, “In our opinion, Lohengrin was contemptable.” They have no end of abuse for the work.
March 22, 1869:
Symphony no.2 “Antar” by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (25) is performed for the first time, by the Russian Musical Society in St. Petersburg.
July 26, 1871:
Mikhail Azanchevsky, director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, invites Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (27) to teach composition and orchestration. Rimsky-Korsakov accepts.
September 29, 1871:
Cesar Cui (36), Modest Musorgsky (32), Valdimir Stasov, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (27), and Mikhail Azanchevsky gather at Stasov’s to hear Anton (41) and Nikolay Rubinstein play Anton’s recently completed opera The Demon. They are at first unimpressed, later enthusiastic.
February 28, 1872:
Kamenniy gost (The Stone Guest), an opera by Alyeksandr Dargomizhsky (†3) to words of Pushkin, completed by Cesar Cui (37) and orchestrated by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (27), is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
July 12, 1872:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) marries Nadezhda Nikolayevna Purgold, a pianist with much better musical training than himself. His best man is Modest Musorgsky (33).
January 7, 1873:
At the home of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) in St. Petersburg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) plays the finale of his Second Symphony to members of the kuchka. They unanimously approve of the work. It is the closest they will ever come to Tchaikovsky.
January 13, 1873:
The Maid of Pskov, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) to words of the composer after Mey, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
May 20, 1873:
Lieutenant Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (29) is appointed Inspector of Music Bands of the Russian Navy Department.
March 2, 1874:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (29) makes his debut as orchestral conductor in a St. Petersburg concert to benefit famine victims in Samara.
April 4, 1876:
The Chorus of Praise from Alyeksandr Borodin’s (42) unperformed opera Prince Igor is performed for the first time, at the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg, directed by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (32).
December 9, 1879:
Three scenes from Modest Musorgsky’s (40) Khovanshchina are performed for the first time, at a Free Music School concert in St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (35). It is a great success.
January 4, 1880:
Alyeksandr Glazunov (14) begins his studies with Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (35).
January 21, 1880:
May Night, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (35) to his own words after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
April 20, 1880:
New works from the Kuchka are performed for the first time, in Kononov Hall, St. Petersburg: In Central Asia, a symphonic poem by Alyeksandr Borodin (46) composed for the silver jubilee of Tsar Alyeksandr II, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (36), the closing scene from Modest Musorgsky’s (41) opera Khovanshchina, and Musorgsky’s Mephistopheles’ Song of the Flea for solo voice and piano to words of Goethe (tr. Strugovshchikov).
October 21, 1880:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (36) writes this day, “Owing to inadequate technique, Balakirev (43) writes...little, Borodin (47) with difficulty, Cui (45) in a slipshod way, Musorgsky (41) sloppily and often absurdly...and all this constitutes the regrettable specialty of the Russian school.” “I have absolutely no desire to mess with [the Free Music School] anymore. And even those whose works it would be a pleasure to perform, for example, Borodin, Musorgsky and Balakirev, aren’t writing much, and if they do write, they don’t orchestrate; you have to run after everyone like a nurse after a child.”
March 29, 1881:
A Requiem mass in memory of Modest Musorgsky takes place in the church of the Nikolayevsky Military Hospital, St. Petersburg. Most Russian musical notables are there, including Vladimir Stasov, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (37) and Alyeksandr Borodin (47).
March 30, 1881:
The earthly remains of Modest Musorgsky are laid to rest in the Nevsky Cemetery, St. Petersburg. Attending are the other members of the Kuchka, Alyeksandr Borodin (47), Cesar Cui (46), Mily Balakirev (44), and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (37), along with many musicians and music students.
October 9, 1881:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (37) writes that he has resigned from the directorship of the Free School of Music, St. Petersburg.
February 10, 1882:
Snow Maiden, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (37) to his own words after Ostravsky, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
February 15, 1883:
The new Tsar, Alyeksandr III, appoints Mily Balakirev (46) as Director of the Imperial Kapella.
June 7, 1883:
Who is the King of Glory? for chorus by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (39) to words of the Psalms is performed for the first time, at the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in St. Petersburg.
March 27, 1884:
The Characteristic Suite op.9 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Glazunov (18) is performed for the first time, in the Great Hall of the Peter-Paul School, St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40).
March 29, 1884:
The Ministry of the Imperial Court in St. Petersburg approves a new statute, Program of the Precentors' Class at the Court Kapella. It was written by Assistant Director Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40). It formalizes education in the Kapella and will create a class of well-trained music teachers who will be spread throughout Russia.
March 31, 1884:
Tsar Alyeksandr III eliminates the office of Inspector of Bands for the Navy Department. The post was held by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40).
September 13, 1884:
A new statute goes into effect expanding the education of Russian Imperial choristers from three years to six years. It was proposed by Assistant Director Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40).
November 9, 1884:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) meets Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40), Alyeksandr Glazunov (19), and Anatoly Lyadov at the home of Mily Balakirev (47) in St. Petersburg.
April 18, 1885:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) writes to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (41) offering him the directorship of the Moscow Conservatory.
February 21, 1886:
Khovanshchina, an opera by Modest Musorgsky (†4) to his own words, completed and orchestrated by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (41), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. It is produced by an amateur group because the Imperial Theatres rejected it.
December 5, 1886:
Today is the name day of Mitrofan Petrovich Belyayev for which a string quartet has been composed with the four movements by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (42), Alyeksandr Borodin (53), Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov and Alyeksandr Glazunov (21) respectively. Each movement is based on the theme B flat-A-F.
November 12, 1887:
The Spanish Capriccio for orchestra by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (43) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. In the audience is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47).
November 3, 1888:
Sheherazade, an orchestral work by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (44), is performed for the first time, in a Russian Symphony concert at the Club of the Nobility, St. Petersburg.
December 15, 1888:
Russian Easter Overture by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (44) is performed for the first time, in a Russian Symphony concert at the Club of the Nobility, St. Petersburg.
June 22, 1889:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (45) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (23) conduct the Colonne Orchestra in the first of two concerts dedicated to Russian music at the Trocadéro during the Paris Exhibition. Among those attending is Claude Debussy (26)
June 29, 1889:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (45) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (23) conduct at the second of two concerts devoted to Russian music at the Trocadéro. These performances are a critical success but attendance is poor.
July 27, 1889:
Work is completed on new accomodations, including a new concert hall, for the Imperial Kapella in St. Petersburg. The plan comes to fruition largely through the work of Assistant Director Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (45).
November 4, 1890:
Prince Igor, an opera by Alyeksandr Borodin (†3) to his own words, completed by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (46) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (25), is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
February 16, 1891:
Kremlin op.30 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Glazunov (25) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (46).
March 16, 1891:
Act III of Mlada, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, is performed for the first time, in the Club of the Nobility, St. Petersburg, two days before the composer’s 47th birthday. See 1 November 1892.
June 15, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) writes to the publisher PI Jurgenson to order a new instrument, a celesta, which he heard in Paris, “before Rimsky-Korsakov (47) and Glazunov (25) get wind of it.”
November 1, 1892:
Mlada, an opera-ballet by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (48) to his own words after Krilov, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
October 28, 1893:
Symphony no.6 “Pathetique” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by the composer. The audience loves the composer, but they are confused by the music. During the intermission, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) asks Tchaikovsky if there is any program to the work. Tchaikovsky says there is, but he will not tell him what it is.
December 9, 1893:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) resigns as Assistant Director of the Imperial Kapella, citing ill health. He will later write, "I felt ill and run down; I have thirty three years of service behind me...I want to free myself from the excessive duties of service in order to have free time for composition..service with Balakirev in the devout, sanctimonious Kapella...is unbearable...My relations with Balakirev are not good...so naturally I always feel irritated, which is both unpleasant and harmful for me." (Dunlop, 44)
December 12, 1893:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) conducts an evening of the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†0) as one of the Russian Symphony Concerts in honor of the late composer in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky’s song We Sat Together op.73/1, to words of Ratgauz, is performed for the first time.
December 18, 1893:
Carnaval Overture op.40 and Concert Waltz no.1 op.47, both for orchestra by Ayeksandr Glazunov (28), are performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Nobility, St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49).
January 22, 1894:
Symphony no.4 by Alyeksandr Glazunov (28) is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Nobility, St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49).
January 31, 1894:
The application of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) to resign as Assistant Director of the Imperial Kapella is formally approved. See 9 December 1893.
February 4, 1895:
From Darkness into Light op.53 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Glazunov (29) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (50). The work is dedicated to Ferruccio Busoni (28).
April 18, 1895:
A third version of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (51) opera The Maid of Pskov to words of Krestovsky, Musorgsky (†14) and the composer after May, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 13 January 1873.
December 10, 1895:
Christmas Eve, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (51) to his own words after Gogol, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. After the royal family enforced changes in the work, the composer boycotts the premiere.
December 10, 1896:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (52) drastic rewriting of Boris Godunov by Modest Musorgsky (†15) is performed for the first time, privately, in the Great Hall of St. Petersburg Conservatory. See 19 December 1898.
January 7, 1898:
Sadko, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (53) to words of Belsky, Stasov, Yastrebtsev, Shtrup, Findeyzen, and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
February 1, 1898:
During the run of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (53) opera Sadko, the Solodovnikov Theatre in Moscow, burns to the ground.
April 8, 1898:
At a musical evening in the home of Mily Balakirev (61), the host and Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov play through a two-piano version of his “new” symphony to several invited guests, including Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54), Vladimir Stassov, and Alyeksandr Glazunov (32). At the conclusion there is silence. Only with difficulty do the guests find anything positive to say, and Rimsky never does. See 23 April 1898.
September 17, 1898:
Rêverie op.24 for orchestra by Alyeksandr Skryabin (26) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54).
December 7, 1898:
Mozart and Salieri, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54) to words of Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
December 19, 1898:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (54) drastic rewriting of Boris Godunov by Modest Musorgsky (†17) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow. See 10 December 1896.
December 27, 1898:
The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (54) to his own words after Mey, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 3, 1899:
The Tsar’s Bride, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (55) to words of Tyumenev after Mey, is performed for the first time, in the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
December 30, 1899:
Song of Oleg the Wise for tenor, bass, male chorus, and orchestra by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (55) to words of AK Tolstoy is performed for the first time, by the Russian Musical Society, St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer.
March 18, 1900:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov conducts at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels on his 56th birthday.
November 3, 1900:
An opera with the ambitious title The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son the famous and mighty hero Prince Svidon Saltanovich and of the beautiful Swan Princess, words by Belsky after Pushkin and music by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (56) is performed for the first time, at the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
October 23, 1901:
The ‘definitive’ version of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (57) opera The Maid of Pskov to words of Krestovsky, Musorgsky (†20), and the composer after May, is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. See 13 January 1873.
October 14, 1902:
Serviliya, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (58), to his own words, after Mey, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
December 25, 1902:
The opera Kaschey the Immortal by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (58), to his own words, after Petrovsky, is performed for the first time, at the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.
March 19, 1903:
At a party celebrating the 59th birthday of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg, Igor Stravinsky (20) meets the master for the first time.
March 19, 1904:
A cantata for the 60th birthday of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) by Igor Stravinsky (21) is performed for the first time, in the master’s St. Petersburg apartment, conducted by the composer. Also premiered is Stravinsky’s song Conductor and Tarantula.
September 22, 1904:
Sergey Prokofiev (13) undergoes the entrance examination to the St. Petersburg Conservatory. His examiners include Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) and Alyeksandr Glazunov (39). He is accepted.
October 16, 1904:
The opera Pan Voyevoda, by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60) to words of Tyumenev, is performed for the first time, at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. An interested young protege of the composer, Igor Stravinsky (22), is in the audience.
February 18, 1905:
The dean of Russian composers, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (60), publicly endorses the letter to the press demanding political reforms.
February 22, 1905:
At a private performance for Rimsky-Korsakov (60) and his circle in St. Petersburg, a Piano Sonata in f# minor by Igor Stravinsky (22) is performed for the first time.
March 30, 1905:
Striking students manage to get into St. Petersburg Conservatory. They ransack the place and set off a stink bomb. Faculty and students inside are forced to flee. Russian Bulletin publishes a letter written by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (61). He attacks the Imperial Russian Musical Society for not suspending classes until September, leaving the school and its students “to the tender mercies of the police; while those who have not gone on strike are guarded by the same police.” He questions the competence of the board of the IRMS, calling them a “circle of dilettantes” who are “utterly indifferent to the fate of its pupils.”
April 1, 1905:
The board of the Imperial Russian Musical Society accepts the resignation of Avgust Rudolfovich Berngard as director of St. Petersburg Conservatory, expels all the student protesters, and dismisses Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (61) from the faculty because of his letter of 30 March.
April 4, 1905:
Alyeksandr Glazunov (39) resigns his position as professor at St. Petersburg Conservatory to protest the dismissal of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (61).
April 11, 1905:
Sergey Prokofiev (13) writes to his father that he has signed a letter, along with other theory students at St. Petersburg Conservatory, asking dismissal from the school since Rimsky-Korsakov (61) and others no longer teach there.
December 18, 1905:
Alyeksandr Glazunov (40) is elected to direct the St. Petersburg Conservatory. This comes as a result of the government’s concession to grant conservatories limited autonomy, including election of their directors. Glazunov’s first action is to ask Rimsky-Korsakov (61) back to the faculty.
February 8, 1906:
At a meeting of the council of St. Petersburg Conservatory, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (61) storms out because of their negativity towards the students and director Alyeksandr Glazunov (40).
February 20, 1907:
The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya, an opera by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (62) to words of Belsky after Meledin and Melnikov, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
April 27, 1907:
The second and third movements of Igor Stravinsky’s (24) Symphony in Eb op.1 are premiered by the Russian court orchestra in a private performance at the Imperial Chapel, St. Petersburg, arranged by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (63). See 4 February 1908.
April 29, 1907:
Igor Stravinsky’s (24) Faun and Shepherdess for mezzo-soprano and orchestra op.2 to words of Pushkin, is premiered by the Russian court orchestra in a private performance at the Imperial Chapel arranged by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (63). See 29 February 1908.
May 16, 1907:
Tonight marks the first of five “historic concerts” of Russian music in Paris by Sergey Dyaghilev featuring appearances by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (63), Alyeksandr Glazunov (41), and Sergey Rakhmaninov (34) performing their own music.
October 31, 1907:
A wordless Pastorale for soprano and piano by Igor Stravinsky (25) is performed for the first time, to the Rimsky-Korsakov (63) circle in St. Petersburg.
December 25, 1907:
Two Romances op.6 for voice and piano by Igor Stravinsky (25) to words of Gorodetsky are performed for the first time, privately, at the home of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (63) in St. Petersburg. See 22 January 1908.
April 23, 1908:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (64) suffers his first attack of angina pectoris.
June 21, 1908:
Early morning. Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov dies at his summer home in Lyubensk, St. Petersburg government, of angina pectoris, aged 64 years, three months, and three days.
June 24, 1908:
Funeral services for Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov are given in the church of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The body of the composer is interred in the cemetery of the Novodyevichi Monastery. Igor Stravinsky (26) will later remember that it was “one of the unhappiest days of my life.”
October 7, 1909:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov’s (†1) opera The Golden Cockerel, to words of Belsky after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, at the Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow.