The Five (composers)
This article is about the Russian group of composers, for other meanings see Group of Five (disambiguation).
The Group of Five or The Mighty Little Group (Russian: moguchaya kuchka, Cyrill. могучая кучка) was a group of 19th-century Russian composers: Mili Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. They called themselves the Novators.
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Mili Balakirev
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Alexander Borodin
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César Cui
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Modest Mussorgsky
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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The composers joined forces in SaintPetersburg in 1862. The eminent art critic Vladimir Stasov acted as their mentor. Their goal was to promote a national Russian music in the succession of Mikhail Glinka. The Group of Five thus set themselves apart from other Russian composers who were more closely oriented to Western European models. The best-known representatives of this other circle of composers are Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Anton Rubinstein.
See also
- Piano Music of the Russian Five
- Russalka (Dargomyschski)
- Groupe des Six - A group of six French composers of the early 20th century
Questions and Answers
Q: Who are The Five?
A: The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful, are a group of five Russian composers who met regularly in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the mid-19th century.
Q: Who gave them the name "The Mighty Handful"?
A: The famous music critic, Vladimir Stasov, gave the group of composers the name "The Mighty Handful".
Q: Which composers were part of The Mighty Handful?
A: The five composers who were part of The Mighty Handful were Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin.
Q: What was their goal when it came to creating music?
A: The group of composers wanted to write music in a Russian style, rather than imitating European composers. They were part of the movement known in music as Nationalism.
Q: Who was not part of The Mighty Handful?
A: Tchaikovsky was not part of The Mighty Handful, as his music is more European-based.
Q: Did Tchaikovsky ever write Russian music?
A: Yes, Tchaikovsky often wrote very Russian music based on folk tunes, despite not being part of The Mighty Handful.
Q: Was The Mighty Handful a significant group of composers?
A: Yes, The Mighty Handful were five of the most important composers of their time.
