RomanticAlexandre Borodine
Alexander Borodin was born in St Petersburg, Russia.
Alexandre Borodine’s life
The big moments of this life, and what was happening in the world at the same time.
A life at a glance
- 1833👶 Birth
Born in St Petersburg on 12 November, illegitimate son of a Georgian prince
- 1840🌍 Meanwhile
Adolphe Sax invents the saxophone (c. 1840)
- 1842📚 Trainingage 9
Learns flute, piano and cello; composes from age 9
- 1859🧳 Journeyage 26
Research in Heidelberg; meets the pianist Ekaterina Protopopova
- 1862🎩 Careerage 29
Meets Balakirev and joins ‘The Five’
- 1863❤️ Private lifeage 30
Marries Ekaterina Protopopova
- 1864🎩 Careerage 31
Professor of chemistry at the Medical Academy
- 1869🎼 Workage 36
Begins Prince Igor, which he will never finish
- 1869🌍 Meanwhile
The Suez Canal opens
- 1875🌍 Meanwhile
The Palais Garnier opera house opens in Paris
- 1876🎼 Workage 43
Symphony No. 2
- 1877🌍 Meanwhile
Edison invents the phonograph: sound can be recorded!
- 1880🎼 Workage 47
In the Steppes of Central Asia
- 1887🕯️ Deathage 54
Dies suddenly at a ball, on 27 February
- 1890🏛️ Landmark3 years after death
Premiere of Prince Igor, completed by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov
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Excerpts of up to 90 seconds, freely licensed recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
Once upon a time…
Alexander Borodin was born in St Petersburg, Russia. As a child he loved two things: music and chemistry. He even turned his bedroom into a little laboratory!
He became a great chemist and professor. He discovered a chemical reaction that bears his name. But he also composed music in his free time: he called himself a “Sunday composer”.
With four friends he wanted to create truly Russian music. He spent almost twenty years writing an opera, Prince Igor, with very catchy dances of nomadic warriors.
He also helped women to study medicine, which was rare in his time.
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