Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (Russian: Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, tr. Aleksandr Porfiryevich Borodin[a], IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin] ⓘ;[2] 12 November 1833 – 27 February 1887)[3] was a Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian-Russian extraction. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as "The Five", a group dedicated to producing a "uniquely Russian" kind of classical music.[4][5][6] Borodin is known best for his symphonies, his two string quartets, the symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and his opera Prince Igor.
A doctor and chemist by profession and training, Borodin made important early contributions to organic chemistry. Although he is presently known better as a composer, he regarded medicine and science as his primary occupations, only practising music and composition in his spare time or when he was ill.[7] As a chemist, Borodin is known best for his work concerning organic synthesis, including being among the first chemists to demonstrate nucleophilic substitution, as well as being the co-discoverer of the aldol reaction. Borodin was a promoter of education in Russia and founded the School of Medicine for Women in Saint Petersburg, where he taught until 1885.
Life and profession
Family and personal life
Borodin was born in
Despite his status as a commoner, Borodin was well provided for by his Georgian father and grew up in a large four-storey house, which was gifted to Alexander and his "aunt" by the nobleman.[10] Although his registration prevented enrollment in a proper gymnasium, Borodin received good education in all of the subjects through private tutors at home. During 1850 he enrolled in the Medical–Surgical Academy in Saint Petersburg, which was later the workplace of Ivan Pavlov, and pursued a career in chemistry. On graduation he spent a year as surgeon in a military hospital, followed by three years of advanced scientific study in western Europe.[citation needed]
During 1862, Borodin returned to Saint Petersburg to begin a professorship of chemistry at the Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy[8] and spent the remainder of his scientific career in research, lecturing and overseeing the education of others. Eventually, he established medical courses for women in 1872.[6]
He began taking lessons in composition from
Career as a chemist
In his profession Borodin gained great respect, being particularly noted for his work on
During 1862, Borodin returned to the Medical–Surgical Academy (now known as the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy), and accepted a professorship of chemistry. He worked on self-condensation of small aldehydes in a process now known as the aldol reaction, the discovery of which is jointly credited to Borodin and Charles Adolphe Wurtz.[18][19] Borodin investigated the condensation of valerian aldehyde and oenanth aldehyde, which was reported by von Richter during 1869.[20][21] During 1873, he described his work to the Russian Chemical Society[22] and noted similarities with compounds recently reported by Wurtz.[23][24][25]
He published his last full article during 1875 on reactions of amides and his last publication concerned a method for the identification of urea in animal urine.
His successor as chemistry professor of the Medical-Surgical academy was his son-in-law and fellow chemist, Aleksandr Dianin.
Musical avocation
Opera and orchestral works
Borodin met Mily Balakirev during 1862. While under Balakirev's tutelage in composition he began his Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major; it was first performed during 1869, with Balakirev conducting. During that same year Borodin started on his Symphony No. 2 in B minor, which was not particularly successful at its premiere during 1877 under Eduard Nápravník, but with some minor re-orchestration received a successful performance during 1879 by the Free Music School under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's direction. During 1880 he composed the popular symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia. Two years later he began composing a third symphony, but left it unfinished at his death; two movements of it were later completed and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov.[citation needed]
During 1868, Borodin became distracted from initial work on the second symphony by preoccupation with the opera Prince Igor, which is considered by some to be his most significant work and one of the most important historical Russian operas. It contains the Polovtsian Dances, often performed as a stand-alone concert work forming what is probably Borodin's best-known composition. Borodin left the opera (and a few other works) incomplete at his death.[citation needed]
Prince Igor was completed posthumously by Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. It is set in the 12th century, when the Russians, commanded by Prince Igor of Seversk, determined to conquer the barbarous Polovtsians by travelling eastward across the Steppes. The Polovtsians were apparently a nomadic tribe originally of Turkic origin who habitually attacked southern Russia. A full solar eclipse early during the first act foreshadows an ominous outcome to the invasion. Prince Igor's troops are defeated. The story tells of the capture of Prince Igor, and his son, Vladimir, of Russia by Polovtsian chief Khan Konchak, who entertains his prisoners lavishly and orders his slaves to perform the famous 'Polovtsian Dances', which provide a thrilling climax to the second act. The second half of the opera finds Prince Igor returning to his homeland, but rather than finding himself in disgrace, he is welcomed home by the townspeople and by his wife, Yaroslavna. Although for a while rarely performed in its entirety outside of Russia, this opera has received two notable new productions recently, one at the Bolshoi State Opera and Ballet Company in Russia during 2013, and one at the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York City during 2014.[26][4]
Chamber music
No other member of the Balakirev circle identified himself so much with absolute music as did Borodin in his two string quartets, in addition to his many earlier chamber compositions. As a cellist, he was an enthusiastic chamber music player, an interest that increased during his chemical studies in Heidelberg between 1859 and 1861. This early period yielded, among other chamber works, a string sextet and a piano quintet. Borodin based the thematic structure and instrumental texture of his pieces on those of Felix Mendelssohn.[27]
During 1875 Borodin started his First String Quartet, much to the displeasure of Mussorgsky and Vladimir Stasov; the other members of The Five were known to be hostile to chamber music. The First Quartet demonstrates mastery of the string quartet form. Borodin's Second Quartet, written in 1881, displays strong lyricism, as in the third movement's popular "Nocturne." While the First Quartet is richer in changes of mood, the Second Quartet has a more uniform atmosphere and expression.[27]
Musical legacy
Borodin's fame outside the
The evocative characteristics of Borodin's music—specifically In the Steppes of Central Asia, his
Subsequent references
- The Borodin Quartet was named in his honour.
- The chemist Alexander Shulgin uses the name "Alexander Borodin" as a fictional persona in the books PiHKAL and TiHKAL.
- In his book Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974) Charles Bukowski wrote a poem about the composer entitled "The Life of Borodin".
- The asteroid previously known by its provisional designation 1990 ES3 was assigned the permanent name (6780) Borodin, in honor of Alexander Borodin. (6780) Borodin is a main-belt asteroid with an estimated diameter of 4 km and an orbital period of 3.37 years.[28]
- The score of the 1953 musical Kismet and the subsequent film version was based extensively on compositions by Borodin, such as the second string quartet, second symphony and piano works.[29]
- On 12 November 2018, Google recognized him with a doodle.[30]
Notes
- Latin: Alexander Porphirii filius Borodin
References
- ^ "Russian – BGN/PCGN transliteration system". transliteration.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0).
- ^ Old Style dates 31 October 1833 – 15 February 1887.
- ^ a b Abraham, Gerald. Borodin: the Composer and his Music. London, 1927.[page needed]
- ^ Dianin 1963, pp. 13, 329.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription required)
- PMID 20715236.
- ^ a b Lewis, David E. Early Russian Organic Chemists and Their Legacy. Springer Science & Business Media, 3 April 2012, p. 61
- ^ Cooper, David K. C. Doctors of Another Calling: Physicians Who Are Known Best in Fields Other than Medicine. Rowman & Littlefield, 26 November 2013, p. 163
- ^ Dianin 1963, p. 9.
- ^ Dianin 1963, pp. 42, 104.
- .
- .
- .
- ^ ISBN 978-3-319-03979-4.
- ^ US patent 2176181, Hunsdiecker, C.; Vogt, E. & Hunsdiecker, H., "Method of manufacturing organic chlorine and bromine derivatives", published 1939-10-17, assigned to Hunsdiecker, C.; Vogt, E.; Hunsdiecker, H.
- .
- ISBN 978-0-08-052349-1.
- ISBN 978-0-471-26418-7.
- .
- ^ "Chemical notices from foreign sources: Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin, no. 16, 1869". Chemical News. 20: 285–286. 1869.
- .
- Bulletin de la Société Chimique de Paris. 2nd series (in French). 17: 436–442.
- .
- Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences(in French). 74: 1361–1367.
- ^ New Penguin Opera Guide, Amanda Holden, 1993; Penguin Books Ltd.
- ^ a b Maes 2002, p. 72.
- ^ "6780 Borodin (1990 ES3)", Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- ^ Worldcat entry for film soundtrack of Kismet, 1955; accessed 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Alexander Borodin's 185th Birthday". Retrieved 12 November 2018.
Sources
- Dianin, Sergei (1963). Borodin. Translated by Robert Lord. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780313225291.
- Maes, Francis (2002). A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar. Translated by ISBN 978-0-520-21815-4.
Further reading
- A. J. B. Hutchings (1936). "A Study of Borodin: I. The Man". JSTOR 920565.
- George B. Kauffman, Kathryn Bumpass (1988). "An Apparent Conflict between Art and Science: The Case of Aleksandr Porfir'evich Borodin (1833–1887)". Leonardo. 21 (4): 429–436. S2CID 191376702.
- George Sarton (1939). "Borodin (1833–87)". S2CID 144423605.
- Willem G. Vijvers, Alexander Borodin; Composer, Scientist, Educator (Amsterdam: The American Book Center, 2013). ISBN 978-90-812269-0-5.
External links
- Free scores by Alexander Borodin at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Alexander Borodin at the Musopen project
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 266.
- In the Steppes of Central Asia on YouTube, in the film Moscow Clad in Snow
- Borodin's tomb