A unique person is Alexander Borodin, a composer and scientist all rolled into one. It was realized with equal success in two opposite areas of activity, which is extremely rare. His life is an example of hard work and passionate love for all creativity.
Family and childhood
On November 12, 1833, a child was born in St. Petersburg, he was the fruit of extramarital affairs of Prince Luka Stepanovich Gedianov and commoner Avdotya Konstantinovna Antonova. The father was 62 years old at the time of the birth of his son, and his mother was 25, they could not get married due to class differences, and the prince was not able to recognize the baby. Therefore, he was recorded as the son of serfs Gedianova. So the future composer Alexander Borodin Porfirevich appeared. Until the age of 8, he was listed as the property of his father, but, fortunately, before his death, he managed to give him free. He also bought for his mother's mother, married to a doctor Kleineke, and for the child a large stone house on 4 floors and ensured their comfortable existence. In 1840, Gedianova died, but this did not affect the well-being of his son.
Unclear origin did not allow Alexander to study at the gymnasium, so he received a home education. His mother paid a lot of attention to this, and excellent teachers came to him, he studied two foreign languages and as a result received an excellent education, which allowed him to successfully pass the exams for the certificate of maturity in 1850. However, before this, his mother and stepfather had to “legalize” the child, they turned to Kleineke’s connections and were able to enroll the boy in the merchants guild, only this allowed Borodin to officially graduate from high school and later enroll as a volunteer at the St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy.
Passion for music
At the age of 8, young Sasha began to show a strong interest in music; by ear he played on the home piano the works that he heard near the house, on a military parade ground, where he rehearsed a military band. He watched with great attention all musical instruments, questioned people playing them. Mom drew attention to this and although she did not have any musical addictions and abilities, she invited a musician from a military orchestra to him, and he taught Sasha to play the flute.
Later, the boy was taught to play the piano, and he was able to master the cello on his own. At 9 years old, his first works appear. Sasha Borodin, a composer by nature, composes the polish “Helen” for the young lady. Together with a school friend, he attends all concerts in St. Petersburg, learns the works of classics, composes a little, for example, writes a concert for flute, violin and cello based on Meyerbeer's opera Robert the Devil. Young Alexander Borodin is a composer from God, but he was fond of not only music. He had many interests, he loved to sculpt, draw, but his greatest passion since childhood was chemistry.
Craving for science
Already at the age of 12, the future composer Borodin met with his second life, science. It all started with fireworks, like many children, Sasha was delighted with these flashing lights, but he wanted to make them with his own hands. He wanted to penetrate the composition of things, he himself made paints for painting, mixed various preparations. The house of the young naturalist was filled with flasks and retorts. The boy’s mother was worried about safety at home, but could not forbid him to conduct experiments. The magical transformations of solutions, vivid chemical reactions fascinated Sasha Borodin, and it was impossible to impede his enthusiasm. By the end of school, a passion for science outweighed the love of music, and Borodin began to prepare for admission to the university.
He successfully passed the exams, and the future composer Borodin became a student at the Medical and Surgical Academy, which became his second home. All his subsequent life he was somehow connected with her. The meeting with Professor Zinin became crucial for Alexander, in a sense he found his father in him. He inspired the student to study science and helped him to comprehend all the secrets of chemistry. In 1856, Borodin brilliantly graduated from the academy and was assigned to a military land hospital. Working as a doctor, he writes a dissertation and in 1858 receives a doctorate in medicine. But all this time does not leave chemistry and music.
Foreign experience
In 1859 A.P. Borodin, composer, doctor and scientist, was sent abroad to improve his qualifications in chemistry. Alexander Porfirevich spent three years in Heidelberg, Germany, at the university of which a brilliant Russian scientific group gathered at that time: Mendeleev, Junge, Botkin, Sechenov - the whole color of modern Russian natural science. In this society, not only heated scientific discussions were held, but also the problems of art, society, and politics were discussed. The results of research in Germany brought Borodin worldwide fame as an outstanding chemist. But after scientific experiments, he does not forget about music, attends concerts, gets acquainted with new names - Weber, Liszt, Wagner, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, becomes a passionate admirer of Schumann and Chopin. Borodin also continues to write music, a number of chamber works are released from his pen, including the famous sonata for cello and quintet for piano. Alexander Porfirievich also travels a lot around Europe, he spends almost a year in Paris, where he learns the secrets of chemistry and plunges into the world of modern music.
Chemistry as a matter of life
The entire biography of Borodin, a composer by vocation, is closely connected with science. Returning from abroad, he successfully submits a report on the research and receives an associate professor in his alma mater. Borodin's financial situation was not brilliant, the teacher’s salary barely covered his immediate needs. He continued to teach at the academy until the end of his life, as well as moonlight translations. He is also actively engaged in scientific research. In 1864, he received the title of an ordinary professor, after 10 years he became the head of a chemistry research laboratory. In 1868, Borodin, together with his teacher Zinin, became the founder of the Russian Chemical Society. In 1877 he became an academician of his native university, in 1883 he was elected an honorary member of the Russian Society of Physicians.
During his scientific life, Borodin published about 40 research papers, made several discoveries, in particular the bromine reaction, named after him, laid the foundations of the modern theory of plastics.
Way in music
Even in his student years, Alexander Borodin, a Russian composer, creates a number of outstanding works, he also plays music as a cellist. He continues to make music during his internship abroad. And having returned to Russia, he joins the circle of intellectuals who are fond of music. In the house of Botkin’s ally, he meets Balakirev, who, together with Stasov, influenced the formation of his aesthetic worldview. He introduces Borodin into a group led by Mussorgsky, which, with the arrival of the composer, acquired its completed form and later became known as the “Mighty Handful”. Composer Borodin became a consistent follower of the traditions of the Russian national school, M. Glinka.
Opera work
For his creative life, which always went parallel to other types of occupations, Alexander Porfirievich wrote 4 major opera works.
The operas of the composer Borodin are the fruit of his many years of work. He wrote The Warriors in 1868. Later, in a collective partnership with other authors, Mlada appears. For 18 years, he worked on his most grandiose creation - the opera Prince Igor, based on The Tale of Igor's Campaign, which he could not complete, and after his death the work was compiled from sketches by his friends. The opera The Tsar’s Bride was also not completed, and in fact it’s just a sketch.
Chamber music
The music of the composer Borodin is mainly represented by chamber works, he writes sonatas, concerts and quartets. He is considered along with the Tchaikovsky founder of the Russian Quartet. His music is distinguished by a combination of lyricism and epicism, he gravitates to scale, actively uses the traditional motifs of Russian music, but also subtly fits into Western European music, he is considered the progenitor of European impressionism.
Outstanding works
The composer Borodin is famous for several of his creations. His first symphony, Es-dur, written in 1866 shocked contemporaries with its power, originality and brightness, it brought the composer European fame. All three finished symphonies of Borodin are the pearls of Russian music. The operas of the composer Borodin “Prince Igor” and “The Tsar’s Bride” are world famous. In them he embodies all the best that is in Russian song, creates broad paintings of the epic history of Russia.
The work of the composer Borodin is not numerous, but each work is a real masterpiece. His music is often performed by modern orchestras. And “Prince Igor” is in the repertoire of all Russian opera houses.
Social activity
The name of the composer Borodin is closely related to teaching. Students were very fond of the professor who was passionately in love with chemistry. He was always ready to help poor students, was distinguished by benevolence and delicacy. It protects students from political persecution, for example, provides support to participants in the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II.
In addition to pedagogy, Borodin organizes a free music school, he helps young talents find their way in music. Borodin spends a lot of effort on providing opportunities for women to get higher education, organizes women's medical courses, at which he teaches for free. He also manages to lead a student choir, edits the popular science magazine “Knowledge”.
Private life
Composer Borodin, whose brief biography is presented in the article, lived an extremely eventful scientific and creative life. But in family life he was not completely happy. He met his wife during a trip abroad. They only got married in 1863, the wife suffered from asthma and did not tolerate the climate of St. Petersburg, she often had to leave for warmer climes, which greatly undermined the family budget. The couple did not have children, but they took several pupils, whom Borodin considered daughters.
A difficult and intense life undermined Borodin's health. He was torn between creativity, science and service, and his heart could not stand such a load. February 27, 1887 he died suddenly. After his departure, friends led by Rimsky-Korsakov complete Prince Igor and carefully collect the entire creative heritage of the great Russian composer.