Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky was a Russian composer who lived from February 14, 1813 (Old Style: February 2, 1813) to January 17, 1869 (Old Style: January 5, 1869). He was active during the 19th century and helped connect the work of earlier Russian composer Mikhail Glinka with later composers such as The Five and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Biography

Dargomyzhsky was born in the village of Troitskoye, Belyov district, Tula province (now part of Arsenyevsky District, Tula Oblast), and studied in Saint Petersburg. He was already known for his musical talent as a non-professional when he met Mikhail Glinka in 1833. Glinka encouraged him to focus on writing music. His opera Esmeralda (libretto by the composer, based on Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) was written in 1839 (performed in 1847), and his opera Rusalka was performed in 1856. However, he received little success or recognition in Russia or abroad, except in Belgium, until the 1860s, when he became a respected figure, though not a member, of The Five.

His most famous work, The Stone Guest, is known for being an early example of melodic recitative. When he died, the orchestration and the end of the first scene were left incomplete. These parts were finished by César Cui and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The Five admired the opera for its new and forward-thinking methods of expressing ideas in opera. It was first performed in 1872 but never became a commonly performed piece.

Dargomyzhsky also left some unfinished opera projects, including an attempt to set Pushkin’s Poltava, from which a duet remains. In addition to operas, he composed many songs, piano pieces, and some orchestral works.

He died in Saint Petersburg in 1869 at the age of 55.