Home > César Cui

Cui was born in Vilnius, now in Lithuania. He received piano lessons and instruction in music theoryMusic theory is a set of systems for analyzing, classifying, and composing music and the elements of music. Narrowly it may be defined as the description in words of elements of music, and the interrelationship between the notation of music and performanc as a child, but after leaving school he entered Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg ( Russian: English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as (transliterated "Piter"), formerly known as Leningrad (, 1924- 1991) and Petrograd (, 1914- 1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the Gulf of Finland's School of Military Engineering, and began a military career. He became an expert on fortificationPhotographed by Andy Carvin, October 2003. 1750 situation, Groningen (province), Netherlands Fortifications are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. They have been used for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex des, composing music in his spare time. It was in 1857, when Cui met Mily Balakirev, that he became more interested in music, becoming a member of what is now known as The Five.

Cui was an extremely prolific composer, and in 1869 had some public success with his operaCharles Garnier's Opera, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. The drama is presented using the typical elements of theater such as scenery, costumes, and acting. However, the words of the opera, William Ratcliff (based on the tragedy by Heinrich HeineChristian Johann Heinrich Heine ( December 13, 1797 February 17, 1856) was one of the most significant German romantic poets. Heine was born into an assimilated Jewish family in Dusseldorf, Germany. His father was a tradesman, who, during the French occup). In 1884 Le Flibustier was also well received. However, with the exception of one piece for violinThe violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola, cello and double bass. The lowest string (and hen and piano called Orientale, none of his pieces are often performed today, and he is not regarded as a particularly talented composer.

Cui's works are not so nationalistic as those of the other members of The Five - he was not so attached to Russian themes in his operas, and his style is more often compared to Robert Schumann than Mikhail Glinka or his Russian contemporaries. However, his work as a critic did help to promote the works of the other, now better remembered, members.

Cui died on March 26, 1918 and was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, St. Petersburg, Russia.