The Five facts for kids

The Five, also called The Mighty Handful, were five Russian composers. They met often in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the mid-1800s. A famous music critic named Vladimir Stasov gave them their Russian name: Moguchaya kuchka (meaning The Mighty Handful).

The group included Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin. These composers wanted to create music that sounded truly Russian. They did not want to copy music from other European countries. This idea was part of a music movement called Nationalism. They were very important composers of their time. It's good to know that Tchaikovsky was not part of this group. His music often sounded more European. However, he also used Russian folk tunes in his works.

How The Five Started

Before The Five became a group, other Russian composers were trying to make Russian-sounding music. These included Mikhail Glinka and Alexander Dargomyzhsky. The composers in The Five were all "amateur" composers. This does not mean they were not good at music. It means they had other jobs to earn money. They composed music in their free time.

Their Day Jobs

Each member of The Five had a different main job:

• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a naval officer.
• Alexander Borodin was a professor of chemistry.
• César Cui was an expert in military armaments.
• Modest Mussorgsky worked in the Guards and then in the civil service. Later, he focused on music full-time.
• Mily Balakirev, the group's leader, worked for a railway company for a while. He was like a teacher and guide for the group.

Their Musical Style

The composers of The Five tried to use sounds from Russian life in their music. They included sounds from village songs and dances. They also used church chants. Russian peasants often sang folk songs where words were stretched out over many notes. This style can be heard in many of The Five's works. It is especially clear in Mussorgsky’s operas. They also often used music that sounded like it came from Eastern Asia. This style is called "Orientalism."

The Conservatoire Debate

The group started meeting in 1856. This was before Anton Rubinstein opened the St Petersburg Conservatoire. Music at the Conservatoire was taught in a European style. The Five, along with critic Vladimir Stasov, did not agree with this approach.

However, things changed over time. Later, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov taught at the Conservatoire. Also, Rubinstein, who left to focus on being a pianist, often used Russian folk music ideas. The differences between the two groups became less clear.

By the 1880s, The Five started to drift apart. Each composer had developed their own unique style. Except for Cui, whose music is not often heard today, the members of the group had a big impact. They influenced or taught many future Russian composers. These included Alexander Glazunov, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich.

Related pages

• Les Six, a group of French composers
• Learn more about "The Five" at Encyclopædia Britannica [1]