Valentina Serova (composer) facts for kids
Valentina Semyonova Serova (1846 – June 26, 1924) was a talented Russian composer. She was born into a family of German-Jewish heritage. Her family had become Lutheran before she was born.
Early Life and Music Studies
Valentina Serova's parents were merchants. They owned a shop that sold goods from other countries. She began her music studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. There, she learned from the famous musician Anton Rubinstein.
Later, she left the Conservatory to study with Alexander Serov. He was a well-known composer and music critic. Alexander Serov was famous for his writings and his successful opera, Judith. Valentina and Alexander met through a friend. They got married in 1863. In January 1865, their son Valentin Serov was born. Valentin grew up to become a very famous painter, known for his amazing portraits.
Finishing an Opera
Alexander Serov, Valentina's first husband, sadly passed away in January 1871. He was working on his third and final opera, called The Power of the Fiend. Valentina decided to finish his work. She used his notes and remembered the music he had played for her. Another composer, N.F. Solovyov, helped her with some of the music details.
The opera first opened in April 1871. At first, it wasn't very popular. But later performances were much more successful. It was the only opera by Serov that was performed in Soviet times.
Valentina's Own Compositions
Finishing her husband's opera inspired Valentina to write her own music. She started composing her own operas. Her first opera was called Uriel Acosta. It premiered in 1885 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Earlier that year, she showed her music to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He pointed out some parts that could be improved. Valentina asked him for music lessons, but he suggested she learn from Anton Arensky instead.
Her second opera, Maria d'Orval, was never performed and is now lost. But her third opera, Il'ya Muromets, was a big success. It was staged in Moscow in 1899. The famous singer Feodor Chaliapin sang the main role. Valentina Serova's fourth and last opera has not been found, and its title is unknown today. She passed away in Moscow on June 26, 1924.
Family Life
After Alexander Serov's death, Valentina married a doctor named Vasilii Nemchinov. They had a daughter named Nadezhda. Nadezhda later married into the aristocratic Zhilinsky family. One of Valentina's great-grandsons was the painter Dmitry Zhilinsky.
