Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Born at Gatchina, near St. Petersburg, where his father was a mechanic employed at the palace, Ippolitov-Ivanov studied music at home and was a choirboy at the cathedral of St. Isaac, where he also had musical instruction, before entering the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1875. In 1882 he completed his studies as a composition pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, whose influence was to remain strong. Ippolitov-Ivanov's works include operas, orchestral music, chamber music, church music, and a large number of songs.