Mili Alexejevich Balakirev (1837-1910) was an important Russian composer, and a founding member of the "The Mighty Handful", who played a key role in shaping the development of Russian Romantic Music as it evolved through the 19th century. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all his wonderful music today!
Balakirev was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family. As a child he learned the piano, and he began to compose at an early age. In 1855 he met Michail Ivanovich Glinka, one of the founders of Russian national music, who convinced him to compose music rich with Russian national spirit. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Balakirev gathered a group of composers who would later become known as ’The Mighty Handful’, whose aim was to compose inherently Russian music, and not imitate older European models. Their work influenced an entire generation of composers well into the late romantic and modern periods.
Balakirev’s intensive conducting, dramaturgical and teaching schedule did not leave a lot of time for him to work extensively as a composer. The scope of his work is therefore more focused. Pieces of note are his symphonic poem Tamara, two symphonies and his works for piano. His music was mainly influenced by Glinka, Borodin and Western European musical traditions, and like most of the composers of the "The Mighty Handful", Balakirev often worked with oriental motifs.
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 761280
14 Original Works
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 780190
Symphonic Poem
for: Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 736886