This blog continues to receive many visits from Russians so occasionally I feel obligated to write one particularly geared toward them.
A week ago I received a challenge from a pianist friend to see if I could do a limerick on composer César Cui (pronounced "Kwee.") I did, but it requires some background... (probably too much!)
Mily Balakirev was a mid-19th century Russian composer who felt a strong sense of nationalism and wanted to start a "school" of music, free from Southern and Western European influence. He attracted four other composers -- Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin (who was actually trained in chemistry.) The group became known, simply, as The Five.
Balakirev started with three,
Himself, M. Mussorgsky and Cui.
Next Nikolai Rimsky
Joined up, and a chemsky
Guy, Borodin, made it five, see?
(The newer Russian visitors may prefer September's #196.)
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