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Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
(Михаи́л
Ива́нов&#
1080;ч
Гли́нка)
(June 1, 1804 – February 15, 1857) was the
first Russian composer to gain wide recognition
inside his own country, and is often regarded as
the father of Russian classical music. 

Among his works are the operas A Life for the Tsar
(Zhizn za tsarya) and Ruslan and Lyudmila, written
after the famous poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, the
overture to which is often played in concerts. His
lesser known orchestral works include the
symphonic poem Karaminskaya. His work was an
important influence on future composers from that
country, notably the members of the Mighty
Handful, who took Glinka's lead and produced a
distinctively Russian kind of classical music.

===Life===

Glinka was the son of a wealthy merchant. This
afforded him the opportunity to spend much of his
youth being schooled in many countries across
Europe where he soaked up the culture of the more
musically advanced European countries. His
education in music theory was minimal, for he
chose instead to associate himself with the poets
and artists of the time instead of fellow
composers. 

During this period there was little to no Russian
national music. Instead the aristocracy imported
their music from the major musical countries such
as Germany, France, and Italy. Inspired by the
work of Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti, he
set out to write the first wholly Russian opera. 

===Operas===

His first opera A Life for the Tsar, composed in
1836 on commission by Baron G.F. Rosen, was hailed
with great success. It was one of the first widely
accepted Russian operas. Parts were based on
Russian folk songs but a majority was structured
in the conventional Italian style.

His second opera, Ruslan and Lyudmila was composed
in 1842. This one was not as well received, with
the poor performance quality largely to blame. The
opera can be characterized by its liberal use of
folk songs as well as some innovative use of
dissonance, chromaticism, and whole-tone scales.
Nevertheless, this second opera solidified the
existence of a national classical style that was
to be followed up by the next generation of
Russian composers.

===Other Works===

Glinka's Patriotic Song (Patrioticeskaja pesnja,
Патриотическая песня),
supposedly written for a non-public contest for a
national anthem in 1833, was the national anthem
of the Russian Federation in 1990-2000.