What is Vladimir Stasov?
[[Image:Ilja Jefimowitsch Repin 012.jpg|thumb|Vladimir Stasov's portrait by [[Ilya Repin]].]] '''Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov''' (born 14 January <small><nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]] 2 January]</small> 1824, [[Saint Petersburg]]; died 23 October <small>[O.S. 10 October]</small> 1906, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian [[art critic|art]] and [[music]] [[critic]]. He wrote a lot about art and music in [[journal]]s, [[newspaper]]s and in letters to the [[press]]. He lived at a time when [[classical music]] and other forms of culture were quite new in Russia. Russian artists were imitating European art, but Stasov encouraged them to create a culture which was typically Russian, showing its own [[nationalism]]. People saw him as the champion of the new Russian school in all the Russian arts.<ref>Orlando Figes: “Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia”, 2002, {{ISBN|0-713-99517-3}}, p.177.</ref> He knew most of the great Russian writers, artists and composers of his day, and he wrote many letters including letters to the [[press]] in which he stated his views very forcefully. ==His life== Stasov’s father was an [[architect]]. Stasov graduated from the School of Jurisprudence in 1843. In 1847 he began his career as a music critic. He gave a lot of support to [[Mikhail Glinka|Glinka]] who was trying to compose music that reflected Russian [[nationalism]]. In 1856 a group of five composers often got together to discuss ideas about music. Stasov called this group Moguchaya kuchka (“The [[Mighty Handful]]”). The oldest one of the group was [[Mily Balakirev|Balakirev]] who was like a leader and teacher to the others. The other four were [[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]], [[César Cui|Cui]], [[Alexander Borodin|Borodin]] and [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky Korsakov]]. They had ideas about music which were very different from those of [[Anton Rubinstein]], the composer who had founded the [[Petersburg Conservatory]]. Rubinstein thought that Russian composers such as Glinka were all [[