rimsky-korsakov was born in 1844. several people from his family had careers in the russian army and navy. both his grandmothers, however, were simple people who had lived in the country. when he was young he showed a great interest in music. he sang every tune he heard and knew, without looking, the names of the notes that he heard being played on the piano. when he was six he started piano lessons. the opera "life for the tsar" by glinka made a big impression on him. however, he wanted to join the navy, so in 1862 he entered the college of naval cadets, where his brother (who was 22 years older) was the director.