Anatol Liadov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 10, 1855, the
son and grandson of eminent Russian conductors. He was a pupil of
Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, but was so derelict
about attending classes that in 1876 he was expelled. Reinstated two
years later he now became fired with both ambition and industry, proved
a brilliant student, and was graduated with highest honors. He was then
appointed teacher of theory there, eventually becoming a renowned
professor, a post he retained until the end of his life. He died in
Novgorod, Russia, on August 28, 1914.
Liadov was at his best in his fairy tales for orchestra (_The Enchanted
Lake_, _Baba Yaga_ and _Kikimora_); in songs; and in smaller pieces for
the piano. He was a student of Russian folk music of which he made
numerous adaptations, and whose styles and idioms percolated into many
of his compositions.
The _Eight Russian Folksongs_, a suite for orchestra, op. 58 (1906) is
one of Liadov’s adaptations. There are eight movements. In the first,
“Religious Chant,” the main song is that chanted by children in
religious processions; it is heard in English horn and bassoons. This is
followed by “Christmas Carol,” its main theme presented by oboes and
clarinets. “Plaintive Melody” is a village song, and “I Danced With a
Mosquito,” a humorous scherzo in which muted strings simulated buzzing
mosquitoes. The fifth movement is “Legend of the Birds” where the bird
song is presented by the woodwind. “Cradle Song” is a tender melody for
strings. This is followed by a lively rhythmic section, “Round Dance.”
The suite ends with the “Village Dance Song,” music that usually
accompanies the crowning of the May Queen.
Liadov is also the composer of a delightful trifle called _The Music
Box_ in which the delicate little tune is the kind that lends itself
gratefully to the tinkle of a music box. Liadov wrote this piece for the
piano, op. 32, but it is better known in orchestral transcriptions.