Symphony No. 1

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composed his Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 1 (originally in E minor), between 1861 and 1865 under the guidance of Mily Balakirev. Balakirev also premiered the work at a concert of the Free Music School in December 1865. Rimsky-Korsakov revised the work in 1884. Form The symphony is written in the traditional four movements. Overview Composition Before meeting Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov had written, among other works, "something like the beginning of a symphony in E minor." These pieces were the fruit of composition lessons with F.A. Kanille, with whom he had begun studying in the fall of 1859. In November 1861, Kanille introduced him to Balakirev. Balakirev approved of the works Rimsky-Korsakov had written thus far, encouraging him to continue work on the symphony. On Balakirev's advice, Rimsky-Korsakov continued writing the opening movement. Balakirev subjected this music to considerable criticism; Rimsky-Korsakov incorporated his suggested changes zealously. Once this movement was finished, Rimsky-Korsakov attempted to orchestrate it and was embarrassed at the results. Balakirev orchestrated the first page of the movement for him. From there, the process went more smoothly.