Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. Born AD 1844 March 6th in Tikhvin, near Novgorod he rose to become one of Russia's five great composers of the late 19th century. (The other four: Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Alexander Borodin, and Modest Mussorgsky) He is still held in much esteem today and his book Principles of Orchestration (1913) is still widely studied.
His more popular works include the symphonic suite "Scheherazade", "Flight of the Bumblebee", Russian Easter Overture, and Symphony #2 "Antar". Of the fifteen operas completed by Rimsky-Korsakov, mention is often made of The Snow Maiden, The Maid of Pskov, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Mlada, Sadko, The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the satirical and once banned Le coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel).
He started out on a career as an officer in the Russian Navy as was traditional in his family, and his ship briefly briefly visited the United States during the American Civil War. He completed his first symphony while on that three-year cruise. While he finally did concentrate more on his music he did it within the navy. He was Inspector of Naval Bands until 1871, when he accepted a accepted a teaching post at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
He died Lyubensk, Russia, A.D. 1908 June 21.