It was the first western book that attempted to put the works of the great Russian composer in their political and social context.
And the program did suggest the many kinds of music Russian composers have written.
Like many Russian composers of the 19th century he was an amateur musician.
We were worried because it was written by a Russian composer.
Like so many Russian composers in the 19th century, he was an amateur composer.
It also became a starting point for other Russian composers to build their own individual styles.
His heart had been set on this greatest of all Russian composers.
Since these, opera became a leading genre for the most of Russian composers.
There was also a growing trend toward similar works by Russian composers.
For a ballet, then, why not music by a Russian composer of that period?