Every young man, sooner or later, thinks about the question of what to devote his life, how to ensure that future work becomes a continuation of his childhood or youthful dream. It's simple, if you are passionate about one, the main purpose of life. In this case, you can concentrate all your strength on achieving it, without being distracted by other, secondary tasks.
And what if you madly love nature, the underwater world, dream of circumnavigating the world, warm seas, cruel storms, raving about the southern starry sky or the northern lights? And at the same time, you want to become a doctor, like your parents. A serious question arises, the dilemma: to become a traveler, submariner, sea captain, astronomer or doctor.
And what about a girl born with the dream of becoming an artist, but who really needs to become a physicist and come up with a formula to neutralize the land that has been infected for hundreds of years, where her grandmother once lived near Chernobyl. I want to return my beloved granny homeland, lost dreams, health ...
Art or science, pedagogy or sport, theater or space, family or geology, chess or music ??? How many people on Earth, so many alternatives.
But did you know that a very talented composer, who is also an eminent chemist, who is also a famous physician - Alexander Porfirievich Borodin - taught us a unique lesson in successfully combining several vocations at once. And what is especially valuable: in all three completely different areas of human activity, he has achieved world recognition! Three professions, three hypostases - one person. Three different notes merged into a wonderful chord!
A.P. Borodin is interesting to us with another quite unusual fact. Due to the circumstances, he lived his whole life under a strange surname, with a foreign patronymic. And my mother was forced to call an aunt ...
Isn't it time for us to look into this mysterious life of a very kind, simple, sympathetic person?
His father, Luka Stepanovich Gedianov, belonged to the old princely family, the founder of which was Gedey. During the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible (XVI century), Gedey “came from the Horde from Tatars to Russia”. At baptism, that is, during the transition from the Mohammedan faith to the Orthodox, received the name of Nikolai. Faithfully served Rus. It is known that the great-grandmother of Luke Stepanovich was a princess Imeretinskaya (Georgia).
Luka Stepanovich fell in love with a young girl, Avdotya Konstantinovna Antonova. She was 35 years younger than him. Her father was a simple man, defended his homeland, being a simple soldier.
October 31, 1833 Luka Stepanovich and Avdotya had a son. They called him Alexander. With this name he lived all his life. But the name and patronymic he could not inherit from his father. Too unequal marriage in those days could not take place officially. Such were the times, such manners. Dominated by domostroy. Until the abolition of serfdom remained almost thirty years.
However, a person should not live without a last name. It was decided to give Alexander the patronymic and surname of Porfiry Ionovich Borodin, who worked for Gedianov as a valet (in other words, a room servant). He was a serf. For Sasha it was a completely alien person. To hide from people the truth about the boy’s origins, he was asked to call his real mother aunt.
In those distant years not free, the serf man could not study not only in higher educational institutions, but even in the gymnasium. When Sasha was eight years old, Luka Stepanovich gave him his freedom, freed him from serfdom. But for admission to a university, institute or state gymnasium it was also required to belong at least to the middle class. And my mother had to ask for a monetary reward to write her son into the third (lowest) merchant guild.
Sasha's childhood proceeded relatively serene. The class problems, belonging to the lower strata of civil society did not worry him much.
Since childhood, he lived in the city, in the stone, his lifeless labyrinths. He was unable to communicate with wildlife, listen to village songs. He remembered well the first acquaintance with the “magical, fascinating music” of the old shabby barrel organ. And let her creak, cough, and her melody drowned out by the noise of the street: the clatter of horse hooves, the cries of merchants-hikers, the sound of a hammer from a neighboring yard ...
Sometimes the wind brought melodies of a brass band to the Sasha's yard. Sounded military marches. Nearby was Semenovsky parade. The soldiers honed the drill step under a clear rhythm of the march.
Remembering childhood, already adult Alexander Porfirievich said: “Oh, music! She always penetrated me to the bone! ”
Mom felt that her son was very different from other children. He especially stood out for his phenomenal memory and interest in music.
In Sasha's house was a piano. The boy tried to pick up, to play the marches he liked. Mom sometimes played a seven-stringed guitar. Occasionally from the girl's room of the manor’s house came the songs of the maids.
Sasha grew up skinny, sickly boy. Ignorant neighbors scared mom: “He will not live long. Probably consumptive. ” These terrible words forced my mother to take care of her son with redoubled strength and protect him. She did not want to believe these predictions. I did everything for Sasha. Dreamed of giving him the best education. He learned French and German early, he became interested in drawing with watercolors, modeling from clay. Began music lessons.
In the gymnasium, where Alexander entered, besides general subjects, music was taught. Even before entering the gymnasium, he received primary musical knowledge. He played the piano and flute. Moreover, together with his friend he performed the symphonies of Beethoven and Haydn in four hands. And yet, it is right to assume that the first professional teacher for Sasha was a German Porman, a music teacher at the gymnasium.
In nine years, Alexander composed the polka "Helen". Four years later he wrote the first significant work: a concert for flute and piano. Then he learned to play the cello. Demonstrated an amazing tendency to fantasize. Is it not the ability, without ever having been in hot countries, years later to compose a musical picture “In Central Asia” with the measured gait of camels, the quiet rustle of the desert, a lingering song of a caravan driver.
Very early, at the age of ten, became interested in chemistry. Believe it or not, but Borodin’s choice of this future profession was influenced by the festive explosions of pyrotechnics he saw in his childhood. Sasha looked at the beautiful fireworks not like everyone else. He saw not so much the beauty in the night sky as a mystery hidden in this beauty. As a real scientist, he asked himself, why does it turn out so beautiful, and how does it work, and what does it consist of?
When Alexander was 16 years old, it was necessary to decide where to go to study. During a musical career, none of my acquaintances and relatives advocated. Music was treated as a frivolous activity. Not considered her profession. Sasha at the time also did not plan to become a professional musician.
The choice fell on the Medical-Surgical Academy. With the new document of "belonging" to the merchants of the third guild, he entered the academy. He studied the natural sciences: chemistry, zoology, botany, crystallography, physics, physiology, anatomy, medicine. In practical training on anatomy, he received a deadly blood infection through a tiny wound on his finger! Only a miracle helped save him — timely, highly skilled assistance from Professor Besser, a member of the academy who was close by.
Borodin loved to learn. Through chemistry and physics, he communicated with nature, solved its secrets.
He did not forget the music, although he evaluated his abilities too modestly. He considered himself an amateur in music, he believed that he was playing “dirty”. In his free time, he improved as a musician. He learned to compose music. Mastered the cello.
Like Leonardo da Vinci, who was an artist and scientist, as well as the poet and scholar Goethe, Borodin sought to combine his passion for science with a love of music. He saw both there and there creativity, beauty. Conquering peaks in art and science, his ardent mind got real pleasure, was rewarded with new discoveries, new horizons of knowledge.
Borodin jokingly called himself a “Sunday musician”, referring to the workload, first learning, and then work, lack of time for his favorite music. And among the musicians, he got the nickname “Alchemist”.
Sometimes during chemical experiments, he put everything aside. He was thinking, reproducing in his own imagination the melody that suddenly visited him. I recorded a good musical phrase on some piece of paper. In writing, he was rescued by a wonderful imagination and memory. The works were born in his head. He knew how to hear the orchestra in his imagination.
You will probably be interested to learn the secret of Alexander’s ability to do as much useful and necessary as the three are not always able to. First of all, he knew how to value time like no one else. He was extremely collected, focused on the main thing. Clearly planned his work, his time.
And at the same time, he loved and knew how to joke, laugh. He was cheerful, cheerful, energetic. Fantated jokes. By the way, he became famous for writing satirical songs (for example, “Pisces” and others). Love for the song at Borodin was not accidental. For his work was characterized by folk song intonation.
By the nature of Alexander was an open, friendly person. He was alien to pride, arrogance. Helped everyone without fail. Calmly, reservedly reacted to the problems encountered. He was delicate with people. In everyday life was unpretentious, indifferent to excessive comfort. Could sleep in any conditions. Often forgot about food.
As an adult, he remained loyal to science and music. Subsequently, over the years, the enthusiasm for music began to slightly dominate.
Alexander Porfirevich never had a lot of free time. He not only did not suffer from this (as it seemed to fans of entertainment), on the contrary, he found in the fruitful intensive work a tremendous satisfaction, joy of creativity. Of course, sometimes his, especially closer to old age, began to visit doubts, sad thoughts about whether he did the right thing, that he did not concentrate on one thing. He was always afraid to be the last. Life itself gave an answer to his doubts.
He made many world-class discoveries in chemistry and medicine. Encyclopedias of the countries of the world, special reference books contain information about his outstanding contribution to science. And his musical works live on the most prestigious scenes, delight music lovers, inspire new generations of musicians.
The most significant work of Borodin was the opera “Prince Igor”. The composer Mily Balakirev, the inspirer and organizer of the creative group of famous musicians of the time, known as “The Mighty Handful. The basis of this opera was the plot of the poem “The Word of Igor's Regiment”.
Borodin worked on the work of eighteen years, but did not manage to complete it. When he was gone, the faithful friends of Alexander Porfirevich, the composers N.A. Rimsky - Korsakov and A.K. Glazunov finished the opera. The world heard this masterpiece not only thanks to Borodin’s talent, but also because of his beautiful character. Nobody would help to finish the opera if he were not a friendly, sociable person, always ready to help a friend. Selfish, as a rule, do not help.
Throughout his life, he felt like a happy man, because he lived two beautiful lives: a musician and a scientist. He never complained about the fate, thanks to which he was born and lived with an alien surname, but died in a strange carnival costume at a masquerade during the celebration of Maslenitsa.
A man with an unbending will, but with a very sensitive, vulnerable soul, he showed by his personal example that each of us is capable of performing miracles.
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