Kashin, Daniil Nikitich

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Kashin, Daniil Nikitich

Kashin, Daniil Nikitich , Russian composer; b. Moscow, 1769; d. there, Dec. 22, 1841. He was a serf, the property of an aristocratic landowner, Gavril Bibikov, who engaged Sarti to teach him music. He demonstrated his ability by presenting a piano concerto and an overture of his composition in Moscow (March 17, 1790). Bibikov then sent him to Italy for further study, and, upon his return in 1798, he was given his liberty. On April 10, 1799, he gave in Moscow a monster concert with the participation of 200 executants, including an ensemble of Russian horns; he also presented several of his songs, which became popular. He wrote the operas Natalya, boyarskaya doch (Natalia, the Boyar’s Daughter; Moscow, Oct. 21, 1801), Selskiy prazdnik (The Village Holiday; 1807), Olga prekrasnaya (Fair Olga; Moscow, Jan. 14, 1809), and The 1-day Reign of Nourmahal, after Thomas Moore’s Lalla Rookh (1817; not perf.); also collections of patriotic songs as well as Russian folk songs (3 vols., Moscow, 1833-34). He publ. Zhurnal octechestvennoy muziki (Journal of National Music; 1806-9).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire