Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (June 1, 1804 - February 15, 1857) was a Russian composer.
Glinka was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition outside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian music. His work was an important influence on future composers from that country, notably the members of the Mighty Handful, who took Glinka's lead and produced a distinctively Russian kind of classical music.
Among his works are the operas A Life for the Tsar and Russlan and Ludmilla, the overture to which is often played in concerts.
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