BALAGUER

balaguer, victor (1824-1901), spanish politician and author, was born at barcelona on the 11th of december 1824, and was educated at the university of his native town. his precocity was remarkable; his first dramatic essay, _pepin el jorobado_, was placed on the barcelona stage when he was fourteen years of age, and at nineteen he was publicly "crowned" after the production of his second play, _don enrique el dadivoso_. from 1843 to 1868 he was the chief of the liberal party in barcelona, and as proprietor and editor of _el conseller_ did much to promote the growth of local patriotism in catalonia. but it was not till 1857 that he wrote his first poem in catalan--a copy of verses to the virgin of montserrat. henceforward he frequently adopted the pseudonym of "lo trovador de montserrat"; in 1859 he helped to restore the "juegos florales," and in 1861 was proclaimed _mestre de gay saber_. he was removed to madrid, took a prominent part in political life, and in 1867 emigrated to provence. on the expulsion of queen isabella, he returned to spain, represented manresa in the cortes, and in 1871-1872 was successively minister of the colonies and of finance. he resigned office at the restoration, but finally followed his party in rallying to the dynasty; he was appointed vice-president of congress, and was subsequently a senator. he died at madrid on the 14th of january 1901. long before his death he had become alienated from the advanced school of catalan nationalists, and endeavoured to explain away the severe criticism of castile in which his _historia de cataluna y de la corona de aragon_ (1860-1863) abounds. this work, like his _historia politica y literaria de los trovadores_ (1878-1879), is inaccurate, partial and unscientific; but both books are attractively written and have done great service to the cause which balaguer once upheld. as a poet he is imitative: reminiscences of quintana are noticeable in his patriotic songs, of zorrilla in his historical ballads, of byron in his lyrical poems. he wrote too hastily to satisfy artistic canons; but if he has the faults he has also the merits of a pioneer, and in catalonia his name will endure. [v.03 p.0234] balakirev, mili alexeivich (1836- ), russian musical composer, was born at nijni-novgorod on the 31st of december 1836. he had the advantage as a boy of living with oulibichev, author of a _life of mozart_, who had a private band, and from whom balakirev obtained a valuable education in music. at eighteen, after a university course in mathematics, he went to st petersburg, full of national ardour, and there made the acquaintance of glinka. round him gathered cesar cui (b. 1835), and others, and in 1862 the free school of music was established, by which, and by balakirev's personal zeal, the modern school of russian music was largely stimulated. in 1869 balakirev was appointed director of the imperial chapel and conductor of the imperial musical society. his influence as a conductor, and as an organizer of russian music, give him the place of a founder of a new movement, apart even from his own compositions, which though few in number are remarkable in themselves. his works consist largely of songs and collections of folk-songs, but include a symphony (first played in england in 1901), two symphonic poems ("russia" and "tamara"), and four overtures, besides pianoforte pieces. his orchestral works are of the "programme-music" order, but all are brilliant examples of the highly coloured, elaborate style characteristic of modern russian composers, and developed by balakirev's disciples, such as borodin and rimsky-korsakov.