Plenivshis’ rozoj, solovey (Nightingale and the Rose)—Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | Hunter S. Hancock

Plenivshis’ rozoj, solovey (1865) from Chetyre pesnja, Op. 2, No. 2 Music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), Russian Lyrics by Aleksey Koltsov (1809-1842), Russian Plenivshis' rozoj, solovej i den' i noch' pojot nad nej; No roza molcha pesnjam vnemlet. . . Na lire tak pevec inoj pojot dlja devy molodoj; a deva milaja ne znaet komu pojot i otchego pechal'ny pesni tak ego. Enchanted by a rose, the nightingale sings over her, day and night; But the rose listens without answering. . . Just how a certain singer, to his lyre, sings for a young maiden; but the lovely maiden does not know for whom he sings, and why his songs are so sorrowful. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov came from a wealthy aristocratic family with a long military tradition, and served in the Russian Navy for a considerable time: first as a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Russian Navy, and later as Inspector of Naval Bands. After returning from a tour at sea for over two years, the young Rimsky-Korsakov was introduced to Mily Balakirev, Modest Mussorgsky, and other young Russian composers, creating the prominent nineteenth-century group later known as The Five. Balakirev began teaching Rimsky-Korsakov piano and composition in 1865, and it was around this time that Rimsky-Korsakov composed “Plenivshis' rozoj, solovej.” It was perhaps during his naval travels that Rimsky-Korsakov first encountered the concept of the nightingale and the rose, an artistic theme and motif used extensively in Persian poetry for thousands of years. Typically, the nightingale represents a yearning lover or an artist, and the rose—symbolic of perfection and beauty—their muse. In the case of these lyrics, written by Koltsov, the motif seems representative of star-crossed lovers. The nightingale sings passionately to a beautiful flower who cannot respond to his songs. Yet, unbeknownst to him, she listens concernedly, worrying about his pain, oblivious to the fact that she is the cause. This story is likely rooted in some truth for Koltsov; as the son of a cattle herder and merchant, Kolstov yearned to be a poet and literary critic, but his father strongly disapproved of this career path. He fell in love with a local serf girl, Douniacha, who passed away soon after she was sold to another owner, who abused and mistreated her. Koltsov would never marry, and after much abuse from his own father, developed tuberculosis and died of consumption at the age of 33. ⭑ 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 ⭑ MY HEART, THE MOON: A Master's Recital Hunter S. Hancock, soprano with Ted Powell, piano & Daniel Gonzalez, violin Sunday, May 3rd, 2026 Texas Woman's University Margo Jones Performance Hall 1100 Oakland Street, Denton, Texas 76201 All translations and program descriptions are my own. © 2026 Hunter S. Hancock, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0