Abstract:
This is an original scholarly monograph about the life and work of the Russian composer and critic Alexander Serov (1820–1871), studied through the lens of his understanding of modernity as it developed in Russia in the mid-nineteenth century. This is the first full-length biography of Alexander Serov in English, utilizing original records and archives, and the first in any language since 1985. Through the life of the composer-critic, it conveys an understanding of Russian conceptions and misconceptions of modernity.