The Greatest 19th Century Russian Composers and Their Music
The 19th century was a pivotal period for Russian classical music. Prior to this, Russia lacked a strong indigenous tradition of classical music. This was partly due to its geographical distance from Western Europe, where classical music was flourishing. The Russian Orthodox Church also discouraged secular music, which hindered its early development.
However, the situation began to change during the reign of Peter the Great, who sought to modernise Russia by embracing Western culture. He invited Western composers and musicians to his court, establishing Saint Petersburg as a centre for Western music. This generated interest in classical music among the Russian aristocracy.
https://www.ourmusicworld.com/archives/46298
