Composer NIKOLAI RIMSKY- KORSAKOV played an immense role in the development of Russian musical classic (his unusual name was derived from one of his ancestors, who reputedly made a pilgrimage to Rome.) One of the most active members of the Mighty Handful, he also embraced the mission of editing and promoting  a  number  of opuses of his friends and associates in this artistic group – Borodin and Mussorgsky. Later, he became the central figure of the Belyaev Circle and a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, whose students included, among others, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Ottorino Respighi. He is the only one from this generation to have touched upon the new trends in twentieth-century music in the course of his artistic evolution, as well as the only Russian composer from that era to have created such opulent and diverse musical heritage – fifteen operas, symphonic suites, overtures, symphonies, piano concerts, and romances. Rimsky- Korsakov also authored textbooks in harmony and orchestration, which are in use even to this day; and the memoir book Chronicle of My Musical Life, an important historical source on that time.