Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) was a Russian composer, considered the founder of Russian classical music, who blended Western styles with Russian folk melodies, earning international recognition and inspiring future generations like The Five (Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov). Born into a noble family, he studied in St. Petersburg and abroad, but ultimately developed a distinctly Russian sound, famously showcased in his operas A Life for the Tsar (1836) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1842).