Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: Никола́й Андре́евич
Ри́мский-Ко́рсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) (18 March [O.S.
6 March] 1844 – 21 June [O.S. 8 June] 1908)[a 1] was a Russian composer,
and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.[a 2] He was a
master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral
compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture,
and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are considered staples of the
classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of
his 15 operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy
tale and folk subjects.