Aleksey Apukhtin

Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Апу́хтин, (November 21, 1840 – August 29, 1893) was a Russian poet, writer and critic. Apukhtin came from an ancient noble family. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg School of Jurisprudence where he was a class mate of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who became a lifelong friend. Apukhtin dedicated several poems to Tchaikovsky. Following the traditions of amorous gypsy romance, he introduced into this genre much of his own artistic temperament. Many of his romances were set to music by Tchaikovsky and by other well-known composers (To forget so soon, Does the day reign, Nights of madness and others). Apukhtin's reputation as a poet was further strengthened in 1886, when his...