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Russian composer, pianist, conductor, and pivotal leader of the nationalist music group 'The Mighty Handful'.Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Balakirev emerged as a self-taught musical prodigy. After moving to St. Petersburg in 1855, he became Mikhail Glinka's protégé. In 1862, he co-founded 'The Mighty Handful' (or 'The Five'), mentoring composers like Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin....