| Timeline |
| 1844 |
Born 18 March in Russia; the son of aristocratic parents |
| 1850 |
Learns to play piano and begins composing short pieces of his own |
| 1856 |
Enters the St. Petersburg Naval College |
| 1861 |
Meets composers Balakirev and Mussorgsky, fellow members of "The Five" |
| 1862 |
In the navy, embarks on a voyage around the world |
| 1865 |
Symphony No.1 performed, at Balakirev's Free School of Music in St. Petersburg |
| 1871 |
While still in navy, becomes professor of composition at St. Petersburg Conservatory |
| 1873 |
Marries pianist Nadezhda Purgold |
| 1874 |
Becomes director of the Free School of Music |
| 1905 |
Sacked from Conservatory for left-wing sympathies |
| 1907 |
Last opera, The Golden Cockerel, banned |
| 1908 |
Fatal angina attack, 21 June |
