Understanding the national history and traditions in the creative heritage of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov

The search for national consciousness and identity in the context of globalization led to a revival of interest in the national cultural heritage. The study discusses the cultural and historical background to the development of the creative method of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, his national style, the influences of the composers of the Five, the ideas of populism, and his personal philosophical and aesthetic convictions. Being the bearer of Russian culture and having a mythological type of consciousness, the composer reflected all facets of national culture in his creative heritage. The author highlights and considers the national themes in compositions of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov: historical folk, epic heroic, folklore, religious and Orthodox, calendar ritual, mythological ones, the theme of Russian nature, the appeal to Russian literary classics. In accordance with the selected areas, operas are classified as the leading genre. The composer’s creative heritage concentrates the people’s historical memory, moral and ethical standards, acts as a source of patriotism, and reflects all its components.