Russian Romantic Nationalism in Music

At the time that Dostoyevsky was writing and considering Russian identity, there was an important movement in Russian classical music at the time that also concerned itself with Russian national identity. Russia had few prominent classical composers until the 19th century, led by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), who remains well-known and frequently performed even today. Tchaikovsky struggled to create a distinctly Russian style of classical music that incorporated elements of Western classical music and traditional Russian music. He struggled with this throughout his life in what was almost a musical microcosm of the conflict between traditional Russian values and imported Western ones that the Russian intelligentsia faced at the time. Tchaikovsky wrote about subjects of national pride, such as the famous 1812 Overture that celebrated the defeat of Napoleon's invasion.

Later, likely the most influential Russian composers were a group called "The Five," consisting of Mily Balakirev, Alexandr Borodin, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, joined formed in Saint Petersburg from 1856 to 1870. This group continued to develop a distinctly Russian sound, but did face considerable criticism from conservative critics and other composers. These composers wrote many of the most famous works of Russian classical music, like Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain (featured in Fantasia), Borodin's Prince Igor, Balakirev's Islamey, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Together, they forged a uniquely Russian sound that was influential in the music of subsequent Russian composers. Later Russian composers like Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninov, carried on the tradition of Russian classical music into the 20th century. It's interesting to see how many of the conflicts around Russian identity played out in the music of the time and to think how such movements might have influenced Dostoyevsky. Below are some links to some of the pieces I mentioned (you'll probably recognize 1812 Overture and maybe others):

1812 Overture (featuring cannons as instruments):

Night on Bald Mountain (with the scene from Fantasia):