Musicology Annotation << Back Violinist and composer N.Y. Afanasyev in the mirror of 19th century music criticism Sukhanova Tatiana The article presents the image of the Russian violinist, composer and musical fi gure of the XIX century Nikolai Yakovlevich Afanasyev from the point of view of opinions, views of the musician himself and his contemporaries (A. Ulybyshev, F. Bulgarin, I. Mann, P. Shalikov, V. Dobrokhotov), published in the periodical press of 1830–1890s. Among the tasks of the work is to reconstruct the creative biography on the basis of the facts recorded in the sources of the XIX century. The biography of the musician was not typical for a Russian performer of that time: having started his performing career as a child prodigy, Afanasyev showed uncommon abilities as a Kapellmeister of a private theater, in adulthood he undertook a concert tour of Russia unprecedented for musical practice, and in the second half of his life he devoted himself to musical composition and memoirs. Emphasis is placed on the study of details related to the peculiarities of the violinist's performance style and repertoire. In Afanasyev's performing style, his contemporaries noted his impeccable mastery of the latest techniques, the meaningfulness of his performance, and his interest in the virtuoso trends of the “romantic school of music”. To a lesser extent, the article touches on the problems of the composer's legacy, which are considered in the aspect of its coverage in the nineteenth-century press. Afanasyev's talent as a composer was appreciated by his contemporaries mainly in chamber-instrumental genres. Keywords: N.Y. Afanasyev, Russian violin art, Russian music criticism of the XIX century, biography, performing style, concert program. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.4.2025.1429 Pp. 36-46.