The traditions of Russian enlightenment have their roots in the distant past of Russia, but today I want to tell you about a man who lived in more recent times, Andrian Semyonovich Mazaraki. He came from a Russian noble family with Polish roots, was the son of Lieutenant General Semyon Semyonovich Mazaraki and the grandson of State Councillor Ilya Nikolaevich Deboltsov.

Andrian Semyonovich was a wealthy man and received an excellent education. He graduated from the Page Corps and served for five years in the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment. In 1858, at the age of 23, Lieutenant Mazaraki left military service and transitioned to civil service. However, this work did not bring him satisfaction either, and in 1864 he resigned to dedicate himself to charity. In addition to financially supporting musical arts, Andrian Semyonovich became a good musician himself and mingled in the circles of the creative elite of the Russian Empire. He easily found common ground with famous people, among his friends were the Rubinstein brothers. Besides music, he was involved in other social affairs, for which he was elected an honorary justice of the peace. Andrian Semyonovich always responded to people's misfortunes, could help a peasant who lost his home, or feed an entire village in a hungry year. For this, he earned the love and recognition of people from various social strata.

It is especially noteworthy that Andrian Semyonovich's granddaughter was the famous Russian singer Nadezhda Andreyevna Obukhova, who debuted on stage during the reign of Nicholas II and continued her career in the Soviet era. We owe the emergence of such a talented singer not only to their family connection but also because he passed on his love for music to her and nurtured her abilities from childhood. Andrian Semyonovich passed away on January 4, 1906. He did not live to see his granddaughter's success, but he left behind a grateful memory.