The photo shows Nina Khrennikova, sister of Tikhon Khrennikov, the youngest daughter of Nikolay Ivanovich and Varvara Vasilievna. The photograph was given to the museum’s collection by her niece Veronica — she collected the family archive and was interested in the history of the family.
Nina was born in 1909 in Yelets, and was the youngest of the daughters. The Khrennikovs' family was large and friendly, in total they had ten children — six boys and four girls. The eldest son Nikolay was born when his father was 31, and the younger Tikhon was born when the head of the family was 54.
The father served as an estate manager for Yelets merchants. His main goal was to give children a serious quality education, which he was unable to obtain himself.
Nina received a traditional upbringing for that time. The most important skills were considered to be housekeeping skills: cooking, washing, cleaning. The mother Varvara Vasilievna taught the daughters to sew and weave lace. According to the recollections of her relatives, Nina was distinguished by her elegance and good taste. In the photo, she is dressed in a dark coat with a fur collar, and a scarf is tied around her neck — these are signs of wealth. She wears a beret on her head — this accessory came into fashion in the 20-30s of the 20th century, and was considered a sign of elegance and “European” style.
In childhood, Nina studied music together with her younger brother Tikhon. The family lived modestly, but when older sister Sophia noticed her relatives' creativity, she raised money and bought a piano so that the children could practice at home. The composer recalled: “As far as I can remember, music was held in high esteem in our house. In general, there was always music around. Despite the fact that our city was a county one, the concerts were held there on a constant basis — chamber, symphonic, and solo. <…> From the age of nine I began to learn to play the piano. At first, as I said, our Kveton taught me. He also taught me the rudiments of elementary music theory”.
Unlike the composer Khrennikov, Nina quickly lost interest in art. She lived and worked in Yelets. When her parents and sister Sophia died, Nina sold the family’s house and in 1948 moved to Moscow — sisters Lydia and Nadezhda and brother Tikhon lived there.
Nina died in 2000, she was buried at the Novo-Dyevitchiye cemetery.
Nina was born in 1909 in Yelets, and was the youngest of the daughters. The Khrennikovs' family was large and friendly, in total they had ten children — six boys and four girls. The eldest son Nikolay was born when his father was 31, and the younger Tikhon was born when the head of the family was 54.
The father served as an estate manager for Yelets merchants. His main goal was to give children a serious quality education, which he was unable to obtain himself.
Nina received a traditional upbringing for that time. The most important skills were considered to be housekeeping skills: cooking, washing, cleaning. The mother Varvara Vasilievna taught the daughters to sew and weave lace. According to the recollections of her relatives, Nina was distinguished by her elegance and good taste. In the photo, she is dressed in a dark coat with a fur collar, and a scarf is tied around her neck — these are signs of wealth. She wears a beret on her head — this accessory came into fashion in the 20-30s of the 20th century, and was considered a sign of elegance and “European” style.
In childhood, Nina studied music together with her younger brother Tikhon. The family lived modestly, but when older sister Sophia noticed her relatives' creativity, she raised money and bought a piano so that the children could practice at home. The composer recalled: “As far as I can remember, music was held in high esteem in our house. In general, there was always music around. Despite the fact that our city was a county one, the concerts were held there on a constant basis — chamber, symphonic, and solo. <…> From the age of nine I began to learn to play the piano. At first, as I said, our Kveton taught me. He also taught me the rudiments of elementary music theory”.
Unlike the composer Khrennikov, Nina quickly lost interest in art. She lived and worked in Yelets. When her parents and sister Sophia died, Nina sold the family’s house and in 1948 moved to Moscow — sisters Lydia and Nadezhda and brother Tikhon lived there.
Nina died in 2000, she was buried at the Novo-Dyevitchiye cemetery.
