Crises in the Rimsky-Korsakov household may have been a factor—the serious illnesses of his wife and one of his sons from diphtheria in 1890, the deaths of his mother and youngest child, as well as the onset of the prolonged, ultimately fatal illness of his second youngest child.
As crises dentro do círculo familiar de Rimskii-Korsakov poderían ter sido o factor causante: as graves enfermidades da súa muller e un dos seus fillos debido á difteria en 1890, as mortes da súa nai e fillo de menor idade, así como o comezo dunha prolongada e finalmente fatal enfermidade do seu segundo fillo máis novo.