RUSSIAN ROMANCE
A word to the reader
“THERE IS A GREAT POWER
IN CONCORDANCE OF THE WORDS OF THE LIVING..."
We are talking about the verse that is sung, about the verse as the source of a song, a romance.
The task of collecting textual material from romances is significant and necessary, because the printed word can always do a good job, allowing one to resort to the original source if necessary. True, this process is complex, since, according to L. Tolstoy, language changes every quarter of a century. Both the song and the romance are modified as well.
The work that went into publishing the book “Russian Romance” is important. Poems often have independent value in isolation from music. The musical fabric has its own laws, so they often resort to inevitable cuts, which is why the meaning of dramaturgy, embedded, for example, in Nekrasov’s “Peddlers”, is not revealed. Let's take Pushkin's "Confession". When recording this romance, I decided to use the poem in its entirety. And yet it was difficult to fit the text into the rhythm of the music of Yakovlev, a contemporary of Pushkin and his comrade at the Lyceum.
The poetic material presented here can serve a good purpose for the coming generation, especially since almost no one writes about the stars, the sun, the moon, the rustling reeds, or how the heart beats. Today they no longer resort to words such as “I’m wondering at the sky and wondering about that thought...”. If a person has already been to the Moon, then the material world is looking for a time-tested artistic word. This will bring you into poetic balance.
Previously, man was closer to nature, felt its beneficial influence, often, in a fit of happiness or misfortune, resorted to a weeping willow or shining poplar and conducted a dialogue with them. It’s enough to remember “Oh, what the hell, dubi, he got lost in the ravine...”.
And one more consideration about the need to publish such a collection. After all, Gogol is represented by both Rimsky-Korsakov - “Christmas Night” and Tchaikovsky - “Cherevichki”. Consequently, the same theme, the same verses give rise to a new poetic creation in music. Because of this, the proposed collection will certainly be useful for both historians and composers. The composition of the book, in my opinion, reflects the diversity of romance creativity, and the article preceding the book introduces the reader to the world of Russian romance.
I. Kozlovsky,
People's Artist of the USSR,
Hero of Socialist Labor
"Beautiful Suffering"
Notes on Russian romance
This strange juxtaposition of beauty and suffering was introduced to us by Sergei Yesenin, turning to a Khorossan Persian woman from border Persia, which he so wanted to visit, but never visited:
Goodbye, peri, goodbye,
Even if I couldn’t unlock the doors,
You gave beautiful suffering,
I can sing about you in my homeland...
Yesenin wrote the poems of this cycle in Baku. Next door to Persia, but still not in it. S. M. Kirov, addressing Yesenin’s friend, journalist Pyotr Chagin, who accompanied the poet during his Baku business trip in the spring of 1925, said: “Why haven’t you yet created Yesenin’s illusion of Persia in Baku? Look how I wrote it, as if I was in Persia...” “In the summer of 1925,” recalls Chagin, “Yesenin came to my dacha. This, as he himself admitted, was a genuine illusion of Persia: a huge garden, fountains and all sorts of oriental ideas...”
This comment confirms the illusory-romantic pathos of “Persian Motifs”. Deliberately illusory, when it is clear that the roses with which the threshold of the unrealizable Persian woman is strewn were grown in the ethereal gardens of Babylon, and the mysterious doors, which remained unopened, did exactly the right thing, strictly following the poetics of the genre. But what genre?
OR MAYBE
"SUFFERING BEAUTY"?
So, the poems themselves are a product of pure imagination. After all, all this happened before the Chagi gardens and fountains. The poet imagined everything. On the border with the non-existent. But inside the poem, “beautiful suffering” is a derivative of a different kind, designed to “beautify” the pain, but in such a way that this pain is compassionate. The boundary between an authentic chant and the decorative object of this chant.
Let's change the semantic emphasis - instead of beautiful suffering let's say suffering beauty, - and the peri will disappear from Khorossan. It’s true, perhaps the Persian princess Stenka Razin will emerge from the Volga depths. Let's remove suffering, and Pushkin’s “I drink to Mary’s health” will remain, also peri, only different, powerless to bestow not only beauty, but any kind of suffering at all. And beauty - ringing and light - yes. Borders within lyrics, within its genres.
Please note: “I can sing about you in my homeland.” Sing someone else’s image of “beautiful suffering”; while maintaining this foreign image, but in their homeland.
Isn’t it true that little by little we get used to this strange juxtaposition of suffering and beauty? We’ve almost gotten used to how, from the depths of historical memory, a terrible ancient Roman legend emerges about one local music lover who invented a monstrous musical instrument- a golden box with iron partitions in it. This musical maestro drove the slave into the box, battened down the shutter and began to heat his torture organ over low heat. The inhuman screams of the man being roasted alive, repeatedly reflected from the specially placed partitions there, were transformed into captivating sounds that delighted the ears of aesthetically sophisticated listeners. Suffering incomprehensible to the mind has become beauty comprehensible to the ear; chaos of scream - harmony of sounds. The aesthetic, which is on the other side of the ethical, is obvious. The artistic boundary has been irrevocably crossed.
But beautiful suffering“in the days... of the people’s troubles” or in memory of these troubles should be supplanted by a different aesthetics that does not tolerate verisimilitude, but demands truth:
...And the soldier drank from a copper mug
Half the wine with sadness
on the ashes of a hut burned by the Nazis;
Friends can't stand in the area,
The movie goes on without them
that is, without Seryozha and Vitka with Malaya Bronnaya and Mokhovaya.
Wine with sadness, cinema with sadness. But from the position of a poet-chronicler with lyrical-epic vision.
These tragic poems are also sung, but they are sung differently, just like Simon’s “yellow rains” of expectation. Here beauty is of a different kind - the beauty of an act that conceals the particularity of a beautifully suffering gesture. Once again, the genre boundary: between the epic song and the elegy romance. An essential boundary for defining the romance genre as an ethical and aesthetic reality at the same time, corresponding to the “Russian-Persian” Yesenin formula, which paradoxically combined suffering and beauty.
“...Every cultural act essentially lives on boundaries: this is its seriousness and significance; abstracted from boundaries, he loses ground, becomes empty...”
So is romance, which is on the border of the aesthetic and ethical, artistic and social. To understand this, it is necessary to leave the “sounding” space into another, “listening” space.
What are they, the boundaries of perception of the romance lyrical word (if, of course, a modern listener is able to hear in the lyrics the root lyre, which can be plucked, tested for sound and put to the voice)?
Most famous singer From Kazan in the world, without exaggeration, one can name Yulia Ziganshina, performer of ancient and modern Russian romances, domestic and foreign songs, Honored Artist of Tatarstan. She has been developing and supporting such a unique genre as “Russian romance” for many years, visiting various parts of the world with concerts and running the “Kazan Romance” salon in her hometown. “Russian Planet” talked with the singer about what changes the genre has undergone over the past few centuries, and what it can give to modern people.
- Julia, how has Russian romance changed over the course of its history?
Romance came to Russia in late XVIII century from Spain, where street musicians began to sing not in Latin and not about the love of God, but in their native Romance language and about the love of a woman. In our country, romance fell on fertile soil; society felt the need for sentimental personal experiences. The romances fell into the reliable hands of the great poets and composers of the Golden Age - Pushkin, Glinka, Lermontov, Dargomyzhsky. Next splash - turn of XIX-XX centuries, then a salon, everyday romance is born. It is interesting that during this period, romances, with some exceptions, were written based on poems by semi-professional poets. High poetry Silver Age ahead of its time, it was sometimes incomprehensible to the average person. And romance is a human genre, earthly in every sense of the word. Romances began to be written based on Silver Age poems at the end of the 20th century. And cinema played an important role in the history of romance of this time. In the 1920s, the government decided that romance was an alien, bourgeois genre; performing and writing it was life-threatening. And he returned to the masses only along with the poetry of the Silver Age through films such as “The Irony of Fate” and “Cruel Romance.”
- What happened to the romance in terms of plots and the range of feelings it expresses?
Musically, intonationally, of course, something changes. Human thinking develops and vocabulary expands. We began to think more complexly, although this is not always necessary. Romances today are often performed with orchestras, previously mostly with guitar and piano. The range of feelings in the romance - from categorical hatred to deep love. Moreover, we're talking about about earthly love in all its nuances - the expectation of love, love as a memory, bright or sad, love in the process.
- What sensory experience and what technique should a romance performer have?
All genres require labor and work from the performer. But I'm sure that romance is the most complex genre with its apparent simplicity. There is still an opinion that romance is a trinket that is easy to perform. Many dramatic, opera and jazz artists think that singing a romance is very simple: “If I sing an opera, won’t I really sing a romance?” But you won’t sleep! There are catastrophically few real romance singers.
Let me explain. Opera, in my opinion, is about vocals. Jazz is freedom. An author's song is a text. Folklore is a state. Rock music is about rhythm. Pop music is show and exterior. But romance is a sense of proportion. And with this feeling, as you know, the greatest tension is not only in music. A romance also requires vocals, and competent and delivered ones, however, if there is too much of it, then, as a rule, the text disappears. When there are few vocals, this is also bad, because romance is still vocal genre, without vocals it turns out to be an amateur performance. The text should also be in moderation: you can’t have too little: a romance is a dramatic work, and you can’t have too much - there is a danger of going into the author’s song.
The state is necessary, but just enough so that in three or even two verses you have time to immerse yourself in the work, immerse the listener, and come out of there together - impressed, inspired. Show and exterior are necessary. A concert costume, and not a simple one, but an appropriate one, is an integral part of the romance program. A show, or better yet, a mini-theater, is the basis of a romance concert, but again in moderation so that the spectacle does not overshadow the romance itself; after all, romance is a fragile, easily vulnerable genre, and the “interior” in it is no less important than the exterior.
Russian romance is a brand, it is unique, says Yulia Ziganshina. Photo: from personal archive
Regarding personal experience, it is just not required. The singer must be observant and imaginative, able to arouse feelings - from his past, present and imaginary life, from the memory of ancestors, and so on. This is called memory of the heart.
- WhatAre you a fan of romance today?
This is a person who has life experience. Of course, these are mostly people who are... How much? It's hard to say. I sang romances to a children's audience, and the children listened with interest. Who didn’t fall in love in the first grade or experience feelings in the seventh? Experience that is beyond the control of years, which can be gained at 7, and at 25, and at 70. There is a person who has lived his whole life and has not understood anything. Listeners belong to different social strata. There are more women at concerts: I think because they are not afraid to show their feelings, men tend to be reserved.
- What does romance give to modern man?
An opportunity to feel like a person, to remember your feelings. Many people say that romance heals their soul. What kind of treatment is this? Tension is relieved, feelings and thoughts come into harmony, and the heart is cleansed.
- How is Russian romance received in the world?
I often perform abroad - not only for Russian audiences, but also for foreigners. For example, I recently returned from Italy, there was a concert in Parma for an Italian audience, there we worked with translators of Russian literature: before each romance, I talked a little about the romance itself, conveyed its brief content so that the audience would understand where to direct their feelings. And it works.
Russian romance is a brand. He is unique. There is no analogue to this genre anywhere. Everything that is sung with a guitar abroad is more like an art song than a romance. The genre of everyday salon romance cannot be found in any other country. However, as often happens with us, we treat our loved ones badly.
- In romanceIs continuity important?
Now there are a number of singers who have taken the style of performers of the early 20th century and joyfully sit on it. I think this is unacceptable. When they tell me that this is the same as Vertinsky or Piaf, I answer that I’d rather listen to the original. Singers who copy achieve some success, they have fans, but they do not need fresh experiences, but the past, memories, antiques.
Eat reverse side question - a complete denial of what was done before you. As they say, nothing is sacred. And again, the viewer can be attracted by such “innovation”, but, alas, not for long, because this speaks more of the artist’s stupidity than of originality: without taking into account the experience accumulated over centuries, he shows either lack of education or laziness. Here again the question arises about a great sense of proportion - where is the line so as not to fall into copying, but also not to leave the source? And here it is important to find guidelines.
- Why did you choose romance in your life?
Professionally, it all started when I became a laureate of the 1998 Romansiada competition. But long before that, I was interested in this genre; in my early youth I tried to sing romances, but I couldn’t learn the words by heart - I didn’t see the point in them. I was attracted to romances by their melody, a kind of languid melancholy, which, of course, was familiar to me, but I could not understand what they were about. And suddenly - the film “Cruel Romance”! An exact hit on me with an incredible combination of words, melody, guitars, keys, matching my condition, modernity of sound with the general surroundings of the 19th century! And most importantly - the voice! A voice where the text and experience were in the foreground. I can’t even say that it was the voice that struck me: real romance singers do not have a voice in its pure form - it is always a combination of sound, words, meaning and feeling. Then I bought a vinyl record and listened to it until I stumbled and scratched. And a strange thing - after some time, after modern romances, which sounded in the film, there came an understanding and awareness of what was happening in ancient romances - they acquired meaning, they found logic, development, and an idea!
Natalia Odintsova
Scenario for an evening of romances “Good old things will warm the soul”
Guests are seated at tables arranged in a small hall. On improvised stage - piano. There are lit candles on it.
In the foreground is a small table at which the presenter is located.
They sound romances performed by Yulia Priz (recording)
The words belong to the presenter.
Good afternoon, dear guests of our evenings. Today our meeting is dedicated to music - the queen of all arts and his majesty - romance.
Music is a rainbow of colors of the world around us. She can tell you a lot and answer any, even the most unexpected questions. Music teaches us kindness and sensitivity, teaches us to see the amazing and extraordinary in the simplest and most understandable.
Gone are the elegies and stanzas,
But their times will come
Russian chant romance
My soul is conquered...
So we go to wonderful trip, to the world of Russian romance.
Talk about romance I wouldn’t like to start with a historical excursion into the history of the emergence and development of this wonderful genre, but I would like to make an attempt figure out: what is its nature, which makes you secretly listen to the lyrical melodiousness and sometimes amazing poetic syllable; and what it is now, and what it will be. I would like to hear an answer to these questions from you, dear viewers and participants. evenings.
I'm turning to.
Tell me please, I know you perform great romances - soulful, heartfelt. Do you remember when your first meeting with this took place? musical genre. When romance settled in your heart?
(answer)
I think that the guests of our meeting will be happy to listen romance in your performance.
Let's open a music room with you encyclopedia: we read...
« Romance- chamber piece for voice with tool support, one or more. This term originated in Spain and originally meant a song in Spanish (Romanesque) language, and not in Latin, accepted in church hymns. Thus, the name emphasized the non-church, secular nature of the genre.”
Escort in romance, which initially created only support, a background for the voice, gradually became an equal part of the ensemble.
Romance is a complex genre. Difficult because you need to have qualities that can immediately distinguish you from the general amateur to the rank of master of this genre. And the most important thing, in my opinion, is the quality - intonation. A performer who has found his intonation essentially masters the genre, although he may not have special vocal abilities. Romances, as they say, they sing with their souls.
This is the type of performer present at our meeting; he is capable of many types of vocal art. But in the first place, in my opinion, is execution romances and lyrical ballads. I invite Dmitry Shevchenko to the instrument.
Certainly, romance is multifaceted, multi-genres. This is a classic romance, and urban, household romance- for us the most understandable and beloved. But no less bewitching and reverent romance-gypsy.
Listening to him, you picture in your mind's eye picture: steppe, the full moon illuminates the gypsy carts, horses graze peacefully, silence and only the crackling of the fire, the sound of a guitar and the hand of the hand can be heard singing from the soul, with anguish and some kind of universal melancholy. A gypsy can tell about love, about betrayal, and about a lot more. romance. I invite V.V. Vasiliev to the piano.
Now often in relation to romance the epithet is pronounced « old Russian romance» . But romance I've never been to Russia antique, was a new, fashionable and much loved genre. His power was all-consuming - from merchant mansions and taverns, to theater stages and court salons. And the diversity of the genre was so great that the border between romance and the song is still not very defined.
Urban romance is perhaps the most"young" romance song genre. But some of them have not lost their popularity for more than a century; their melody and words remain well-known.
Let's remember together the phrases from these popular romances. I'll start, and you continue.
"I was driving home-soul was full"
"White acacia clusters are fragrant"
"Coachman, don't drive the horses"
“The chrysanthemums in the garden have long since bloomed”
I see that these romances are your favorite, their poetic lines live in your hearts.
I invite you, dear viewers, to sing the famous city romance together.
(performed romance)
I am addressing ___
Tell me what it means to you romance? What is this - food for thought or rest for the soul?
(answer)
Do you think there is a future for this song genre?
(answer)
And of course we want to listen romance in your performance.
Talking about romance, one cannot help but recall the magnificent performers, thanks to whom romance firmly entered our lives, became loved and recognizable. This is Alexander Vertinsky, Varvara Panina, whom Blok called "divine Varya Panina", Kato Dzhaparidze - owner of a beautiful low voice, soft heartfelt timbre, Vadim Kozin, Pyotr Leshchenko, Leonid Utesov. But I think that our current performers have captivated the audience no less than the celebrities. After all, they invested in their performance soul, emotions, bright feelings and gave this musical bouquet to us, the audience. Let's applaud them again.
At the end of our meeting, I would like to recall the words of one musical criticism: "Russian romance there is a special kind of phenomenon. Russian romance- this is a living lyrical response from the soul of the people.”
Really, romance has stood the test of time. It continues to develop. Perhaps it will take on new shapes. And you and I will witness the emergence of a new type of genre.
Thanks to our wonderful performers, accompanist___ and you, dear guests, for being with us.
RUSSIAN ROMANCE - THE SOUL OF THE PEOPLE
The romance work of composers of the first half of the 19th century arose on the basis of folk song lyrics. The flourishing of the vocal creativity of composers of this period was accompanied by a high rise in Russian poetry in the pre-Pushkin and Pushkin eras. Developing during the heyday of Russian poetry, romance sensitively reflected its themes, stylistic evolution and figurative structure. The work of V.A. Zhukovsky was of great importance for the development of Russian romance. Batyushkova K.N., Baratynsky E.A., Delviga A.A. and especially Pushkin A.S..
Pushkin's poetry enriched Russian romance and made it a major artistic phenomenon. In the works of composers, those genres of Russian romance emerged, which subsequently received a high, perfect embodiment by classical composers. Two important lines of vocal lyrics are defined - romance and “Russian song”. The term “romance” was established in Russian musical usage at the very beginning of the 19th century. This name meant lyrical vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment, created on an independent poetic text. Another genre of vocal chamber music - “Russian song” - is closer to folklore samples. “Russian song” is the most beloved, widespread genre in music of the first half of the 19th century; it developed under the influence of deep interest in folk art, which appeared almost simultaneously in music and poetry. Many “Russian songs” by A.A. Alyabyev, A. E. Varlamova, A.L. Gurilev “returned to the people” and became folk - so subtly and poetically were the composers able to translate into them the features of folk song lyrics. Romance lyrics largely determined the appearance of the Russian musical art first half of the 19th century. In the simplest genre of romance, the foundations of the national musical style and language, the intonation principles of Russian melody developed.
In addition to the “Russian song,” the formation of the main varieties of Russian romance dates back to this time - elegy, ballad, drinking song, etc. Elegy is a special type of lyrical-philosophical romance, in which deep thought, sadness, the theme of loneliness, etc. predominate. Elegy, having reached great heights in the works of Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, unusually enriched the romance with elements and intonations of Russian poetic speech. Along with elegy, it also includes meters typical for Russian versification - iambic tetrameter and pentameter, which determined a special type of melody: sad, melodious, declamatory. To the genre of elegy in the 20th century. addressed by Taneyev, Rachmaninov, Medtner. The ballad genre is distinguished by plot and narrative, hence the appearance of bright and expressive means. Unlike Western poetry, the Russian ballad is characterized by a more realistic development of the plot (the Western one is characterized by fantastic plots with elements of mysticism). Through the ballad, imagery of harmony and texture comes into Russian vocal lyrics. In the ballad, a certain type of vocal part is formed - pathetic, replete with broad, exclamatory lines intonations that emphasize particularly significant words of the text. The Russian ballad, developing in line with the realistic direction, incorporated historical subjects, heroic themes and freedom-loving motives. Examples - “Night View” by Glinka to the words of Zhukovsky, “Wedding” by Dargomyzhsky, “The Sea” by Borodin. “The imagery of harmony and texture comes into Russian vocal lyrics to a large extent through the ballad” (V. Vasina-Grossman). A common feature of the romance lyrics of the Pushkin era was its close connection with poetic form. Composers have a very subtle feel for strophicity, rhythm, and the structure of verse. In the romance genre, a harmonious classical form is gradually being developed - most often strophic, couplet.
The most common type of couplet is a simple two-part form corresponding to a stanza of eight verses (less commonly a period form). The harmonic plan of a romance is usually determined by modulation into the dominant tuning (in major works) or the parallel major tuning (in minor scale works) with a return to the main key. The connection with folk song origins is indicated by the chanting, intonation softness and smoothness of the melody. A feature of the vocal melody was the initial “start” with a wide jump up a sixth (sometimes a fifth or octave) and a subsequent smooth descent. Characteristic are soft, “feminine” endings of phrases, languid chromaticisms, intra-syllabic chants, emphasizing the smoothness of the melody. Techniques of melodic ornamentation (foreshlags , gruppetto) are completely dependent on the style of vocal performance; they are organically included in the musical fabric. In the development of Russian romance, the dance rhythms of the waltz, mazurka, and polonaise played a large role. Dance in Russian romance sometimes becomes a means of imagery, portrait characteristics heroes. Dance rhythms had a noticeable influence on poetry. Composers turn to subjects related to the East, the Caucasus, Italy, and Spain. The melody and rhythm of the romances were enriched, primarily with multinational dance elements. In the musical heritage of A.A. Alyabyev’s vocal lyrics occupy a special place; even during the composer’s lifetime, romances created great fame for him.
In the first period of his creativity, the composer turned primarily to elegiac, contemplative images of Russian poetry. He is attracted by the poetry of Zhukovsky, the bright lyrics of Delvig, and the youthful poetry of Pushkin. Typical of the young Alyabyev are the romances “A Voice from the Other World”, “Memory” (to the words of Zhukovsky), “The Singer”, “Tear” (to the words of Pushkin). The song-romances “Nightingale”, “In the evening I blush in the evening”, “Ring of the maiden soul”, written by him in the 20s, have firmly entered the life of ordinary layers of Russian society. Alyabyev’s famous song “Nightingale” with the text has acquired special significance in Russian vocal lyrics A.A. Delviga, which became a kind of synonym for everyday song lyrics of the Pushkin era. In it, the composer managed to summarize the typical features of sensitive lyrical songs-romances of urban life, while maintaining the noble simplicity and grace of his vocal style. The romance is written in a simple verse form with a lead-in and chorus in each stanza. In the music of “The Nightingale” Alyabyev subtly reflected the inherent Russian folk song modal variability. The melody, covering an octave range, smoothly modulates in the first sentence from their minor to a parallel major, while forming the characteristic intonation of “chromaticism at a distance” (C-sharp - C, vol. 3-5). In the second sentence, it is colored by a colorful deviation into the major key of the VII degree (C major, t. 12), in order to return to the tonic of D minor.
The cadence with a colorful juxtaposition of the minor and major dominants highlights the smoothness of the melody. The song’s peculiar “leutintonation” is the final ascending melodic progression from the dominant to the tonic along the steps of the melodic minor scale - typical of everyday Russian romance. In the fast chorus (Allegro vivace), which affirms the main tonality, The same characteristic stylistic feature is the Russian sixth song - a move from the fifth to the third of the mode. Alyabyev's song spread all over Russia and became folk in the true sense of the word. The wide popularity of the work was facilitated by its piano arrangements - Glinka’s variations on the theme “The Nightingale” (1834) and Liszt’s virtuoso transcription (1842). Alyabyev enriched vocal music with new content and new means of musical expressiveness. The composer's romances showed attention to mode-harmonic expression, expressive means of timbre and color. Alyabyev’s harmony always emphasizes the meaning of a vocal melody and enriches it with subtle emotional nuances. Typical comparison for the composer tonalities of the same name major and minor (in details and large parts of the form), sudden enharmonic modulations, the use of altered chords, expressive unisons. His favorite sustained organ passages and ostinato figurations in the bass are used in different ways in romances of various genres - sometimes as a visual, genre or coloristic device (oriental dances from the collection “Caucasian Singer”), sometimes as a moment of purely psychological significance (“Beggar Woman”) Alyabyev introduced great variety into the interpretation of the romance form, subordinating the general structure of the romance to the development of the poetic plot, using, depending on the text, various types of composition. Here there is a simple verse song with a refrain (“Nightingale”), and a verse form with a complex two-part structure of each stanzas (“Beggar Woman”), three-part reprise forms, sometimes complicated by variational development (“Like a little village stands behind the river”), free forms end-to-end development, typical for ballad romances or dramatic monologues (“What is clouded, the clear dawn”, “Awakening”, “The Village Watchman”). The piano part is often the bearer of the main poetic image. Short instrumental introductions in the romances “Winter Road” and “Two Crows” convey the figurative structure of Pushkin’s poems with a few meager strokes. In this tendency of internal enrichment of form, texture and musical language romance, the innovative features of Alyabiev's style were revealed, bringing him closer to the Russian classics. The creative heritage of A.L. Gurilev consists of two main genres - vocal lyrics and piano miniatures. The appearance of the composer as a master of romance cannot be correctly understood if one does not take into account the important artistic expressive role piano accompaniment in his best romances. The prevailing idea about Gurilev’s supposedly “primitive” style has now been completely refuted by domestic musicologists, who were able to correctly establish his vocal and piano music common features of great grace and subtle soulful lyricism. The heyday of Gurilev’s creativity occurred in the 40s, when folk song urban life was enriched with new themes. The composer reflected the folk songs of his time, first of all, in the collection “47 Russian folk songs for voice and piano.” This material is currently one of the most valuable sources on the history of Russian urban folklore of the first half of the 19th century. It contains, along with romance songs of urban origin, also songs of the ancient peasant tradition. These are, first of all, the drawn-out songs “Luchinushka”, “There is more than one path in the field”, “Oh, you, my steppe”. Gurilev in his songs often uses techniques of ornamental variation, sometimes colorizing the theme, sometimes accompanying it with variations in the accompaniment. The contents of the collection are a kind of “encyclopedia” of urban songs of the 30-40s. Gurilev’s “Russian songs”, widespread in folk life, are closely related to the tradition of everyday music-making. They are dominated by the composer's characteristic circle of lyrical-elegiac images, thoughtful and contemplative moods. The composer almost never resorts to the drawn-out melody of a wide-singing style - he builds his melody on shorter, but flexible and plastic chants. The character of rhythmic movement, almost always associated with the waltz formula, acquires great expressive significance in Gurilev's songs. You can say - waltzing is the main thing hallmark“Russian songs” by Gurilev, in which the plastic grace of dance is always felt. Only a few examples of folk songs (including “Mother Dove”, “Sarafan”) were written by Gurilev in two-beat meter. However, waltzing does not contradict the bright national tradition songs. With great skill, the composer melts typical waltz rhythms into the intonation structure of Russian folk songs and, as it were, reinterprets them in Russian melos. The traditional five-syllable, with obligatory emphasis on the third, central syllable, size of folk verse (often called “Koltsovsky”) is the basis for Gurilev’s waltz songs . This poetic meter naturally fits into the composer’s three-beat, waltz meter rhythm (“Don’t make noise, rye, with a ripe ear”, “The sadness of a girl”, “A blue-winged swallow flutters”, “Tiny house”, etc.). The smoothness of the waltz movement combined with Russian song intonations gives these Gurilev songs a special touch of soft sensitivity. Smooth, sliding chromaticisms and rounded cadences are typical. One of the best examples of this elegiac song-romance style is the popular “Russian song” “The Blue-Winged Swallow is Floating.” The song “Bell” is distinguished by its soulfulness and deep lyricism. With poetic sadness, the composer conveys a picture of Russian nature, the sad sounds of a coachman's song. Characteristic is the complete fusion of text and music, melody and words, which speaks of Gurilev’s subtle “poetic ear”, of his ability to understand the music of poetry. The composer, using his typical waltz movement, uses a poetic meter (often found in Nekrasov) - a trimeter anapest: “The bell rattles monotonously, and the road gathers dust a little...” In his songs, Gurilev touched upon the theme of a girl’s share, characteristic of Russian folk poetry. The images of Russian girls, the sphere of femininity, could not have been more in keeping with Gurilev’s subtle and gentle style of writing and the intimate chamberness of his style. Genre " portrait of a woman "is presented in such songs as "Sarafan", "Fortune telling", "Guess, my dear", "Who is shedding tears", etc. The composer's romances, in comparison with "Russian songs", have not gained wide popularity, with few exceptions, although the romance Gurilev's creativity in the conditions of his time was a significant phenomenon. His best romances have points of contact with Varlamov, Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, whose work he undoubtedly loved and knew well. The influence of Glinka and his elegiac style manifested itself in Gurilev’s romances of a lyrical-contemplative plan (general melodic turns, characteristic techniques of taking off and filling the leap, chromatic descents, soft cadences with female endings, singing and surrounding the central sound with groupetto-type figures, for example in the romance “Don’t leave your native land.” A special group in Gurilev’s heritage consists of lyrical-dramatic romances in the romances “Separation” (words by A. V. Koltsov), “I spoke at parting” (words by A.A. Fet), “You poor girl,” “Who sheds tears, stretching out his hands” (words by I.S. Aksakov), in works based on texts by M.Yu .Lermontov, the composer acts as a worthy contemporary of Dargomyzhsky, as a composer who managed to touch upon deep psychological processes and show the hidden life of the human soul. Gurilev can rightfully be considered one of the first talented interpreters of the elegiac poetry of M.Yu. Lermontov. The composer’s romances “Both Boring and Sad” and “Justification” can be attributed to the new genre of “lyrical monologue”, which was highly embodied in the work of his younger contemporary A. S. Dargomyzhsky. The romance “Both Boring and Sad” is distinguished by a declamatory melody , naturally broken down into short “conversational” phrases, a compressed range. Expressive speech accents give the romance a special intonation mood of a simple statement, a conversation with oneself. The declamatory nuances of the vocal part stand out especially against the backdrop of the transparent and laconic piano accompaniment. Rhythmic stops in the piano part enhance the mood of mournful, painful reflection. Regardless of genre, a distinctive feature of Gurilev's romances is the subtlety of the piano texture. The piano part is technically simple, accessible for amateur performance. Meanwhile, the composer’s piano texture is polished, distinguished by the purity and smoothness of the voice, and the grace of expressive details. Often the composer enriches the piano part with supporting voices, short replicas that counterpoint with the main voice. Overall impression grace is facilitated by precise indications of the tempo, dynamics and character of the performance. M.I. Glinka turned to romance lyrics throughout his life. “Each of his vocal works is a page or line from his life, a particle of his delights, joys and sorrows,” V.V. wrote about them. Stasov. But not only the emotional experiences of a person, but also images of the outside world, pictures of nature, genre and everyday moments are clearly reflected in Glinka’s vocal lyrics. In terms of objectivity and breadth of content, his romances are compared with the lyrical poems of A.S. Pushkin; it was in Glinka’s music that Pushkin’s poetry first received equivalent expression. One cannot help but recall the words of G.G. Neuhaus, who in one of his articles wrote: “If a musician is an artist, then he cannot help but feel the music of poetry with the same force with which he feels the poetry of music... I consider Glinka’s romances to be the most perfect music for Pushkin’s poems. Music here is like a modest friend, an unpretentious companion of poetry, it does not impose anything, does not interfere with anything, its dignity and charm lie in its “service role.” And all this is achieved by the amazing fidelity of conveying the intonation beginning of Pushkin’s verse. From this point of view (and not only from this) the slogan: “Forward, to Glinka” seems to me the most fruitful for our young composers who set Pushkin’s texts to music...” Glinka’s vocal creativity was the pinnacle and completion of a long period of development of chamber vocal culture, originated in the 18th century. The genres of sentimental-lyrical romance, elegy, “Russian song,” and ballads were raised by the composer to a new artistic level. The richness of content in the composer’s romances is combined with the high perfection of artistic form. The vocal melody is distinguished by rare plasticity and completeness. Along with the verse structure, he makes extensive use of a symmetrical three-part or three-five-part form with a contrasting middle episode. A large role in the overall composition of the romance is played by solo piano episodes, introductions and conclusions, containing a generalized image of the romance. In the romances, Glinka does not strive to complicate the texture or external virtuosity, however, despite the apparent simplicity of the means, they require high skill from the performer. It is known that Glinka, himself an outstanding singer and teacher-vocalist, was fluent in vocal performance techniques. The composer created truly vocal romances, in which the leading role always belongs to the singer and the main content is expressed in a bright melodic image. Almost all of Glinka's romances were written to texts by Russian contemporary poets. They were created at a time of high prosperity of Russian lyric poetry. The composer had a keen sense of modern literary and artistic trends. The inextricable connection between Russian music and modern poetry further determines the entire path of development of Russian classical romance. The lyrics of thought and contemplation in the beautiful elegies of Glinka’s contemporary poets - Zhukovsky, Baratynsky, Batyushkov, were in tune creative aspirations young composer. The famous romance “Do not tempt” to the text by E.A. Baratynsky is a classically perfect example of the elegy genre in Russian music of the early 19th century. The mood of “silent melancholy,” longing and hidden hope, expressed in Baratynsky’s poem, is conveyed by the composer with rare perfection. The melody of the romance is distinguished by noble simplicity; it harmoniously merges with the poetic text of Baratynsky, who is very expressive in himself. Glinka avoids the “strain” that is so often found in the lyrics of the “cruel romance”. The music of the romance is extremely simple. An expressive introduction, with falling sequences, immediately introduces the listener to the poetic structure of Baratynsky’s poem. The mournful intonation is further developed in the vocal part. Most of Glinka’s “Russian songs” are written to poems by A.A. Delviga. In this genre, the composer develops mainly lyrical plots. “Russian Songs” are imbued with sincere, dreamy moods, which brings them closer to the general atmosphere of urban everyday romance of the 20s, but Glinka’s style of everyday lyrics is maintained with great artistic taste. In the songs “Oh, you, darling, a beautiful maiden”, “Oh, is it night, little night”, the composer does not go beyond the usual techniques and means of everyday romance, the piano part is reduced to a minimum (restrained chords and simple guitar-type accompaniment), but the simplicity of the texture in the “Russian songs” further emphasizes their song nature. The vocal part is presented in an improvisational manner and requires great performing skill from the singer. Glinka’s romance “Don’t sing, beauty, in front of me” to the words of A.S. Pushkin is one of the first experiences of embodying the theme of the East in Russian music. The simple theme of a folk song is handled by the composer with his usual skill - the folk motif calmly and smoothly unfolds against the backdrop of subtle harmonization with chromatic echoes in the middle voice. Vocal creativity of the 30s is represented by romances, which reflect the composer’s impressions of the nature and life of Italy, its singing culture . The Italian theme found its classical reflection in the romances “Venice Night” to the words of I. Kozlov, “Desire” to the verses of F. Romani, in them one can feel the romantic feeling of beauty - youth, beauty, happiness. The barcarolle romance “Venetian Night” has two editions , significantly different from each other in melodic and harmonic language. In performing practice, the second option is more often used, in which Glinka’s desire to saturate the texture with polyphony, line and harmonic diversity was manifested. The rhythm of the barcarolle serves as the main means for recreating the musical landscape. Measured rhythmic swaying, “splashes of waves” in the accompaniment, and a light melodic line expressively highlight the poetic feeling of nature. Glinka showed constant interest in the Spanish theme. The element of rhythm, temperament and sincerity of feelings, nobility and warmth - these are the qualities of the Spanish folk song that captivated Glinka. “Winner” to the words of V.A. Zhukovsky is a heroic “knightly” romance, permeated with active, energetic rhythms, saturated with ringing coloratura, glorifying the triumph of victory and the joy of love. The romance has a touch of brilliant concert style. Despite the Polish polonaise as the rhythmic basis, the romance subtly emanates a Spanish flavor; the abundance of clearly organized vocal flourishes using the second low step gives a “southern” touch to the melody and the entire musical language of the work. Some episodes of the piano accompaniment were also written in a virtuoso style, especially the final ritornello, where two important intonations of the romance and two main rhythmic patterns interact. The end of the 30s and the beginning of the 40s is the “Pushkin” period of the composer’s romance work. The romances “I’m here, Inesilya”, “Night Zephyr”, “Where is our rose”, “The fire of desire burns in the blood”, “I remember a wonderful moment” and the later created “Zazdravny Cup”, “Mary”, “Adele” - classic examples of the unity of music and poetry. The traditional genre of the “Spanish serenade” received a unique interpretation. In the romance “I am here, Inesilla”, the traditional love serenade turns into a passionate confession - a monologue, a scene of love and jealousy. The rapid, sharply accented melody takes on a tone of dramatic declamation, expressively embodying Pushkin's image of determination and courage. The composer wrote the romance in a three-part form, the outer sections frame the central episode, containing a love confession and jealous reproaches of the hero. Glinka presents the theme concisely (14 bars, not 16), this achieves swiftness and rapidity of musical speech. This is also emphasized by rhythmic means - syncopation and accents on the words “sword”, “I’m here”, and a short piano conclusion. The serenade genre is confirmed by the “guitar” accompaniment and the type of melody in the extreme sections (slight rise and smooth return in the extreme sections. The contrasting middle, like the extreme sections, is built on the principle of constant emotional escalation. The accompanist, as well as the soloist, is required to have instant figurative switching, elasticity rhythm, sometimes lightness, and sometimes richness of sound. The entire composition of the romance “Night Zephyr” (three-five-part form) is based on the contrast of two images. The first is the initial theme of the southern night, serving as a landscape background against which the love scene takes place, the second is a light and gentle serenade. The contrast of “landscape” and “serenade” is shaded by means of coloristic expressiveness, terts comparison of tonalities, differences in registers and textural presentation (soft F major, dull rumble of waves in the first part of the romance and light A major, guitar accompaniment in the love serenade). Three editions of the romance are known. Where is our rose? The “inner music” of this poem by Pushkin is based on the alternation of four and five syllable verses. Glinka conveys the musicality of Pushkin’s verse with the help of a flexible five-beat meter and a uniform, smooth rhythm. In the romance “Adele”, next to the Allegro tempo designation in brackets, the composer indicates: Tempo di Polka, although the small four-bar introduction does not in any way resemble this dance, it sounds pastoral, pipe theme, which in further dramatic development is assigned connecting role. Immediately after the first four-bar of the vocal part, which sets the tone for the dance beginning of the romance, Glinka entrusts this theme to the voice (bars 11-16) and it sounds three times, first accompanied by a lyrical interlude, and then transformed into an enthusiastic anthemic apotheosis of love. The piano part plays an important role in the dramaturgy of the romance, not only in solo episodes, but also as accompaniment. All piano passages are built on thematic material that grew out of the material in the introduction. In the bacchanalian drinking song “Zazdravny Cup” and another drinking song, “Mary,” Glinka embodied the cheerful, epicurean mood of Pushkin’s verse. “Zazdravny Cup.” The poet chooses a rarely used meter (dactyl) for his table ode, thanks to which the precise, chopped verse sounds full-blooded and laconic. Glinka uses the entire poem as a text, first of all, recreating the festive atmosphere in music. Glinka’s “Cup” is a joyful, sonorous hymn in which there is no place for despondency.C special attention Glinka refers to the form and content of the poem. In Pushkin, each stanza has its own “theme” (bad glory, beauty, love, wine). Glinka separates the stanzas from each other tonally (As, Es, E, As), limiting them also to the repetition of the final lines and piano interludes. The composer combines the principle of separation with the principle of unity, ending the last verse of each stanza with one melodic refrain, which ensures the dynamics of development and the integrity of the overall mood. The romance “Mary” is written in a three-part form. The outer parts are built on similar musical material, the middle one is a kind of lyrical center. Glinka uses his favorite technique of variant reprise, placing new episodes in the last part of the romance that echo the mood of the middle part. Almost everywhere where the melody is repeated, the composer changes the texture of the accompaniment, as a result of which new facets of the intonation-figurative language of the romance are highlighted. In the vocal lyrics of the late period of the 40s - 50s, the number of romances is small. Along with the cheerful, light Pushkin romances, Glinka’s works contain dramatic romances-monologues, full of tragic and sorrowful moods, hidden anxiety, painful thoughts: “Margarita’s Song”, “Prayer”, “You will soon forget me”, “Don’t say that my heart hurts.” The second half of the 19th century was a period of extraordinary growth of creative forces in Russian music. The end of the 50s and 60s brought forward a whole galaxy of composers, whose names constitute the pride and glory of Russia: P.I. Tchaikovsky, A.P. Borodin, M.P. Mussorgsky. Russian musical culture 80-90s shines with the names of S.I.Taneev, A.S. Arensky, A.K. Lyadov, A.K. Glazunov. In the second half of the 19th century, Russian song from the subject of everyday music-making became the subject of close interest and study. During this period, folk song and songwriting still remain the basis of professional art, and the nature of the connections between Russian romance and poetry became more complex. Poetry gives way to the leading role of prose, while at the same time experiencing its influence in relation to themes, plots, the nature of poetic speech (vocabulary, syntax, etc.). Russian vocal creativity is greatly influenced by Nekrasov’s poetry, this is especially clearly manifested in the song creativity of M.P. . Mussorgsky, as well as in the works of A. Borodin, Ts. Cui, P. Tchaikovsky. During these years, poets of a different direction, such as A.A. Fet, A.K. Tolstoy, A.N. Maikov, Ya.P. Polonsky, Tyutchev created a lot of valuable things in the field of psychological lyrics, revealed the beauty of their native nature, etc. The leading role at this time was taken by opera, as the type of musical art most perceived by the broad masses of the people , and under the influence opera art The dramatic possibilities of romance are expanding. Not only individual romances are created, but also cycles of songs and romances of various themes. New Russian heat appears vocal music: characteristic monologues, musical portraits, romances-poems, romances-serenades, etc. The role of piano accompaniment increases significantly. In the process of formation, romance turns into a classically completed genre of vocal-symphonic poem, while preserving the sincerity and spontaneity characteristic of chamber lyrics. The pinnacle, the culmination of Russian romance lyrics is the work of P.I. Tchaikovsky. The composer's chamber vocal work is the emotional dominant of the vocal lyrics, a lyrical diary, on the pages of which we encounter a passionate thirst for happiness and the bitterness of unfulfilled hopes, a feeling of acute mental discord and dissatisfaction, an ever-increasing contrast between high impulses towards the ideal and monotonous gray reality. The main part Tchaikovsky's vocal creativity belongs to the field of lyrics. The composer identifies in a particular poetic text, first of all, the dominant psychological motive, finds the corresponding musical intonation, which becomes the basis of an integral composition. The form of romances was determined in the interaction of poetic and musical principles with obligatory attention not only to the vocal, but also to the piano part. The role of the piano in Tchaikovsky's vocal lyrics is very great. The piano acts as an equal partner of the vocal performer and a kind of dialogue, a confidential conversation arises between them. The circle of poets whose work Tchaikovsky addressed is wide and varied. Among them there are also little-known names. The composer could be attracted by some successful, vivid image, general emotional mood, or one motive, although overall the poem did not have significant poetic merits. The main part of the romances is written on highly artistic texts written by A.K. Tolstoy, V.I. A.N. Maykov, F.I. Tyutchev, A.A. Fet, Y.P. Polonsky, A.N. Pleshcheeva, L.A. Meya, N.A. Nekrasova. The first series of romances by P.I. Tchaikovsky was published in 1869. These are mainly romances of a lyrical-elegiac nature, imbued with sentiments sadness, regret about lost happiness. Romances “No, only the one who knew”, “Why?” (translated by L.A. May from Goethe and Heine) are the most popular examples of the composer’s vocal lyrics. In the romance “No, only the one who knew,” the depth and brightness of expression are combined with laconicism and elegance of form. The melody unhurriedly unfolds, a special expressive poignancy is given to it by the initial move on the minor seventh in a descending movement with further smooth gradual filling; a similar turn is used by Tchaikovsky as the intonation of mournful reflection or persistent assurance. An expressive dialogue arises between the vocal and piano parts and continues throughout the entire romance. The romance “Why?” - an example of excellent expressive nuance of one short melodic turn. A simple thoughtful phrase, arising from the intonation of a timid question, reaches an almost tragic sound at the moment of climax. A short piano conclusion seems to restore the disturbed balance, but the desperate cry of suffering and pain continues to ring in the ears of the listeners. The romance “To Forget So Soon” based on the poems of A.N. Apukhtin was published in 1870. The words of the title of the romance serve as a refrain in the text of the poem, completing individual stanzas. Tchaikovsky gives them different meaning, intoning them differently. The first two stanzas end softly and thoughtfully, and the third (which forms the middle of the three-part form) sounds with greater expressiveness, due to the use of an increased fourth and a mournful descending low-second intonation. The fourth (last) stanza sounds especially dramatic, thanks to the interval of a diminished seventh with a further drop to a minor sixth and transfer to a high register with a change in dynamic shades ff and p; these words are perceived as a cry of despair. Despite the fact that the romance is written in a simple three-part form, short in length, the composer achieves extraordinary power of dramatic growth, creating a brightly dynamic reprise with the major replaced by the minor of the same name. In the 70s, the composer wrote almost half of all romances. The figurative and thematic sphere of vocal creativity is expanding, the range of expressive means is becoming more diverse, new forms and genres of works for Tchaikovsky are emerging. Among them is a song imbued with bitter humor in folk spirit“How we set it up: fool” (words of Mei), oriental romance“Canary” (words by Mey), two mazurkas to poems by A. Mickiewicz - “Ali my mother gave birth to me” and “Mistress”. During this period, the romances “Carry My Heart Away” (words by Fet) and “I would like in a single word” (words by Heine, translated by Mey) were composed; they are imbued with a single passionate impulse, similar not only in their general emotional coloring, but also in the form of presentation : easily soaring, as if soaring melodic pattern of the vocal part, evenness and continuity of rhythmic pulsation within the framework of a six-beat meter corresponding to two feet of the poetic text (anapestic and amphibrachic). The highest point in the development of Tchaikovsky’s vocal creativity was the turn of the 70s and 80s. Two series of romances (op. 38 and 47) include a number of the highest examples of the composer's vocal lyricism in terms of artistic perfection and subtlety of expression. Most These romances were written based on poems by A.K. Tolstoy (eight out of twelve). Among them are the vocal miniatures “That Was in Early Spring”, “Among the Noisy Ball”. The romance “Does Day Reign” based on the words of Apukhtin (op. 47) is remarkable for its power of expression of the bright, enthusiastic feeling that fills the soul. An important expressive role is played in the romance by the piano part with its violently rising and rolling back wave-like passages. This series includes two dramatized songs in the folk spirit, “If only I knew, if only I knew” (words by A.K. Tolsky) and “Was I in the field but not a little grass” (words by I.Z. Surikov). In vocal lyrics 80 's dramatic moods intensify, especially concentrated expression is obtained in the romance “To the Yellow Fields” (words by A.K. Tolstoy) from the series op. 57. But if in Tolstoy’s poem one can hear soft elegiac sadness and thoughtfulness, then in Tchaikovsky nature itself is painted in gloomy tones. In the opening section of the romance, the recitative phrases of the voice are accompanied by heavy piano chords in a low register, reminiscent of the monotonous strikes of a funeral bell. In the middle section, vocal speech acquires an excited character, rushing to a dynamic peak, but this impulse quickly fades away. The repetition of the main structure at the end of the romance (Tolstoy does not have this repetition) without any changes in the musical material and with the same words emphasizes hopelessness and a feeling of immense loneliness. The series of romances op.60 is quite varied in composition. These are sad, lonely reflections in the silence of the night - “Crazy Nights” to the words of Apukhtin, “Night” to the poems of Polonsky, and unrequited suffering in “Oh, if only you knew” to the poems of A.N. Pleshcheev, and inspired, full of bright poetic lyrics “I won’t tell you anything” to the words of Fet, “The gentle stars shone for us” to the poems of Pleshcheev. Of the romances op.63 and op.65, the most interesting are the romances of a lyrical nature “I opened the window” and “The lights were already going out in the room,” attracting with melodic expressiveness and subtlety of color. The latest work in the field of vocal miniatures were romances op. 73 to the poems of D.M. Rathauza. The young poet’s poems attracted the composer’s attention due to their emotional consonance with the mood he was in at the time. New features of Tchaikovsky’s lyrics were reflected mainly in the first two romances “We sat with you”, “Night” and the last “Alone again, as before”, imbued with the tragic mood of loneliness, hopeless spiritual darkness and despondency. In the romance “We were sitting with you,” the constant return of the melody to the original sound conveys a state of numbness of feelings, “bewitched” by the surrounding silence and peace, and the ostinato chromatic descending movement of the middle voices in the piano part at the tonic organ point enhances the feeling of complete stillness. A short tremolo in the bass (“roll of thunder”) awakens a storm in the soul, peace gives way to tragic despair. The rapid growth is interrupted by an unexpected decline. The initial melodic turn is repeated, which emphasizes the hopelessness of suffering. The contrast of the extreme sections is emphasized by the change of major to parallel minor. A special place in Tchaikovsky’s chamber vocal work is occupied by a cycle of sixteen songs for children, written to words from Pleshcheev’s collection of poems “Snowdrop” (with the exception of “Swallow” to poems by Surikov and “Children’s Song” to words K.S. Aksakova). The composer addresses in his songs directly to the children themselves, taking into account their level of perception and the range of children's everyday interests. This determines both the theme of the songs and the comparative simplicity of their musical language. Among the best and most frequently performed are the songs “My Kindergarten”, “Cuckoo” and “Lullaby in a Storm”.
The international competition of young composers “Message of the Soul: Contemporary Russian Romance” was established by the New Millennium Foundation on April 23, 2016, the birthday of S.S. Prokofiev, whose 125th anniversary was celebrated in 2016.Students from conservatories of the Russian Federation and the CIS took part in the competition.
Students from the oldest music universities in Russia were invited to participate in the competition: Moscow state institute music named after A.G. Schnittke, GMPI named after M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, RAM named after the Gnessins.
The competition is held on the basis of the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins.
The competition is held ONLINE (acceptance of documents, sheet music, audio and video recordings and announcement of results).
Romances were composed based on poems by modern Russian poets, one of whom is the grandson of S.S. Prokofiev, Sergei Olegovich Prokofiev, an outstanding modern thinker.
The competition is held in two rounds, 7 prizes have been established, incl. special bonus for a participant from a CIS member country. The winning entries will be published on CD.
The laureates' teachers will be awarded letters of gratitude from the Organizing Committee and the Jury.
The jury, consisting of 5 people working on a voluntary basis, is formed from highly competent specialist composers.
The International Organizing Committee is formed from representatives of conservatories of the CIS member countries.
The final of the competition will take place in Moscow in November 2017. During the concert, which will be attended by accompanists and vocalists from Moscow, works by 20 participants in the Final will be performed. Among them are 3 participants from Armenia, 2 participants from Kazakhstan, 2 participants from Belarus, 1 participant from Ukraine. Russia is represented by participants from Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow.
The jury will determine the laureates and winners of the competition. The concert will be recorded. The competition will be widely covered on the Internet and in the media.
Goals
- Preservation, strengthening, development of the common humanitarian space of the CIS.
- Strengthening the spiritual strength of Russia.
Tasks
- Search, support, assistance in the professional development of young talented composers; – preservation of traditions and development of modern Russian romance.
Justification of social significance
Romance is a folk-cultural form of melodic national thinking, penetrating into the depths of civilizational life.In the context of information and political attacks on the centuries-old way of Russian multinational life, it is necessary to spiritually actively resist attempts to undermine the melodic-verbal, song-romantic self-awareness of our people, its melodic-recitative culture, which embraces our way of life.
The role of the song-hymn genre is high, forming the perseverance of the individual, the ideals of his family-love, hymn-patriotic culture.
The significance of the project “Message of the Soul: Modern Russian Romance” lies in the harmonious unity of melodic and verbal textures, organically connecting the melos of the Russian-Soviet classic Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev, born in Donetsk, with the poetic work of his grandson, the world famous thinker Sergei Olegovich Prokofiev, born in Moscow .
In the context of the global Internet, the romance form is promising from the point of view of the individual involvement of individuals in collective tasks for professional development at home and public concert patriotic activities.
The project is designed to strengthen the ties of creative youth of the CIS countries, to reveal the multidimensional role of the Russian language in the formation of a single socio-cultural space of Russia and the CIS member countries.
The competition should become a motivation for studying the traditions of Russian romance and its development as important element in the system of the common humanitarian space of the CIS member countries. Conservatories from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine took part in the competition.
The project is not financially expensive, not long-term in terms of time (only 4 months), but its results will be long-term and useful for the general public. The romances will be performed after the end of the project, creating in listeners the need for independent creative active study of the Russian language and Russian romance.
All preparatory work and work on conducting the 1st and 2nd rounds was carried out on a voluntary basis.