Some Linguistic Observations

Tempo ◽  
1946 ◽  
pp. 255-257
Author(s):  
Béla Bartók
Keyword(s):  
Russian Music ◽  
Musical Works ◽  
Russian Composers ◽  
Professional Critics

Russian music is getting more and more popular nowadays: works of hitherto unknown Russian composers emerge each season and are performed at our concerts beside the older standard works. The works themselves are, or at least should be, of course, the thing that matters most in this connection, and not the names or personalities of the authors. Many of us enjoy the sight of old cathedrals, and find delight in pictures or poems of anonymous painters and poets without bothering to know who the architects or authors were. One wonders if it would not be preferable—though not to some of the professional critics—to have musical works performed without indicating the names of their composers. However this may be, the general usage requires the mentioning of the composer, and this for many reasons. As long as this usage is observed, it is perhaps no pedantry to insist upon a correct and consistent spelling of the composers' names. While this requirement is pretty well satisfied in general, this is by no means the case with the names of Russian composers. Let us quote some examples.

The Idea of the 1920s in Russian Music Today

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Quillen
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Musical Works ◽  
To Come ◽  
Russian Composers ◽  
Post Soviet Period

This chapter examines evocations of the early Soviet avant-garde in new compositions of the post-Soviet period, investigating how contemporary Russian composers imagine the modernist culture of the pre-Stalinist past and its significance. It is based upon interviews conducted by the author with contemporary Russian composers and analyses of recent musical works. As we will see, composers relate to the early Soviet avant-garde in a variety of ways. Importantly, attitudes to the 1920s are not merely celebratory: even some of the individuals today most interested in the early Soviet avant-garde see a dark side to its legacy, finding within modernist art of the Soviet 1920s disturbing messages about Russia’s fate or the course of the twentieth century, or even more sinister prophecies of larger tragedies to come.

scholarly journals Methodical Expediency of Enrichment of Repertoire of the Beginning Pianist in Educational Institutions of the People’s Republic of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 126-137
Author(s):  
Kang Yunyu
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Compositional Techniques ◽  
Musical Work ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Piano Repertoire ◽  
Musical Works ◽  
Effective Performance ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Russian Composers ◽  
Selection Of

The article deals with the activity of the teacher-musician on the choice of educational piano repertoire. Currently, in China, this practice is based almost exclusively on the empirical experience of teachers and is largely random, does not have sufficient methodical support. They use rather standard, so-called basic musical repertoire, especially at the initial level of piano training in the genre of a program play. At the same time, the individuality of the student, his personal qualities, promising musical development, genre and style diversity of works, certain methodological indications for study, motivational readiness are not adequately taken into account. There is an urgent need to expand the children’s piano repertoire in China, primarily through the musical works of composers from other countries, for example, the easy plays of Russian composers of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. The article shows a specific example of the educational repertoire in children’s educational programs with effective performance of young musicians at concerts. Actions of the teacher-musician at the choice of this or that musical work inevitably actualize personal-creative and reflexive qualities, skills of the methodological analysis. The introduction of young musicians to the performance of music from other eras and national schools, familiarity with different compositional techniques and directions, painstaking individual selection of each play has a pronounced methodological, educational and motivational effect.

Winning and Losing in Russian New Music Today

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Quillen
Keyword(s):  
New Music ◽  
Collaborative Networks ◽  
Sociology Of Culture ◽  
Organizational Changes ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Organizational Perspective ◽  
Production Of Culture ◽  
Generational Shift ◽  
Russian Composers

This article examines some of the organizational changes shaping Russian new music from the collapse of the USSR in 1991 to the present and their consequences for composers active in Russia today. The Soviet collapse triggered significant transformations in how new music in Russia is funded, where and by whom it is performed, and how it is promoted and distributed. These developments have affected the opportunities available to contemporary Russian composers, their strategies for career success, and how they envision their place vis-à-vis other composers or within society at large. More significantly, such changes have shaped individual composers' creative practices: as composers moved into new collaborative networks after the Soviet collapse; as the resources at their disposal changed; and as they composed for new performers, markets, or patrons, so, too, did their styles change. In explaining musical developments from an organizational perspective, this article draws upon theories from the sociology of culture literature, in particular Howard Becker's idea of “art worlds” and the production-of-culture perspective developed by Richard Peterson and others. The article also considers factors other than organizational ones affecting Russian music today, including the generational shift presently underway as members of post-Soviet birth cohorts enter the professional ranks.

FROM RUSSIA TO THE UK AND BACK ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL: MUSICAL DISCOVERIES FROM WWII AND THE THAW (recent archival findings and publications)

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-85
Author(s):  
E. A. Artamonova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
English Channel ◽  
World War ◽  
Musical Life ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Musical Works ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Thaw Period ◽  
Good Number

Russian music enjoyed its popularity and appreciation among British audiences throughout the twentieth century. Musical life in London during the period of World War II was infused with a good number of concert programmes. The finest works of national composers of the tsarist Russia were performed along with musical works of the Soviet period regardless of their stylistic peculiarities as well as of the approved or disapproved states of their authors with the Soviet authorities. They laid a fine foundation for an active musical interchange between musicians of both countries formed at the turn of the Khrushchev Thaw period, when the ‘crème de la crème’ of Soviet performers stepped on British soil and British performers toured Russia in the early 1950s. It was down to personal contacts of enthusiastic musicians, rather than only those signed on a governmental level known as the Soviet-British Cultural Agreement of 1959, for example, that did maintain the initiatives and musical collaborations. The concert activities and correspondence of Vadim Borisovsky with his British colleagues, which started much earlier, is the best example in this regard. The discussion of these topics relies heavily on recent archival findings from Moscow and London.

AZERBAYCAN BESTECİLERİNİN ESERLERİNDE ETÜD TÜRÜ THE GENRE OF ETUDE IN THE WORKS OF AZERBAIJANI COMPOSERS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Gulnar MIRZEYEVA
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Piano Music ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Music Schools ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Russian Composers ◽  
Musical Genres

The etude genre is one of the examples characterized by the emergence of different types of music that develop at certain stages of musical art. Although the introduction of studies as an independent genre in musical literature dates back to the XVII-XVIII centuries, its main function in the development of piano art was already present in other musical genres. The next stage in the development of the study genre is related to the work of the Romantic Movement representatives F.Chopin, R.Schumann, F.List. The acquisition of new features of the genre is due to the work of Russian composers. Thus, with the increase in the content features of art-concert studies, new features such as programming and integration with other genres were observed in Russian music. Interest in piano in Azerbaijan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries first appeared in aristocratic strata, but gradually spread to a wider area. The development of the art of performing on the piano also influenced the creativity of the composer an gave impetus to the formation of the national repertoire for this instrument. Although the etude genre in the works of Azerbaijani composers is not common in the works of European and Russian composers, there are important examples only in the early stages of the formation of miniatures. Azerbaijani composers E.Nazirova, F.Guliyeva, A.Azizov, A.Abbasov, Niyazi, J.Hajiyev, R.Shafag, Kh.Mirzezadeh and others managed to create interesting examples of this genre. One of the main features of the analysis of Azerbaijani somposers etudes is that these examples are pioneered for educational purposes. For this reason, some of the studies we analyzed (M.Mirzayev, J.Hajiyev etc.) are aimed at the first stage of music education with its small volume and simple structure. Studies of relatively large artistic and technical complexity (E.Nazirova,Niyazi,F.Guliyeva) are suitable for the upper classes of music schools. Although the evolution of the study genre and the features of its various genres are not embodied in these works with the splendour seen in the works of European and Russian composers, Azerbaijan is an interesting example of piano music in its educational repertoire. As a result, we can say that the etude genre is not a special development stage in the works of Azerbaijani composers, but each of the existing examples is important in the formation of the aesthetic tastes of young pianists, musical performances on a national basis, and it is successfully applied in the educational repertoire.

Cantata “In Memory of Antokolsky”: Almost Forgotten Work of Russian Music

10.34690/05 ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 100-121
Author(s):  
А.И. Климовицкий
Keyword(s):  
Joint Work ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
Russian Composers ◽  
First Time ◽  
Cultural Openness

Статья посвящена совместному произведению А. К. Глазунова и А. К. Лядова, созданному по инициативе В. В. Стасова, - кантате «Памяти Антокольского» на текст С. Я. Маршака. Рассматриваются напряженные и порой почти конфликтные ситуации, сопровождавшие буквально каждую из стадий работы над сочинением. Впервые представлена еврейская песня, которую записал Глазунов, услышав ее в исполнении М. М. Антокольского, и которая была использована Лядовым в кантате. Внимание Лядова к еврейскому напеву, готовность ввести его в свое сочинение стали свидетельством культурной открытости и отзывчивости композитора. Его опыт - после М. И. Глинки, М. П. Мусоргского, Н. А. Римского-Корсакова - явился связующим звеном в обращении русских композиторов к еврейской песне на рубеже XIX и XX столетий. The article is devoted to the joint work of A.K.Glazunov and A.K.Lyadov, created on the ini tiative of V.V.Stasov, the cantata In Memory of Antokolsky to the text by S.Ya. Marshak. Tense and sometimes almost conflict situations are examined that accompanied literally every stage of the work on the composition. For the first time, a Jewish song was presented, which Glazunov recorded when he heard it performed by M.M.Antokolsky, and which Lyadov used in the cantata. Lyadovs attention to the Jewish chorus, his readiness to introduce him into his composition became a testament to the composers cultural openness and responsiveness. His experience after M. I.Glinka, M.P.Mussorgsky, N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov was a connecting link for Russian composers in addressing Jewish song at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Friendship of Well-known and Undeservedly Forgotten Masters in Late 19th and Early 20th Century Russian Piano Music. The Life and Work of Medtner, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
Eszter Szabó
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Common Element ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Professional Musicians ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Life Paths ◽  
Musical Traditions ◽  
Russian Composers

"In this study, I explore the life and work of three outstanding pianists and composers in the late 19th and early 20th century: Medtner, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin, who were not only contemporaries and colleagues but also supportive friends to each other. All three were largely influenced by their years at the Moscow Conservatory, where they became prominent pianists and first showed promise as composers. They received similar impulses and could learn from the same teachers. As a defining common element in their lives, they explored and strived to combine Russian musical traditions and Western classical music. At the same time, their different personalities are apparent from their music, so despite their common roots, their individual musical language is unmistakable. Even at the beginning of their careers, it was clear that despite the commonalities, their lives and careers took a different direction. All three tried their luck abroad, but only Scriabin returned home for the rest of his short life. In addition to their distinct life paths and musical language, their recognition is quite different. Scriabin’s name sounds familiar to many, but he does not belong to the most popular composers of our time. Rachmaninoff’s widespread popularity can be observed among professional musicians as well as the public. In contrast, it is not impossible to meet a professional for whom Medtner’s music is unknown. This is not necessarily explained by disparities in talent and abilities but rather by differences in circumstances, opportunities, and personalities. In this study, I attempt to shed light on the reasons for the three composers’ contrasting popularity from the perspective of their life and work. Keywords: Russian composers, Russian music, Late 19th, and early 20th century, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Medtner "

Antecedents, and Development of the Sacred Choral Concerto in Russia

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-192
Author(s):  
Mónika Végh
Keyword(s):  
Choral Music ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Church Music ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
A Cappella ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Choral Repertoire ◽  
Russian Composers

"Upon dealing with Russian religious choral music of the 18th century, one may clearly recognize the outlines of a unique genre, the duhovny kontsert, or in other words, the genre of the religious choral concerto. The subject is suppletory, since very few people in Hungary have dealt with pre-19th century Russian music, let alone with choral repertoire. In the present study, we may follow up the legalization and development of polyphony in church music – which was strictly monophonic up until the 1500s – and the different types of multivocal hymns. We will also get to know the Russian composers of the 17th and 18th centuries, who contributed to the genre with their own works. We will receive a detailed description about concertante techniques used in European vocal music, and about their appearance in the 18th century Russia, which was unique to a cappella choral concerto. We will also get to know more about the structure and characteristics of the duhovny kontsert, while taking a glance at the historical background. In the final part of the study, we will see how the genre influenced subsequent eras, and how the stylistic marks and techniques appear in the choral oeuvre of Rachmaninoff. Keywords: Russia, 18th century, church music, choral concerto, Bortniansky, Berezovsky"

Is there a ‘Russia Abroad’ in Music?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Taruskin
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Cultural Community ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Russian Composers

Departing from an article by Arthur Lourié published in 1931 which posits a fundamental split between the music produced by Russian composers in the Soviet Union and that produced by Russian composers living abroad as émigrés—and asserts that the latter, not the former, are the ones producing the true Russian music of the day—this paper considers (in the light of Marc Raeff’s Russia Abroad and its treatment of émigré culture) what it takes to maintain a cultural community in diaspora, and whether expatriated Russian musicians have ever constituted such a community.

scholarly journals Russian musical “Petersburgiana”: a historical journey

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mariya Vladimirovna Kholodova
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Music Culture ◽  
Russian Music ◽  
Trace Back ◽  
Interdisciplinary Nature ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Russian Composers

The article considers one of the most important topics of Russian discourse - the issue of St.Petersburg, particularly the understanding of the phenomenon of Petersburg in the works of composers. The purpose of the research is to trace back the process of formation of Russian musical “Petersburgiana”. The main task is to reconstruct segmentary materials related to the aspects of manifestation of Petersburg in the works of Russian composers. The research methods are determined by the interdisciplinary nature which synthesizes the approaches of comparative history, culturology, and music theory. As the key works, the author chooses the works related to the “Petersburg text”, particularly the work by V.Toporov who was the first to introduce this term into the literature studies. It serves as a basis for the understanding of the phenomenon of Petersburg in other forms of art. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that it is the first to study the evolution of Russian musical “Petersburgiana”, which started in the 18th century and during its 300-year history produced more than 800 opuses. The author outlines the key topics and images of Petersburg embodiment using the examples of the works of the composers of the 18th - 21st centuries, organized according to their genre and chronologically. These materials are the result of the research work; they outline promising concepts and aspects for the further comprehensive analysis of Petersburg in Russian music culture in terms of the works of its creators.

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