Maykapar is the composer of the work. Thematic conversation-concert dedicated to the work of composer S. M. Maikapara for children of senior preschool age. Scenario of conversation - concert

18 December 1867 - 08 May 1938

famous pianist and composer, teacher at the Petrograd Conservatory, music writer

A multi-talented musician, Maikapar was known as the author of a number of piano pieces for children and youth. In particular, his cycle of piano miniatures “Spillkins”, his romances and “ Musical ear"(Moscow, 1900).

Biography

Soon after his birth, Samuil Maikapara's family moved from Kherson to Taganrog. Here he entered the Taganrog gymnasium. He began studying music at the age of 6 (lessons with G. Moll).

In 1885 he moved to St. Petersburg and entered the conservatory, where he studied as a pianist with Beniamino Cesi, Vladimir Demyansky and I. Weiss, as well as in the composition class of Nikolai Solovyov. At the same time, he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University (graduated in 1891).

After graduating from the conservatory in 1893, until 1898 he improved as a pianist under the direction of Theodor Leschetizky, and gave concerts in Berlin, Leipzig, St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities.

From 1898 to 1901 he performed in concerts with Leopold Auer and Ivan Grzhimali. Founded in 1901 music school in Tver. From 1903 to 1910, living mainly in Moscow, he studied concert activities, regularly gave concerts in Germany.

He took an active part (secretary) in the work of the Moscow scientific and musical circle led by S. I. Taneyev. From 1910 to 1930 he taught piano at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He initiated the performance of Beethoven's cycle of 32 sonatas in concerts (for the first time in 1927).

IN modern conditions education issue artistic culture children is quite acute. Music is one of the most accessible areas that allows you to expand your horizons, improve your cultural level, and educate moral personality. Music accompanies children everywhere. They hear it in kindergarten, school, institutions of additional education for children. She surrounds children at home and on the street. However, music is different. Widespread modern music often does not carry an aesthetic and semantic load, therefore it is necessary to introduce children to the traditions of classical musical education. Children should get acquainted with the most striking examples classical music. Knowledge of biography outstanding composers, their creativity contributes to both the development of motivation and broadening their horizons. In the process of listening to classical compositions, studying the main musical genres, musical expressions and becoming familiar with the lives of great musicians, it is more than likely that interest in subsequent studies will increase

playing instruments, performing classical music.

Concert activities of students give them the opportunity to express their temperament and imagination, develop skills in mastering the colors of sound, and allow them to feel like a real artist at the instrument.

Relevance of the project: Actively involving students in participating in the organization of systematic and systematic musical educational work, in their mastering of new material, using their observations and knowledge independently acquired in diverse communication with music.

It also seems relevant to study the creative heritage of the composer, among whose piano heritage there are many pieces that were published for the first time relatively recently and have not yet entered into wide pianistic use.

Target:

Introducing children to creative heritage composer.

In this regard, we set ourselves the following tasks:

Educational:

Acquisition of experience by students in creative activities and public speaking, the ability to perform musical works at a sufficient artistic level - in accordance with stylistic features;

Deepen knowledge about the work of composer S. Maikapara;

Developmental;

Development of artistry and musicality;

Expanding the musical horizons of students by familiarizing themselves with the works of the composer;

Development of emotionality, memory, thinking, imagination and creative activity;

Popularization of music for children S. Maikapara;

Educating:

Nurturing personal qualities (hard work, the need for independent work);

Fostering the need to gain diverse knowledge, to attend cultural events, concerts, theaters);

Cultivating in students a sense of respect and interest in the rich cultural heritage Russia.

Practical:

Selection of musical, literary, artistic material for holding a conversation-concert dedicated to the 150th anniversary of his birth;

Preparing for a conversation-concert.

Socially significant:

Formation of musical taste;

Love of music;

The desire to listen and fulfill it.

Project implementation stages

Work on the project includes joint activities of teachers and students and is distributed in stages as follows:

Forms of activity

1.Individual work. Formation of motivation of participants.

2. Independent work . Developing students’ skills to work meaningfully and independently at home, observing the sequence and progress of this work built in class together with the teacher.

3. Teamwork . Determining the topic of the project, its goals and objectives, searching for the information necessary to start designing, developing a plan for implementing the idea. Preparation of the script for the conversation - concert.

4. Conducting a conversation-concert.

Project implementation form

Thematic conversation - concert for students and parents of the Children's Art School.

Scenario of conversation - concert

“Samuel Moiseevich Maikapar.

Children's music."

Slide No. 1

Good afternoon, dear guys, dear adults!

Today we have gathered in our hall to get acquainted with the work of the composer, who this year anniversary date- 150 years since birth. (1867-1938).

Many composers write music that is listened to with equal enthusiasm by both adults and children. But there are composers who devoted all their creativity to creating only children's music, and one that children could not only listen to, but also perform themselves. The name of this composer is Samuil Moiseevich Maikapar.

His name as a composer and author of numerous works for children and youth is widely known in Russia and abroad. Thanks to artistic merits, understanding of child psychology and taking into account the characteristics of children's playing apparatus, S. Maikapar's plays have become firmly established in the repertoire of young pianists. Children love these bright, imaginative and at the same time simple in texture works, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that there is not a single young musician who has not played or heard his comrades perform some play by Samuil Moiseevich Maikapar.

And today we will start our concert with a performance Bondareva Nastya and with a play from the collection “First Steps”, which is addressed, as is clear from its name, to the youngest children just starting their journey in music. S. Maykapar believed that playing in an ensemble unusually develops the musical abilities of children and wrote for preschool and junior children school age a cycle of 16 ensemble plays.

Despite the fact that the name of Samuil Moiseevich Maykapar is widely known, few people know about his life. He was born in Kherson in 1867. Musical ability Samuel inherited this from his mother, who played the piano very well. Soon after his birth, Samuil Maykapar's family moved from Kherson to Taganrog. Here he entered the Taganrog gymnasium. I started studying music at the age of 6 (lessons from

G. Molla). At the age of 11, he began to compose music himself and started a notebook in which he wrote down all his works. In 1885 he moved to St. Petersburg and entered the conservatory, where he studied as a pianist with Beniamino Cesi, Vladimir Demyansky and I. Weiss, as well as in the composition class of Nikolai Solovyov. At the same time, he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University (graduated in 1891). The family decided that Samuel would become a lawyer, but he abandoned this career. At the age of 34, Maykapar moved to the city of Tver, where he opened his own music school.

Slide No. 2

Then the idea came to him to write children's works that the children themselves could perform. Thus, the cycles of piano pieces, “Little Novellettes” op.8, “Shepherd’s Suite” op.15, “Puppet Theater” op.21, “Miniatures” op.33, which received world recognition cycle “Spillkins” op.28.

Now several pieces from this collection will be performed. (Spillkins Sat)

Slide No. 3

Spills - listen to the sound of this word. How affectionate and musical it is. What does it mean? Once upon a time, this was the favorite game of children.

Slide No. 4

A pile of very small toy things spilled out onto the table. Most often these were cups, water lilies, ladles and other kitchen items carved from wood. The spillikins had to be taken out with a small hook, one by one, without moving the others. Maikapar’s little plays are reminiscent of those very spillikins from the ancient game. Let's get acquainted with this music. What can you find among the Maikapara spillikins? First of all, these are children's musical portraits.

Slide No. 5

Here is a little shepherdess. On a clear sunny day, he went out into a summer flowering meadow near a river. In order not to be bored with tending his flock, he cut himself a reed and made a pipe from it. A bright, joyful tune rang over the meadows. In the middle of the piece the melody is more reminiscent of a shepherdess dance.

Now you will hear “Romance”, which is also included in the collection “Spillkins”.

A very expressive and deep miniature . There are different sentiments expressed here. The song melody of the romance itself is thoughtful, dreamy, and sad. It sounds slower than the introduction, and ends each phrase with upward questioning intonations. The accompaniment resembles the sound of a guitar.

"Romance" Spanish 6th grade student Kolya Odegov

Waltz is one of the most romantic and beloved dances, uniting generations and plunging us into a state of some euphoria. The word “waltz” means “rotational” and, indeed, the dance is dominated by whirling graceful movements. The waltz genre is loved by many composers. S. Maikapar was no exception.

Today we will listen to two waltzes.

Slide No. 11

Elegant phrasing, the accompaniment is very soft and light. It's like they're dancing fairy-tale heroes Cinderella and the Prince.

Evening would soon be approaching

And the long-awaited hour has come,

May I be in a gilded carriage

Go to a fairytale ball.

No one in the palace will know

Where and what is my name?

But as soon as midnight comes,

I will return to my home.

"Waltz" Spanish 2nd grade student Anya Syropyatova

Slide No. 12

"Waltz" - gentle, touching and graceful. Imagine a picture of a ball, a Christmas tree, a holiday.

Waltz of Snowflakes - New Year's Eve...

A month in the cradle of clouds.

This evening is waiting for a meeting,

Days of happy, joyful hours.

Spanish 6th grade student Liza Korepanova

Slide number 13

And now we move to another time of year.

I think everyone has seen how in the spring the water of the streams flows into the river in a large, powerful stream. Have you seen it? Do you think this can be depicted in music? What kind of music should it be? Let's listen to how Samuel Maykapar portrayed this. “Stormy Stream” is a play of a sketch nature. The texture of the piece, distributed between two hands, makes it possible to achieve a rapid tempo and bright dynamics, which depicts the power of rushing water with sounds.

"Stormy stream" Spanish. Lodilova Sonya

Let us turn to another cycle of plays, “Twenty Pedal Preludes”.

The Preludes were composed in 1937, at the end of his life. The author himself did not have time to publish them.
These preludes are dedicated to developing students' artistic pedaling skills. The basis of these plays is not only the task of mastering the skills of using pedals in various cases, but also cultivating appropriate auditory control in the student.

“Twenty Pedal Preludes” are light piano pieces.

Slide No. 14

Spring has been going on for a long time in secret

From the winds and cold,

And today straight

Splashes through the puddles

Drives melted snow

With hubbub and ringing to cover the meadows

Green velvet.

"Prelude" No. 19,f- moll , Spanish 4th grade student Poloskova Natasha.

Slide No. 15

The forest is like a painted tower,
Lilac, gold, crimson,
A cheerful, motley wall
Standing above a bright clearing.

Birch trees with yellow carving

Glisten in the blue azure,
Like towers, the fir trees are darkening,
And between the maples they turn blue
Here and there through the foliage
Clearances in the sky, like a window.

Ivan Bunin

"Prelude" No. 2,e- moll, Spanish 6th grade student Filippova Yana

During the founding years of the music school in Tver, Maikapar wrote the sweet and graceful “Eighteen Little Novels for Piano.”

Among Maikapar's piano heritage there are also many pieces that were published for the first time relatively recently and have not yet entered into wide pianistic use. These, in particular, include his “Little Novelettes” (light pieces for piano), which were published a hundred years after they were written. Some of the composer’s works are still kept in the archive.

Novelletta(Italian - short story, diminutive of novella - story, short story) - small instrumental piece narrative character. The name "Noveletta" was first used by Robert Schumann. Although Schumann pointed out the features of narration in his Novellettes, he derived the name “Novelette” not from the short story, but from the name of the famous English singer Clara Novello.

Slide number 17

A play from the “Small Novellettes” cycle “In the Forge” is performed

I am a cheerful blacksmith,

I don't know about rest.

With a heavy hammer

I strike sparks.

Boom-boom-boom!

Boom-boom-boom!

I have horseshoes.

Boom-boom-boom!

Boom-boom-boom!

Bring your horse quickly

“In the forge” Spanish. Miroshnichenko Dasha, 4th grade student.

Slide No. 18

Toccata(from the Italian word toccare - touch, push) - in ancient music a piece intended for keyboard instruments (mainly organ). Characteristic feature Toccata consists in the fact that a well-known technical figure is constantly performed in the piece either in the left or in the right hand.

Translated from Italian, the word “toccata” means “touch”, “blow”. Originally toccata for keyboard instruments was composed

as an introduction (prelude) to a choral work, and then it becomes an independent concert genre of secular music.

Tocattina is a small tocatta

"Toccatina" Spanish Marina Makhneva, 4th grade student.

Slide No. 19

IN musical heritage The composer has works of different forms. This polyphonic pieces and works of large form. These include variations that we will hear today.

Variations in music (from Latin vanatio - change) - a musical form, the essence of which is variable repetitions of the theme. IN instrumental music The theme of the Variations is usually a single-voice song melody or a short piece. Variations are one of the oldest musical forms, existing in the folklore of all nations.

Following each other, V. form a cycle that can be an independent work or part of a multi-movement composition (sonata, symphony, etc.).

"Variations on Russian folk song» Spanish Ladilova Sonya

Aikapar has written more than 200 plays for children and youth. Most of them are included in the repertoire of beginning pianists. These works were written at a level accessible to young performers and at the same time at a high artistic and musical level.

Writing music for children is a very necessary, honorable, but not easy task. "Yes, many, many conditions are needed for education children's writer“,” Belinsky pointed out, “we need a gracious, loving, meek, childlike soul; an elevated, educated mind, an enlightened view of the subject, and not only a living imagination, but also a living poetic fantasy, capable of presenting everything in animated, rainbow images.”

I think these wonderful words can be attributed to the personality and his work.

We want to end our meeting today with a play « Children's dance"in Spanish, Ulyana Zobnina, 4th grade student.

Beauty is incomprehensible!
The soul sings and breaks.
And the breadth of marvelous sounds
It will merge with the movement!
Celebration on stage again:
Our children are dancing.
There is witchcraft in the dance drawing!
You will forget everything in the world!

Thank you for your attention. Until next time.

Maykapar Samuil Moiseevich (1867 - 1938). The name of the composer Samuil Moiseevich Maikapara, the author of numerous works for children and youth, is widely known in Russia and abroad. Thanks to artistic merit, understanding of child psychology and taking into account the characteristics of children's playing apparatus, Maikapar's plays have become firmly established in the repertoire of young pianists. Children love these brightly imaginative and at the same time simple in texture works, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that there is not a single young musician who has not played or heard some Maikapar piece performed by his comrades.

Even in the pre-revolutionary years, Maykapar began composing music for children and was the first of the older generation of composers who completely devoted his creative activity to the creation of children's and youth musical literature. In this he was helped not only by his talent as a composer, but also by his performing and teaching experience, combined with the thoughtful approach of a musician-methodologist and researcher. Currently, Maikapar's compositions for children are a kind of children's musical "Classics".

However, Maykapar's varied musical activities remain unknown to many. In the book "Years of Study" he was able to talk only about the initial period of his musical life. The supposed story about the “years of activity” remained only a project. Many of Maikapar's methodological works have not been published.

Samuel Moiseevich Maykapar was born on December 6 (December 18, new style) 1867 in the city of Kherson. Children's and teenage years associated with the southern coastal city of Taganrog.

Home music playing occupied a prominent place in the cultural life of the city. Just as they played music in the Chekhov family, they devoted a lot of time to music in the Maykapar family. Samuil Moiseevich’s mother, who studied in her youth in Odessa, played the piano well, as did her brother, an amateur violinist; His three sisters played the piano, the fourth learned to play the violin.

Taganrog was considered a musical city. Since the music school in Taganrog was opened only in 1885, until that time it was possible to study music only from private teachers, among whom there were also not very musically literate people. Teaching children to play some musical instrument was almost mandatory in every intelligent Taganrog family. Maikapara's father was a wealthy enough man to give his children not only secondary, but also higher education.

Maikapar mentions his years of studying at the gymnasium only in passing. He began studying at the same gymnasium, which the great Russian writer A.P. graduated from eight years earlier. Chekhov. In 1885, Maikapar graduated from high school with a silver medal.

Already at this time, music became his true passion and purpose in life. Quite early, Maikapar decided to become a musician. And in this regard, his parents and, of course, his first music teacher, the Italian Gaetano Molla, played a positive role. Maykapar described him as a talented, temperamental and hardworking musician, who taught him to understand and love music.

Maykapar was seven years old when he began learning to play the piano. He inherited his musical abilities from his mother, and his love for music from his father, who, although he did not play any musical instrument, was always ready to listen to music and felt it deeply. Systematic piano lessons, playing in an ensemble, attending chamber and other concerts cultivated Maikapar’s taste and introduced him to musical literature. By the age of fifteen, he already knew the main works of symphonic and chamber music, having played many symphonies and quartets with his sister four hands. He played almost all of Beethoven's sonatas and was a fairly fluent sight-reader. At this time, Maykapar was considered the best accompanist in Taganrog and performed not only with local amateurs, but also with visiting professional musicians.

Maykapar did not change his enthusiastic attitude towards Molla even when he realized his shortcomings - he was accepted into the junior year conditionally, for one year, since his technical preparation left much to be desired.

To receive higher education, Maikapar went to St. Petersburg, where there was the oldest conservatory in the country, which enjoyed enormous prestige thanks to the activities of its founder A. Rubinstein and the greatest musicians who taught there. To continue general education, he intended to go to university.

Maikapar, who graduated from high school with a medal, was guaranteed admission to the university. He chose the Faculty of Law as it did not require students to spend a lot of time on systematic studies. Maikapar needed time, since if he entered the conservatory, he had to practice playing the piano every day and a lot. Maykapar was accepted into the junior year conditionally for one year, since his technical preparation left much to be desired.

Maikapar entered the class of senior teacher V. Demyansky, who over the course of two years corrected his hand placement defects, taught him how to carefully work on a piece of music, and significantly improved his technique. Demyansky considered his mission accomplished. Maykapar subsequently wrote: “...thanks to the careful, intelligent guidance of Demyansky, I successfully passed the most critical, first period of my studies at the conservatory, and the question is whether, for so many years, left without the correct technical school, I will be able to acquire in the future the fundamentals of good piano technique, resolved in a positive sense." Having successfully passed the technical exam to advance to the senior year of the conservatory, Maikapar moved to the class of the Italian pianist Veniamin Cesi, who had just been invited as a professor to the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

For four years, Maikapar studied with Cesi, with the help of whom he was able to thoroughly become familiar with the piano music of Bach, Handel and other ancient masters. After working at the conservatory for four years, Cesi became seriously ill and left for his homeland in Italy.

Maykapar then continued his studies with the young Hungarian pianist Joseph Weiss, a student of Liszt. Weiss's teaching was characterized by disorder and lack of any system. Maykapar was considered his student more than he worked with him. Maikapar prepared for the final exam on his own, as he fell ill shortly before the exam. He played the program well and was appointed to perform at the conservatory act, which was awarded to the best of the graduates.

When Maikapar took the last of the auxiliary musical-theoretical subjects, A. Rubinstein was present at the exam; Having familiarized himself with Maykapar's experience in composing music, he advised him to begin studying the theory of composition. So Maykapar ended up in the class of Professor N. Solovyov, graduating from the conservatory not only as a pianist, but also as a composer.

The years Maykapar spent at the conservatory turned out to be significant for him, thanks to the environment in which he found himself. While serving as director of the conservatory, A. Rubinstein took to heart not only the interests of the institution, but also the fate of each student. Maikapar will forever remember Rubinstein’s brilliant performances on the stage.

He graduated from Maykapar University two years earlier than the Conservatory. He briefly tried to practice law, but soon became convinced that it was impossible to combine music studies with law. But while studying at the university, Maykapar acquired a certain breadth of views, disciplined his thinking, learned to argue and clearly express his thoughts. This allowed him to subsequently go beyond his narrow musical specialization and become an outstanding researcher in the field of music.

Not content with what had been achieved and critical of his pianistic achievements, Maikapar went to Vienna, where he studied with the famous teacher Theodor Leschetizky. Maikapar describes in detail in the book “Years of Study” the course of his studies with Leshetitsky. Concluding the narrative, he writes: “As a result of my work under the leadership of Leshetitsky, I consider the most valuable result to be the conscious paths of technical and artistic improvement that opened up thanks to him throughout the rest of my life... Another, very important result of my studies with Leshetitsky was a great interest in methods work, to find ways to master technical difficulties and achieve artistic completeness of execution, without unnecessary expenditure of labor and effort."

Maikapar was characterized by perseverance, which forced him, having taken up a task, to delve into the smallest details until the issue was fully studied. Such exceptional conscientiousness was demonstrated by Maikapar in all areas. If it concerned performing work and it was about concert performances, then he thought about not only the program, the sequence of performance of the plays, but also took into account the minutes of sound of each pause between them and the duration of the intermission; in his performing and pedagogical work we literally encounter the jewelery finishing of his works; when publishing works - with careful marking of the smallest details; When preparing books and reports, he conscientiously studied supporting material, literature, and attracted a wide variety of sources, which, in his opinion, could help clarify the essence of the matter. And so it is always and in everything. A. Rubinstein, who heard Maikapar more than once at student concerts, made a proposal: “It’s enough for you to study! You are already a ready-made pianist. Let’s give concerts, and the stage will teach you what no professor in the world can teach.” However, only seven years after this conversation, Maykapar decided to perform an independent concert, which he gave in Berlin, immediately after finishing his studies with Leshetitsky. The concert program included plays performed with Leshetitsky.

Two weeks later, in the same Bechstein hall, Maykapar's second concert took place in Berlin, which was also a solid success, but with the most modest criticism, since Maykapar refused to give the reviewer a certain bribe for a favorable review in the magazine.

In 1898, Maikapar returned to Russia and settled in Moscow. He strives to perform in concerts as often as possible. With great care, Maikapar prepares for performances, considers concert programs, regardless of whether it is his own clavier band, a performance in an ensemble (with violinist Press, pianist Ganeshina), or in a charity concert. He includes his own works with great care and in minimal quantities.

The Russian press, unlike the foreign press, reacted sympathetically to Maykapar. Here is what was written, for example, about his first concert in Moscow: “... Bach’s fugue in C minor, Schubert’s A minor sonata, several small pieces by Grieg, Chopin, Schumann, Leshetitsky (one of the pianist’s teachers) and Tchaikovsky gave the pianist the opportunity to introduce audience with his handsome talent. He plays without any tricks, deliberate effects, simply, musically, modestly and intelligently. He, perhaps, does not have enough temperament for the artistic completeness of his performance, and this is one of the reasons why we do not hear from him. so to speak, the heights, the final points of an enthusiastic artist, exciting and also captivating. So be it, but in our time both the integrity of thinking and the ability to express everything in an understandable language should enjoy genuine attention...” (“Russian Musical Newspaper”, 1900, No. 15). -16).

Maykapar for the first time in methodological literature raised the question of the need to develop internal hearing for musicians and specifically pointed out the possibility of its development. Maikapar took an active part in the “Scientific and Musical Circle” organized in 1902 in Moscow, led first by S. Taneyev, and later by professor of physiology A. Samoilov. The members of the circle were prominent Moscow musicians and scientists interested in music. Maikapar became the secretary of the circle and organizer of all reports.

Maikapar had to come to meetings of the circle from Tver, where in 1901 he opened his own music school. It lasted three years. In such a short period of time, naturally, Maikapar could not see significant results of his pedagogical work, however, classes with children led Maikapar to the idea of ​​​​creating children's piano pieces “Miniatures” and “Three Preludes” for piano, which found a favorable response in the press.

The difficulty of leading in Russia scientific work in the field of music was one of the reasons that prompted Maikapara to go abroad. Berlin at that time was a center that attracted the largest musicians in Europe. In Berlin it was in full swing concert life; Every day, symphony and solo concerts were held in several halls. Maikapar went to Berlin without any illusions. Arriving there, he again gave a concert in the Bechstein Hall, and then began giving concerts in other cities in Germany.

Maikapar chose not Berlin as his main place of residence, but Leipzig, which was of interest to him as a center of scientific musical thought. Living in these two cities, Maikapar attended concerts, studied literature, and met composers, musicologists and performers. His own concert performances took place in small halls. Great success fell on his performance with his wife, Sofia (Sultane) Maikapar. Her colorful soprano voice attracted great praise.

Maikapar is planning to create a textbook that, based on scientific data, would highlight the most important issues in teaching piano. As if in continuation of the published book on musical ear, individual parts were to bear the headings: “Rhythm”, “Technique”, “Sight Reading”, “Pedalization”, “Public Performance”, etc. This work was started by Maykapar and continued for many years; much had already been done, but was not finally completed. The task turned out to be too difficult for one person to solve, taking into account the exceptional conscientiousness of the author.

Living abroad, Maikapar does not lose touch with Russia. His relatives lived here, and he came here to relax in the summer. In 1910, when he was in Berlin, he received the following letter from the director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory A. Glazunov:

“Dear Semyon Moiseevich (Glazunov mistakenly calls Maykapar Semyon, and not Samuil Moiseevich - R.A.). I would like to bring to your attention that at the meeting of the artistic council held on September 18, I proposed you as a candidate for piano teacher of both the lower and and the highest course. The Council has authorized me to notify you about this. Elections should take place in the very near future and I will notify you of the result of the elections, which I hope will be favorable, with sincere respect and devotion to A. Glazunov."

The prospect of teaching at the conservatory, where he himself studied, seemed tempting to Maikapar. The St. Petersburg Conservatory enjoyed a reputation as one of the best music educational institutions in the world. The situation at the conservatory was very favorable for Maykapar’s pedagogical work. The piano department of the conservatory was headed by A. Esipova, a student of Leshetitsky, who enjoyed unquestioned authority due to her artistic and pedagogical fame; In addition to Esipova, among the professors of the conservatory there were other students of Leshetitsky - K. fan-Ark, who died in 1909, M. Benza-Efron.

When the question of inviting a new piano teacher arose at the conservatory, no one raised any objections to Maykapar’s candidacy. He was a student of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, belonged to the Leshetitsky school, gave concerts and conducted teaching work abroad. In addition, he also had a university education, which is not so common among professional musicians. Of certain importance was the fact that at one time he graduated from the conservatory in two specialties and has now made a name for himself as a composer and the author of a valuable musical theoretical book on musical ear.

Soon Maikapar received a telegram informing him of the favorable outcome of his run for the Conservatory’s Arts Council. He has already started studying in the fall. Having started work as a teacher, two years later he was approved as a senior teacher, and in 1915 as a professor of special piano.

For almost twenty years Maikapar conducted teaching work at the St. Petersburg-Leningrad Conservatory, at the same time performing in concerts, composing music and doing scientific work. His concert performances, mainly in the Small Hall of the Conservatory, attracted attention due to the culture of performance. Maikapar was one of the “smart” performers whose rationality prevailed over emotionality. “... Mr. Maykapar is not only a pianist, but also, which is especially gratifying to emphasize, a thoughtful musician, and this quality is rarely found among modern concert performers,” noted one of the reviews of his concerts. Maykapar's most significant performing achievement was his performance of a cycle of seven concerts in 1925, in which he performed all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Performance, which Maikapar always loved, remained for him the basis of all other types of activity - composition, pedagogy, scientific work.

Among Maikapar's works created in pre-revolutionary times, the piano miniatures are of great interest: “12 album sheets”, “Puppet Theater” of seven numbers. However, Maikapar’s true triumph as a composer for children is “Spillkins” - a cycle of plays created after the revolution.

During his time at the Leningrad Conservatory, Maikapar graduated over forty pianists. In his own pedagogical work, Maikapar was a follower of Leshetitsky’s school. Maykapar, however, did not remain an imitator of his teacher's techniques. Maykapar has been a seeking teacher all his life.

Striving for new achievements, Maykapar always turned to science. Acoustics, physiology, psychology and other sciences, which he used to substantiate certain provisions of musical practice, were not always able to answer the requirements placed on them, and delving into scientific issues for Maykapar often had only a fundamental meaning.

As a scientist and public figure Maikapar showed himself especially active in the twenties. Maykapar took part in reforming the conservatory's curriculum and participated in the work of various commissions. He gives methodological presentations at meetings of the piano faculty. His work “Scientific Organization of Labor as Applied to the Work of a Performing Musician” appears, studying the work system of the most prominent Western pianists: Egon Petri, Arthur Schnabel, Ignaz Friedman. In 1927, Maykapar’s book “The Significance of Beethoven’s Work for Our Modern Times” was published, with a lengthy preface by A.V. Lunacharsky. In this book, based on in-depth study works of the great composer, as well as in a report read at the conservatory at a ceremonial meeting in memory of the 100th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, Maykapar stated the thesis: “The great legacy left to humanity by Beethoven, a hundred years after his death, retains all its strength and all its cultural significance, fully meeting the needs of our time, but we ourselves are far from fully identifying and using its cultural value."

During these years, a difficult situation arose at the conservatory due to the struggle of various schools and directions within the piano faculty. All this required Maykapar to strain his strength. He started to get sick. Having brought the last students to graduation, Maykapar left work at the conservatory in 1929. He gave away his remaining strength musical creativity and literary works. During the period of RAPMA, when the administrative activities of this organization extended to almost all musical institutions, Maykapar's works were either rejected by the editors of Muzgiz or their publication was delayed. The composer's unsuccessful attempts to change the current situation forced him to start promoting his compositions through his own concerts in music schools, palaces of pioneers and other institutions in Leningrad and Kyiv. Only in 1932, after the liquidation of RAPMA, Maikapar’s works began to appear in print again, but even then in quantities that were far from satisfying the demand for them.

Maikapar took it very hard to leave the conservatory. He was still full of creative ideas, he wanted to perform and conduct teaching work. Added to these experiences was the bitterness of the loss in the early 30s of the beloved eight-year-old Nadechka, the daughter from Maikapar’s second marriage to violinist Elizaveta Aronovna Totesh, who had received her education at the conservatory.

In 1934, a competition of young talents was organized in Leningrad, in which child musicians aged from seven to sixteen participated. Maykapar was on the jury of the competition. More than half of the speakers played it piano pieces. The resolution of the Leningrad City Council dated April 17, 1934 stated: “To note the great work of reviewing and promoting the artistic education of children in connection with the competition of young talents, which has enormous cultural significance, and to approve the resolution of the competition committee on awarding Maikapar S.M.”

In the last years of his life, Maykapar worked especially hard on issues of performance theory. He almost completed the work “Creativity and Work of a Musical Performer Based on Experience and in the Light of Science.” Maikapar's work remained in manuscript, but his thoughts on the technique of working on a piece of music were reflected in lectures that he gave in the spring of 1935 at the House of Artistic Education for Children in Leningrad. The lectures were called “How to play the piano” and were intended for school-age children. The surviving notes of the lecture give an idea not only of their content, but also of the form in which Maikapar presented rather special information to the children. This work by Maikapar, for all its brevity, may turn out to be quite useful for musician teachers as an example of how to provide the necessary information about analysis in a language understandable to students. piece of music and its further learning in connection with the features of the texture.

In the same 1935, Maykapar wrote the article “Children’s instrumental ensemble and its importance in the system of music education.”

One of the main obstacles to the introduction of the ensemble into classes with children in those years was the lack of the necessary simple literature. With the same consistency with which Maykapar composed cycles of light piano pieces ("Spillkins", "Miniatures", etc.), he writes four-handed pieces ("First Steps"), pieces for violin and piano (sonata "Rich People", " Songs of the day and night"), for trios and other types of instrumental ensemble.

In the last years of his life, in addition to composing pieces for instrumental ensemble and the remaining unfinished cycle of light preludes and fugues for piano, Maikapar continued to pay much attention to methodological work. Having spent his entire life at the piano and desk, Maykapar never tired of working until last days and died on May 8, 1938, on the eve of the publication of his book “Years of Study.” He was buried on the Literary Bridges of the Volkov Cemetery in Leningrad.

The complete collection of Maikapara's published works can be contained in one volume. Although their number is very large (over 200 titles), most of them are piano miniatures that fit on one or two pages. Maikapar's works were published in Germany, Austria, England, France, and America, but it does not follow from this that during the author's lifetime they were widespread. At first, when Maikapar was not known as a composer, his first works (romances and piano pieces) were published abroad in small editions and, as was then customary, at the expense of the author. Subsequently, when Maykapar's children's plays gained recognition, only a few of them were reprinted by foreign publishers. The vast majority of Maikapar's works were published in Russia. During Maikapar's lifetime, they were produced in quantities that no longer met demand; After the death of the author, this demand increased every year and required multiple reprints. Nowadays, in any Russian music library, the card index with the names of his works can compete in volume with the number of cards containing the titles of works by the largest composers of our time. It is characteristic that only Maikapar's children's piano pieces were often republished.

Writing music for children is a very necessary, honorable, but not easy task. “Yes, many, many conditions are needed for the education of a children’s writer,” Belinsky pointed out, “you need a gracious, loving, meek, infantilely simple soul; an elevated, educated mind, an enlightened view of the subject, and not only a vivid imagination, but also a living poetic fantasy , capable of presenting everything in animated, rainbow images." To this he adds: “The best writer for children, the highest ideal of a writer for them, can only be a poet.”

Satisfying the requirements of the Belinskys for children's writers, in many of his works for children S.M. Maykapar proved himself to be a true poet.

NGMBOUDOD Children's Music School named after. Nefteyugansk.

METHODOLOGICAL REPORT

"WITH. Maikapar and his piano cycle “Spillkins”

Compiled by:

teacher

piano department

S. Maykapar and his piano cycles.

Cycle "Spillkins"

S. Maikapar was born in Kherson in 1867, his childhood years were spent in Taganrog, then Maikapar entered St. Petersburg University to study Faculty of Law, who graduated in 1891 and at the same time entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied in two specialties: composition and piano. After graduating from the conservatory and on the advice of Anton Rubinstein, Maikapar goes to Vienna to improve with the famous pianist Professor Theodor Leschetizky. From 1903 to 1910 Maykapar lived in Germany. He gives a lot of concerts, composes, practices scientific activity. In 1910, Maykapar received an invitation from A. Glazunov to teach at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1930, Maikapar left the conservatory and devoted himself entirely to creative work– composition, performance, scientific works. Maykapar died on May 8, 1938.

The complete collection of Maikapara can be contained in one volume. Although their number is very large (over 200 titles), most of them are piano miniatures that fit on one or two pages. Maykapar's plays were published in Germany, Austria, England, France, and America. The catalog of Maikapara's works contains piano pieces, romances and works for chamber ensemble.

Maykapar began composing at the age of 14-15 and continued throughout his life. And it was in the field of children's music that the name of S. Maikapara became widely known in the country. He found musical images and intonations close to a child; With the help of his plays for beginners, he teaches children to love music, opening up to them the wide possibilities of their own creativity and the road to knowledge of the beautiful art of sounds.

In vain would we look for bright stylistic features. Their value does not lie in any unique individual traits melody, harmony, etc., but in a combination of all elements, each of which may not be so significant. Clear sense of purpose, spontaneity of expression, combined with extensive performing and teaching experience, helped Maikapar become one of the founders of Russian children's piano literature. He developed a comprehensive system for the development of piano technology. Its cycles piano works, addressed to young pianists, are built according to completely a certain plan, covering one or another section of piano technique or type of pianistic difficulty. At the same time, the principle “from simple to complex” is strictly observed. According to this plan, a cycle of 12 wrist preludes op-14, two octave intermezzo op-13, staccato preludes op-31 was created. The tasks in the collection of ensemble pieces “First Steps Op-29 in Piano for 4 Hands are strictly sequentially complicated. A clear pedagogical plan is visible in famous cycle“spillies” (it is associated with familiarizing the student with all 24 tonalities).

If we take Maikapar’s work in the field of small forms as a whole, then Grieg turns out to be closest to him in form, and partly in spirit. When composing children's plays, Maikapar proceeded from the belief that the general requirements of small artists are the same “as those of adult performers; this is a requirement for imagery, colorfulness, then simplicity and artlessness of compositions. I gave this site the best powers of my creativity.”

Qualities that are characteristic of Maykapar as a “children’s” composer: vitality and imagery of content (lack of artificiality, pretentiousness, far-fetchedness), sincerity and emotionality, simplicity and laconicism, completeness of form, organic connection with the instrument.

This is how Maykapar distributed the plays according to their content:

Nature pictures:“in the morning” op.15 No.1, “in the evening”, “night”, “autumn”, “echo in the mountains”, “spring”, “clouds are floating” op.23 No.24, “by the sea at night”, “in the fog” ", "dewdrops", " quiet morning", "stormy stream", " starry night» Op.33 No.19.

Onomatopoeic plays:“pipe”, “in the forge”, “musical clown” op.16 No. 6, “at war”, “ music box", "teamwork", "cavalry is coming", "Aeolian harp" op.33.

Figurative plays:“lullaby” op.8, “Italian serenade” op.8, “mermaid”, “clown dance” op.21, “catching butterflies”, “in the kindergarten”, “orphan”, “shepherdess”, “fleeting vision”, “Moth”, “Lullaby”, “Sailors’ Song”, “Seven-League Boots”, “On the Skating Rink”, “Horseman in the Forest”, “Butterfly” Op. 33 No. 8.

Plays of moods and feelings:“sad mood”, “complaint” op.15, “dream” op.16, “in separation”, “memory”, “troubadour song”, “anxious moment”, “funeral march”, “meditation”, “long journey” ", "calling song", "elegy" op.33, " fun game"Op.33, "dramatic passage."

Dancing:“gavotte” op.6, “tarantella”, “waltz”, “minuet” op.16, “polka”, “mazurka” op.33.

Narrative music:“fairy tale” op.3, “romance”, “dialogue” op.15, “stepdaughter and stepmother” op.21, “lullabies” op.24 from No. 1-6, “legend”, “scary story”, “ a sailor's story" op.33.

Music titles: “children's play”, “prelude and fugetta”, “operetta”, “melody” op.8, “leaf from the album”, “nocturne” op.8, “scherzino” op.8, “petite rondo”, “prelude” " op. 16, " variations on a Russian theme", "Fugetta" op.8, "sonata" op.27, etc.

The vast majority of Maykapar's piano pieces are programmatic works, this is explained by the desire to awaken the imagination of children with the help of their characteristic names, that is, by associative comparison of sound images with phenomena and emotions that are well known to children. Maikapar specified the content of the plays; he realized the special need to create children's plays for beginners, which was done with exceptional success in the “spillie” cycle.

"Spillkins."

The cycle of piano pieces for children by S. Maikapar “Spillkins” is one of the classical works pedagogical repertoire and stands on a par with such collections as “Anna Magdalene Bach’s music notebook”, “children’s album”, “album for youth” by F. Schumann. Created in 1925-1926, the cycle “Spillies” enjoys constant love among both young musicians and their teachers. The plays in the collection are distinguished by everything that is characteristic of true masterpieces - regardless of whether it is a monumental work or a miniature - inspiration, ideal harmony of form, perfect finishing of details. Nowadays, few people know what spillikins are. This was once a very popular game among children: a handful of chopped straws are placed in a pile on the table; The players pull them out, alternating one at a time without shaking the heap. “Spillkins” is a suite that includes piano pieces of various contents. It consists of six notebooks of four plays each (in last notebook 6 plays). It is interesting to compare this collection with cycles, like “H. T.K. Bach, “Spillkins” plays in all 24 keys. However constructive principle the construction of the “spillie” is somewhat different: Series I (notebook 1 and 2) from C to 3 sharps; in series II (notebook 3 and 4) from C major to 3 flats; Notebooks 5 and 6 cover pieces in keys with 4,5,6 signs. Thus, despite the fact that there are 24 keys in total, and 26 plays, because the keys C and A minor as the starting points of movement to the sharp and flat sides are repeated twice. Understanding how important imagery is for little musicians, Maykapar took very seriously the search for the brightest possible titles for plays; These were not always the first play titles that came to mind. So, in the original version, “anxious moment” was called “worry”, “moth” - “elf”, “legend” - “dreams”, “spring” - “baby”. Instead of the "gavotte", the play "moonlight" was initially conceived, although the music of this play does not provide grounds for such an illusion. Some plays appeared, as the drafts indicate, immediately in finished form, while others were subject to revision and revision. It didn’t take long for the “little commander” to appear. First, “continuous work” was born. She was the melodic seed for the “little commander”. “The F minor miniature is now “seven-league boots” - according to the original plan, it had a completely different musical idea.

The themes of Maykapar's plays are always very expressive. They are characterized by a bright, memorable melody, usually of short length. The “song of the sailors” is energetic, the strumming in the “shepherdess” is technical. Each play is unique. Its name is not a random label, but a definition of content that gives the opportunity for the creative imagination of a young performer to unfold. The merit of the plays lies in the thematic material itself and less in its development. He resorts to contrasting comparisons, and if they are not needed, then he diversifies the repeated phrases by changing the harmonic background, figures accompaniment, register change. The harmonies in the pieces are extremely simple.

Very often Maikapar resorts to polyphony if at the beginning of his creative path He used the techniques of polyphonic writing rather intuitively, but later came to the conviction that polyphony is a necessary condition for creating a truly piano work.

Maikapar did not forget about the small size of a child's hand. Nowhere in his children's plays do we find octaves played with one hand or chords played in a wide arrangement. The octave doublings encountered in his work are always performed with two hands. Wide use of piano registers, associated with sweeping, complete freedom of movement of the hand and even the body, within the entire range of the instrument. Maikapar very often and skillfully resorts to this technique. Already the direct use of one or another register gives the corresponding artistic effect(high register - “moth”, “dewdrop”; medium melodious “romance”, “meditation”; low “funeral march”, etc.). Moving any passage, phrase, or even a separate chord from one register to another within one piece gives a different coloring to the sound. By combining transfer with pauses, maintaining the duration of the sound, subtle changes in strokes, dynamic shades, etc. Maikapar strives to enhance the semantic meaning of individual “pieces”, emphasizes changes in mood, etc. The use of registration in his plays is one of the most effective techniques of piano expressiveness. His plays are always accompanied by a clear indication of the tempo of the performance, often supported by the designation of a metronome. The composer gave tempo instructions great value, correctly considering that they give an idea not only of the speed of movement, but also of its nature. Strokes, dynamic shades and other notations appeared inextricably linked with the musical text. By fixing musical notes on paper, the composer simultaneously embodied the performance concept, ensuring the accuracy of its implementation. The only thing left for the performer of Maikapara's plays is to follow his instructions. In this case, they will contribute to the artistry of the performance to the maximum extent. Maikapar always indicates legato and staccato (light and heavy), portamento, signs of extension above a note, accents, etc. The placed leagues accurately indicate the beginning and end of the phrase, and dynamic designations indicate signs of acceleration and deceleration of movement (using Italian terminology) always placed exactly where they should begin and end. It is impossible not to note the peculiarities of the designation of the fingerings put down by Maikapar in his plays, giving it and the correct attitude towards it great importance. Maikapar adhered to exceptional precision in the designation of pedaling, considering it an effective means of artistic performance. The use of the pedal in his pieces is very diverse and it is always justified artistic purposes. Unfortunately. Even teachers do not pay enough attention to the issues and designations of pedaling in Maykapar’s plays and do not give them the importance that the composer gave them.

I would like to draw special attention to the fact that the collection “spillies” is a cycle of plays of different characters, i.e. it has artistic value as a whole. And although, of course, it is difficult to expect young musicians to perform it in its entirety, just as it is far from often that Bach’s cycles of inventions and symphonies are performed in their entirety, the KhTK, according to the original plan, “spillies” was conceived as single work. Everyone can easily be convinced of this if they understand the design features of the cycle (tonal plan) and play the pieces one after another: the appearance of each next one sounds like a surprise, and not a dissonance with the previous one. It is quite obvious that only a great master could create a harmonious suite of 26 pieces.

Writing music for children is a very necessary, honorable, but not easy task. Belinsky wrote “we need a gracious, loving, meek, melodic, simple-minded soul; an elevated, educated mind, a lively imagination, a living poetic fantasy, capable of imagining everything in animated, rainbow images.”

Literature.

1. Samuel Maikapar and his piano cycles. "Classics" 2009

2. Portraits of pianists. D. Rabinovich. M., 1963

3. The initial period of learning to play the piano. , 1989