Romance in music (Spanish romance, from late Latin romanice, literally “in Roman style,” that is, “in Spanish”) is a vocal composition written on a short poem of lyrical content, mainly love; chamber musical and poetic work for voice with instrumental accompaniment.
In the 18th century, "romance" was the name vocal piece on French(albeit written by a Russian composer), and a work with text in Russian is a “Russian song”. “Romances” were also called poems by poets like Sumarokov or Trediakovsky, in which folk melodic motifs sounded.
Romances are divided into:
Classic romance - written by professional composers.
Urban romance (everyday) is author's in its method of creation, but folklore in its mode of existence, a prototype of Russian chanson.
Gypsy romance
Cruel romance
Cossack romance - Cossack original songs, on a Cossack theme, originated in the Don. The ancestor of the “Cossack romance” is considered to be the song unknown author 19th century “Spring will not come for me...”.
The origins of romance in Russia lie in vocal chamber music XVIII century. Kant, aria, Russian song and, finally, romance - history is reflected in the terminology itself lyrical work for voice with accompaniment.
Cants are songs of the most varied content: viva cants, greeting cants, table cants, love cants, pastoral cants, comic cants. Among the authors of the cants were Antioch Kantemir, Mikhail Lomonosov, Alexander Sumarokov, Feofan Prokopovich. The most significant figure in this series was Vasily Trediakovsky, whose songs filled handwritten collections of 1730-1750.
I’ll start sad poems on the flute,
In vain to Russia through distant countries:
For all I need today is her kindness
There is a lot of desire to think with your mind.
Russia mother! My light is immeasurable!
Allow me, I beg your faithful child,
Oh, how you sit on the red throne!
You are a clear sun to the Russian sky!
From the second half of the 18th century, Russian song came to replace the cants. In 1759, the first printed collection of music was published - “Collection of Various Songs” by G. Teplov. The author of these songs, Grigory Nikolaevich Teplov (1711-1779), a prominent dignitary, senator, member of the Academy of Sciences, was well known in St. Petersburg as an amateur composer, violinist, harpsichordist and singer. It was a bold step - to take popular love poems that all poetry lovers read and set them to music. Most of the songs were written to poems by the most brilliant poet of that time - Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov. Teplov’s collection quickly gained popularity, and all the musically educated young ladies sang the mournful and elegiac “My age has already passed as a drag” in the spirit of the French minuet. Sentimental poetry of the 18th century, in the spirit of the then fashionable “sensitivity”, strove for simplicity, sincerity, and sincerity of lyrical expression. Folk songs had a very strong influence on her. This is how the popular “Russian songs” of Ivan Dmitriev and Yuri Neledinsky-Meletsky appeared. Ivan Dmitriev’s song “The Gray Dove Moans” charmed not only the young ladies of the nobility, but also spread among the people. Since the end of the 18th century, the term “romance” has been established in Russian musical and poetic lyrics. In 1796, it was first used by Gavriil Derzhavin and Grigory Khovansky. At that time, the authors of romances were considered to be poets, not composers. Their plots, vocabulary, and figurative structure will be picked up by the future generation of Russian poetry. C in Russian literature of romanticism song creativity Russian poets are becoming very diverse both in content and genre characteristics. The “Russian song” is being replaced by the genre of “Russian song” - a unique type of romance song, focusing on folklore tradition. The founder of this direction was Alexey Merzlyakov, a professor at St. Petersburg University. His most famous song is “Among the flat valley...”
The genre of Russian song reached its highest peak in the works of A. Koltsov and N. Tsyganov. Many people wrote music to A. Koltsov’s poems famous composers- M. Glinka, A. Gurilev, M. Balakirev, A. Dargomyzhsky... The name of Nikolai Tsyganov is not as famous as the name of Koltsov, but his song-romance “Don’t sew me, mother, a red sundress...” (music by A. Varlamov ) has gained worldwide fame. “Russian song” is a unique, but not the only type of vocal lyricism of the 19th century. Already in the first half of the decade, ballads, elegiac romances, freedom-loving songs, and hussar songs appeared. Pushkin had a particularly profound impact on Russian music. His poetry gave impetus to the development of romance lyrics. In the work of the young Glinka, Pushkin's poetry first received perfect expression. Romance gets real big artistic phenomenon. And Glinka’s romance “Do not tempt me unnecessarily...” (1825) to the words of E. Boratynsky became the first masterpiece of the genre of romance-elegy, and the composer’s all-Russian fame began with it. This was Pushkin's favorite romance. Fifteen years later, another brilliant romance will follow - “Doubt”. Pushkin’s poem “I remember a wonderful moment...” became the basis of the romance, uniting the poet, composer and Anna and Catherine Kern. Together with Pushkin’s line, the romance acquired depth, brightness of colors, perfection. It was in Pushkin era a number of talented composers-romanceists are nominated: A. Alyabyev (“Nightingale”, “Oh, if only I knew before..”), A. Varlamov (“Red Sundress”, “What has become foggy, the clear dawn ...”), A. Gurilev (“Sarafan”, “The bell rattles monotonously...”), Verstovsky and others. Photos (from left to right): A.S. Pushkin, M. Glinka, E. Boratynsky, A. Varlamov, A. Alyabyev, Verstovsky, A. Gurilev / Along with chamber vocal classics, in the 19th century, everyday romance appeared, designed for amateur singers. Since the middle of the century, the areas of classical romance and everyday romance have been separated. The first, created mainly by classical composers (P. Tchaikovsky, S. Rachmaninov, M. Balakirev, M. Borodin, S. Dargomyzhsky, etc.) to poems by major poets, was performed by masters vocal art, the second, as a rule, arose in little cooperation famous poets and amateur musicians and became the property of mass music-making. The romance genre had a huge influence on the creativity of the gypsies. The founder of professional gypsy performance in Russia was the famous choir of Count A.G. Orlov-Chesmensky, assembled in 1744 and led for many years by the Sokolov dynasty:
Sokolovsky Choir at Yar
Was once famous...
Sokolov guitar
My ears are still ringing.
The repertoire of such choirs initially consisted mainly of Russians folk songs and romances. Fans of gypsy singing were Pushkin and Tolstoy, Fet and Ostrovsky, Leskov and Turgenev, Herzen and Kuprin. The most famous gypsy singer in late XIX century was Varvara Panina. In 1895, composer Cesar Cui wrote a book-research “Russian Romance”, in which he summed up the romance creativity of Russian composers from Glinka, Dargomyzhsky and composers “ Mighty bunch"until the end of the 19th century. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by an increase in technical achievements. Gramophones and records contributed to the popularization of romance. Romance becomes more of a performing art than a compositional and poetic art. Thanks to the surviving recordings, we can hear the voices of the stars of urban romance - Anastasia Vyaltseva, Nadezhda Plevitskaya, Mikhail Vavich, Natalia Tamara. Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was rightfully considered the most brilliant performer of Russian romances. Many everyday romances and songs of that time seem to be divided into two emotional streams: with on the one hand - unbridled fun, bravado, on the other hand - disappointment, breakdown, mental suffering. Let us remember the romance “Coachman, don’t drive the horses...” (Ya. Feldman - N. Ritter), written in 1915. Until now, these heartfelt lines are filled with melancholy, despair, bitterness. But through the sadness, notes of some kind of ecstasy of suffering break through, the rhythm of the movement captures and carries the listener into a fast, bewitching dance. Sometimes the fate of the authors of romances was akin to the elements of their favorite genre. Everyone knows the romance “The Chrysanthemums Have Bloomed...”, but only performers and lovers of Russian romance know the name of the composer who created this masterpiece, Nikolai Kharito. His fate could become the theme of the most cruel romance. Among the performers of Russian romance of the early 20th century, Alexander Vertinsky stands out for his special creative style. Romance in his interpretation is a whole performance. He performed mainly songs and romances of his own composition in the author’s unique manner, but he also endowed well-known romances with a special sad lyrical meaning (Pierrot’s mask). Through the ostentatious irony and exaltation of the performance, a keen longing for sincere human communication, selfless relationships and deep feelings was conveyed. The most popular romances in the 20-30s of the twentieth century were the romances of Boris Fomin. Among them are such masterpieces as “Only once in a life does a meeting happen”, “Eh, guitar friend”, “Your eyes are green” and, of course, “The Long Road”. Among his romances there were practically no unsuccessful ones. This is not why they are still popular. In the 30s, romance entered the rhythm of tango, which provoked even greater popularity. With the help of the radio and gramophone, romance enters every home. Their interior space absorbed the enormous energy and skill of the performers, as well as the spirit of the times. The voices of Ivan Kozlovsky, Sergei Lemeshev, Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Izabella Yurieva, Vadim Kozin are heard in every house. At the turn of the 20th and 19th centuries, romance seems to be experiencing a rebirth. In cinema, romance serves as an element of stylization for a particular era (“Dog in the Manger”, “Spanish Romances” by G. Gladkov), a designation of a certain cultural layer (“Days of the Turbins”, the romance “White Acacia Bunches of Fragrant”), and expresses the lyrical state of modern heroes (" Different destinies", romance by Roshchin, "Irony of Fate", romances by M. Tariverdiev and others. Music for theatrical productions written for the same purposes. The most famous theatrical romances are: “You Wake Me Up at Dawn” and “White Rosehip” by A. Rybnikov from the play “Juno” and “Maybe”. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, composers turned to romance traditions and intonations in different musical directions: theater and film music, lyrical pop music, art song, rock music. Music for theatrical productions is written for the same purposes. The genre of “film romance” is developing in cinema. The famous films are: “Cruel Romance”, “Prison Romance”, “City Romance”, “Railway Romance”, “New Russian Romance”. The international competition of young performers of Russian romance “Romansiada” was first organized and held in 1997. The idea of the competition - an appeal to Russian romance as an alternative to the aggressive dominance of pop culture - was born in the newspaper Trud. The competition is held annually from September to December, ending with a final and a gala concert in the Column Hall of the House of Unions, historically associated with the development of the Russian romance genre. Artistic director"Romansiades" Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Galina Preobrazhenskaya.
From the history of the most famous romances.
"In the Moonlight"(also called “Bell” and “Ding-ding-ding”) is a romance related to the so-called coachman songs by the poet and musician Evgeny Dmitrievich Yuryev.
Evgeny Dmitrievich Yuryev (1882-1911) - Russian poet and composer, author of several romances, including: “Bell”, “Hey, coachman, drive to the Yar”, “Why love, why suffer”, etc. More known fifteen romances by E. D. Yuryev, composed by him in the period 1894-1906 to his own words and music, as well as eleven romances and songs, including “gypsy” (that is, similar to a gypsy romance) based on his words, set to music other composers, including A. N. Chernyavsky. Information about the biography of E. D. Yuryev is almost not preserved. Soon after October Revolution new government declared romance a “bourgeois relic” that interferes with building a bright future, where there is no place for any love experiences. And in Russian culture he was forgotten for several decades.
Only in the second half of the 1950s was romance as a genre “rehabilitated” and gradually began to return to Soviet listeners.
The romance “In the Moonlight” (also known as “Ding-ding-ding” and “Bell”) continues the coachman theme in Russian song culture, begun by the romance “Here is a daring troika rushing...” in 1828, when Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky set it to music An excerpt about a coachman from a poem by Fyodor Glinka. Little is known about the history of the creation of the romance; it was just composed - that’s all.
In the moonlight the snow is silver,
The bell is ringing
This ringing, this ringing
He talks about love.
IN moonlight early spring
I remember meetings, my friend, with you.
Ding-ding-ding, ding-ding-ding -
The bell rang
This ringing, this ringing
He sang sweetly about love.
I remember the guests as a noisy crowd,
Sweet face with a white veil.
Ding-ding-ding, ding-ding-ding -
The clinking of glasses makes noise,
With a young wife
My opponent is standing.
In the moonlight the snow turns silver,
A threesome is racing along the road.
Ding-ding-ding, ding-ding-ding -
The bell is ringing
This ringing, this ringing
He talks about love.
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Its main characteristics and components, as well as the history of the origin and development of the ancient genre. The role of Mikhail Glinka in the development of Russian romance.
Beautiful lyrical performances accompanied by live music have always touched the hearts of listeners and connoisseurs of the classics. It's amazing how it's so short musical creation can touch the farthest strings of our soul. Romance is an amazing combination of poetry and music that has found many admirers. In the melodic-poetic genre, there are three varieties: barcarolle (rhythmic song), elegy (reflective song), ballad (plot song).
Romance is an ancient genre
Its history goes back to the Middle Ages. The term “romance” itself originated in medieval Spain. During that period of history, a genre of secular songs appeared, usually these were poems by famous poets of the Romantic era, set to music and conveying deep feelings. By the way, today the words “romance” and “song” are identical in many languages.
Over time, this gained such popularity that single works began to be combined into whole vocal loops. It is symbolic that the first such cycle was created by the genius of world music and the father of classics - Beethoven. His idea was picked up and continued no less famous musicians such as Brahms, Schumann and Schubert.
Main characteristics of romance
A romance is a musical poem similar to a song. But still there are significant differences in the construction of the work itself. For example, there is absolutely no chorus, or, as it is also called, a refrain. Although practice shows that there are exceptions to the rules. It is interesting that the romance is usually performed solo, less often by a duet, and almost never by a choir.
Special hallmark This genre is its semantic load. His lines always carry a certain story that is close to both the author and his listeners. This could be an autobiographical story about an unhappy love story, or the author’s reflections on one or another life topic. Romance is not an exclusively melancholic genre. There are many examples of satirical and funny poetic narratives set to music.
A little about Russian romance
After a while, with the appearance of wealthy people in the homes musical instruments, romance seeped into Russian culture. Perhaps this was inspired by the spirit of romanticism that permeated the entire early nineteenth century. It was very much to the taste of the demanding public, and it was immediately picked up by such composers as Varlamov ("At dawn, don't wake her up"), Gurilev ("The bell sounds monotonously"), Alyabyev ("The Nightingale"). Some of them considered it necessary to introduce a spirit of freedom and cheerfulness into Russian romance and at the same time allowed the performer to demonstrate his vocal abilities. The accompaniment here is just a background, but organically connected with the poetic basis.
It's sad, but Soviet era his cultural development was suspended because strict censorship believed that the ideology propagated in romances had a detrimental effect on the Soviet worker. Ancient romances were not welcomed; their themes were considered “decadent.” The trend was patriotic, folk and humorous songs with simple melody.
Nevertheless, romances in some of their forms, for example, “urban”, continued to exist, passed on from mouth to mouth ordinary people. It was thanks to them that over time the long-awaited revival of this genre took place, which occurred around the seventies.
Russian composer Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka made an invaluable contribution to the history of Russian romance. As you know, he wrote more than eighty works of various directions. Glinka's romances are unique masterpieces, the creation of which only such talented and gifted individuals as Mikhail Ivanovich can create. His favorite romances were based on poems by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He always appreciated good poetry and realized that true romance could not exist without it.
The most significant work- the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila” based on Pushkin’s poem of the same name, which did not receive universal recognition, but revealed the composer’s full potential. And Glinka’s famous romances based on the poems of the great Russian poet - “I remember a wonderful moment”, “I am here, Inesilya”, “Heart Cup”, “For health, Mary”.
Today there are fans worldwide famous genre there are millions. Thanks to the love and support of the public, he does not stand still, but develops and moves forward every day. Of course, no matter how much time passes, romance will remain one of the leading and most important areas of chamber music.
An increasing number of people find in it something close to themselves, some kind of outlet in their experiences and problems. It is comforting to know that romance has not faded into the background over time; it continues to remain a favorite vocal genre.
Romance is a chamber vocal work characterized by poetic form and lyrical content of love themes. In other words, this poetic works for singing with instrumental accompaniment.
The form of a romance is close to a song, only with a limited theme of a love-lyrical nature. The romance is usually performed accompanied by one instrument, most often. The main emphasis in works of this kind is on melody and semantic load.
The birth of romance
The term "romance" itself originated in Spain, where it was used to name secular songs in Spanish that needed to be separated from religious hymns sung in Latin. The Spanish word “romance” or the late Latin “romanice” is translated as “in Romance” or “in Spanish,” which is actually the same thing. The term “romance” has taken root in many languages in parallel with the term “song,” although in German and English these two concepts are still not separated, denoting them with the same word (German Lied and English Song).
So, romance is a type of song that took shape in the period of the 15th-19th centuries.
Western European romance
From the middle of the 18th century, romance gained particular popularity in Germany and France and became a separate genre on the border of music and poetry. The poetic basis for the romances of this era were poems by such great poets as Heine and Goethe.
Already in the 19th century, national schools of romance were formed in Germany, Austria, France and Russia. During this period, the famous romances of the Austrians Schumann, Brahms and Schubert, and the French Berlioz, Bizet and Gounod were created.
It was also typical for European schools to combine romances into entire vocal cycles. The first such cycle, “To a Distant Beloved,” was created by Beethoven. His example was followed by Schubert (the romance cycles “Winterreise” and “The Beautiful Miller’s Wife”), Schumann, Brahms, Wolf... From the mid-19th century and in the 20th century, national schools of romance were formed in the Czech Republic, Poland, Norway, Finland.
Gradually, in addition to the classical chamber form of romance, a genre such as everyday romance is developing. It was designed for non-professional singers and was widely popular in society.
Russian romance
The Russian school of romance arose under the influence of romantic sentiments in art and was finally formed by the mid-19th century. Its founders are considered to be Alyabyeva, Gurilev, Varlamova, who often turned to gypsy themes in their work.
Alexander Alyabyev
Later, separate trends were formed in the genre of Russian romance - salon romance, cruel romance... Russian romance experienced its apogee of development at the beginning of the 20th century, during the era of the creativity of Vertinsky and Vyaltseva, Plevitskaya and Panina. laid down by these brilliant musicians traditions were successfully continued by Alla Bayanova and Petr Leshchenko, and already in the era of existence Soviet Union- Vadim Kozin, Tamara Tsereteli, Isabella Yurieva.
Unfortunately, during the Soviet era, the romance genre was not welcomed by the party leadership, since it was considered a non-proletarian genre, a relic of tsarism. and performers of romances were subjected to persecution and repression.
Only in the 70s. In the 20th century, romance experienced a revival when romances performed by Valentina Ponomareva and Nani Bregvadze, Nikolai Slichenko and Valentin Baglaenko gained popularity.
By everyday romance here we mean Russian vocal lyrics, designed not only for professional performance, but also for amateur singers, that is, practicallypublic . Performed to the accompaniment of a piano or guitar, it firmly became part of urban life, just as inXVIIIcentury this happened with cants or Russian songs. The amateur tradition is also indicated by the fact that in many cases the authorship was not recorded, the romances existed anonymously, and the authorship was established only later.
The genre definition of “romance” in Russia came into use in early XIX century, replacing the “Russian song”. Lyrical in content, “Russian songs” were the predecessors of Russian romance.
The first Russian romances can be called the works of F. Dubyansky, O. Kozlovsky, D. Kashin, A. Zhilin, I. Rupin. They preserved the most important features"Russian songs":
proximity to the music of urban life;
wide chanting, flexibility and plasticity of the melodic line;
sensitive character.
Remains stable genre view"Russian song".
Basic style features Russian everyday romance:
The melody of Russian everyday romance is specifically vocal. Its intonation softness and smoothness come from folk song origins. The leading role is played by sext intonations (often starting with an ascending sixth followed by a smooth descent, or a descending sixth jump to the introductory tone with further resolution into the tonic) and second delays;
the inclusion of declamatory phrases as a means of dramatization;
predominance of harmonic minor, deviations into related keys, increaseIV steps;
appeal to the rhythms of dances common in everyday life - waltz, mazurka, polonaise, Russian dance. One of the most popular rhythms in Russian everyday lyrics was the waltz rhythm, into which songs written in the so-called “Koltsov meter” - five syllables - easily fit;
“guitar” arpeggiated texture of piano accompaniment (less often chordal);
predominance of couplet, strophic form.
The genre of Russian romance was formed in an atmosphere of vibrant flourishing of amateur music-making. Russian cities, estates and estates are embraced by a universal craving for music. A piano, harp, violin or guitar acted as necessary household items, and song writing became a widespread phenomenon among the nobility and common classes.
Played a fundamental role in the development of Russian romancerussian poetry, presented works of a brilliant generation Russian poets: Zhukovsky, Baratynsky, Delvig, Batyushkov, Yazykov, Pushkin, later - Lermontov, Tyutchev.
Under the influence of poetry, several popular varieties of everyday chamber vocal music were formed:
elegy - a romance of lyrical and philosophical content associated with themes of deep thought, memories of the past, loneliness, unrequited love. A special feature of the melody is the characteristic combination of song-romantic and declamatory turns;
ballad - a romance in the free form of a monologue-story about dramatic, mysterious events. Often, a ballad is based on a folk legend and includes fantastic elements. Musical speech distinguished by excited pathos and expressiveness of recitation. The piano part plays an important role. A.N. is considered the creator of the Russian vocal ballad. Verstovsky (“Black Shawl” to the words of Pushkin, “Three Songs of the Skald” and “Poor Singer” to the words of Zhukovsky);
"Russian song" - a romance song focused on folklore tradition. R The flowering of this genre is associated, first of all, with the poetry of A. Koltsov (“At the dawn of a foggy youth...”, “Oh, my steppe...”) and N. Tsyganov (“Don’t sew me, mother, a red sundress...”) ;
drinking songs. They were distributed mainly among officers. In their cheerful music, a clear march-like gait can often be heard, indicating a connection with marching and battle songs. In the era of the Decembrists, the everyday theme of drinking songs gives way to civil statements, calls for freedom and “liberty”;
romances national genre plan, often called"eastern" (Spanish serenades, Caucasian songs, gypsy romances, Italian barcarolles).
Particularly profound impact on Russian vocal music had the poetry of A.S. Pushkin. His poems elevated Russian romance to the level of truly classical art. It was during the Pushkin era that a number of talented masters of Russian romance emerged.
Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev (1787-1851)
Among Glinka's older contemporaries, Alyabyev stood out for his rare talent. In his works he reflected the structure of feelings inherent in the art of the Decembrist era. In shaping his worldview important role Communication with A. Griboyedov, Decembrist poets, and partisan poet Denis Davydov played a role.
Alyabyev worked in a wide variety of genres: music for drama theater, operas, symphonic and chamber instrumental works. And yet in history national culture Alyabyev's name is associated primarily with the romance genre. His most famous song is"Nightingale" (text by A.A. Delvig, composed around 1825) - one of the masterpieces of Russian song lyrics and a classic example of the “Russian song” genre. In the simple lyrical melody pouring out from the top, one is attracted by its breadth and plasticity, close to the Russian drawn-out song. The melody is distinguished by modal tonal variability:d- F And C- a. At the same time, the same melodic turns acquire different harmonic colors.
Alyabyev's vocal creativity significantly changed the entire appearance of early romance lyrics and introduced new features into it. Based on the achievements of Russian literature, the composer expanded the content of the romance, going beyond traditional love and lyrical themes.
A significant part of Alyabiev’s vocal lyrics, his “ lyrical hero"autobiographical.The circumstances of the composer’s personal fate developed in such a way that romantic themes loneliness, melancholy, separation, exile turned out to be especially close to him . The songs of the gloomy make a strong impression, tragic nature, created during the years of Siberian exile (“Irtysh”, “Evening Bells”).
Alyabyev was one of the first interpreters of Pushkin’s lyrics (the romances “If Life Deceives You,” “I Loved You,” “Alas, Why She Shines,” “Awakening,” “Winter Road,” “Two Crows”).
With Alyabyev’s romances, Russian vocal lyrics included themes of civic sound, ideas of patriotism, and love of freedom. In the later romances, created based on poems by N. Ogarev (“Tavern”, “Izba”, “Village Watchman”) and P.Zh. Beranger ("The Beggar Woman")The influence of Gogolian literature is clearly felt.They openly voiced the theme of social inequality, anticipating the quests of Dargomyzhsky and Mussorgsky.
Romance "Beggar" refers to Alyabyev’s peak achievements in the field of dramatic vocal music. Here an image appears that anticipates the heroes of “poor Rus'” -“little people”, powerless and oppressed by fate. This is a poor old woman, in the past - famous singer, in the present - a beggar,begging for alms at the temple. The repeated lines “Give, for Christ’s sake, to her” call for compassion and love, giving the composition a deep social meaning. The couplet form of the romance is complicated by the two-part structure of each stanza.
Alyabyev’s work also presents images of the “Russian East” (“Kabardian song” to the words of A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, “Georgian song” to the words of L.A. Yakubovich).
Expanding the theme of Russian romance, Alyabyev enriches vocal music with new means musical expressiveness. The melody in his romances, usually restrained and not wide in range, is distinguished by subtle declamatory expressiveness (“Evening Bells”, “Beggar Woman”, “Village Watchman”).
The enrichment of the composer's vocal lyrics was greatly facilitated by his instrumental skill. In a number of romances the grain poetic image contained precisely in the piano part ("Winter Road" ).
Alexander Egorovich Varlamov (1801-1848)
If Alyabyev wasclose to the Decembrist movement in Russian art,then his contemporary Varlamov belonged to a different, post-Decembrist generation. His vocal lyrics sincerely and truthfully reflected the mood of the diverse artistic intelligentsia, new to Russia.
Varlamov came from the family of a minor official, hence his closeness to the urban folk environment, his love for urban folk song intonations. Its leading genre vocal creativity became a “Russian song”. Bringing Russian romance closer to folk origins, the composer reflected characteristic features Russian song (variant singing development, abundant intra-syllabic chants, modal variability, majestic leisurely movement). We will not find such a direct connection with folk melod in any of Glinka’s contemporaries, not excluding Alyabyev and Verstovsky. And only the touching lyrics of A. Gurilev just as naturally flowed into the same stream of urban folk song.
Varlamov created about 200 romances. Bringing the romance genre closer to folk songs, he made it accessible to the most wide circles listeners. Among his favorite poets are M. Lermontov, A. Fet (who was just beginning his literary activity), A. Pleshcheev. But most often he turned to the poems of songwriters - A.V. Koltsov and the now forgotten N.G. Tsyganova. It was on Tsyganov’s poems that the famous Varlamov’s"Red Sundress" , which, according to the composer A. Titov, “was sung by all classes - both in the living room of a nobleman and in a peasant’s smoking hut.”
“The Red Sundress” is constructed as a dialogue between a simple Russian girl and her mother, typical of ancient wedding rituals.The composer found simple but very precise means of musical expression. In the verses sung on behalf of his daughter, he uses the major mode, and in the responses of the experienced mother, he uses the minor mode. In developing the vocal melody, which begins with a characteristic “romantic” sixth, Varlamov shows great ingenuity.
Among Varlamov’s “Russian songs,” two types predominate. This is a drawn-out lyrical (“Red Sundress”, “Oh, time, little time”, “Why are you early, little grass”) and a lively, energetic dance song (“A blizzard is sweeping along the street”, “What kind of heart is this”, “A flying nightingale” ). The composer's talent was especially evident in lyrical songs, in a cantilena of wide breathing, suggested by the sound of a human voice. He is a born melodist, which is undoubtedly due to many years of work as a singer-performer and teacher .
Special group Varlamov’s “waltz” songs are composed, usually associated with the elegiac theme of memory, dreamy sadness (“Don’t wake her up at dawn” to poems by A. Fet). The rhythm of the waltz, widespread in urban life, in his music naturally melts into the familiar intonations of Russian folk song. Many other romances of Varlamov are also permeated with dance rhythms. (such, for example, is the energetic rhythm of the bolero in the romance"Sail" based on poems by M. Lermontov).
Varlamov had an undoubted influence on the further development of the Russian song cantilena, as well as on the birth of intonations that truthfully convey the psychological state of a person .
The folk-everyday line of Russian romance, vividly represented in Varlamov’s work, found its original continuation in the vocal lyrics of his close contemporary and friend, Alexander Gurilev.
Alexander Lvovich Gurilev (1803-1858)
Compared to the dynamic, emotionally rich style of Varlamov’s music, Gurilev’s lyrics are more intimate, “homey,” often tinged with an elegiac mood. Much in the style of his vocal compositions recalls the origins of Russian romance - the “Russian song”: the overall sensitive tone of the statement, the very vocabulary of the poems (“darling”, “maiden”, “toy heart”, “broken heart”).
“Russian song” was Gurilev’s favorite genre, which can already be explained by his origin: he was born into the family of a serf musician, and received his freedom only in 1831 (at the age of 28).IN traditional genre“Russian songs” the composer often introduces a waltz rhythm (“Bell”, “Don’t make noise, rye, with a ripe ear”, “The blue-winged swallow is hovering”, “Tiny house”). Many of the composer's songs have become folk songs; They were sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or piano in urban life; they also penetrated into the peasant environment and into the repertoire of professional gypsy choirs.
The content of Gurilev’s romances is dominated by themes of unrequited love, regrets about irretrievable loss, lost youth, dreams of happiness (“Bell”, “Swallow is Flying”, “Don’t Make Noise, Rye”). The composer was best at songs of the dramatized type, where his penchant for emphasizing sensitive intonations is justified by the general character of the music (“The Swallow is Floating”). It is characteristic that in the work of his favorite poet Koltsov, he was attracted, first of all, by Koltsov’s melancholy, and not by “valid prowess.”
One of best songs Gurilev to the words of Koltsov -"Parting" (“At the Dawn of Foggy Youth”).In this work one can find features of dramatization, which were later developed in the work of Dargomyzhsky. At the moment of climax, the melody, initially melodious, develops into a dramatic recitative, conveying the pain of parting.
The composer was deeply concerned about the theme female share, akin to the paintings of Venetsianov and Tropinin (“Mother Dove”, “The Sadness of a Girl”, “Guess My Dear”, “Sarafan”).
Like Varlamov, Gurilev collected and processed authentic folk tunes. A valuable contribution to Russian musical folklore was the collection “47 Russian folk songs” compiled by him.
A distinctive feature of Gurilev's romances and songs is the masterful development of the piano part. For all its simplicity, it is marked by the purity of vocal performance, detailed and careful nuance. This indicates high professional culture composer, who had excellent command expressive means piano. He was known to his contemporaries not only as a composer, but also as a gifted virtuoso pianist.
The epithet “sincere” (sincere tone, intonation, melody, etc.) clearly prevails in defining the characteristics of Russian everyday romance, since it has always been addressed to the human soul.
Him with fate turned out dramatically. Son of the Tobolsk governor, nobleman,participant Patriotic War In 1812, awarded orders for military merit, Alyabyev was exiled to Siberia on false charges of murder. In exile, he had to experience all the hardships of a powerless existence.
He received his musical education in the St. Petersburg court singing choir under the direction of D. Bortnyansky. Varlamov’s extensive pedagogical experience is summarized in the “School of Singing” he created - the first major work in Russia devoted to the methodology of teaching vocal art.
In this regard, the romance “Don’t wake her up at dawn” is especially interesting, the opening phrase of which is clearly related to the first intonations of Tchaikovsky’s romances “Among the Noisy Ball” and “I Opened the Window.”
