An appeal to Russian musical folklore, as well as a detailed study of Glinka’s opera scores in the process of preparing them for publication, helped the composer overcome the speculative nature of some of his works, which arose as a result of intensive training in composition techniques. In two operas written after “The Pskov Woman” (1872), “May Night” (1879) and “The Snow Maiden” (1881), Rimsky-Korsakov’s love for folk rituals and folk songs and his pantheistic worldview were embodied.
The composer's work in the 80s. mainly represented by symphonic works: “The Tale” (1880), Sinfonietta (1885) and Piano Concerto (1883), as well as the famous “Capriccio Espagnol” (1887) and “Scheherazade” (1888). At the same time, Rimsky-Korsakov works in the Court Singing Chapel. But most of all his time and energy he devotes to preparing for the performance and publication of the operas of his late friends - “Khovanshchina” by Mussorgsky and “Prince Igor” by Borodin. Probably, this intense work on opera scores determined that Rimsky-Korsakov’s own work developed in these years in the symphonic sphere.
The composer returned to opera only in 1889, creating the enchanting “Mlada” (1889-90). Since the mid-90s. one after another follows “The Night Before Christmas” (1895), “Sadko” (1896), the prologue to “The Pskov Woman” - the one-act “Boyaryna Vera Sheloga” and “The Tsar’s Bride” (both 1898). In the 1900s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1900), “Servilia” (1901), “Pan Voivode” (1903), “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” (1904) and “The Golden Cockerel” (1907) were created.
Throughout his creative life, the composer also turned to vocal lyrics. His 79 romances feature poetry by A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, A. K. Tolstoy, L. Mey, A. Fet, and from foreign authors J. Byron and G. Heine.
The content of Rimsky-Korsakov’s work is diverse: it revealed a folk-historical theme (“The Woman of Pskov”, “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh”), the sphere of lyric poetry (“The Tsar’s Bride”, “Servilia”) and everyday drama (“Pan Voivode”), reflected images of the East (“Antar”, “Scheherazade”), embodied the features of other musical cultures (“Serbian Fantasy”, “Spanish Capriccio”, etc.). But more characteristic of Rimsky-Korsakov is fantasy, fabulousness, and diverse connections with folk art.
The composer created a whole gallery of unique in their charm, pure, tenderly lyrical female images - both real and fantastic (Pannochka in “May Night”, Snow Maiden, Marfa in “The Tsar’s Bride”, Fevronia in “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh”) , images of folk singers (Lel in “The Snow Maiden”, Nezhata in “Sadko”).
Formed in the 1860s. the composer remained faithful to progressive social ideals all his life. On the eve of the first Russian revolution of 1905 and in the period of reaction that followed it, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the operas Kashchei the Immortal (1902) and The Golden Cockerel, which were perceived as an exposure of the political stagnation that reigned in Russia.
The composer's creative path lasted more than 40 years. Having entered upon it as a continuer of Glinka’s traditions, he continued in the 20th century. worthily represents Russian art in world musical culture. Rimsky-Korsakov's creative and musical-social activities are multifaceted: composer and conductor, author of theoretical works and reviews, editor of the works of Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and Borodin, he had a strong influence on the development of Russian music.
Over 37 years of teaching at the conservatory, more than 200 composers studied with him: A. Glazunov, A. Lyadov, A. Arensky, M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, I. Stravinsky, N. Cherepnin, A. Grechaninov, N. Myaskovsky, S. Prokofiev and others. Rimsky-Korsakov’s development of oriental themes (“Antar”, “Scheherazade”, “The Golden Cockerel”) was of invaluable importance for the development of the national musical cultures of Transcaucasia and Central Asia, and the diverse seascapes (“Sadko”, “Scheherazade”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, the cycle of romances “By the Sea”, etc.) determined a lot in the plein air sound painting of the Frenchman C. Debussy and the Italian O. Respighi.
Subject: ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov. Symphonic creativity.
Suite "Scheherazade".
This is a large and important area in his legacy, mainly until the 90s. In terms of content and musical style, symphonic work has many parallels with opera (Sadko). It was here that dramatic techniques and means of expression were found that would be implemented later.
Symphonic creativity is distinguished by its genre diversity. This is determined by the versatility of interests and the richness of types and forms of Russian symphonic music of the 2nd half of the 19th century. These are program and non-program cycles; Sinfonietta, symphonic paintings, overtures, fantasia, instrumental concerto, music for drama (“Pskovian Woman”). Rimsky-Korsakov developed the traditions of folk-genre symphonism by Glinka and Balakirev. The composer's symphonic style was also formed under the influence of the masters of the Western European symphonic school - Berlioz and Liszt. What he has in common with Berlioz is the desire for plot and theatricality; with Liszt – the principle of monothematism.
In the principles of orchestral writing, Rimsky-Korsakov is a direct successor to Glinka: - ideal balance of texture elements;
Transparency and lightness of orchestral fabric;
Brightness, richness, fullness of sound.
The composition of the orchestra is double and triple. Percussion instruments are used depending on artistic need. The interpretation of the coloristic capabilities of instruments, approved by Rimsky-Korsakov, was called virtuoso-coloristic, in contrast to Tchaikovsky’s expressive one.
The symphonic suite “Scheherazade” (1888) is the crowning achievement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic creativity. The features of European program symphony were uniquely reflected here; the principles of monothematism, leitmotivism, and methods of variational development merged. Each part of the suite is written in a large form, which synthesizes the features of sonata and poetry, variation and rondalism, arched connections and leitmotifs. All 4 parts are united by themes and transformation of images.
Part 1 - “The Sea” - was written in sonata form without development. In the introduction there are 2 leitmotifs: the theme of Shahryar (formidable, warlike) and Scheherazade (graceful, ornamental, solo violin). The main part is the theme of the sea, intonationally built on the theme of King Shahriyar; side game - Sinbad's Ship theme.
Part 2 - “The Tale of Prince Kalendra” - opens with the theme of Scheherazade. Part 2 is written in a complex 3-part form, its outer sections are variations on the Kalendra theme, the middle is a fantastic oriental scherzo march. A leisurely and calm Kalendra theme for the solo bassoon.
Part 3 - “The Tsarevich and the Princess” - was written in sonata form without development. The Tsarevich's theme is soft, calm, lyrical, with woodwinds; The princess's theme is flirtatious, playful, with strings.
Part 4 – “Baghdad Holiday” - a monumental folk-genre finale in the form of a rondo, combining the thematic material of the previous parts. The Lezginka theme, the refrain, runs through the entire movement. The themes of Shahriyar, Scheherazade, the sea, the princess, the prince, and Kalendra are heard here. The suite ends with Scheherazade's theme.
3rd year instrumentalists
ON THE. Roman-Korsakov Opera creativity.
Rimsky-Korsakov's operas are very different in content and artistic appearance, in their forms and musical dramaturgy. He has historical, fairy-tale, lyrical-dramatic, lyrical-comedy, satirical, lyrical-psychological operas. Monumental opera canvases and one-act chamber operas. Most of them are written on Russian subjects. The composer emphasized the connection of his operas with the genres of folk art in characteristic subtitles:
- “spring fairy tale” (“Snow Maiden”)
- “autumn fairy tale” (“Kashchei the Immortal”)
- “opera-carol” (“The Night Before Christmas”)
- “opera epic” (“Sadko”)
The main principle of Rimsky-Korsakov’s operatic poetics is the division of what is happening into two worlds:
Everyday life and fiction;
Human and natural;
Good and evil, light and darkness;
Paganism and Christianity.
There is a general tendency towards a philosophical orientation of images. A special place is given to ceremonial and ritual scenes. A two-stage ending is often used: a denouement for one or more heroes and a generalizing coda.
In the orchestra, Rimsky-Korsakov manifests himself primarily as a symphonist. Many operas have leitmotif systems. The orchestra is especially colorful in fantastic episodes, pictures of nature, mainly due to the use of unusual modes and harmonies: increased, decreased modes, whole tone scale, tone-semitone scale. In other cases, the music is national in nature.
When characterizing the heroes, both portrait arias and ensembles of end-to-end development are used. The vocals have an ariot style; the composer rarely uses recitatives. Particular attention is paid to the contrast of female images: Snegurochka - Kupava, Marfa - Lyubasha, Volkhova - Lyubava. The former have coloratura, complex parts, and the latter have sing-song melodies of a folk character.
3rd year instrumentalists
Subject: ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov. Opera "The Snow Maiden".
Russian composer, teacher, musical and public figure, conductor. In 1859-1960 he took lessons from pianist F.A. Canille. A graduate of the St. Petersburg Naval Corps, he participated in the voyage on the clipper "Almaz" (1862-65) and visited a number of countries in Europe, North and South America. In 1861 he became a member of the Balakirev circle "The Mighty Handful", which had a decisive influence on the formation of the composer's personality and aesthetic views. Under the influence and leadership of M. A. Balakirev, the 1st Symphony (1865), “Serbian Fantasy” (1867), a number of romances, etc. were created. Rimsky-Korsakov's creative individuality was manifested primarily in program instrumental works, including: the symphonic musical picture "Sadko" (1867), the 2nd symphony "Antar" (1868). During these same years, he turned to the operatic genre, which later became the leading genre in his work (in 1872 he completed the opera “The Pskov Woman”, based on the drama by L. A. Mei). Since the 70s The boundaries of Rimsky-Korsakov's musical activity expanded: he was a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (from 1871, classes of practical composition, instrumentation, orchestral), inspector of wind bands of the Naval Department (1873--84), director of the Free Music School (1874--81), conductor of symphony concerts (from 1874), and later opera performances, assistant manager of the Court Singing Chapel (1883---94), headed the Belyaevsky circle (from 1882). In the mid-70s. worked to improve his compositional technique. In the 80s paid great attention to symphonic genres. In the early 90s. there was some decline in creative activity (during this period he studied philosophy, wrote articles, revised and edited some of his previous works). In the 2nd half of the 90s. creativity acquired exceptional intensity: the operas “Sadko” (1896) and “The Tsar’s Bride” (after May, 1898) appeared. During the Revolution of 1905–07, Rimsky-Korsakov actively supported the demands of the striking students and openly condemned the actions of the reactionary administration of the St. Petersburg Conservatory (he was fired from the conservatory, returning only after the conservatory was granted partial autonomous rights and a change of leadership).
Rimsky-Korsakov's work is deeply original and at the same time based on classical traditions. The harmony of his worldview, the clarity of musical thinking, and subtle artistry make him similar to M. I. Glinka. Associated with the progressive ideological and artistic movements of the 1860s, Rimsky-Korsakov showed great interest in folk art (compiled the collection “One Hundred Russian Folk Songs”, 1877: harmonized songs collected by T. I. Filippov - “40 folk songs ". 1882). Passion for folklore, ancient Slavic mythology, folk rituals was reflected in the operas “May Night” (after N.V. Gogol. 1879), “Snow Maiden” (after A.N. Ostrovsky, 1881), “Mlada” (1890), “The Night Before Christmas” (after N.V. Gogol, 1895). Rimsky-Korsakov’s 15 operas demonstrate a variety of genre (epic, fairy tale, legend, historical-everyday drama, lyrical-everyday comedy), stylistic, dramatic, compositional solutions (works tending to number structure and continuous development, operas with crowd scenes and chamber , with and without expanded ensembles). Rimsky-Korsakov's talent was most fully revealed in works related to the world of fairy tales, with various forms of Russian folk art. Here his pictorial gift and the purity of his lyrics are revealed - sincere, but somewhat contemplative, without increased emotional tension. Attention to the inner world of a person, to the psychological disclosure of images was manifested in the chamber opera "Mozart and Salieri" (text by A. S. Pushkin, dedicated to A. S. Dargomyzhsky, 1897), in the one-act opera "Boyaryna Vera Sheloga" (prologue to " Pskovite", 1898) and especially in the drama on a historical and everyday plot, "The Tsar's Bride" (1898). New trends characteristic of Russian art of the early 20th century were reflected in the opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (according to Pushkin, 1900) with its emphatically theatrical conventions and elements of stylization of folk popular print, in the “autumn fairy tale” “Kashchei the Immortal” (1902 ), in which fairy tale themes are interpreted symbolistically and allegorically. High moral and philosophical problems are raised in the opera-legend “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia” (1904). The composer's last opera - "a fable in the faces" "The Golden Cockerel" (after Pushkin, 1907) - is a merciless satire on the tsarist autocracy.
Rimsky-Korsakov considered singing to be the basis of operatic expressiveness. The orchestra also plays an important dramatic role in his operas, which is often entrusted with independent symphonic scenes and intermissions, for example, “Three Miracles” (“The Tale of Tsar Saltan”), “The Battle of Kerzhenets” (“The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh...”) . Considering opera primarily as a musical work, Rimsky-Korsakov attached great importance to its literary basis - the libretto. The composer’s collaboration with librettist V.I. Belsky was fruitful.
Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic work is not so multifaceted compared to opera. The imaginative concreteness of the composer's musical thinking determined his penchant for programmatic and genre symphonism. Hence the predominance of such types and forms as overture (fantasy), symphonic picture, suite. Rimsky-Korsakov's top works for orchestra are "Capriccio Espagnol" (1887) and "Scheherazade" (1888). Chamber-vocal lyrics occupy a significant place in Rimsky-Korsakov’s creative heritage. He wrote 79 romances, including the vocal cycles “In Spring”, “To the Poet”, “By the Sea”.
Rimsky-Korsakov's work is clearly national. The composer uses authentic examples of musical folklore and organically transforms song intonations into his own melodies. His contribution to the field of harmony and instrumentation is significant: he expanded and enriched their coloristic capabilities, created his own system of mode-harmonic means, which is based on complex modes (including the characteristic scale - the Rimsky-Korsakov scale, the orchestration combines colorfulness, shine with clarity, transparency.
The conducting activities of Rimsky-Korsakov, who promoted the works of Russian composers, had an important educational significance. His editorial work played a major role, thanks to which many works of Russian music were published and performed (Dargomyzhsky's "The Stone Guest", "Prince Igor", "Boris Godunov", "Khovanshchina"; Rimsky-Korsakov also prepared and published, together with Balakirev and A.K. Lyadov, Glinka’s opera scores). His pedagogical activities were of exceptional importance. The creator of the school of composition, Rimsky-Korsakov trained 200 composers, conductors, musicologists, among whom are A. K. Glazunov, A. K. Lyadov, A. S. Arensky, M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, I. F. Stravinsky , N. Ya. Myaskovsky, S. S. Prokofiev, M. A. Balanchivadze, Y. Vitol, N. V. Lysenko, A. A. Spendiarov. A partial generalization of his pedagogical experience were his textbooks on harmony and orchestration, and his autobiographical book “Chronicle of My Musical Life” (1906) was a valuable historical document. In 1944, the House Museum was opened in the city of Tikhvin, and in 1971, the Rimsky-Korsakov Museum-Apartment was opened in Leningrad.
Content:
Biography of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov………………………... 3
Features of Rimsky-Korsakov’s works……………………………. 8
List of references……………………………………………………….17
Biography of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov was born on March 6, 1844 in Tikhvin, a provincial town in the Novgorod province.
The Rimsky-Korsakov family was musical: the composer's father played the piano by ear, his mother and uncle often sang folk songs, as well as excerpts from fashionable operas. The boy's musical abilities - absolute pitch, rhythm, memory - appeared at the age of two. At the age of six, his parents began teaching their son music, but these classes were amateur in nature and could not seriously interest him. However, by the age of 11-12 he made significant progress and participated in playing the piano for 4 and 8 hands. The need to compose initially manifested itself in the form of a child’s game: “in exactly the same way as I folded and took apart watches, I sometimes tried to compose music and write notes,” recalls Rimsky-Korsakov. “Soon, as a self-taught student, I reached the point where I could tolerably put down on paper what I had played on the piano, observing the correct division. After a while, I began to imagine a little mentally, without playing on the piano, what was written in the notes.” The first composition of the aspiring composer was a duet, written in imitation of Vanya’s song from “Ivan Susanin,” which the boy liked more than all the works known to him at that time.
Meanwhile, Rimsky-Korsakov's musical education left much to be desired. For several years he took piano lessons from cellist Uhlich. The latter did not give his student either real pianistic skills or the necessary theoretical training. In the autumn of 1859, Rimsky-Korsakov began studying with Canille, an educated musician, a good pianist, and a connoisseur of national Russian music. Canille supported Rimsky-Korsakov’s desire for serious art and approved of his passionate love for Glinka. “Canille opened my eyes to a lot of things,” the composer recalled. - With what admiration I heard from him that “Ruslan” is truly the best opera in the world, that Glinka is the greatest genius. I had a presentiment of this until now - now I heard it from a real musician.” Canille directed Rimsky-Korsakov on the path of composition, pointing out to him the works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Glinka as examples. Under his leadership, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote several piano pieces over the course of two years (variations, sonata allegro, scherzo, nocturne, funeral march) and began working on a symphony.
Convinced of the extraordinary talent of his student, Kanille introduced him to Balakirev in November 1861. This acquaintance was a significant event in the life of Rimsky-Korsakov and predetermined his future as a musician. A year spent communicating with Balakirev and other members of his circle led Rimsky-Korsakov to the confidence that his true calling was composing. Under Balakirev's direction, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote most of the First Symphony. Along the way, Balakirev introduced his student to musical forms and instrumentation. This training was purely practical. Without being strictly systematic, it gave positive results thanks to the exceptional talent of the novice composer.
Communication with Balakirev and V. Stasov broadened Rimsky-Korsakov’s horizons. “Having met Balakirev,” he wrote, “I heard from him for the first time that I should read, take care of self-education, get acquainted with history, fine literature and criticism. Thanks to him for this." The Balakirev circle played a big role in shaping the composer’s worldview and introducing him to the democratic social and artistic ideas of the 60s. In an atmosphere of militant and purposeful musical activity of the members of the circle, Rimsky-Korsakov became imbued with the tasks and interests of Glinka’s realistic movement, and clearly realized his purpose as a Russian composer. This can be judged from one of his letters from the early 60s: “In Russia, music has just begun its development with Glinka, and all Russian musicians are not moving forward, but flying forward... I would have to support this development of music in Russia, I would have made a lot of things..."
60s. Rimsky-Korsakov immediately established himself as a talented and promising symphonist. His debut as a composer was the performance of the First Symphony in a concert of the Free Music School, which took place under the baton of Balakirev at the end of 1865. The symphony was a great success and earned critical acclaim. C. Cui called it “the first Russian symphony,” pointing to the song basis of its themes, the talent of the orchestration, and emphasizing the original Russian character of the entire work.
Following the symphony, Rimsky-Korsakov created a number of other symphonic works. The most significant of them are devoted to images of Russian epics and oriental fairy tales. This is the symphonic painting “Episode from the Novgorod epic about Sadko” (1867), written at the suggestion of Mussorgsky, and the program “oriental” symphony-suite “Antar”, the literary source of which was the romantic Arabic fairy tale of the same name by O. Senkovsky (Baron Brambeus) - journalist , a fiction writer and at the same time an orientalist historian, an expert on Arabic literature. Based on the literary program, the composer gave these works an original pictorial and narrative form. In their harmonious musical composition, different types of sound and genre episodes freely alternate, the sequence of which is determined by the literary plot, and not by the forms established in the work of the Viennese classics. This allowed the composer to convey in his music all the details of his chosen poetic programs.
Simultaneously with orchestral works, Rimsky-Korsakov creates romances of a lyrical, landscape and oriental nature. But the composer’s most important work, which completed the first period of his work, was the opera “The Pskov Woman,” begun in the summer of 1868.
The 70s constitute a new important stage in the biography and musical activity of Rimsky-Korsakov.
Rimsky-Korsakov is working to develop and improve his compositional technique, the insufficiency of which has become very noticeable to him. The years 1874 and 1875 were spent for Rimsky-Korsakov in intensive studies of harmony, counterpoint, and instrumentation. While teaching others, he studied himself, not being ashamed to seek advice and help from his comrades, professors at the conservatory, and from Tchaikovsky. The latter reacted with deep sympathy and sympathy to these activities of Rimsky-Korsakov. He wrote: “Do you know that I simply bow and stand in awe of your noble artistic modesty and amazingly strong character! All these countless counterpoints that you did, these 60 fugues and many other musical tricks - all this is such a feat for a person who wrote “Sadko” eight years ago that I would like to shout about it to the whole world. I am amazed and do not know how to express my endless respect for your artistic personality... I am truly convinced that with your enormous talent, combined with the ideal conscientiousness with which you approach your work, from the pen Your works must come out that will far leave behind everything that has been written so far in Russia...”
Rimsky-Korsakov widely used the acquired technique in the compositions of this time (symphony in C major, chamber instrumental ensembles, unaccompanied polyphonic choirs, piano pieces), but they still constituted only a transitional stage in the composer’s creative path.
The second half of the 70s was marked by Rimsky-Korsakov’s work on two song collections, and, in connection with this, the study of folk poetry and rituals. Having initially taken up the processing of tunes communicated to him by folk song lover T. Filippov, the composer soon turned to compiling his own collection. In it, he sought to present the best examples of folk peasant songs, paying special attention to the most ancient - ritual and epic genres. Having become interested in folk rituals of sun worship, Rimsky-Korsakov began to become acquainted with research on this issue, became even more fascinated by the poetic side of the cult of sun worship and was still captivated by the wonderful ancient melodies that preserved the spirit of distant pagan antiquity. Such a broad and in-depth study of folk music and poetry had, as Rimsky-Korsakov himself wrote, a huge influence on the direction of his composing activity.
Simultaneously with the compilation of collections, he took part in editing Glinka’s opera scores (together with Balakirev and Lyadov.
“May Night” is one of the most romantic works of Rimsky-Korsakov. Although the comedic element plays a significant role in it, it constitutes only one (and not the most important) side of the opera. Its main characters - Levko and Ganna - are purely lyrical characters, and love lyrics give the opera a unique flavor of youth.
Following “May Night,” the composer wrote “The Snow Maiden,” which he considered perhaps his best work.
The 80s - the period of predominantly symphonic creativity of Rimsky-Korsakov, the time of the creation of "Fairy Tale" (based on Pushkin's prologue to "Ruslan and Lyudmila"), Sinfonietta (on folk themes), Concerto for Piano and Fantasia on folk themes for violin and orchestra . At the end of the 80s, the composer wrote his most outstanding symphonic works - the Spanish Capriccio and Scheherazade. At the end of this decade, the opera “Mlada” was created, the plot for which was based on the libretto of an unrealized collective composition of the 70s. In addition, during the 1980s, Rimsky-Korsakov subjected almost all of his major works written before "May Night" to extensive editing, and at the same time devoted many months of intense work to the completion of Borodin's "Prince Igor" (with Glazunov), “Khovanshchina” by Mussorgsky and editing all the works of this composer, including the re-instrumentation of “Boris Godunov”. In his selfless work, Rimsky-Korsakov was guided by a feeling of love for his deceased friends, a consciousness of his artistic duty and the enormous value of their works. “It took a lot of ardent love for deceased comrades and friends, a lot of love for art, in order to push aside one’s own creativity so many times and for such a long time at the time of its height and to devote all one’s talent, all one’s energy and soul to the magnificent completion of other people’s works.” , Stasov wrote with admiration about Rimsky-Korsakov.
In the early spring of 1908, Rimsky-Korsakov began to suffer from serious heart disease. Having moved to the Lyubensk estate for the summer, he continued to work on the textbook “Fundamentals of Orchestration.” His last entries were made on June 7; On the night of June 8, the composer died.
Features of Rimsky-Korsakov's works
The work of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is a living embodiment of the poetry and original beauty of Russian national art.
The rich artistic culture created by the Russian people, Russian history, and folk life aroused in Rimsky-Korsakov, a faithful follower of Glinka, genuine love, and with it surges of creative inspiration.
Particularly attractive to him were those monuments of folk art and everyday life in which the life of the people was presented from its colorful, poetic side: ancient folk beliefs, rituals and songs associated with folk ideas about nature, legends, epics and fairy tales. It was in this passion that the individual, characteristic of Rimsky-Korsakov, understanding of the nationality of art was manifested; here he found his way as a Russian artist-musician. “In essence, my family is a fairy tale, an epic, and certainly Russian,” said the composer. His works contain pictures of ancient folk life, everyday life and ritual, Ancient Rus' comes to life in all its originality and colorfulness - the way it seemed to the composer’s poetic imagination. In Rimsky-Korsakov's operas, images come to the fore that personify the intelligence and artistic talent of the people, their craving for beauty, kindness and sublimity of feelings. The composer embodied the people’s dreams of freedom, happiness, beauty, their ideas about justice and goodness in a number of ideal, fairy-tale-illusory images (Berendee’s kingdom in “The Snow Maiden”, the Swan Princess in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”). Turning to historical subjects, Rimsky-Korsakov strove for a romanticized, sublime depiction of folk heroes. Thus, having conceived an opera about Stepan Razin, the composer asked the librettist to remove from the designed script of the opera those scenes and episodes in which the bloody events were emphasized: “Stenka’s personality,” wrote Rimsky-Korsakov, “must certainly be somewhat idealized and should arouse sympathy, not push away It is necessary for some gigantic figure to rise and sweep among the oppressed people...”
Thus, Rimsky-Korsakov focused his attention primarily on the moral and aesthetic ideals of the people, as they emerged in the monuments of folk art.
In art itself, he saw one of the manifestations of the spiritual power of the people, a powerful vital force that ennobles a person, awakens in him high aspirations, and reveals the best qualities of his nature. In a number of the composer’s works there are folk heroes, famous not for their military exploits, but for their artistic talent; they are at the same time carriers of high, patriotic feelings and moral ideals. Such, for example, is the epic guslar Sadko.
Rimsky-Korsakov's characteristic responsiveness to beauty in the phenomena of reality was reflected in wonderful musical landscapes and in images of nature, which play a large role in his compositions. Pictures of the sea, forest, the flaring dawn, the starry night sky, landscapes of the North and South, sketches from the world of birds and animals, the transfer of all kinds of “voices of nature” - all this is subject to the musical imagination of the composer, a master of landscape sound painting. Rimsky-Korsakov was endowed with some special talent for painting through music. However, the composer’s musical landscapes possess not only rare brightness and accuracy of musical image, but also poetic spirituality and deep lyrical expressiveness. They are emotionally charged.
Fairy-tale, fantastic images appear in close unity with nature in Rimsky-Korsakov’s music. Most often, they personify, as in works of folk art, certain elemental forces and natural phenomena (Frost, Leshy, Sea Princess, etc.). Fantastic images contain, along with musical, picturesque, fairy-tale and fantastic elements, also features of the external appearance and character of real people. Such versatility (it will be discussed in more detail when analyzing the works) gives Korsakov’s musical fantasy a special originality and poetic depth.
Due to the peculiarities of his talent and attitude, Rimsky-Korsakov is one of the optimistic artists. His works seem to radiate sunlight and warmth, emphasizing the wise, harmonious beginning in life. Music full of air and colors of living nature, rich in fresh
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1844 - June 21, 1908) - Russian composer, member of the "Mighty Handful". He was a true master of orchestration. Rimsky-Korsakov's best-known symphonic works - Capriccio Espagnol, an overture on themes of three Russian songs, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade - are examples of the classical musical repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas. In Scheherazade, the composer addresses the theme of fairy tales and folk beliefs. Rimsky-Korsakov often used these techniques in his work. He believed, like his predecessor Balakirev, in the development of a national style of classical music. Rimsky-Korsakov's music combined Russian folklore with elements of exotic harmonic, melodic and rhythmic patterns (known as Orientalism) while moving away from traditional Western compositional techniques. For most of his life, Nikolai Andreevich combined composing music and teaching with a career in the Russian army - first as an officer, then as a civilian inspector in the navy. Rimsky-Korsakov (whose biography is well covered in the Chronicle of My Musical Life) wrote that even as a child, reading books and listening to his older brother’s stories about exploits in the navy, he developed a love for the sea. It must have been she who pushed the composer to create two famous symphonic works. These are "Sadko" (Rimsky-Korsakov also wrote an opera of the same name, they should not be confused) and "Scheherazade". Thanks to his naval service, his knowledge of performing on brass and wooden instruments expanded - this opened up new opportunities for him in orchestration. He later passed this knowledge on to his students. Also after his death, a textbook on orchestration was published, which was completed by the composer's adopted son Maximilian Steinbreg.
Rimsky-Korsakov - biography of the composer
Nikolai Andreevich was born in the city of Tikhvin (200 km east of St. Petersburg) into an intelligent family. His brother Warrior, who was 22 years older than the composer, became a famous naval officer and rear admiral. Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreevich recalled that his mother played the piano a little, and his father could perform several pieces by ear. At the age of 6, the future composer began taking piano lessons. According to his teachers, he demonstrated a good ear for music, but lacked interest. As Nikolai Andreevich himself would later write, he played “carelessly, carelessly... poorly maintaining the rhythm.” Although Rimsky-Korsakov began composing his first works at the age of 10, he preferred literature to music. Later, the composer wrote that it was thanks to his brother’s books and stories that a great love for the sea arose in him, despite the fact that the composer “had never even seen it.” Nikolai Andreevich graduated from the Naval Corps of St. Petersburg at the age of 18. In parallel with his studies, Rimsky-Korsakov took piano lessons. The composer recalled that, being indifferent to his studies, he developed a love of music, which was facilitated by attending operas and symphony concerts. In the fall of 1859, Nikolai Andreevich began taking lessons from Fyodor Andreevich Kanille, who, according to him, inspired him to study music and encouraged him to devote his whole life to it. In addition to Canille, Mikhail Glinka, Robert Schumann and many others had a huge influence on the future composer. In November 1861, 18-year-old Rimsky-Korsakov was introduced to Balakirev. Balakirev, in turn, introduces him to Cesar Cui and Modest Mussorgsky - all three were already famous composers, despite their young age.
Balakirev's mentorship. "The Mighty Bunch"
Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, in May 1865, Rimsky-Korsakov took on the duties of daily service for several hours a day. His first performance took place in December of the same year at the suggestion of Balakirev. The second appearance on stage took place in March 1866 under the direction of Konstantin Lyadov (father of composer Anatoly Lyadov). Rimsky-Korsakov recalled that it was easy for him to collaborate with Balakirev. On his advice, the composer rewrote and corrected some passages and brought them to perfection. Under his patronage, the composer completed an Overture on the themes of three Russian songs, which were based on Balakirev’s folk overtures. Nikolai Andreevich also created the initial versions of the symphonic works “Sadko” and “Antar”, which brought the composer fame as a master of symphonic creativity. Rimsky-Korsakov also held discussions with other members of the "Mighty Handful", they criticized each other's works and collaborated during the creation of new works. Nikolai Andreevich became friends with Alexander Borodin, whose music “amazed” him, and spent a lot of time with Mussorgsky. Balakirev and Mussorgsky played four-hand piano, sang, discussed the works of other composers, sharing an interest in the works of Glinka, Schumann and the late compositions of Beethoven.
Professorial activity
In 1871, at the age of 27, Rimsky-Korsakov became a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he taught practical composition, instrumentation, and orchestral classes. Nikolai Andreevich will write in his memoirs that teaching at the conservatory made him “perhaps her best student, judging by the quality and quantity of information that she gave me.” To improve his knowledge and always stay one step ahead of his students, he took a three-year break from composing music and studied diligently at home while lecturing at the conservatory. The professorship provided the composer with financial stability and encouraged him to start a family.
Marriage
In December 1871, Rimsky-Korsakov proposed to Nadezhda Nikolaevna Purgold, whom he met during the weekly meetings of the “Mighty Handful” at the bride’s house. In July 1872, a wedding took place, at which Mussorgsky was present as best man. One of Nikolai Andreevich’s sons, Andrei, became a musicologist, married composer Yulia Lazarevna Weisberg and wrote a multi-volume work about the life and work of his father.
Revolution of 1905
In 1905, demonstrations took place at the St. Petersburg Conservatory - revolutionary-minded students demanded political changes and the creation of a constitutional system in Russia. Rimsky-Korsakov felt the need to protect the students' right to demonstrate, especially when the authorities began to show cruelty to its participants. In an open letter, the composer takes the side of students demanding the resignation of the director of the conservatory. Partly because of this letter, 100 students were expelled from the institution, and Rimsky-Korsakov lost his professorship. However, Nikolai Andreevich continued to give lessons at home.
Trip to Paris
In April 1907, the composer gave several concerts in Paris, organized by impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Nikolai Andreevich presented the music of the Russian national school. These performances were a great success. The following year there was a show of operas composed by Rimsky-Korsakov: “The Snow Maiden” and “Sadko”. The trip gave the composer the opportunity to get acquainted with modern European music.
Works of Rimsky-Korsakov
Rimsky-Korsakov developed the ideals and traditions of the “Mighty Handful”. In his work, he used Orthodox liturgical themes, folk songs (for example, in the "Spanish Capriccio") and orientalism (in "Scheherazade"). Nikolai Andreevich proved himself to be a very productive and self-critical composer. He revised and edited almost every one of his works, and Rimsky-Korsakov corrected some of them, such as the Third Symphony, Antar and Sadko, several times. The composer remained dissatisfied with many of his compositions.
Rimsky-Korsakov - operas
Despite the fact that Nikolai Andreevich is better known as a master of symphonic creativity, his operas are even more complex and rich in special orchestral techniques than instrumental and vocal works. Excerpts from them are sometimes as popular as the whole work. For example, “Flight of the Bumblebee” from “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” - author Rimsky-Korsakov. The composer's operas can be divided into 3 categories:
- Historical drama. These include: “The Pskov Woman”, “Mozart and Salieri”, “Pan Voivode”, “The Tsar’s Bride”.
- Folk operas: "May Night", "The Night Before Christmas".
- Fairy tales and legends. These include works written by Rimsky-Korsakov: “The Snow Maiden”, “Mlada”, “Sadko”, “Koschei the Immortal”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia”, “The Golden Cockerel” ".
Symphonic creativity
Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic work can be divided into 2 types. The most famous in the West, and perhaps its best, is software. This type of symphonic creativity by Nikolai Andreevich presupposes the presence of a plot, characters, and actions borrowed from other, non-musical sources. The second category is academic works, such as the First and Third Symphonies (by Rimsky-Korsakov). Ballets based on his music can be seen not only in our country, but also abroad, as well as many operas and other musical works by the composer.
According to ancient legends, Rome was founded in the middle of the 8th century BC. e. The culture, which was considered one of the most influential in the period of antiquity, had a huge impact on European civilization. And this is despite the fact that the painting and sculpture of Ancient Rome are based on Greek motifs, and theater and music are inextricably linked with Etruscan ancient traditions.
Characteristics of ancient Roman art
Unlike other ancient countries, the Romans did not assign educational or moral tasks to art. On the contrary, the fine art of Ancient Rome was more utilitarian in nature, since it was considered just a way to rationally organize living space. That is why architecture occupied an important place in the life of the population of this ancient country. The civilization of Ancient Rome still reminds itself of itself with monumental buildings: temples, arenas and palaces.
In addition to magnificent architectural monuments, the culture of Rome in antiquity can also be judged by numerous sculptures that were portraits of those who lived at that time. Life in Ancient Rome was always subject to strict rules, and in some periods sculptural portraits were created solely to immortalize the faces of rulers or famous people. Only after some time did Roman sculptors begin to endow their statues with characters or special features. Roman creators preferred to depict important historical events in the form of bas-reliefs.
It is worth noting that the peculiarities lie in the almost complete absence of such phenomena as theater - in our usual understanding, as well as its own mythology. Using images created by the Greeks for many magnificent things, the Romans either distorted events to please their authorities, or did not attach much importance to them at all. This happened primarily because the fine art of Ancient Rome developed under the influence of the dominant ideology, to which abstract philosophical principles and artistic invention were alien.
Distinctive features of the art of Ancient Rome
Despite the proven existence of Rome as a separate civilization, historians for a long time could not separate ancient Greek art from Roman art. However, due to the fact that many works of the artistic and architectural heritage of Ancient Rome have been preserved to this day, it was possible to determine the main features inherent exclusively in ancient Roman works. So, what achievements and inventions of Ancient Rome in the field of fine art characterize it as an independent phenomenon?
- The architectural achievement of the Romans was the combination of spatial perception and artistic forms in buildings. Roman architects preferred to erect individual buildings and ensembles in natural lowlands, and if there were none, they surrounded the buildings with small walls.
- In contrast to Greek plastic images, Roman art emphasized allegory, symbolism and the illusory nature of space. These inventions of Ancient Rome in relation to sculptural and artistic representation made it possible to impart character not only to sculptural portraits, but also to mosaic or fresco images.
- Ancient Roman artists developed easel painting, which originated in Greece, which was practically not widespread in its historical homeland.
Despite the abundance of subtle and barely noticeable features to the average person, there is a factor that allows even a non-specialist to determine whether a sculptural or architectural object belongs to ancient Roman culture. This is his size. The civilization of Ancient Rome is known throughout the world for its grandiose buildings and sculptures. Their size is several times higher than analogues from Ancient Greece and other countries.
Periodization
The fine arts of Ancient Rome developed in several stages, which corresponded to the periods of the historical formation of the state itself. If historians divide the evolution of ancient Greek art into formation (archaic), flourishing (classic) and crisis period (Hellenism), then the development of ancient Roman art acquires new features during the change of the imperial dynasty. This phenomenon is due to the fact that socio-economic and ideological factors played a fundamental role in changing stylistic and artistic forms.
The stages of the evolution of art in Rome are considered to be the period of the Roman kingdom (7-5 centuries BC), the Republican period (5-1 centuries BC) and the period of the Roman Empire (1-2 centuries AD). The real flowering of all types of arts, including sculpture, theater, music and artistic and applied creativity, came at the end of the 1st century BC. e. and continued until
Art of the Tsarist period
The formation of ancient Roman art dates back to the 8th century BC. e., when the main motives in architecture became Etruscan methods of planning buildings, masonry and the use of building materials. This can be judged by the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. Painting and the making of decorative objects are also closely related to Etruscan roots. Only by the middle of the 7th century BC. BC, when the Romans colonized Greece, they became acquainted with the artistic techniques of the Greeks. It is worth noting that ancient Roman artists even then sought to create their works as close as possible to the originals. Historians associate this with the tradition of making death wax masks that exactly replicated a person’s facial features. The gods of Ancient Rome, whose statues were made during the Roman Empire, were depicted in the same way as ordinary people.
Art of the Republican period
The Republican period of the Roman state was marked by the final formation of architecture: all complexes (residential and temple) without exception acquired an axial structure and symmetry. The facade of the building was designed more magnificently, and there was an ascent (usually a stone staircase) leading to the entrance. Residential developments of multi-storey buildings are spreading in cities, while wealthy segments of the population are building country terraced houses, decorated with frescoes and sculptural compositions. During this period, such types of buildings as the theater of Ancient Rome (amphitheatre), aqueducts, and bridges were finally formed.
Fine art was based on portrait sculpture: official and private. The first served the purpose of immortalizing statesmen, and the second existed thanks to orders for the production of statues and busts for houses and tombs. Public buildings were decorated with bas-reliefs depicting historical scenes or scenes of everyday life in the state. In temples, one could most often see paintings (including mosaics and frescoes) depicting the gods of Ancient Rome.
The Roman Empire: the final period of art development
The period is considered the time of the true flowering of ancient Roman art. The architecture is dominated by the arch, vault and domes. Stone walls are everywhere faced with brick or marble. Large spaces in the rooms are occupied by decorative paintings and sculptures. The fine arts of Ancient Rome underwent significant changes during this period. When making sculptural portraits, less attention is paid to individual features, which sometimes look somewhat sketchy. At the same time, the sculptors tried to depict the swiftness of movements, the emotional state of the person being portrayed (the position of the body, arms and legs, hairstyle, etc.). Bas-relief images take the form of panoramas with a gradually developing plot.
Unlike the previous period, it becomes more complex due to the introduction of landscape and architectural backgrounds. The paints used for frescoes are brighter and the color combinations are more contrasting. In addition to color mosaics, black and white mosaics are widely used.
The most famous sculptural portraits
Roman portraits of statesmen, gods and heroes are represented by busts or full-size statues. The earliest Roman portrait is considered to be a bronze bust of Junius Brutus. It shows the great influence of Greek art, but the facial features typical of the Romans and slight asymmetry make it possible once again to be convinced that ancient Roman sculptors already then, in the 3rd century BC. e., gave their works maximum realism. Despite the lack of modern metal processing technologies, the small details of the bust are beautifully executed. First of all, this is noticeable in the fine engraving of the beard and hair.
The most realistic is still considered to be the sculptural portrait of Vespasian, the Roman emperor. The master not only conveyed his image in the smallest detail, but also endowed the bust with characteristic features. The eyes attract particular attention: deep-set and small, they radiate the natural cunning and wit of an emperor. But the most remarkable thing is the fact that the sculptor depicted the smallest details (tense veins and veins in the neck, wrinkles crossing the forehead), which speak of the strength and inflexibility of the state leader. The sculptors’ bust of the moneylender Lucius Caecilius Jucunda turned out to be no less expressive, whose greedy eyes and greasy hair are depicted with amazing accuracy.
Great architectural monuments of the ancient Roman era
To date, not a single building built during the era of Ancient Rome has been completely preserved. The most famous and famous of them is the Colosseum - an arena where gladiator fights and speeches of statesmen of various levels, including emperors, took place. The Temple of Saturn, which was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, has an equally colorful history. Unlike the Colosseum, it cannot be seen, since only a few columns remain from the magnificent structure. But they managed to preserve the famous Pantheon, or the temple of all gods, which is a fairly large building topped with a dome.
Poets of Ancient Rome and their works
Despite the mythology borrowed from the Greeks, the ancient Romans also had their own talents in the field of composing poetry, songs and fables. The most famous poets of Rome are Virgil and Horace. The first became famous for writing the poem "Aeneid", which was very reminiscent of Homer's "Iliad". Despite the less expressive poetic and artistic component, this poem is still considered the standard of the original Latin language. Horace, on the contrary, had an excellent command of the artistic word, thanks to which he became a court poet, and lines from his poems and songs still appear in the works of many writers.
Theater arts
The theater of Ancient Rome initially bore little resemblance to what we consider it to be today. Almost all performances took place in the genre of competitions between poets and musicians. Only occasionally could ancient Roman art connoisseurs enjoy the performance of actors accompanied by a large choir. Spectators were often shown circus acts, theatrical pantomime and solo or group dances. A distinctive feature of the ancient Roman theatrical performance was the large number of the troupe. Regarding this, the audience said that there were fewer of them than the actors.
It is worth noting that costumes and makeup were not given much attention back then. Only sometimes, when playing the role of an emperor or a person important in the state, did the actors dress in more magnificent red clothes. The repertoire consisted mainly of works by Roman poets: Horace, Virgil and Ovid. Often, leisurely narratives and chants in theaters were replaced by bloody gladiator fights, which the audience attended with no less pleasure.
Music and musical instruments
The music of Ancient Rome was formed independently of the ancient Greek. When holding public events and performances, the most popular were musical instruments capable of producing a very loud sound: trumpets, horns, and the like. However, most often during performance they preferred timpani, harps, and citharas. It is worth noting that everyone was interested in music, including the Roman emperors. Among the musicians and singers there were those who were immortalized in sculpture. The singers and lyre singers Apelles, Terpnius, Diodorus, Anaxenor, Tigellius and Mesomedes enjoyed particular popularity and love among the Roman people in that era. The music of Ancient Rome is still alive, since not only the main motives, but also the musical instruments have been preserved.
The influence of ancient Roman art on modern times
The influence of Roman civilization on modern times is discussed a lot and everywhere. Of course, the characteristics of Ancient Rome, or rather that area of it that relates to art, are still not presented in full. Nevertheless, it can already be argued that the architecture, sculpture and fine arts of the ancient Roman era directly influenced the cultural component of almost all European states. This is especially noticeable in architecture, when the harmony and majesty of buildings is enclosed in a clear symmetrical form.
