Introduction

The fate of English music turned out to be complex and paradoxical. From the 15th century until the end of the 17th century, at the time of the formation and flourishing of the English classical musical tradition, its development was continuous. This process proceeded intensively due to the reliance on folklore, which was determined earlier than in other composer schools, and also due to the formation and preservation of original, nationally original genres (antem, mask, semi-opera). Old English music European art important impulses, among which are polyphony, variation-figurative principles of development, and an orchestral suite. At the same time, it originally refracted stimuli coming from outside.

In the 17th century, events take place that deal powerful blows to English musical culture. This is, firstly, puritanism, which was established during the revolution of 1640-1660, with its fanatical desire to abolish the old spiritual values ​​and ancient types and forms of secular culture, and secondly, the restoration of the monarchy (1660), which dramatically changed the general cultural orientation of the country, strengthening external influence (from France).

Surprisingly, in parallel with the obvious symptoms of the crisis, there are phenomena that testify to the highest rise of musical art. In a difficult time for English music, Henry Purcell (1659-1695) appeared, whose works marked the heyday of the national composer school, although they did not have a direct impact on the creativity of subsequent generations. Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759), working in England, with his oratorios established the primacy of the choral tradition in the spectrum of genres of English music, which directly influenced it. further development. In the same period, Gay and Pepusz's Beggar's Opera (1728), whose parodic character testified to the onset of an era of cultural change, became the ancestor of many samples of the so-called ballad opera.

She was one of the pinnacles theatrical art England and at the same time evidence of the overthrow of musical art, - more precisely, the transfer of its "culture-creating energy" (A. Schweitzer) - from the professional to the amateur sphere.

The musical tradition is made up of many factors - such as composer creativity, performance, way of musical life. Regulated by ideological, aesthetic, and general artistic attitudes, these factors do not always act in a coordinated unity; often, under certain historical conditions, their interaction is disrupted. This can be confirmed by a period of approximately 100 years. mid-eighteenth until the middle of the 19th century in England.

Music of England

High level of performance, wide distribution and deep rootedness in everyday life various forms music-making - instrumental, vocal-ensemble and choral - then created favorable ground for the bright, large-scale concert life of London, which attracted continental musicians to the capital of the empire: Chopin, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov ... The fresh wind of modernity was carried with them by German musicians, whose road to the British Isles was wide open since the reign of the Hanoverian dynasty (from 1714 to 1901) - let us recall, for example, the weekly concerts of Bach - Abel and the concerts of Haydn - Salomon. Thus, England participated in the intensive process of the formation of the pre-classical and classical symphony, but in fact creative input did not include it. In general, at that time, the branch of national creativity in the genres of opera and symphony, which were relevant on the continent, was undeveloped, in other genres (for example, in the oratorio), the channel sometimes became shallow. It was this era that gave England the now unconvincing name of the "country without music."

It is paradoxical that the "era of silence" fell on the so-called Victorian era - the period of the reign of Queen Victoria (from 1837 to 1901). The state was at the zenith of its power and glory. A powerful colonial power, the “workshop of the world”, gave its nation a confident sense of self and the conviction that “it was destined to occupy the first place in the world until the end of its days” (J. Aldridge). The Victorian era is the heyday of all areas of English culture: its prose and poetry, drama and theater, painting and architecture, and finally aesthetics - and the time of a noticeable decline in the field of composer creativity.

At the same time, it was precisely from the middle of the 19th century, when the crisis of the national composer school was already obvious, that impulses of upsurge began to accumulate, which became apparent in the middle of the 19th century and clearly manifested itself at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The choral movement, amateur and professional, expanded and grew. The choral tradition was perceived as a truly national one. English masters swore allegiance to her: Hubert Parry (1848-1918), Edward Elgar (1857-1934), Frederic Dilius (1862-1934), Gustav Holst (1874-1934), Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).

In parallel, a folklore movement developed, led by Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924). It included the scientific direction (field collection, theoretical understanding) and practical (introduction into school and everyday life). This was accompanied by a critical reassessment of the entertaining-salon assimilation of folklore genres and the penetration folk material in composer creativity. All these aspects of the folklore movement interacted - complementing each other, and sometimes conflictingly opposing one another.

Until the middle of the 19th century, strange as it may seem at first glance, actually English songs rarely got into collections - much less often than songs from Scotland, Wales and, especially, Ireland. Not without irony, Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote in the introductory essay to the book by the country's leading folklorist Cecil Sharp, The English folk song":" From authoritative sources, we still knew that folk music was "either bad or Irish"

Revival movement early music- Purcell, Bach, English madrigalists and virginalists - contributed to the awakening of the deep interest of performers, manufacturers of musical instruments and scientists (such is A. Dolmetch with his family), as well as composers to

"Golden Age" of English vocational school. Legacy of the XV-XVII centuries, animated by performing practice, sublime critical thought, represented the inspiring power of national original craftsmanship.

The listed tendencies, at first hardly noticeable, gradually gained strength and, rushing towards each other, towards late XIX century blew up the soil. Their association marked the beginning of a new musical revival in England. After a long break, this country is not separate creative people, but the national school entered the European musical culture. By this time English composers were being talked about on the Continent; Brahms predicted an interesting future for English music, R. Strauss supported it in the person of E. Elgar. The intensity of its evolution at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was great.

The tradition of Austro-German romanticism has long found fertile ground in England. This is a historically determined influence, backed by a system music education and the practice of improving young composers in the cities of Germany, affected the style (first of all, with Parry, Stanford, Elgar). English musicians understood that the assertion of national identity meant liberation from such an overbearing influence. However, unlike declarations, this process in creativity was slow and difficult, since the leading genres themselves, including such conceptual ones as the symphony or symphonic poem, - assumed reliance on the fruitful experience of the Austro-German school. Accordingly, the measure of German influence and the degree to which it was overcome served as a criterion national identity and the significance of the composer's work. For example, such assessments of one of the English critics are indicative: "While the music of Parry and Stanford spoke German with an English and Irish accent ... Elgar's music spoke English with a German accent."

At the turn of the century in Great Britain, as well as throughout Europe, there was a desire to create musical language, which would correspond to modern aesthetics. The "new word" came from France. The interest in the East that arose among English musicians prompted them to pay attention to the achievements french impressionism. This was especially evident in the work of Cyril Scott (1879-1970), Grenville Bantock (1868-1946) and Gustav Holst. True, in Scott and Bantock, the world of oriental images and moods does not affect the foundations of composer's thinking. Their image of the East is conditional, and it is not difficult to find many traditional features in its embodiment.

The implementation of this theme in the work of Holst, who gravitated towards Indian culture. He sought to find a deeper, spiritual contact between Western and Eastern cultures which is generally characteristic of the art of the 20th century. And he carried out this desire in his own way, not in accordance with what his older contemporary Debussy did. At the same time, the discoveries of impressionism, associated with a new idea of ​​​​musical space, timbre, dynamics, with a new attitude to sound, entered the palette of means of expression used by the composers of England - the birthplace of "landscape and marina" (Ch. Nodier).

With all individual stylistic differences, English composers At that time, the desire to strengthen the folk-national foundations of their music connected them. The discovery of peasant folklore and the work of the masters of the Old English school as two interrelated sources belongs to G. Holst and R. Vaughan-Williams. Appeal to the heritage of the "golden age" of English art was the only possible way revival of the national tradition. Folklore and old masters, establishing links with modern European musical culture - the interaction of these trends in the art of Holst and Vaughan Williams brought a long-awaited renewal to English music of the 20th century. The themes, plots and images of English prose, poetry, dramaturgy served as an important support in the establishment of national ideals. For musicians modern sound acquire the rural ballads of Robert Burns and the theomachic poems of John Milton, the pastoral elegies of Robert Herrick and the verses of John Donne saturated with passionate intensity; rediscovered by William Blake. Increasingly deeper comprehension of national culture has become the most important factor the formation and flourishing of the English composer school of the 20th century, the formation of the aesthetic ideal of composers.

First major representatives new English musical revival were Hubert Parry (1848-1918) and Charles Stanford (1852-1924). Composers, scientists, performers, congestion and educators, they, like the founders of many national schools, were outstanding figures, whose many-sided work was selflessly directed to the creation of a new national school of composers, capable of reviving the tradition of the glorious past of English music. Their own social and creative activity served as a high example for their contemporaries and for English composers of the following, younger generations.

The formation of a new English school of composition unfolded during the long reign (1837-1901) of Queen Victoria. During this era, various areas of English culture were fully developed. A large national literary tradition was especially rich and "fruitful. If Parry and Stanford are closely connected with their activities, relatively speaking, the proto-Renaissance period of the era in question, then the name of Elgar opens in fact creative period new revival.

Like their contemporaries, the English school of composition faced, first of all, the problems of European musical romanticism in all their scope. And naturally, the art of Wagner became their focus. The imperious influence of Wagnerian music in England can only be compared with its influence then in France, or with the influence of Handel in eighteenth-century England.

Already at the turn of the century, English composers made persistent attempts to get out of the influence of the German classical-romantic traditions, which had taken such deep roots on English soil. Recall that Parry wanted to create - in contrast to Mendelssohn's - a national version of the philosophical oratorio. A major achievement was Elgar's trilogy of small cantatas The Spirit of England (1917).

The first true composer that England has produced since Purcell is Edward Elgar (1857-1934). He was very closely associated with the English provincial musical culture. On early stages his creative life he served as a composer and arranger for the orchestra of his native Worcester, he also wrote for the musicians of Birmingham, and worked for local choral societies. His early choral songs and cantatas are in line with the great English choral tradition that came up in the 80s and 90s. 19th century - that is, precisely when Elgar created the early choral compositions, - to the climax phase. Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900), which brought fame to English music on the Continent, was such a significant achievement for the composer that it supplanted Mendelssohn's Elijah and became the second favorite oratorio of the English public after Handel's Messiahs.

The significance of Elgar for the history of English music is determined primarily by two works: the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900, on the st. J. Newman) and the symphonic Variations on a mysterious theme (Enigma - variations (Enigma (lat.) - a riddle. ), 1899), which became the heights of English musical romanticism. The oratorio "The Dream of Gerontius" sums up not only the long development of cantata-oratorio genres in the work of Elgar himself (4 oratorios, 4 cantatas, 2 odes), but in many respects the entire path of English choral music that preceded it. Reflected in the oratorio and another important feature national renaissance- interest in folklore. It is no coincidence that, after listening to "The Dream of Gerontius", R. Strauss proclaimed a toast "to the prosperity and success of the first English progressive Edward Elgar, the master of the young progressive school of English composers." Unlike the Enigma oratorio, variations laid the foundation stone for national symphonism, which before Elgar was the most vulnerable area of ​​English musical culture. "" Enigma "-variations testify that in the person of Elgar the country has found an orchestral composer of the first magnitude," wrote one of the English researchers. The "mystery" of the variations is that the names of the composer's friends are encrypted in them, and the musical theme of the cycle is also hidden from view. (All this is reminiscent of the "Sphinxes" from "Carnival" by R. Schumann.) Elgar also owns the first English symphony (1908).

Elgar's work is one of the outstanding phenomena of musical romanticism. Synthesizing national and Western European, mainly Austro-German influences, it bears the features of lyrical-psychological and epic directions. The composer makes extensive use of the system of leitmotifs, in which the influence of R. Wagner and R. Strauss is clearly felt.

The establishment of new positions in English music came at a time of turning point in the spiritual life of Great Britain. Those were years of great trials and changes. The First World War forced many artists of this country, which considered itself a stronghold of inviolability in Europe, to react sensitively to the contradictions of the surrounding reality, unprecedented in scale. Post-war English music is dominated by a centrifugal need to look at the world from a broad perspective. The younger generation resolutely came into contact with the innovative searches of European masters - Stravinsky, Schoenberg. William Walton's Façade (1902-1983) originates from compositional ideas drawn from Schoenberg's Lunar Pierrot, but the composition's style is based on the anti-romanticism proclaimed by Stravinsky and the French Six. Constant Lambert (1905-1951) surprised his compatriots by starting to work in the genre of ballet from the very first steps on his creative path, the traditions of which were interrupted in England in the second half of the 18th century; in fact, it is quite natural that the composer was attracted to this genre, which in Europe by the 1920s became a symbol of modern artistic quest. Lambert's ballet Romeo and Juliet (1925) was a kind of response to Stravinsky's Pulcinella. At the same time, with his other composition - Elegiac Blues for small orchestra (1927) - Lambert responded to the jazz that struck Europeans. Alan Bush (1900-1995) connected his activities with Eisler's creative position and the labor movement, he not only perceived the corresponding socio-political and philosophical ideas, but also developed his own composing technique, based on the fruitfully refracted experience of the Novovensk school by Eisler.

In the first half of the 1930s, the change of composer generations that had been outlined in the previous decade finally took shape. In 1934, England lost three major masters - Elgar, Dilius, Holst. Of these, only Holst actively worked before last days. Elgar, after a decade of silence, only in the early 30s came to life for creativity. At the same time, Dilius, stricken with a serious illness and blindness, who lived in France, was inspired unexpected success his music in his homeland, in London, where in 1929 he passed it author's festival, and in a surge of strength dictated his latest works.

By the end of the 30s, the generation of the young is entering the time creative maturity. The time for experimentation is over, the main interests are determined, creativity rushes into the mainstream of established traditions, mastery and exactingness in relation to one's ideas appear. Thus, William Walton writes a monumental biblical oratorio (“The Feast of Belshazzar”, 1931) and after it - major orchestral works (First Symphony, 1934; Violin Concerto, 1939). Michael Tippett (b. 1905) rejects his early opuses; new works in the chamber genre (First Piano Sonata, 1937) and concerto orchestral works (Concerto for double string orchestra, 1939; Fantasy on a Theme by Handel for piano and orchestra, 1941) he announces the beginning of his creative way, the first culmination of which was the oratorio "A Child of Our Time" (1941). Large-scale compositions were being worked on in those years by Lambert (masque "The Last Will and Testament of Summer" for soloist, choir and orchestra, 1936), Berkeley (First Symphony, 1940), Bush (First Symphony, 1940).

Benjamin Britten stands out among the many bright and original artistic personalities with which the English school of composition of the 20th century is rich. It was he who was destined to find in his work a harmonious interaction of multidirectional (and for the previous generation of English composers almost mutually exclusive) trends - the embodiment of the ideas of modernity and the implementation of the originality of national art.

britten music making ensemble vocal

England is called the most "non-musical" country in Europe. According to art historians, the history of the origin of English music goes back to the distant 4th century, when Celtic tribes lived on the territory of the British Isles. In the surviving songs and ballads of that time, singers and bards described military campaigns, exploits, romantic legends and love for their native land. New stage The development of the culture of England falls only on the VI century, with the adoption of Christianity, musical art began to develop rapidly: first under the church, and then under the state.

Today, English composers are not as famous as their European counterparts, and then it is rather difficult to quickly recall their names or works. But, if you look into the history of world music, you can find out that the United Kingdom gave the world such great composers as Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst,Ralph Vaughan Williams And Benjamin Britten.

The heyday of musical culture in Great Britain fell on the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1905, the first symphony was written in England, the author of which was Edward Elgar. General recognition of the young composer brought an oratorio called "The Dream of Gerontius", which was written in 1900, as well as "Variations on a mysterious theme." Elgar was recognized not only by England, but by the whole of Europe, and the famous Austrian Johann Strauss even noted that Elgar's creations are the pinnacle of English romanticism in the field of music.

Gustav Holst is another famous English composer who lived in the nineteenth century. He is called the most original and unusual creator of classical music - he received such recognition for a scene called "Planets". This work consists of seven parts and describes the planets of our solar system.

The next in the list of great composers is the founder of the school of the "English musical Renaissance", the great-nephew of Charles Darwin - Ralph Vaughan Williams. In addition to composing music, Williams was also active in social work and collected English folklore. Among his most famous works are three Norfolk Rhapsodies, fantasies on the theme of Tallis for double string orchestra, as well as symphonies, three ballets, several operas and arrangements of folk songs.

Among the modern composers of England, it is worth highlighting the Baron Edward Benjamin Britenne. Britten wrote works for chamber and symphony orchestra, church and vocal music. Thanks to him, there was a revival of opera in England, which was in decline at that time. One of the main themes of Britenn's work was the protest against the manifestation of violence and war in favor of peace and harmony in human relationships, which was most clearly expressed in the "War Requiem", written in 1961. Edward Benjamin also often visited Russia and even wrote music to the words of A. S. Pushkin.

B. Britten is one of the most significant composers of the 20th century. Almost all musical genres are represented in his work: from piano pieces and vocal works to opera.

He actually revived English music, which, after the death of Handel, had not had a composer of such magnitude for almost two hundred years.

Biography

The initial period of creativity

Edward Benjamin Britten, British composer, conductor and pianist , was born in 1913 in Lowestoft (Suffolk County) in the family of a dentist. Musical ability he showed up early: at the age of 6 he had already begun to compose music. His first piano teacher was his mother, then the boy learned to play the viola.

Royal College of Music

At the Royal College of Music in London, he studied piano, also studying composition. His early works immediately attracted attention. music world- these were the "Hymn to the Virgin" and the choral variations "The Baby is Born". Britten is invited to the documentary film company, with which he collaborated for 5 years. He considers this period a good school, where he had to learn and compose a lot, even when inspiration leaves and only conscientious work remains.

During this period, he also worked on the radio: he wrote music for radio shows, then began concert activity.

World War II period

In the 1930s, he was already a composer, whose works received worldwide fame: His music has been played in Italy, Spain, Austria and the US, but World War II breaks out and Britten leaves England for the US and Canada. The composer returned to his homeland only in 1942. Immediately began his performances around the country: in small villages, bomb shelters, hospitals and even in prisons. And when the war ended, he immediately visited Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries with concerts.

Post-war creativity

In 1948, he organized in Aldborough, where he settled, the Annual International Music Festival, to which he devotes a lot of time, effort and money. At the first festival in 1948, his cantata "Saint Nicholas" was performed.

In the early 1950s, Britten participated in the activities of the Organization of Musical Artists - Supporters of Peace, wrote operas, and in 1956 traveled to India, Ceylon, Indonesia, and Japan. The impressions of the trip were reflected in the score of the ballet "The Prince of Pagodas". This fairy-tale extravaganza becomes the first national "big" ballet; before that, only one-act ballets existed in England. After that, Britten returns to his favorite opera: in 1958, "Noah's Ark" appears, and in 1960 - "Dream in midsummer night».

In 1961, Britten created the War Requiem, which became a memorial to the victims of the war. It was written for the consecration ceremony of the cathedral in the city of Coventry completely destroyed by German bombing. For the first time, the "War Requiem" was performed in 1962. The success was deafening: "Requiem" was sold in the first two months with a circulation of 200 thousand records, which spoke of the real success of the work.

The ruins of the cathedral in Coventry

At the same time, Britten wrote works of a new genre: parable operas. In 1964, the Curlew River was written on a Japanese plot. "Stove Action" (1966) is based on an episode from the Old Testament, and "Prodigal Son" (1968) is based on gospel parable. "Cantata of Mercy" Britten writes for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Red Cross, the cantata is based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was solemnly performed in Geneva on September 1, 1963.

Britten and Russia

Having heard M. Rostropovich's playing for the first time in London, Britten decides to write a five-movement Sonata for him, each of which demonstrates the special skill of the cellist. In March 1963, a festival of English music was held in Moscow and Leningrad, where this sonata was performed by Britten himself and M. Rostropovich. At the same time, one-act operas by Britten were performed for the first time in Russia by the Small Company of the Covent Garden Theatre. In 1964, Britten again visits our country, he establishes friendly relations with D. Shostakovich, M. Rostropovich and G. Vishnevskaya, even the new year 1965 Britten meets with Shostakovich at his dacha.

M. Rostropovich and B. Britten

The music of Shostakovich has a noticeable influence on Britten's work. He writes the Cello Concerto and dedicates it to Mstislav Rostropovich, and a cycle of songs based on Pushkin's verses to Galina Vishnevskaya. Shostakovich dedicates his Fourteenth Symphony to Britten.

The last time B. Britten visited Russia was in 1971. In 1975 D. Shostakovich died, and in 1976 Britten died.

Creativity B. Britten

Britten is considered the founder of the revival of opera in England. Working in various musical genres, Britten loved opera most of all. He completed his first opera, Peter Grimes, in 1945, and its production marked the revival of the national musical theater. The libretto of the opera is based on the tragic story of the fisherman Peter Grimes, who is haunted by fate. The music of his opera is diverse in terms of style: he uses the style of many composers depending on the content of the scene: he draws images of loneliness and despair in the style of G. Mahler, A, Berg, D. Shostakovich; realistic genre scenes- in the style of D. Verdi, and seascapes- in the style of C. Debussy. And all these styles are ingeniously united by one thing - the Britten style and the color of Britain.

The composer was engaged in composing operas all his subsequent life. He created chamber operas: "The Desecration of Lucretia" (1946), "Albert Herring" (1947) on the plot of G. Maupassant. In the 50-60s. creates the operas Billy Budd (1951), Gloriana (1953), The Turn of the Screw (1954), Noah's Ark (1958), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960) based on the comedy by W. Shakespeare, chamber opera The Carlew River (1964), the opera The Prodigal Son (1968), dedicated to Shostakovich, and Death in Venice (1970) based on T. Mann.

Music for children

Britten also writes for children, and conceives music for educational purposes. For example, in the play "Let's make an opera" (1949), he introduces the audience into the process of its performance. As early as 1945, he wrote a variation and fugue on a theme by Purcell, "A Guide to the Orchestra for Young Listeners", in which he introduces listeners to the timbres of various instruments. S. Prokofiev has a similar children's opera - "Peter and the Wolf".

In 1949, Britten created the opera for children The Little Chimney Sweep, and in 1958, the opera Noah's Ark.

B. Britten performed a lot as a pianist and conductor, touring in different countries peace.

1. Short story English Music
2. Listen to music
3. Outstanding Representatives English music
4. About the author of this article

A Brief History of English Music

origins
  The origins of English music are in the musical culture of the Celts (the people who lived in the first millennium on the territory of modern England and France), the bearers of which, in particular, were bards (singers-narrators of ancient Celtic tribes). Among the instrumental genres are dances: giga, country dance, hornpipe.

6th - 7th centuries
  At the end of the 6th century. - early 7th c. church choral music is developing, with which the formation of professional art is associated.

11th - 14th centuries
  In 11-14c. The musical and poetic art of minstrels spread. Minstrel - in the Middle Ages professional musician and a poet, sometimes a storyteller, who served with a feudal lord. In the second half of the 14th century. secular musical art develops, vocal and instrumental court chapels are created. In the first half of the 15th century the English school of polyphonists, headed by John Dunstable, is promoted

16th century
  Composers of the 16th century
K. Tai
D. Taverner
T. Tallis
D. Dowland
D. Bull
Center secular music became a royal court.

17th century
 Early 17th century English musical theater is being formed, leading its origin from the mysteries (musical and dramatic genre of the Middle Ages).

18-19 centuries
  18-19th century - a crisis in English national music.
 Foreign influences penetrate into the national musical culture, Italian opera conquers the English audience.
Prominent foreign musicians worked in England: G.F. Handel, I.K. Bach, J. Haydn (visited 2 times).
  In the 19th century, London became one of the centers of European musical life. Here toured: F. Chopin, F. Liszt, N. Paganini, G. Berlioz, G. Wagner, J. Verdi, A. Dvorak, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. K. Glazunov and others. Garden" (1732), Royal Academy of Music (1822), Academy of Ancient Music (1770, the first concert society in London)

The turn of the 19th - 20th centuries.
  There is a so-called English musical revival, that is, a movement for the revival of national musical traditions, manifested in the appeal to English musical folklore and the achievements of the masters of the 17th century. These tendencies characterize the work of the new English school of composition; its prominent representatives are composers E. Elgar, H. Parry, F. Dilius, G. Holst, R. Vaughan-Williams, J. Ireland, F. Bridge.

You can listen to music

Outstanding representatives of English music

  G. Purcell - major composer seventeenth century.
  At the age of 11, Purcell wrote the first ode dedicated to Charles II. Since 1675 in various English music collections Purcell's vocal works were regularly published.
  Since the end of the 1670s. Purcell is the court musician of the Stuarts. 1680s - the heyday of Purcell's work. He worked equally well in all genres: fantasy for string instruments, music for the theater, odes - welcome songs, Purcell's songbook "British Orpheus". Many of the melodies of his songs, close to folk melodies, gained popularity and were sung during Purcell's lifetime.
  In 1683 and 1687 trio collections were published - sonatas for violins and bass. The use of violin compositions was an innovation that enriched English instrumental music.
  The pinnacle of Purcell's work is the opera Dido and Aeneas (1689), the first national English opera (based on Virgil's Aeneid). This is the largest phenomenon in the history of English music. Its plot is reworked in the spirit of English folk poetry Opera is distinguished by the close unity of music and text. The rich world of Purcell's images and feelings finds a variety of expressions - from the psychologically profound to the rudely perky, from the tragic to the humorous. However, the dominant mood of his music is penetrating lyricism.
 Most of his writings were soon forgotten, and Purcell's writings gained notoriety only in the last third of the 19th century. In 1876 The Purcell Society was organized. Interest in his work increased in the UK thanks to the activities of B. Britten.

B.E. Britten (1913 - 1976)

  One of the greatest masters of English music of the 20th century - Benjamin Britten - composer, pianist and conductor. Started composing music at the age of 8. Since 1929 he has been studying at the Royal College of Music in London. Already in his youthful works, his original melodic gift, fantasy, and humor appeared. In the early years, an important place in the work of Britten is occupied by solo vocal and choral compositions. Britten's individual style is associated with the national English tradition (the study of the creative heritage of Purcell and other English composers of the 16th and 17th centuries). To the number the best essays Britten, which received recognition in England and other countries, belongs to the operas "Peter Grimes", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and others. In them, Britten appears as a subtle musical playwright - an innovator. "War Requiem" (1962) - a tragic and courageous work dedicated to acute contemporary issues condemning militarism and calling for peace. Britten toured the USSR in 1963, 1964, 1971.

Music groups of the 20th century
"Rolling Stones"

  In the spring of 1962, guitarist Brian Jones formed a band called the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones included Mick Jagger (vocals), Brian Jones and Keith Richards (guitars), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums).
  This band brought to the British scene hard and energetic music, aggressive style of performance and uninhibited behavior. They neglected stage costumes wore long hair.
 Unlike the Beatles (who evoked sympathy), the Rolling Stones became the embodiment of the enemies of society, which made it possible to gain enduring popularity among young people.

The Beatles

  In 1956 a vocal-instrumental quartet was created in Liverpool. The band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison (guitars), Ringo Starr (drums).
  The team gained wild popularity by performing songs in the style of "big - beat", and from the mid-60s, the songs of the Beatles became more complex.
  They were honored to perform in the palace in front of the queen.

About the author of this article

In my work, I used the following literature:
- Music encyclopedic dictionary. Ch. ed. R.V. Keldysh. 1990
- Magazine "Student meridian", 1991 Special issue
- Music Encyclopedia, Ch. Ed. Yu.V.Keldysh. 1978
- Modern Encyclopedia"Avanta plus" and "Music of our days", 2002 Ch. ed. V.Volodin.

Charles Ives "Discovery" of Ives happened only at the end of the 30s, when it turned out that many (and, moreover, very different) methods of the newest musical writing had already been tested by original American composer in the era of A. Scriabin, K. Debussy and G. Mahler. By the time Ives became famous, he had not composed music for many years and, seriously ill, cut off contact with the outside world.

Subsequently, in the 1920s, moving away from music, Ives became a successful businessman and a prominent specialist (author of popular works) on insurance. Most of Ives's works belong to the genres of orchestral and chamber music. He is the author of five symphonies, overtures, program works for orchestra (Three Villages in New England, Central Park in the Dark), two string quartets, five sonatas for violin, two for pianoforte, pieces for organ, choirs and over 100 songs. Symphony no. 1 i. Allegro Rej. ii. Largo II. Adagio molto III. Scherzo: Vivace iv. Allegro molto i. Allegro Ray. II. Largo II. Adagio malto III. Scherzo: Vivace IV Allegro malto

In the Second Piano Sonata (), the composer paid tribute to his spiritual predecessors. Each of its parts depicts a portrait of one of the American philosophers: R. Emerson, N. Hawthorne, G. Topo; the entire sonata bears the name of the place where these philosophers lived (Concord, Massachusetts,). Their ideas formed the basis of Ives' worldview (for example, the idea of ​​merging human life with the life of nature) Sonata no. 2 for Piano: Concord, Mass., i. Emerson II. Hawthorne III. The Alcotts iv. Thoreau Sonata 2 for piano:. Concord, Massachusetts, i. Emerson II. Hawthorne III. In Alcotts IV Toro

Edward William Elgar E. Elgar the greatest English composer turn XIX-XX centuries. Having received his first music lessons from his father, an organist and owner of a music shop, Elgar then developed independently, learning the basics of the profession in practice. Only in 1882 did the composer pass the exams at the Royal Academy of Music in London in the violin class and in musical theoretical subjects. Already in childhood, he mastered playing many instruments, violin, piano, in 1885 he replaced his father as a church organist. In 1873, Elgar began his professional activity violinist in the Worcester Glee Club (choral society), and from 1882 he worked in hometown concertmaster and conductor of an amateur orchestra.

The significance of Elgar for the history of English music is determined primarily by two works: the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900, on the st. J. Newman) and the symphonic Variations on a Mysterious Theme, which became the heights of English musical romanticism. The "mystery" of the variations is that the names of the composer's friends are encrypted in them, and the musical theme of the cycle is also hidden from view. (All this is reminiscent of the "Sphinxes" from "Carnival" by R. Schumann.) Elgar also owns the first English symphony (1908). Among the composer's other numerous orchestral works (overtures, suites, concertos, etc.), the Violin Concerto (1910) stands out, one of the most popular works of this genre. Dream Of Gerontius The Dream Of Gerontius

Elgar's music is melodically charming, colorful, has a bright characteristic, in symphonic works it attracts orchestral skill, subtlety of instrumentation, manifestation of romantic thinking. By the beginning of the XX century. Elgar rose to European prominence. Land of Hope and Glory

Ralph Vaughan Williams English composer, organist and musical public figure, collector and researcher of English musical folklore. Studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University with C. Wood and at the Royal College of Music in London () with X. Parry and C. Stanford (composition), W. Parrett (organ); improved in composition with M. Bruch in Berlin, with M. Ravel in Paris. The organist of South Lambeth Church in London. Since 1904 member of the Society folk song. From 1919 he taught composition at the Royal College of Music (from 1921 professor). The leader of the Bach Choir.

Symphonic works Vaughan-Williams are distinguished by their dramatic nature (4th symphony), melodic clarity, mastery of voice leading, and ingenuity of orchestration, in which the influence of the Impressionists is felt. Among the monumental vocal, symphonic and choral works are oratorios and cantatas intended for church performance. From operas greatest success uses “Sir John in love” (“Sir John in love”, 1929, based on “Windsor Gossips” by W. Shakespeare). Vaughan Williams was one of the first English composers who actively worked in the cinema (his 7th symphony was written on the basis of the music for the film about the polar explorer R. F. Scott). Vaughan williams symphony 4.

She began learning to play the piano at the age of 5, at the age of 8 she played almost all of Beethoven's works by heart. By the age of 20, the number of her concerts reached 100 a year. “When I listen to how I play, I have the impression that I am attending my own funeral,” this phrase seemed to become prophetic, because in 1960, due to a heart attack at a concert of her musical activity stopped. She composed several of her works ("Julia Hess Sonata", "Farewell"). Style: classical music. During the wars, she gave concerts all over the world, for which she was appreciated and still remembered by many people.

American jazz pianist, conductor, songwriter, jazzman, flautist, actor and composer, winner of 14 Grammy awards one of the most influential jazz musicians. Hancock's music combines elements of rock and jazz along with freestyle elements. Hancock is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and Chairman of the Thelonius Monk Jazz Institute. They say about Herbie: "The genius of pure simplicity."

Vocalist, musician, pianist, arranger, composer, harmonist. From childhood he was blind, but this did not prevent him from becoming a brilliant pianist at the age of 8. “He sees, because he feels,” his parents said. Wonder likes to use many complex chords in his compositions. US President Barack Obama is a longtime fan of Stevie Wonder's music. His name in English-speaking countries has become a household name for the blind.

The Negro guitarist Chuck Berry, who stood at the origins of rock and roll, had such an influence on this music that it is simply impossible to imagine this style without him. He composed many groovy songs that became examples of rock and roll, came up with many tricks that guitarists still repeat on stage. John Lennon's dictum is quite symptomatic: "If the term" rock and roll "did not exist, this music would have to be called" Chuck Berry "Chuck Berry". American musician Chuck Berry Chuck Berry 1926) (1926)

Bob Dylan is called the "revelation of America", and in this sense, his work is the opposite of the work of pop stars masters of allegory. It is known that in the songs, as if in a mirror, their author is reflected with all his actions and aspirations. Dylan's songs are characterized by a certain deliberateness and originality, emphasized by the independence of judgments. Even in his early years, he rejected any outside opinions about how to sing and write music. American singer and composer Bob Dylan American singer and composer Bob Dylan (1941) (1941)

With Elvis Presley, the stable phrase "King of Rock and Roll" is associated. He is in third place among the greatest performers of all time and the greatest vocalists according to Rolling Stone magazine. During his career, Elvis Presley won three Grammy awards (1967, 1972, 1975), was nominated 14 times. In January 1971, the singer was awarded the Jaycee Award - as one of the "ten prominent people of the year "American rock singer Elvis Presley ()

British rock band from Liverpool, founded in 1960, which included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The famous Liverpool band has achieved a lot of success, which are amazing even now, and which modern performers are trying to repeat. The highest achievement of the Beatles can be called the fact that their "A Day In The Life" is the most best song Great Britain, best album the album "Revolver" (1966) is recognized in the history of rock and roll, and a sad song titled "Yesterday" has been performed more than seven million times in the last century. And that's not all the achievements of the Beatles!

Her success in the musical field is impressive. Today, the singer has been awarded 34 gold discs and 21 platinum discs. She has won two GRAMMY awards during her career. Since 1964, more than 60 million of her records have been sold in the world ... Her success in the musical field is impressive. Today, the singer has been awarded 34 gold discs and 21 platinum discs. She has won two GRAMMY awards during her career. Since 1964, more than 60 million of her records have been sold worldwide ... In 1992, four CDs of Barbra Streisand "Just for the Chronicle" were released, representing a sound illustration of her career, starting from the first sound recording in 1955. The discs contain recordings of early TV shows featuring Barbra Streisand, her awards speeches, and unreleased songs. 1992 saw the release of Barbra Streisand's four CDs, "Just for the Chronicle," an audio illustration of her career from the first recording in 1955. The discs contain recordings of early TV shows featuring Barbra Streisand, her awards speeches, and unreleased songs. “You have to live without subordinating your life to other people's opinions,” Barbra sums up her life experience. Only in this way you can not change yourself. “You have to live without subordinating your life to other people's opinions,” Barbra sums up her life experience. Only in this way you can not change yourself. American singer, composer, director, screenwriter, film actress (1942)

British rock band formed in 1964. The original line-up consisted of Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. The group has become a huge success due to extraordinary concert performances and is considered both one of the most influential bands of the 60s and 70s and one of the greatest rock bands of all time. The Who became famous in their homeland both due to the innovative technique of breaking instruments on stage after the performance, and due to hit singles. The Who (Those same) 1964