One thousand nine hundred twenty-seven. Italian city of Monza Milan. It hosts an international exhibition of decorative arts. The attention of the audience is attracted by an unusual sculpture depicting a young, determined man with oriental features in a round hat trimmed with fur. The portrait is full of a feeling of great physical, spiritual strength of the hero, cut from wood in large forms, painted in black, brown. The hero being portrayed Bashkir people - Salavat Yulaev, whose sculptural image was created by I. G. Frikh-Khar In 1926, this work was made by a famous Soviet master commissioned by Bashnarkompros. He enthusiastically worked on the image of Salavat, conveying in his appearance a feeling of irresistible impulse, aspiration, self-confidence. "Salavat Yulaev" Frih-Khara, which became the first portrait of the hero in the Soviet, Bashkir art, has repeatedly represented his native land and people at major art exhibitions.
The heroic deeds and fate of Salavat Yulaev inspired many Soviet, Bashkir sculptors to create works of high artistic sound.
The Great Patriotic War, which began in 1941, some masters associated the feats of soldiers on its fronts with the feat of Salavat, who gave his life in the name of the freedom of the Motherland. The famous Russian master I. S. Efimov in the 1942 sculptural composition “Salavat Yulaev” resurrects the image of the Bashkir hero, showing the enormous tension of the moment when he fearlessly and indomitably rushes on a horse towards battle, feat. In sculpture - the feeling of the touch of the sculptor's hands, giving the form the strength of internal tension, dynamics.
In terms of figurative content, this work is close to the monumental work of SD Tavasiev - the monument to Salavat Yulaev in Ufa, the idea and first sketches of which were made by the sculptor also in the first days of the war. The opening of the monument took place on March 17, 1967. It rises almost twenty meters on a cliff face. Everything in it - the horse depicted in a strong movement, Salavat Yulaev, whose face and figure are full of passionate tension and dynamics, the powerful and solid plasticity of the sculpture - expresses the idea of love of freedom, courage, strong-willed composure. This largest monument in the country has become a symbol of Bashkortostan, its image is an integral part of the state symbols of the republic.
The memory of Salavat Yulaev is kept not only by the Bashkir land. In 1989, in the Estonian city of Paldiski (the former city of the Baltic port), on the land where he languished in captivity for twenty-five years and where his unmarked grave is located, a monument to the Bashkir folk hero was opened. Its author is a wonderful Bashkir master T. P. Nechaeva. In 1994, the monument was stolen, but by decision of the leadership of Bashkortostan and the city of Paldiski, it was restored again in 1997. There is a legend in Estonia that Salavat did not die, he went to sea, and therefore he now stands unbroken, majestic, looking into his bottomless expanses with a proud thought of his homeland. This work became the apotheosis of the theme of courage, resilience and beauty of the national spirit in the work of Nechaeva, who dedicated a number of works in various art forms to the image of Salavat Yulaev. In 1946, she created his first sculptural portrait in plaster, and in 1952 she became the author of the first bronze monument to the hero in the republic, which opened in the homeland of the batyr - in the Salavat region. In each work, Tamara Pavlovna sought to show not only the physical strength, military courage of the hero, but also his spiritual beauty, poetic nature. In the same year, a similar monument was opened in Ufa in a park named after Salavat Yulaev. Currently, he has found a new life in the territory of the Bashkir resort of Yangan-Tau. The most beautiful place was chosen - the monument was installed at the top of the stairs leading to the main building. Like a mountain eagle, Salavat soared over the mountains and valleys, illuminating them with the grandeur and beauty of his spirit.
The wonderful compositions "Shooter", "Salavat" were created by Nechaeva in 1955 in porcelain, where form, line, color are soldered into a single figurative structure. The cycle of her ceramic panels also reflects the theme of the peasant uprising of 1773-1775. Her works “Salavat and Pugachev”, “Pugachevtsy” (both 1969), “Archers” (1971) are characterized by a special romanticism of feelings, their own pictorial language, built on the conventionality of form, the emphasized role of color, decided by powerful chords of red, blue, turquoise, golden tones. The works of T. P. Nechaeva remain unique in their versatility, emotionality and depth of embodiment of the image of a folk hero.
The sculptor Z. R. Basyrov planned to erect a monument to the Bashkir batyr on the top of the mountain in the Salavat region. In 1972, he created a composition, the idea of which is as follows - Salavat's cry was thrown here, because he showed it at the very moment when the hero, raising his saber over his head in an oath movement, calls on the people to revolt. The dream of creating a monument did not come true, but this work lives on, with its powerful forms and silhouette, affirming the idea of the courage of Salavat the warrior and leader.
The ensemble of the Salavat Yulaev Museum in the village of Maloyaz, Salavat District, is complemented by six sculptural compositions located in the openings of arched columns on both sides of the building, the author of which is the sculptor Kh. M. Khabibrakhmanov. The monumental figures “Struggle”, “Call”, “Freedom”, “Farewell”, “Victory” cast in bronze metaphorically embody the idea of freedom, irresistible strength and beauty of the people. The composition "Memory" sounds like a requiem for warriors of all times, as recognition of the significance of their feat and eternal memory, thus linking history and modernity. The result of the sculptor's in-depth work on this topic was his monumental work - a monument to Salavat Yulaev, erected on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the sovereignty of Bashkortostan in Ufa near the building of the Kurultai-State Assembly. The author offers in it his own vision of the image, in the plasticity of the figure, face, the calm confidence of the pose of which is a feeling of strong-willed and physical composure. The sculptor simultaneously brings romantic notes to his interpretation, showing Salavat as a thoughtful poet. The monument is made of forged copper, the pedestal is black gabbro.
The works of young authors I. P. Pavlov and V. A. Dvornik are remarkable for their figurative expressiveness and realistic skill.
New facets in the poetic embodiment of the theme of folk heroism, invariably associated with the name of Salavat Yulaev, are opened by the works of F. S. Nuriakhmetov "The Rider's Cradle" (2002). and "Chagali-Shakman Bow" 1999-2003. (both marble). The latter is based on a folk legend that the father of the fathers of the Bashkir batyrs, Shagali-Shakman, owned the tightest bow made from the horns of a wild buffalo. Dying, he gave it to his eldest son with the words: "Whoever can, like me, own my bow, he will lead the Bashkir people to glory." Fourteen-year-old Salavat killed an eagle in flight with this bow. The author shows a naked young man sitting, pulling a bow with the utmost effort. The realistic, subtle manner of execution, combined with the metaphorical nature of the image, gives the sculpture an emphatically poetic tone.
Rich in worthy examples are those picturesque pages of the legend about Salavat, which are composed by masters of Russian Bashkir art of different generations.
The founder of this theme was the oldest painter of the republic A.P. Lezhnev, who dedicated his best works to the legendary hero of the Bashkir people. One of them is "The Capture of Salavat" in 1930. The author does not illustrate the plot, but shows the most dramatic collision preceding this event. Salavat on skis runs away from the armed riders pursuing him, who surround him from the rear. He glances around to see how close they have come to him. There is no fear in his gaze, there is determination and hatred for the punishers. In the short, strong figure of the hero, in the gesture of his hands squeezing the bow, in all this one can read the nature of a fearless, strong-willed person. The next significant work of this cycle was the painting “The Meeting of Salavat with the Pugachev Detachment” in 1940. The eighteenth century was a visible time for Lezhnev, almost real. He found accurate everyday, ethnographic, historical details for his works, solved the compositions of works convincingly, with great emotional intensity. The latter quality is especially vividly characterized by his battle canvas “The Battle of Salavat with the Vanguard of Michelson” in 1941, showing a detachment of Bashkir horsemen led by Salavat Yulaev, a swift avalanche falling on the enemy. The work “Torture of Salavat” is dated 1934, several times he turned to the topic “Interrogation of Salavat” (variants of 1946-47). Lezhnev gave a lot of creative energy and inspiration to work on the image of his beloved hero, laying this tradition in Bashkir art.
It was adequately supported by the masters of subsequent generations. In 1943, the famous Bashkir stage designer M. N. Arslanov created a monumental pictorial panel for the foyer of the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater depicting a dynamic scene of the offensive of the Bashkir horsemen led by Salavat Yulaev. In the post-war forties and fifties, when the theme of patriotism and military exploits was especially relevant, a number of works were created that became textbooks and gained wide popularity. This is the painting "In the camp of Salavat" 1947. P. M. Lebedev; "Salavat Yulaev" 1949 G.S. Mustafina is one of the few canvases in Bashkir painting, where a developed psychological characterization of the image is given, revealing the strong-willed, confident and at the same time dreamy nature of the hero. P.Ya. Gavrilov showed in his work the scene "Salavat Yulaev at Pugachev's headquarters" in 1951. A.S. Arslanov in 1959 painted the picture “Salavat Yulaev” filled with romantic heroism and in subsequent years returned to this topic more than once.
In terms of the depth of the poetic, psychological disclosure of the topic, in terms of the level of professional skill, in the first row of works by Bashkir masters dedicated to Salavat Yulaev, there is a painting by A.A. Kuznetsov 1955 "Interrogation of Salavat". This is an example of the true realistic skill of the artist - director, painter, draftsman, who builds a work on a deeply thought-out dramaturgy of a plot, figurative solution. Many articles and reproductions in our press are devoted to him, therefore, limiting myself to these comments, I will focus on another work by the artist, The Legend of Kurai, 1961. She shows a different facet of the image of Salavat, who was not only a courageous warrior, but also a poet. In it, the author refers to the sources that formed the soul of the young batyr - this is the beauty of the boundless expanses of the Ural steppes, mountains, which became the cradle of his poetry. The canvas is written in a different manner than the first. The artist seeks and finds in it new artistic means for self-expression. They are in the conventions of the pictorial language, which assigns a large role to the metaphorical sound of details, the originality of the manner of writing and the color scheme. The picture is painted like a precious mosaic, the generalized forms, strokes, sonorous pure colors merge so smoothly and beautifully in it. The content of this work echoes the composition of the artist of the younger generation E.O. Kleymenov "Song of Salavat" 1986, showing such qualities of the hero's personality as his poetry, musicality.
The idea of Salavat Yulaev's closeness to the people, his life and aspirations is revealed in a metaphorical form in the work of the oldest painter A.E. Tyulkin "Salavat's Hut" 1961 It contains the interior of a Bashkir hut with a bow and arrows hanging on the wall, towels and patterned fabrics are hung here, on a semi-painted chest, rugs and pillows are piled on it. The artist deliberately uses in the work the language of primitive art with a planar solution of form, space, and a lapidary sound of color. This allows him to convey the atmosphere of that pristine, natural beauty and purity that has surrounded the batyr since childhood.
In 1966, R.W. Ishbulatov painted the painting "Unconquered Will", the only one in our art that depicts the image of Salavat Yulaev at the time of his stay in a distant, harsh exile. In a carefully drawn, painted canvas, the author expressed his idea of \u200b\u200bhuman courage, stamina, and spiritual beauty of a folk hero.
In the 1950s, R. M. Nurmukhametov conceived the idea of painting “Salavat frees the convicts”, for which he performed two studies from life, which have great vitality.
The deep truth of human destinies and characters is the essence of A.F. Lutfullin's art. And his painting "Farewell to the Motherland" 1990. It shows the last moments of Salavat's stay in his native land with a piercing force of drama. He, like a man, accepts with dignity the sentence of fate, which destined him to be chained and, under the heavy guard of the tsarist soldiers, go to hard labor. The author deliberately reduces the figure of Salavat, shown in the foreground, without distinguishing him from the crowd of people - old men, women, children who came to say goodbye to their hero. With this technique, he emphasizes the inextricable connection of his unity with the people. The rhythm of human figures is deliberately repeated, voicing solemnly - the dramatic melody of the canvas. In harmony with it is the laconic, restrained color scheme of the canvas.
A peculiar series, consisting of eight canvases dedicated to the Bashkir batyr, was created by the artist Yu. Ya. Nasyrov. The best of them, "The Path of Salavat", is an allegorical depiction of full of anxiety, tension, the path of a rider on a hot red horse, the path of a Bashkir hero to eternity.
The Ural nature that surrounded Salavat Yulaev in his peaceful and military life was also reflected in the paintings. A romantic and storyteller, the most interesting painter A. D. Burzyantsev, in 1990 painted the canvas “Salavat Cave”. Majestic nature in its spring attire, mysterious forests, high mountains, one of which shows the entrance to the cave. In the work there is a powerful dynamics of lines, rhythms, a rich texture of thick strokes, a complex play of emerald blue, green, brown tones.
V. A. Pozdnov writes the hero’s native places - “The Homeland of Salavat”, 1973. The composition of the canvas is epic, opening a look at the free expanses of valleys and hills. Its musical rhythm, consonant with the melody of kurai.
In 2001-2003 A. A. Dvornik painted a series of landscapes based on impressions from a trip to the Salavat region. It contains the lyrical motifs "Melody of Herbs", "Primroses" and the canvas "Yuryuzan", which contains the most important thing for the author - a sense of the Motherland, involvement in its fate, beauty, which was the main thing for the warrior and poet - Salavat Yulaev.
It is known that the punitive tsarist detachments, in the course of suppressing the peasant uprising, burned out entire Bashkir villages. These facts found artistic reflection in the landscape of H.S. Fazylov "Yangan-Yurt" 1996 Desert Bashkir steppe. Only traces of a standing yurt, a lonely grazing horse, barely preserved paths in the spring grass remind us that once there was life here. The artist maintains the canvas in color and rhythmic plasticity, consonant with his sad melody. The "Rogervik March" is his heroic-romantic canvas, expressing the author's passionate conviction in the unbroken will of the people's heroes, Salavat Yulaev, who worthily survived the ordeal of a difficult captivity and retained a spiritual connection with their homeland. Fazylov is an artist of the younger generation and his works are a wonderful illustration of the fact that the traditions of the older masters are not only alive. He, along with other artists, his peers, is on the path of deep understanding of the history and fate of the Bashkir people, awareness of his "I" in the context of the connection of times and traditions.
The metaphorical poetry of F.R. Yergaliev, who said his word about Salavat in the films "Dedication" 1990, "House of Salavat" 1993. and others. He expresses his feelings and thoughts in the language of associations, allegory. The semantics of the figurative, color signs of his works is such that the image of Salavat Yulaev is read in them as a mythological image of a courageous hero who emerged from the depths of his native history and remained forever in it.
The result of the creative collaboration of two painters I.I. Gayanov and F.A. Ismagilov became a series of five genre paintings "Hikayat (tale) about Salavat" 2002-2004. Developing the traditions of A.P. Lezhnev, they created compositions that are even more monumental and new in terms of the theme, in which the crown of the Motherland - “Dzhailau”, the continuity of generations - “Father and Son”, the significance of the military feat of Salavat and his associates - “The siege of the Osinskaya fortress by detachments of Salavat and Colonel Beloborodov. This is a unique case when two artists, different in style, united and excited by one idea, created works so integral in style and color scheme, deeply revealing the essence of events and images. If these painters reproduce life events, then A. M. Mazitov follows the path of their philosophical understanding, creating pictures of metaphorical meaning. In the years 2002-03, a cycle called "About Salavat" was created. The artist finds in the solution of the canvases such details, such plasticity of lines and the sound of color that allow him to convey feelings of grief for the dead heroes - “Farewell to Yulai”, the universal love of the people for Salavat - “In eternity”, to reveal the imperishable nature of his poetry - “Poet ". “Above the Earth” is the most laconic composition of the cycle, where Salavat’s face is depicted close-up almost in the entire plane of the canvas, painted like an old fresco, which has lost some fragments over time. It seems to hover over the world of earth and space, leaving for eternity.
It seems that it would be fair to end this brief review of the topic with a monumental work that has been decorating the interior of the philological faculty of the Bashkir State University for ten years already - the picturesque panel "The Soul of the Earth". Its creators - R. S. Zainetdinov and G. G. Kalitov in 1995 were awarded the title of laureates of the State Prize of the Republic of Bashkortostan named after Salavat Yulaev in 1995 for this great creative work. The left part of the triptych "Tradition" takes the viewer to the era of the birth of the national spiritual culture, which the authors embody in the images of the pre-Mongol period poet Kul-Gali and Sufi poets of the Muslim world. On the right side of the panel "Kumiss" the idea of centuries-old communication and interaction of multinational cultures of the peoples of Bashkortostan is affirmed. His heroes are G. Tukay, L. Tolstoy and A. Pushkin, S. Aksakov and K. Ivanov. The central part of the “Soul of the Earth” is a group portrait of scientists, educators, poets and writers who left their bright mark on the history of the republic in the 19th and 20th centuries. The unifying beginning of the entire triptych is Salavat Yulaev, whose figure is highlighted in scale and compositional location in the center of the panel. In his image - a feeling of confident physical strength, inner tension and reflection. For the first time in the history of Bashkir art, Zainetdinov and Kalitov created a monumental work that reflects the historical and cultural stages in the life of Bashkortostan, gives a deep characterization of the image of Salavat Yulaev, whose personality embodies the freedom-loving, courageous and poetic nature of the people.
Sherstobitov Vladimir Antonovich,
teacher of history and culture of Bashkortostan,
MBOU secondary school No. 9
city of Birsk, Republic of Bashkortostan
Sherstobitov V.A.
teacher of history and culture of Bashkortostan
MBOU secondary school No. 9, Birsk
Subject: History and culture of Bashkortostan
Grade: 7
TOPIC OF THE LESSON: The image of Salavat Yulaev in the sculpture of artists T. Nechaeva and S. Tavasiev.
THE PURPOSE OF THE LESSON: To instill a sense of patriotism, love for the history, culture of the region, show an interdisciplinary connection with history, music, and literature.
EQUIPMENT: TV, VCR, movie projector, DVD player, video cassette.
VISIBILITY: Reproductions of paintings by A. Lezhnev "The Capture of Salavat", A. Kuznetsov "Interrogation of Salavat", R. Ishbulatov "The Unconquered Will", an exhibition of illustrations of sculpture by S. Tavasiev, a bust of T. Nechaeva, an exhibition of books on the subject, crossword puzzles.
DURING THE CLASSES:
Organizing time.
Preparing students for the perception of the material:
Studying the subject, the culture of Bashkortostan in the center, which is the person himself, his soul, dreams, desires, we try to understand ourselves, our uniqueness, we become more attentive and kinder to ourselves and others.
And today's lesson I would start with the words of Moussa Ghali:
Oh Salavat! Chasing through time
As if alive, you are holding a horse.
Oh Salavat! You are not stone, you are flesh
The spirit that came to overcome trouble ...
(The stars are burning above you, Salavat)
Today in our lesson the image of Salavat Yulaev will sound. Throughout the study of the subject of the culture of Bashkortostan, we have addressed you to it repeatedly through the works of poets, writers, artists, composers (I show on the board).
Today our task is to get acquainted with the monumental sculpture and those people who were able to convey to us the uniqueness of the image of the son of the Bashkir people Salavat Yulaev.
The whole lesson is working according to the logical and semantic scheme (in blocks)
1. Poetry and literature
Syrbai Maulenov (Kazakh)
Stepan Zlobin
Hasan Tufan (Tatar)
Gilemdar Ramazanov (bashk)
Zagira Ismagilova "Salavat Yulaev"
Demyan Bedny (Russian)
R.Ishbulatov
A.Kuznetsov
4. Monumental sculpture. Bust
3. Artists
Let's repeat the content of block I:
Many poets of different nationalities turned to the image of Salavat Yulaev: Kazakhs, Russians, Tatars, Bashkirs, Mordovians, Uzbeks and many others (the guys list: Demyan Bedny, Hasan Tufan, Gilemdar Ramazanov, Syrbai Maulenov ...).
It is difficult to find among the Bashkir writers or poets who would not be inspired by the name of Salavat Yulaev - Mustai Karim, Rashit Nigmati, Bayazit Bikbai, etc.
And in literary works, who well displayed the image of Salavat Yulaev is Stepan Zlobin (I read an excerpt from a novel, or a video).
Let's move on to block II:
The most significant work in music is the opera "Salavat Yulaev" by the great Bashkir composer Zagir Ismagilov, performed by the people's artist Magafur Khismatullin. Now I invite you guys to listen to the aria from the opera "Salavat Yulaev" - "Khush Uralym" (farewell to the Urals).
Before we start listening, I have a request for you, try to listen carefully to the music and words and answer the following questions very briefly in your notebook: 1. What feelings arise when music sounds?
2. Did you hear something familiar in this music?
3. What is the music like?
4. How did it affect your mood?
Let's move on to block III:
Artists are attracted by the heroic past of peoples, especially examples of fighters for the freedom and happiness of the people. Therefore, Lezhnev, Kuznetsov, Ishbulatov have a historical figure in the center. The image of Salavat Yulaev is not similar to the paintings, but these works are united by heroism, courage, personality and the prototype of the entire Bashkir people.
Looking at the pictures, try to answer the questions and fill in the table with the words:
A. Lezhnev "The Capture of Salavat"
corrupted by malice
hard truth,
Who is in the center of the picture?
2. What is his face like?
3. What time of year?
4. What colors prevail?
5. What does Salavat Yulaev do at the last moment?
(choice - fight or surrender
A. Kuznetsov "Interrogation of Salavat"
1. Why is a dark background chosen?
The winner is a proudly raised head, in the eyes of dignity and determination, inevitability.
What is associated with dark color?
3. Which Salavat is the winner or the loser here?
R. Ishbulatov "Unconquered Will"
1. Why are there stones around?
2. What kind of background?
3. What is the face of Salavat?
4. Where is his gaze fixed?
Here, the words of M. Karim are very subtly suited to the painting “Unbowed Will”.
Let's move on to the next block:
We continue to get acquainted with the image of Salavat Yulaev in sculpture.
There is a problem - "tie knots 4 blocks."
Write down the topic of the lesson in your notebook.
We give definitions:
Monumental sculpture is a type of fine art, distinguished by the unity of content, generalization of forms, large scale and reflects significant historical events, created in honor of outstanding people.
Bust - a portrait image of a person to the chest.
The guys read reports on a new topic about the work of sculptors T. Nechaeva and S. Tavasiev.
Let's give a brief description, considering the works of artists.
T. Nechaeva, 1991
Salavat is depicted as a man warrior poet. The monument was created in 1952. Nechaeva Salavat has a multifaceted person: tell me where the head of the national hero is facing, where are his eyes, what is his look (admiring the expanses of his homeland). Perhaps he is listening to the song of the nightingale. Or maybe smoking a melody.
Or maybe he says: "Hello my land, so I'm back!"
S. Tavasiev, 1970
The monument was created by the people's artists of the BASSR Gainutdinov and the Soviet sculptor S. Tavasiev. We see it at the highest point of Ufa. Work on the creation of the monument lasted 30 years.
Height - 20 meters.
Weight - 40 tons.
Salavat Yulaev is depicted as a warrior. A historical moment has been chosen - Salavat's speech before the army. (let's pay attention to the face, to the horse).
Tavasiev has a freedom-loving horseman, the leader of the rebellious people, the son of the steppes and forests. He angrily calls to go with him to a better life.
Which image do you think is more realistic?
Why?
Which Salavat do you like better?
Final part.
To repeat the material covered in the lesson, I suggest you solve a crossword puzzle about Salavat Yulaev:
1 B
2 K
3 T
4 I
5 O
6 N
7 P
8 K
9 P
10L
1. Bashkir revolutionary poet of the early twentieth century. (Babich)
5. A pattern consisting of rhythmically ordered elements. (Ornament)
8. State Assembly. (Kurultai)
Guessed keywords: patriot, winner, immortality.
Can these words be attributed to the image of Salavat Yulaev - prove it!
Finally, I have two questions for you:
Who was the first to turn to the image of Salavat Yulaev?
Who created the visiting card of the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan?
4. Homework.
Prepare a report on monumental monuments in the city of Salavat, and in the city of Ufa, related to the theme of the Motherland, the Urals, Bashkortostan.
As a composer, I am always fascinated by heroic images,
"truth of passions", big social conflicts.
A. Khachaturyan
In early February 1954, Khachaturian completed the score of the new ballet Spartacus. Work on it, according to the composer, lasted three and a half years. But his idea arose much earlier.
The noble, heroic image of Spartacus, the idea of a selfless struggle for the freedom and happiness of the people, the dramatic contrasts in the social life of ancient Rome have long attracted the attention of Khachaturian. Youthful impressions from books on ancient Roman history, from "Spartacus" by R. Giovagnoli were enriched with new content over time, became more mature and deeper, began to be associated with exciting modern themes of the struggle for the liberation of peoples, with an interest in the heroic genre.
In 1941, already during the war, Khachaturian planned to start working on the ballet. “This should be a monumental heroic performance that will show the Soviet audience the best person in all of ancient history, which, according to Marx, is Spartacus,” the composer wrote. And further - "Spartacus", having conceived the alley by me as a monumental story about the powerful avalanche of the ancient uprising of slaves in defense of the freedom of the human person, to which I, as a Soviet artist, wanted to pay tribute to my admiration and deep respect.
The idea of the ballet matured during the years of the Great Patriotic War, when the composer's work was enriched with new features, when the heroic and tragic beginning manifested itself in him with great force, the theme of hatred for the oppressors and the call for freedom sounded excitedly and passionately.
For a number of reasons, work on "Spartacus" was postponed until 1950. That year, Khachaturian wrote on the first page of the score: "I begin with a feeling of great creative excitement." On the last page we read the following: “The work on Spartak lasted three and a half years, I worked mainly in the summer; In total, "Spartacus" was written in 8 months. He graduated on February 22, 1954."
The name of the ancient hero Spartacus, the leader of the Roman slaves, has become in the minds of mankind a symbol of the struggle of the oppressed peoples for their freedom, against the predatory enslavers.
“It seems to me that the theme of Spartacus is consonant and close to our time, when all progressive mankind is fighting for peace, against the imperialists and their predatory plans to enslave peoples.
Courageous fighters for peace and freedom put forward heroes from their midst, who in many ways resemble the majestic image of Spartacus, the leader of the ancient rebels. That is why the theme of Spartacus is so touching and exciting, and I will be deeply happy if the ballet finds a response in the hearts of Soviet viewers.”
And in another place: “Some were surprised by my choice of this topic, reproached for going into the depths of history. But it seems to me that the theme of Spartacus and the uprising of slaves in ancient Rome is of great importance in our time and of great public resonance. Now, when all peoples are fighting for their independence, when colonialism is finally collapsing, it is necessary that the peoples know and remember the names of those who, at the dawn of human history, boldly rose up against the enslavers for their freedom and independence.
These statements by Khachaturian, like the music of his ballet, are very revealing. They reveal the socio-political position of the composer, accept the main thing in his ideological and artistic conception, reveal his approach to history. The past and the present are connected for Khachaturian by a single logic of the historical process. While retaining its historical specificity, the past is comprehended from the standpoint of the present day and, in turn, serves to understand the complex social problems of modernity,
In 1950, Khachaturian traveled to Italy with a group of Soviet cultural figures.
“Very much for., the creation of music gave me a trip to Italy,” said the composer. - I studied ancient paintings and sculptures, saw the buildings of ancient Rome, triumphal arches created by the hands of slaves, saw the barracks of gladiators, the Colosseum. Often he passed through those places, to which the folk hero, the fearless leader of the slaves, the gladiator Spartak, once walked with his comrades.
The libretto on this topic was written by N. D. Volkov back in 1933-1934. He received help and advice from the choreographer I. A. Moiseev, who dreamed of staging a choreographic performance about Spartacus, and from the artist F. F. Fedorovsky.
The idea of creating a ballet arose at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR in the 1930s, the years of the formation of the heroic theme in Soviet ballet. By order of the Bolshoi Theater, Spartak by Khachaturian was created.
In working on the libretto, Volkov turned to ancient historians, to the history of civil wars in Rome by Appian, to Plutarch's Comparative Biographies.
The whole course of events was borrowed from Plutarch (beginning with the flight of Spartacus and his comrades from the school of gladiators and ending with his last battle with the legions of Crassus), as well as the image of Spartacus's wife, episodes related to the attack on the Roman convoy, the shepherds joining Spartacus, Spartacus' unsuccessful attempt withdraw your troops from Italy with the help of pirates, etc.
A correct understanding of the historical significance of the Spartak movement was helped by the statements of the classics of Marxism-Leninism, the works of Soviet historians.
As you know, K. Marx wrote that in the image of Appian, Spartacus is “the most magnificent guy in all ancient history”, that he is “a great general. noble character. a true representative of the ancient proletariat" 4. V. I. Leiin considered Spartacus "... one of the most prominent heroes of one of the largest slave uprisings."
“If Plutarch gave the images of the three historical figures of the ballet - Spartacus, his wife and Crassus,” writes Volkov, “then these characters were not enough to tie the plot knot of the performance, and I introduced Crassus’ mistress into the ballet, the Greek dancer Aegina, a peculiar and cunning agent of Rome, and the young Thracian Harmodius, a weak-willed handsome young man. So the light of courage and heroism was shaded by the shadow of betrayal, deceit and betrayal. And the ballet acquired, as it were, the contrast of two worlds, and a plot bridge was thrown between both banks. The very architectonics of the ballet was composed as a tragedy about Spartacus, as a story about the rise and fall of the uprising and its leader, as the story of a hero whose mind, will and high ideals overcame the limitations of their time, and having gone through the “mass of years”, became immortal symbols of the struggle.
oppressed classes and peoples against the oppressors.
The librettist sought to show the defeat of the slave uprising and the death of Spartacus as a result of internal contradictions in the Spartacist camp, the lack of a single social support, a misunderstanding of the goals and ideals of Spartacus by some of his associates, and, finally, the power and cruelty of the ruling classes of Rome.
Volkov created a libretto with a clear, logically developing plot, strong conflicts and characters, and a deeply vital motivation for the characters' actions. He sought to achieve historical concreteness "without unnecessary modernization, on the one hand, and without unnecessary archaization, on the other."
The main theme of the ballet, as the librettist formulated it, is “Spartacus’ struggle for. freedom, rebellion against the shackles of slavery, the desire to give the oppressed peoples the right to a free and independent life.
Despite some shortcomings, the libretto as a whole was a grateful material for the composer. It also corresponded to the creative individuality of Khachaturian.
“I think,” D. Kabalevsky wrote, “that none of our composers would have been able to embody this theme in the way that Khachaturian did. The vivid dynamism of the events revealed in the dramaturgy of the ballet, the colorful, full of brilliance and splendor of the pictures of Rome, the enormous vitality of the people's movement - all this perfectly matches the personality of Aram Khachaturian. Let's turn to the analysis of the ballet. Act I, scene 1 (“Triumph of Rome”). Rome, square, triumphal arch. From a campaign in Thrace, the Roman legions, led by the commander Crassus, return with victory. Lead the prisoners. Roman nobility, patricians, senators, a cheering crowd greet the winners.
On a large scale, strongly and expressively, the composer embodied the image of the era. The music of this monumental mass scene is based on the rhythms of military marches, victorious trumpet signals. Tense rhythmic pulsation, powerful sound pressures, dynamizing organ points in the bass, the general “multilayered” sonority and the predominance of tutti and fortissimo - all this creates a feeling of mass character, conveys the noise of a jubilant, excited crowd, draws a triumphal procession of legions. In a huge sound perspective, militant motifs arise (the roll call of trombones, trumpets), which in the future will acquire the meaning of the leitmotifs of the conquering, slave-owning Rome (they are also the motifs of Crassus).
Complementing each other, intertwining with the motifs of the jubilant crowd, they become the basis of a large symphonic canvas. Colorful, festively bright, this music is at the same time painted in cold, hard tones.
A sharp contrast is the middle section (Meno mosso), associated with the appearance of Spartacus. Spartacus, Phrygia and Harmodius chained to the chariot of Crassus. Phrygia drops a branch - the memory of a distant homeland, Spartacus, straining all his strength, stops the chariot. Harmodius picks up a branch. Everyone is amazed at the courage and strength of Spartacus.
The rhythm of the march is preserved here, but how its character changes! The triumphant march of the Roman legionnaires is opposed by the heavy, but full of inner calmness and dignity, the tread of the chained Spartacus. The noisy sonority of the warlike music of the conquerors (mainly brass instruments) is replaced by a more restrained, deep, melodious one; sounds, the courageous theme of Spartacus (at the English horn and violins, and then at the solo trumpet). In a deeply humane, heroic and at the same time sad music, the suffering of enslaved captives and the unconquered will of Spartacus to freedom found a generalized expression.
The theme of Spartacus consists of two motifs (combined in a tripartite construction). Each of them subsequently acquires the value of an independent leitmotif of Spartacus. The first is heroic, fanfare, with inviting, angry intonations.
The slow tempo, accentuated by measured piano chords and the beat of a war drum, and the Mixolydian coloring of the fret give this motif a stern touch.
The second motif is distinguished by expressive triplets of chordal tones: tones (violins and violas), imitations (flutes and oboe), “groaning” (with delays) harmonies. It summarizes mental anxiety, grief, anger, the will to fight.
It is interesting to note that this motif in a melodic, “softened” form included the invocative intonations of the first motif.
In further development, the motives of Spartacus will be associated not only with the personal fate of the hero, but also with the uprising of slaves and the revolutionary struggle for freedom.
The prisoners were brought to the square; new legions enter.
Khachaturian has an excellent command of the large form. He managed with great skill to combine the stream of rapidly changing events into a coherent picture - a grandiose complex three-part form.
| 2nd picture. ("Slave market.") reveals the other side of the life of Rome. Town square, slave market. There is a brisk trade in live goods. Slaves from conquered countries are driven to the marketplace. They demonstrate various crafts and skills.
The noisy, fussy music of the first dance (No. 2) with a quick change of motives, sharp rhythmic accents, rapid passages figuratively conveys the hustle and bustle of street life, the hum of voices, paints a colorful picture of the marketplace.
Buyers are busily and meticulously examining slaves, merchants are praising their goods.
Three subsequent dances characterize slaves - representatives of various peoples.
The unrestrained rapid movement marks the Dance of the Ethiopian Boys (No. 3). Vigorously pulsating rhythmic background, interrupting each other, short, lapidary motifs, fast passages, whimsical accents (sometimes not matching in different voices), gestures. Some harmonies give the dance some kind of violent power, as if in an elemental impulse long-restrained energy, the will to freedom, broke through.
In the Dance of the Egyptian dancer (No. 4), forcibly separated from her mother, the languid grace of the daughter of the East and her deep spiritual drama are embodied. This manifests itself in spicy harmonies (a sequence of unresolved seventh chords on a tonic organ point), in an ostinato rhythmic background, in soft lyrical intonations and characteristic "oriental" improvisational cadences and fret turns, and finally, in rich emotional climaxes.
The music - a small eccentric Dance of the Greek Slave (No. 5) - is intertwined with the sneaking and at the same time "offensive" motif of Aegina - a Greek dancer, seductive and insidious mistress of Crassus.
Smartly decorated stretchers are being carried through the crowd: Krase is reclining on some, Aegina on others. Captured Thracians, Syrians, Nubians, Germans, Gauls are led to the square for sale. Among the prisoners are Spartacus and Gariodius, bound by one chain; next to Spartacus is Phrygia.
Handsome Harmodia buys Aegina. Spartacus and other warriors are left behind by the owner of the largest gladiatorial school, Lentullus Baniat. The merchant praises Phrygia; Aegis wants to buy her. Phrygia and Spartacus are threatened with separation. Phrygia raises a dagger over him, Spartacus, a sword, which he snatched from a legionnaire standing next to him. Aegina is forced to abandon Phrygia. She, like Spartacus, is bought by Lentullus Baniat.
Music flexibly reflects the drama of the situation. The Dance of Phrygia (No. 6) is full of mental pain. The melody expounded by the cellos with groaning delays and expressive chanting of the third degree of the mode (extended d-moll with natural and Phrygian II degrees, natural and raised IV degrees) is imbued with a deep feeling. This is the leittheme of Phrygia's suffering.
The measured rhythm of the mourning march, the tonic sustained in the bass, the mournful minor and diminished harmonies, set off by the major triads of the VI and especially the II lower step, enhance its dramatic character, give it features of noble restraint and some kind of sublime heroism.
The final duet of Phrygia and Spartacus begins - a hymn of fidelity, friendship and love (Andante). On the foyer of undulating arpeggios of strings and harps and sustained chords by the French horns, a full-sounding melody of violins sounds - the theme of the love of Phrygia and Spartacus. Its initial intonations are close to the theme of Phrygia, but they no longer sing about the III degree of D minor, but the lighter V degree of D major.
Another side of the life of Rome is the 3rd painting (“Circus”). The circus is holding a celebration in honor of the victory. In the amphitheater - a crowd greedy for bloody spectacles, in a place of honor in the box - Crassus and Aegina. The pantomime bacchanalia "The Rape of the Sabines" is presented, followed by gladiator fights.
Khachaturian found a brightly theatrical, spectacular and at the same time effective musical embodiment of this scene. The composer managed not only to create a sense of "violent Rome", its pomp and soullessness, to depict fierce battles, but also to express the suffering of slaves, the anger and torment of dying gladiators, and human tragedy.
The orchestral introduction (No. 7) introduces the emotional atmosphere of the picture. The chords of the orchestral tutti (a chain of major triads - C-dur, A-dur, F-dur, D-dur) sound triumphantly, solemnly, festively. In the future, they will be associated with the glorification of Spartacus the hero.
The buzzing chromatic passages in the upper registers convey the restless animation and impatience of the audience. Tensely pulsating rhythmic intonations. (they will become the leitrhythms of the battle), threatening bass moves, persistently repeated exclamations (wooden, copper) portend the music of gladiator fights. As reminiscences, leitmotifs arise associated with the characteristics of the Roman crowd, Crassus (from the 1st picture) and prisoners of war (from the 2nd picture).
The pantomime "The Rape of the Sabine Women" (No. 8) begins. A round dance of men and women with flower garlands rushes, These are the Sabines. Suddenly, a crowd of armed youths bursts in - the Romans. After a short fight, the victorious Romans carry off the Sabine women. Music develops at a rapid pace. A frantic rhythm beaten off by percussion, howling chromatic triplets of parallel seventh chords, the swiftly sweeping motif of Aegina - all this merges into a frantic orgiastic dance.
Trumpet signals announce about. beginning of a gladiator fight. After a short march (“Exit of the Gladiators”, No. 9), based on the second leitmotif of Spartacus, the “Battle of the Andobates in Eyeless Helmets” begins - “Bloody Bluffs” (No. 10). Gladiators strike invisible opponents.
The servants remove the dead from the stage with hooks. With furious force, the rhythms of the battle break into the music (they have already been noted by us in the introduction to this picture). Painful exclamations of copper, mournful phrases of the solo clarinet, intonations of “Dies irae” in the basses, powerlessly falling string basses (pizz.) and a dull gloomy chord (the death of a gladiator) create a feeling of tragic doom for the participants in this bloody game.
The next dance is "Fight of the Retiarius and the Marmilon" (No. 11). Retiarius - "fisherman" with a net in his hand. He is armed with a trident. Marmilon - "fish", he wears a Gallic helmet with the image of a fish. He has a dagger in his hand. Howling chromatic moves in the basses, impetuous passages convey the dynamics of the battle, the movements of opponents violently attacking each other. This duel dance is painted in mournful, mournful tones. Here, too, merging with disturbing tremolos, gloomy howling basses and moaning intonations of brass, the theme “Dies irae” sounds, but this time in the upper registers of wood and strings and in chord presentation.
At the end of the battle, the dying retiarius sends a curse to Rome. Moaning phrases are replaced by angry passionate exclamations of the entire orchestra.
The last dance is the "Fight of the Thracians and the Samnites" (No. 12). Two squads of gladiators enter the arena. At the head of the Thracians Spartacus; A fierce battle breaks out. Spartacus is left alone against five Samnites. Four of them were slain by the blows of his sword. Spartacus remains face to face with the Samnite giant, knocks the sword out of his hands and knocks him down, stunning with a blow from the shield. Crassus demands: "Finish him!" But Spartacus, challenging Rome, plunges his sword into the ground.
In the scene. the battle of the Thracians and the Samnites, the music takes on a particularly fierce and dramatic character. At the climax, the motive of Spartacus enters. This time it sounds blindingly light, victorious.
In continuous symphonic development, in powerful voice overtones (canonical, imitations), Spartacus' motives capture the sonority of the entire orchestra. In the music one can hear the ecstasy of victory, and the proud challenge of the soulless crowd, and the triumph of human dignity. The hymn C-dur (Andante maestoso) from the beginning of the introduction to the 3rd scene reappears, as if throwing an intonational arch over the entire scene. All the pictures of the first act are united by a common (dramatic intent. They introduce into
The social atmosphere of the era, give a sense of its scale, striking contrasts, exhibit the main opposing forces. Two Romes stood up against each other: the Rome of slave owners, invaders, patricians and the Rome of plebeians, slaves, gladiators. In Act I, the contrasting intonational spheres, the main leitmotifs characterizing these two worlds, were clearly defined: Spartacus, Phrygia, gladiators, crowds, Rome. Crassus, Aegina.
“Gladiators' barracks” is the name of the 4th picture, which begins the second act. A gloomy vaulted room. Gladiators sit by the hearth. The wounded are here.” Phrygia bent over the dying man. Spartacus is thoughtful and sad; he is determined to fight. Funeral music (No. 13, "Death of a Gladiator") is saturated with dramatic-sounding augmented and diminished chords; an interval of a diminished octave is often found. Echoes of the motif "Dies irae" are heard. The sustained evenly rhythmic (by quarters) “pressing” small second sounds gloomily in the bass. Finally, the expressive, courageous and at the same time tragic theme of gladiators enters (for violins and cellos).
In its middle section, mournful, groaning intonations (descending seconds) are heard, accompanied by pathetic exclamations of string basses. This is music not only of grief and despair, but also of anger and protest. It is no coincidence that it is here that for the first time (first at the bassoons, and then at the French horns) the barely audible signal intonations of the call to insurrection are born for the first time.
They intensify, grow and lead to the Dance of Freedom. Spartacus calls the gladiators to revolt. Here again the leittheme of the gladiators sounds, but this time invitingly, with great pathos and passion.
The 4th picture ends with the mass scene "Rise of the Gladiators" (No. 14). The gladiators led by Spartacus put to flight, the guards, break out the bars of the windows and hide in the dark.
The music of this scene is saturated with colossal energy and will. Invocative intonations, in which echoes of the Spartacus motif are heard, undergo more and more active symphonic development and reach a huge dynamic intensity. And again, at the moment of culmination, the heroized theme of gladiators enters. (Andante maestoso).
5th painting ("Appian Way"). The fields of Campania near the Appian Way, in the distance one can see the undulating range of mountains. Shepherds and their wives and children are near the fires. Unpretentious dances to the sounds of bagpipes and flutes. Gladiators appear: Spartacus tells the shepherds about the uprising that has begun. The shepherds join the rebels. They jointly attack the Roman convoy with weapons. Shaking swords and spears, the armed detachment, which has grown in numbers and has become a formidable force, moves like an avalanche.
The musical and scenic action of the picture organically develops from the light landscape. introduction (No. 15, Via Appia), based on a pastoral melody reminiscent of the sound of a shepherd's horn (oboe accompanied by strings, and then an English horn), and a scherzo charming dance-playing shepherd and shepherdess in "wolf and sheep" (No. 16 ) to the scene “The Coming of Spartacus and the Risen Gladiators” (No. 17), imbued with the spirit of popular solidarity, love of freedom and heroism.
The lull that came in the introduction and in the duet of the shepherd and shepherdess further set off the drama and heroic pathos of this scene.
Here the most active, strong-willed motives, intonations associated with the images of gladiators, the people, Spartacus merge in a huge increase and reach a culmination.
Against a trembling background, energetic, threatening phrases, invocative cries appear: between violins, violas, cellos and double basses, a kind of pathetic dialogue arises (elements of free canonical imitation), as if conveying the excited speech of gladiators and peasants interrupting each other. The theme of gladiators reappears (Spartacus's story to the peasants about what happened). This time it sounds particularly excited and passionate on the violins. Her melody, accompanied by a wave-like arpeggiated accompaniment, expands, acquires a narrative character, frees itself from the mournful intonations of the middle part.
The scene ends with a march. Trumpet signals sound, the motif of a call to fight, and finally, against the background of a heavy and formidable bass, the heroic exclamations of the entire orchestra sound (peasants, slaves join the rebellious gladiators).
It is here that the unity of gladiators with the people - peasants, shepherds - takes place.
The 4th and 5th scenes (Nos. 13-17) are organically connected and consistently develop the plot
theme of a growing popular uprising. Different in character, they seem to be permeated with cross-cutting motifs - Spartacus, the call to fight, and mainly the theme of gladiators. Repeatedly appearing in all (except No. 15) of the mentioned issues; playing the role of a kind of refrain, greatly changing and acquiring an increasingly courageous, heroic appearance, this theme, in its meaning and character, becomes the theme of an uprising.
It is conditionally possible to speak about Khachaturian's use here of a cyclic form, approaching a grandiose dramatic rondo, as if uniting all five numbers of the 4th and 5th scenes.
The movement of the music from the mourning sequence "The Death of a Gladiator" to the final scene of the uprising finds expression in the general direction of the intonational-rhythmic, timbre and tonal development from the mournfully anxious, angry C minor to the triumphant joyful C major. The "life" of the gladiator theme can be traced throughout the entire ballet. Entering into interaction with other themes, sounding either as a symbol of oppression and slavery, or embodying the image of rebellion, the will to freedom, she will appear for the last time in the finale of Act IV, in the scene “Wounding and Death of Spartacus” - a grandiose mourning and triumphal requiem.
In a completely different plan, the next picture, “Feast at Crassus,” was solved. This is a large musical and choreographic suite that creates a generalized image of a depraved and jaded patrician Rome. Country villa Crassus on the shores of the Gulf of Naples. Disturbing news of the expanding uprising of the slaves, of the cities they captured, of the burnt palaces of the patricians, reach here. Krase, his friends and associates strive to forget about it. Lush feast. One entertainment is replaced by another. Performing Aegina, Harmodius and dancers.
The large classical scene begins with an introduction (No. 18) and the Dance of the Nymphs (No. 19), a waltz written in the form of variations. The theme of the waltz with its insinuatingly languid intonations, spicy harmonies is full of sensual bliss. In each performance, it is enriched with new orchestral colors, rhythmic figures, ornamental, complementary voices.
In the next issue (No. 20), the temperamental motif of Harmodius is repeatedly, persistently repeated (Harmodius is looking for Aegiiu among the guests). This is followed by a duet full of love languor (Adagio) of Aegina and Harmodius conquered by her (No. 21), the ardent Dance of Harmodius (No. 22), the enticing, capricious Dance of Aegina (No. a dance dominated by the intonations of the Dance of Aegina.
After a brief lyrical interlude, built. on the theme of the Adagio of Aegina and Harmodius (Harmodius brings Aegina to the bed of Crassus, No. 25), everything is again captured by the elements of frantic rhythm: four slaves, accompanying the Bacchae Dance with cymbals, perform the Dance with Crotalia (No. 26).
Then the dancers from Hades appear (No. 27).
A melody full of languor, as if bewitching ostinaty rhythm and tonal monotony give this dance (descent from ancient ritual dances) the character of refined sensuality. And with all this, sadness and sadness are felt in the music of the Dance of the Captive Gaditan Maidens. “In the stubbornly monotonous growing rhythm, echoes of tragic lamentation, captivity, captivity are all the time heard.”
The dance is written in variational form. The orchestration is enriched, the texture becomes more complicated, the sonority is pumped up, the main melody acquires a chord warehouse, intonationally expands, ornamented, wrapped in “languid” counterpoints. The atmosphere of orgiastic sensuality thickens to the limit.
At this moment, a sharp dramatic turning point occurs. They come from afar. approaching sounds. battle, Sneaking, a frightened messenger enters and informs Crassus that Spartacus is close.
The feast is still going on, the Gaditan maidens are still dancing, but the invocative heroic theme of Spartacus is already invading the music. In a sharp intonation conflict, two elements collided. The fanfare motif takes over the sonority of the entire orchestra, displacing the theme of the Dance of the Gaditan Maidens.
Beauty gives the order to stop the feast and orders. Harmodia set fire to the doge. There is panic. Krase, Aegina, the guests are fleeing. As soon as Harmodius manages to set fire to the house and run out, Spartacus and his warriors appear on the terrace; Spartacus rejoices that Harmodius is now in their ranks. Hearing the cries of the slave, Spartacus rushes into the burning building and saves her child.
The music is more and more permeated with the intonations of the heroic theme of Spartacus, calling signals that sound in the canonical roll call. in all copper it is especially menacing and offensive. In a great symphonic development, they achieve an enormous power of sound. At the time of the appearance of Spartacus with a saved child, his motive sounds extremely pathetic. As G. Khubov wrote, this music “breathes with the freedom-loving spirit of Beethoven's Prometheus”.
The commanders of the Spartak detachments appear, divided along national lines. In commemoration of the victory over the Romans, dances of young warriors begin: the impetuous, full of strength and youth Dance of the Thracians, showing swordsmanship (No. 29), and the courageous heavy Dance with shields of the Gauls and Germans (No. 30).
Spartak also participates in the last dance. His heroic motive merges with the music of the dance, which acquires the features of a victorious march.
The scene ends with the theme of the hymnical glorification of Spartacus, familiar to the listener from the beginning and end of the 3rd scene.
Act II is central in the dramaturgy of the ballet, in revealing its main idea. Here, for the first time, the hidden revolutionary forces of the people break out. From the scene "in the barracks" ("The death of a gladiator" and the call to rebellion), the musical stage action of the act is continuously growing to the final victorious anthem of Spartacus.
In Act II, Khachaturian's mastery as a composer, playwright and symphonist was fully manifested. With great force, he pushed in huge intonational antitheses, dramatic collisions, the opposing musical images of the rebellious people and patrician Rome.
With all the variety of storylines, images, with all the abundance of various dance numbers, the music of this act is distinguished by an amazing coherence of individual components, purposefulness and organic development.
This has already been said in relation to the 4th and 5th scenes. The 6th scene before the Dance of the Gaditan Maidens is a huge dance suite with widely used variation in individual numbers. It contrasts sharply both in figurative-semantic and compositional terms with the 4th and 5th scenes. But the end of the 6th picture (since the appearance of Spartacus) again returns to the "rebel" heroic music of the previous pictures. Thus, the whole act is, as it were, framed by the heroic music of war, stanin, forming a gigantic free three-part structure as a whole.
If the second act affirmed the theme of the growing revolutionary upsurge of the masses, and was imbued with a life-affirming, active, heroic beginning, then the third act is associated with the disclosure of disagreements, strife in the camp of Spartacus, the betrayal of Harmodius - all that led to the suppression of the uprising of slaves and the death of Spartacus himself. Accordingly, the music of the third act is darkened1
colored with _ c. restless and disturbing tones,
In it, the theme of gladiators, which was absent in the 6th picture, sounds with renewed vigor.
Act III consists of two scenes: 7th - "Tent of Spartacus" and 8th - "Tent of Crassus".
Evening, the camp of the rebellious gladiators (No. 31, introduction and scene). Near the tent of Spartacus, a group of women in. led by Phrygia. They listen to the noise of the fading battle. Music sounds, in which the motives of Rome and Spartacus collide. The militantly pompous quarts of the motive of Rome "recede" before the motive of Spartacus. The trumpets proclaim victory. Spartacus appears. Warriors throw in front of him a trophy recaptured from the Romans;; ""
The commanders of the gladiatorial legions enter the tent - Thracians, Greeks, Syrians, Germans, Gauls. Discussion of a plan for further action leads to disagreement. The chiefs of the legions, irritated, leave Spartak's tent. Harmodius comes out last.
The emotional atmosphere of this scene is conveyed by menacingly marked moves in the basses, the alarming signals of brass, timpani tremolo and, finally, the “excited” asymmetry of rhythmic accents.
But in the orchestra, mysteriously and gloomily sounded in the low register of clarinets, and then on the flutes, the motif of Aegina. An old woman wrapped in a cloak appears stealthily, the messenger of Aegina. She gives Harmodius the veil of Aegina. The call of Aegina gives rise to a strong impulse of passion of Harmodius, which found expression in the love Adagio (reminiscence from the 6th picture).
The next scene, the Adagio of Phrygia and Spartacus (No. 32), is one of the most inspirational pages in Khachaturian's work.
Spartacus is alarmed, immersed in thought.
Phrygia comforts him. The campaign of the rebellious gladiators will soon end, the freed slaves will return to their homeland, and they will also return to their native Thrace.
The music of the Adagio embodies the ethically high structure of thoughts and emotional experiences of Spartacus and Phrygia: their mutual love, homesickness, the will to fight, the dream of freedom. Sublime lyrics are combined here with civil pathos.
Against the background of a thinly colored, transparent harmony (trills of flutes, harp, violins), a wide cantilena flows freely from the oboe - the already familiar leitteme of the love of Phrygia and Spartacus.
Restrained, as if hidden at the beginning, it becomes more excited, more intense in the second performance, embodying an enthusiastic outpouring of feelings. The melodic range of the theme (violin) is expanding more and more, the accompaniment becomes more expressive (wave-like arpeggios of the harp, piano and string basses in triplets), the tender echoes of oboes and clarinets gently sing the melody. The theme of love itself is somewhat darkened for a moment (sad intonations appear in it). Echoes of signals, invocative intonations are heard, and finally, after a big crescendo, the last culmination of the theme of love comes - its apotheosis,
There comes a sharp front of the musical stage action. The stage is filled with a noisy motley crowd. Roman merchants appear on the square in front of the tent, bringing weapons and luxury items to Spartak's camp. They have beautiful courtesans with them. There is a trade. The corrupting force of base passions burst into the camp of Spartacus.
The sublime lyrical music of the Adagio gives way to noisy music, crowds (No. 33, a tie and a general * dance - a reminiscence of the leitteme of the crowd from Act I), a female tandem full of bliss and languor (No. 34) and finally an unbridled general dance - bacchanalia (No. 35).
In uncontrollable movement, in the sound of the entire orchestra, the elements of violent rhythms (elements of polyrhythm, accents that do not match in different voices, syncopations, etc.), sharp, dynamic exclamations, as if whipping up the dancing, rapidly taking off passages, merged.
In the midst of the bacchanalia, he leaves the tent. Spartacus (No. 36). He is angry and sad. Mournful recitations (from the 4th scene), mournful rhythms, angry intonations of descending octaves arise in the orchestra, the heroic motive of Spartacus sounds tensely (against the background of tritone harmonies).
Spartacus forbids the gold trade and orders the merchants and women to leave the camp.
Excited Gauls and Germans are outraged by the order of Spartacus. The quarrel that arose between them and Spartak develops into an open gap (No. 37).
The music of this scene is full of furious exclamations, angry intonations, raging passages, menacing phrases. It repeats some of the motives from the previous scene of the dispute between Spartacus and the military leaders, and at the same time, echoes of the strong-willed and decisive motive of the call to insurrection are heard. Around Spartacus, military leaders loyal to him remain, swearing an oath to bring the matter to an end.
The 7th scene is capped off with a short but meaningful scene "The Betrayal of Harmodius" (No. 38). In the darkness of the night, Harmody with the old woman, the messenger of Aegina, leaves the camp, Betrayal has happened. In the orchestra, the creeping theme of Aegina is replaced by a muffled, ominous sounding (for flutes and solo clarinet) theme of Rome,
8th, picture. "Crassus' tent". Luxurious decoration, nothing resembling the harsh environment of war. Aegina dances before the reclining Crassus. They bring the captive leaders of the legions that broke away from Spartacus and were defeated by the Romans. Beauty orders them to be executed.
The blissful Waltz of Aegina (No. 39), in which one would like to note the combination of the sensual sounds of the saxophone and clarinet with the capriciously graceful rhythmic intonations of the flutes and oboe, is replaced by a gloomy scene of the arrival of prisoners (No. 40). The rhythm of the funeral march, heavy bass moves (as if depicting the gait of chained captives), tragic chords of copper and strings, intonations of despair, groans (familiar to us at the beginning of Act II) fill the sonority of the orchestra.
Events quickly follow each other. The old woman brings Harmodius, Aegina triumphs. Seeing Aegina, Harmodius rushes to her.
Contradictory feelings seize Harmodius (passion for Aegina, horror of a perfect crime) ~ - the orchestra sounds the lyrically excited motive of Harmodius, fragments of the distorted motive of the call to the revolt of the gladiators and the formidable theme of Rome.
Seeing Crassus, Harmodius grabs his sword. But he stops him with an imperious gesture and demands information about the situation in Spartacus' camp. Finally, Harmodius, who has lost himself, reveals to the enemy the plan for the location of Spartacus' troops and their intention to break through to the sea. with crucified gladiators.
In the rhythm of the funeral march, against the background of a gloomy organ point, muffled beats of a bell and a tam-tam, the most mournful intonations from the middle part of the gladiator theme sound with amazing power, and then its distorted main motive.
Shouts of horror, screams, and moans are heard in dramatically tense chords. An interesting semantic detail: these chords are a kind of tragic version of the hymn theme of the glorification of Spartacus.
The fading sound of the gladiator theme completes this scene. With great impressive force, Khachaturian summarized in the mournful music of the finale of Act III the horror of Harmodius, and the gloating of Crassus, and the tragedy of the gladiators. Armor is torn off Harmodius and the brand of a slave is applied to his bare back.
Act IV, scene 9 (“The Death of Spartacus”) is the tragic denouement of the conflict. A chain of high coastal stones. In the distance, the sea and the masts of pirate ships. Behind the stones lies the intelligence of the Romans - a detachment of legionnaires who were brought here by Harmodius (No. 41, introduction).
The crouching moves of the cellos and double basses (ostinato basses, in which the tertian intonations of “Dies irae” appear), the mournful improvisational recitation of the flute (vaguely reminiscent of the theme of gladiators) create a feeling of gloomy alertness and hopelessness. Particularly dreary, like a lamentation, are the final intonations. (See example 27).
On the shore is a gang of pirates. There is a feast (No. 42). The wild drunken Dance of the Pirates is interrupted: Spartacus appears. on horseback accompanied by several warriors. For a fee, he seeks the consent of the pirates to transport his troops on ships. The appearance of Spartacus and the conversation with the bandits is accompanied by the motif of the call to revolt, which has lost its bright, affirming character, and the alert music of the introduction to Act IV.
After the departure of Spartacus, the revelry of the bandits resumes with renewed vigor. The Romans emerge from the ambush. Rome's leitmotif acquires an ominous, formidable appearance, emphasized by the tritone structure of the ostinato bass and the nature of the instrumentation.
The Romans threaten the pirates to break the treaty with Spartacus. Pirate ships go to sea.
The symphonic picture "The Death of Spartacus' Hope" (No. 43) is saturated with drama. The disturbingly sad music from the introduction to Act IV undergoes symphonic development. The range expands, the orchestration of the gloomy bass ostinato, presented in magnification, becomes more complicated, the sound of improvisational recitations and echoes of the gladiator theme reaches enormous tension. A generalized image of despair, grief, and the collapse of hopes is created, full of internal expression.
The vanguard of Spartacus' troops appears to begin. crossing. The Romans from ambush suddenly attack the detachment. Spartacus. realizes that the pirates have deceived him. Surrounded by a handful of comrades-in-arms, Spartacus fights heroically. On the elevation of Kras, along with him Aegiyaa and Harmodius. Spartacus seeks to break through to Crassus in order to fight him. Roman archers shower Spartacus with arrows. Mortally wounded, he falls off a cliff.
The battle scene (No. 44) - a battle symphonic picture - begins with the battle signals of the gladiators. The heroic motive of Spartacus is also heard. For the last time, the rebels clashed with the Romans in a decisive battle. The heroic themes appear for the last time, the rhythm of the battle (from the gladiator fights in the 4th scene), to give way to the tense-sounding gladiator theme ("Wound and death of Spartacus").
At the moment of Spartak's injury, mournful intonations expressively sound against the background of pathetic triplets. For the last time, a heroic motif appears (bassoon and cello) - a call to fight, again replaced by a mournful phrase from the beginning of Act II (“Death of a Gladiator”).
The last dynamic increase - and the orchestra seems to freeze in a tragic mournful stupor (the death of Spartacus). A monotonously stretching organ point, measured mournful octave moves, tense, sounding, dissonant harmonies (on the tonic A - a reduced seventh chord of the 7th degree and mournful seconds). This music is reminiscent of the tragic pages of the III part of Khachaturian's Second Symphony (the death of the hero, the cry of the mother).
Roman trumpet signals are heard for a moment, announcing the end of the battle and the defeat of the gladiators; but the composer set himself the goal of drawing the listener's attention to the death of Spartacus, and not to the victory of the Romans - it is no coincidence that, with the exception of the all-clear signal, the themes of Rome do not appear in this picture even once.
Night, clouds hide the moon. Phrygia appears, wrapped in a cloak. She finds the body of Spartacus. The surviving young Thracians raise the fallen hero on their shields. Phrygia's inconsolable grief finds expression in her final Adagio (No. 45). It is built on the theme of her suffering (see No. 6 in Act I). A mournful choir joins the Adagio. The women sing first, then the men. With tremendous power, like a grandiose requiem or funeral march, the theme of the gladiators sounds, merging with the theme of Phrygia. Here the intonation closeness of these themes is most clearly manifested.
But the death of the hero is associated with the immortality of the deed, for. which he gave his life. Therefore, the finale of the ballet, for all its tragedy, is saturated with citizenship and is perceived optimistically, as a hymn to a great feat.
Spartacus died, the uprising of the gladiators was brutally suppressed. But the people fighting for “freedom and happiness are immortal, the memory of their heroes is unfading.
The sun is rising. The colors of the music light up. Against the background of colorful transparent harmonies, in a wide arrangement, the leitmotif of Spartacus is heard in his pastoral appearance, in which he appears in the painting “The Appian Way”. A bright majestic picture of awakening nature arises, directly preparing the finale (No. 46).
The courageous, heroic, solemn music that ends the ballet sounds like an angry denunciation of the enslavers, a hymn to the hero who fell in the struggle for the freedom of the oppressed people.
The main idea of the ballet is the idea of the struggle for freedom, the main dramatic conflict - the clash of slaves, the rebellious people with slave-owning, patrician Rome, is revealed in diverse plot and thematic lines. The main one is the birth and rise of the uprising of slaves led by Spartacus, the strengthening of the contradictions inherent in this liberation movement, its suppression, and the death of Spartacus. The most significant complementary lines are the mutual love and devotion of Spartacus and Phrygia, the passion of Harmodius for Aegina and his betrayal of the relationship between Spartacus and the commanders of his warriors, etc.
Decided on the monumental scale of a heroic performance, the ballet combines epic, dramatic and tragic beginnings. Citizenship, a wide display of the era are combined with highly poetic lyrics, revealing the emotional experiences of the characters.
All this determined the diversity, a kind of "polyphony" of the ballet's dramaturgy. The action in it takes place against a broad historical background. The image of the era is embodied on a grand scale.
Before the viewer are Roman legionnaires and gladiators, slaves and patricians, shepherds and merchants, rebels and pirates, people of different social circles and nationalities (Thracians, Syrians, Nubians, Gauls, Germans, etc.).
Slave-owning, predatory, patrician Rome, the city of luxury and wealth, magnificent feasts, bloody spectacles, is opposed to the Rome of the plebeians, the city of the mercilessly exploited people, the city of tears, anger and the emerging rebel spirit. It is this conflict, which reveals social contradictions, the class struggle in ancient Rome, that determined the main direction of the musical stage action of the ballet.
In the center of the ballet is the image of the people. Of general significance are scenes full of drama that convey his sufferings and disasters (“The Slave Market”, “Circus”, “The Death of a Gladiator”, the crucifixion of gladiators, etc.), as well as embodying the indomitable spirit and will of the people to fight (especially Act II).
Describing the images of gladiators, slaves, Khachaturian refers, on the one hand, to the sphere of heroic, angry intonations, to strong-willed, lapidary motifs, to expressive cantilena, pathetic recitation, and on the other hand, to the area of tragic intonations of groaning, despair, to the rhythms of mourning processions and etc.
In an effort to enhance the feeling of mass action, to convey the active attitude of people to ongoing events, the composer episodically introduces a choir into the score (“Circus” and the final scene).
Inextricably linked with the music of the people, the characteristics of Spartacus and Phrygia are multifaceted, given in development. Let us recall the restrained mournful and at the same time full of inner strength and dignity intonations of Spartacus in the 1st scene, courageous, heroic - in the 3rd scene, invocative, heroic - in the II act, enthusiastically lyrical - in a duet with Phrygia, intonations thoughts, anger, sadness in the scenes of strife in the camp (rebels and, finally, the tragic intonations of Act IV. The musical image of Phrygia, with its rich intonation sphere, combines soft lyricism, femininity, tenderness and manifestations of mental pain, despair, anger.
Pointing to the inseparable connection between Spartacus, Phrygia and the people, we noted not only the intonation closeness of their music, but also the fact that the themes of the main characters often outgrow the framework of personal characteristics and acquire a broader, generalizing meaning, and vice versa, the motives and themes of the people penetrate melos. Spartacus and Phrygia.
In general, the music of gladiators, slaves, Spartacus, Phrygia is the music of high human feelings, suffering and struggle, bold thoughts and an indomitable will to freedom.
The people are opposed by slave owners, patricians, an idle and greedy crowd for bloody spectacles. There are also generalized musical and choreographic scenes (“Triumph of Rome”, “Slave Market”, “Circus”, “Feast at Crassus”, “Crassus' Tent”). The composer characterizes this range of images with a different intonational sphere. It is dominated, on the one hand, by warlike cries, ceremonial triumphal marches, and on the other, unbridled Bacchic music, nakedly sensual.
It is in the collision of these intonational spheres that the musical dramaturgy of the ballet finds its expression.
The musical stage action of the ballet, to an even greater extent than in Gayane, is based on strong contrasts (situations, positions, characters). They serve to effectively reveal the ideological concept.
The principle of contrast underlies the construction of acts and their parts. Let us recall a few points. The victorious return of the legions of Crassus, the jubilant crowd - and the chained captives ("Triumph of Rome"); greed, inhumanity. merchants and
the suffering of slaves ("Slave Market"); thirst for bloody spectacles, base passions - and the horror of death, courage ("Circus"); the violent revelry of satiated aristocrats - and the crucified and crossed associates of Spartacus ("Crassus's Tent"). There are many such examples, up to the finale, where death and immortality merge in a deep inner unity. All spheres of expressiveness that characterize the opposing forces (rhythm intonations, musical themes, timbres) contrast with each other. All this contributes to the intense development of the musical stage action, the aggravation of the intonational conflict.
But for all the versatility and abundance of contrasting beginnings, the musical stage action of the ballet is distinguished by a deep purposefulness, subject to the disclosure of the main idea. The dramaturgy of the ballet is characterized by integrity and logic.
For "Spartacus" is characterized by a monumental scale, the features of "fresco". The monumentality of musical forms is manifested, in particular, in the combination of individual numbers into detailed musical and choreographic scenes. We have pointed, for example, to the grandiose complex three-partness characteristic of Act II, to the cyclical form approaching an extended rondo (in the 4th and 5th scenes), to the developed symphonic paintings (for example, "The Death of Spartacus's Hope" in Act IV ). The "big touch" is inherent in all elements - melos, thematism, harmony, instrumentation.
As in grandiose sonata dramaturgy with its tense confrontation of themes-images, the following are clearly outlined in the ballet: the exposition of opposing images, the plot, the dramatic conflict (I act), the development - the arena of struggle and clashes (II and III act), the denouement - the epilogue (IV act ).
The composition of the ballet is based on completed musical and choreographic numbers. The composer, to an even greater extent than in Gayane, uses the forms of classical ballet and symphonic music (Adagio of Phrygia, Spartacus and Phrygia, Harmodius and Aegina, Aegina's Waltz, group male, female, general dances, pantomime "The Rape of the Sabine Women", a symphonic picture "The death of the hope of Spartacus", etc.). However, in accordance with the dramaturgical necessity, Khachaturian interprets traditional forms differently and in many ways in a new way. Thus, the pas de deux form, typical of classical ballet, appears in one case as a poetically enthusiastic “duet of consent” (Spartacus and Phrygia), in another as a scene of seduction (Aegia and Harmodius), in the third as a duel of gladiators.
At the same time, individual numbers and paintings are permeated with a through symphonic development, which is largely facilitated by internal intonational unity and multilateral musical-thematic and leitmotif connections.
We have repeatedly emphasized the idea of constructing ballet music according to the laws of large cyclic forms. Not without reason, Khachaturian calls the ballet "-Spartacus" a "choreographic symphony", meaning the intensity and depth of the symphonic development of music.
The main images of the ballet, as we have seen, are characterized by leitmotifs, leittems.
Conventionally, they can be divided into several groups: one of them is associated with the characteristics of the people, the entire democratic environment. These include two motifs of Spartacus, the hymn theme of the glorification of Spartacus, the theme of gladiators, the motifs of the call to rebellion, the theme of the suffering of Phrygia, the theme of love of Spartacus and Phrygia.
Another group is associated with the characteristics of slave-owning Rome. It includes two motifs of Crassus.
The third group includes two motives of the crowd, the motive of Aegina, the motive of Harmodius.
Let us also point out some leitinthopations, in particular, those associated with the battle of gladiators (in Acts II and III), the intonations of “Dies irae” (in the same acts), musical phrases close to them, expressing the grief of the gladiators (the beginning of Act III); we note leitrhythms (the rhythm of the gladiator fight, the rhythmic ostinato in act IV), reminiscences of episodes and sequences, individual phrases (a declamatory phrase associated with the heavy thoughts of Spartacus, in the 7th and 9th scenes), leitharmony, leittonality (D-dur, associated mainly with heroic scenes, d-moll - in tragic episodes), leittimbres (trumpet in the characterization of Spartacus, cello, violins - Phrygia, saxophone - Aegina, trombone - Rome, Crassus).
Some leitmotifs are short (the motifs of the call to rebellion), while others, on the contrary, are detailed two- or three-part constructions (the theme of the gladiators).
In an effort to find convex musical characteristics of the characters, Khachaturian achieves the individualization of leitmotifs. At the same time, one can also notice intonational connections that bring together different motives and themes. These are, for example; intonational connections of the theme of gladiators (an expressive declamatory phrase in a downward movement) with the theme of Phrygia's grief at the beginning of Act IV, with the motive of Spartacus's sad thoughts (7th and 9th scenes); or the phrase "Dies irae" - with mournful intonations at the beginning of Act II and in the scene of the death of Spartacus "
Cross-cutting motifs, themes, episodes, intonation-thematic arcs play an enormous role in the symphonic development of the ballet. More than once, attention has been drawn to the transformation of Spartacus' motives, the themes of gladiators and "others.
Some leittems play the role of refrains in large rondo-shaped constructions (the theme of the gladiators in Act II, the theme of Harmodius in III), acquire the significance of the main thematic in original sonata developments. They contribute to semantic associations (for example, the appearance of the motive of Rome at the moment when Harmodius embarked on the path of treason).
Musical themes that characterize
or another hero include two contrasting thematic formations: “I have always tried to give strong contrasting beginnings in the presentation of musical themes, so that later, developing them, to more fully reveal certain aspects of the image,” says Khachaturian. The composer likes to combine motifs into larger thematic constructions. Let us point out, for example, two motifs of Spartacus, two motifs of Rome, and the theme of gladiators, which has the motif of folk sorrow in the middle section. Phrases contrasting in character and direction of movement are also united in the musical characterization of Aegina.
Noting the specificity of musical images in Khachaturian's work, we also paid attention to the fact that they are broad artistic generalizations and are often ambiguous. Recall, for example, holistic and multi-. a third-party image of gladiators, where oppression is combined with love of freedom. Another example: the painting "Circus" - a combination of battle, courage with tragic doom, and along with this, the soullessness of the patricians and the crowd. As noted, sensuality and sincere sadness, deep depression and dignity merged in the Dance of the Gaditan maidens.
When Khachaturian was working on the score of Spartacus, many were interested in the question of what the musical language of the new ballet would be. Will not musical archaisms, intonations of Italian music, stylization techniques be used here. This was one of the central questions for the composer himself.
Here is how he answered it; “Unfortunately, almost no musical documents of that era have survived to our time, so, naturally, I could not use them in my work. Yes, and it would be wrong to stylize music for that era. Some people want to hear elements of Italian music in the music. And this is not true, because Italian music, known to us from about the 13th and 14th centuries, has nothing in common with the music of the ancient era. Then, Rome in that era was multinational.
I created music in the same way that the composers of the past created it when they turned to historical themes; keeping their handwriting, their style of writing, they told about the events through the prism of their artistic perception.
The ballet "Spartacus" appears to me as a work with sharp musical dramaturgy, with widely developed images and concrete, romantically agitated speech. I considered it necessary to involve all the achievements of modern musical culture in order to reveal the lofty theme of Spartacus. Therefore, the ballet is written in a modern language with a modern understanding of the problem of musical and theatrical form.”
By modern musical language, Khachaturian means the language of modern Soviet music - music that is deeply individual for every people of the USSR, for every truly talented composer, and at the same time is united in its ideological, artistic, aesthetic principles.
The composer approached the creation of ballet music not from a museum-restoration, stylistic position, but with all creative spontaneity and sincerity, responding with the thought and heart of a Soviet artist to the exciting events of ancient times.
D. Zhitomirsky also points to this: “The plot of Spartacus,” he writes, “like any ancient plot, could easily lead into the jungle of various historical, cultural and artistic associations. Musical-historical associations (music of the ancient world) could also arise. The great1 creative gift of A. Khachaturian allowed him to pass. stylistic temptations and approach your task with maximum immediacy. The national character of the music of "Spartacus" is most of all the national style of music by A. Khachaturian, a fact as natural as the fact that "The Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky (in the words of G. Laroche) is "" a French fairy tale, accompanied by music in a Russian way "".
V. Bogdanov-Berezovsky also writes about this, emphasizing that Khachaturian created “. music of high and passionate pathos, permeated with the pathos of modernity.
The musical language of Spartak is the deeply original language of Khachaturian himself.
Unlike "Gayane", there are no direct folklore quotations in the music of "Spartacus". Intonational connections with folk music are here more indirect.
It is not difficult to notice, for example, in the theme of gladiators or in the theme of folk sorrow, elements coming from the rethought Armenian folk lamentations; in the improvisational phrases of the introduction to Act IV - from ashug declamatory improvisations, and in the rhythms of numerous dances - from heroic folk dances. These connections can also be traced in the modal structure of ballet music.
Yes! No stylization, archaic, everything is extremely original, sincere, enthusiastic. The composer is looking for deeper associations with historical concreteness, with the very spirit of the times of Spartacus. A great artist, approaching a historical plot, finds in it something that is consonant with his nature, his ideals, his era. This is how Khachaturian approached Spartak. In the history of Rome, he found something that is consonant with our era, that "has universal significance - the idea of a feat, a struggle for the happiness of people, humanity.
Therefore, it is natural that the composer speaks the musical language of our time.
At the same time, it is interesting to note that Khachaturian creates a sense of antiquity, Rome, and the entire multinational environment of actors by some means and techniques that cannot be precisely defined.
O. Levasheva correctly notes “the natural correspondence of the composer’s juicy, colorful style to the entire atmosphere of the south – the sultry atmosphere of ancient Italy, which absorbed the influences of Hellenic and Eastern culture.” “That’s why,” she continues, “the pictures of the ebullient life of Rome, its multinational crowd are so realistic and true. Ethnographic accuracy, which is by no means obligatory in ballet, is successfully compensated by a true artistic sense of the era and the stage situation.
. Of great importance in the music of "Spartacus" is the element of rhythm, the dramaturgy of rhythm, which is diversely represented primarily in dances - heroic, lyrical, Bacchic. The rhythms of marches are widely used - heroic, triumphal, mourning.
Often the composer achieves a dramatic effect only by changing the rhythm, by juxtaposing contrasting rhythmic principles. Let us recall, for example, the invasion of the rhythms of bargaining, revelry into the concentrated, lyrical music of the duet of Spartacus and Phrygia (7th scene), or the rhythm of the tread of chained slaves into the music of the meeting of Crassus (1st scene), or the confused, disturbing rhythms associated with a message about the appearance of Spartacus - to the music of the feast at Crassus.
As in the ballet "Gayane", Khachaturian skillfully uses the techniques of rhythmic asymmetry, polyrhythm.
In every act, in every picture, one can see the dominant rhythmic formulas: in the 1st picture it is the rhythm of a triumphal march, in the scene "Circus" - the leitrhythm of the battle, in the picture "Feast at Crassus" - the element of orgiastic dances, in the last act - the tragic bass rhythmic ostinato.
In connection with "Gayane" we drew attention to the frequent use by Khachaturian of various types of ostinato - usually in forms close to the traditions of folk performance. In "Spartacus" the role of ostinato increases significantly. The scope of its application is wide - from short ostinato episodes to extended ostinato-polyphonic forms. Sometimes it is a retained rhythmic formula in the bass, like a lady in folk music, sometimes it is a single rhythmic-intonational figure, in the process of long repetitions of which a large pumping of sound energy is achieved. Sometimes the principle of ostinato underlies large forms such as polyphonic variations, passacaglia. There are many examples in the score of Spartacus. Very interestingly, Khachaturian uses a peculiar technique of a retained type of movement, texture, character of presentation, combined with active intonation variability.
In "Spartacus", as in many of Khachaturian's recent works, in ostinato techniques and forms, the interaction of three factors is increasingly noticeable: ostinato techniques dating back to folk traditions, ostinato-polyphoic forms of classical composers, particular development in contemporary music.
As in other works by Khachaturian, the music of "Spartacus" strikes with the richness of orchestral colors. There seems to be no limit to the composer's imagination and ingenuity in using the richest orchestral palette.
The score of "Spartacus" is first of all a score of grandiose, "multi-layered" tutti, diverse mixtures of timbres, strong dynamic pressures, carried out by the gradual "conquest" of new orchestral registers and timbres. Examples can be found in almost every picture of the ballet, especially in episodes related to the characterization of the uprising of the gladiators, the noisy life of Rome, the bloody spectacles in the circus, the feast at Crassus, etc.
Embodying lyrical experiences, drawing pictures of nature, Khachaturian turns to the pure timbres of solo instruments or individual orchestral groups. For each image, he finds his own circle of timbres. Phrygia and Spartacus have already been discussed in this respect. The belligerence, “terrifyingness” of Rim’s theme Khachaturian emphasizes with the timbre of trombones, and the seductive sensuality of Aegina with a saxophone.
The orchestra is an effective means of musical dramaturgy. Sharp shifts of orchestral layers intensify dramatic changes. Recall the switch from the “multi-layered” tutti in the 1st scene (the triumph of Crassus) to the timbres of the English horn, violins, and then the solo trumpet (the appearance of the chained Spartacus, Phrygia and Harmodius). Another example is the intrusion of the heroic sound of the trumpet (the motif of Spartacus) into the spicy music of the Dance of the Gaditan Maidens.
A much more active role than in Gayane, the Spartak orchestra plays in the figurative transformation of leitmotifs.
Among the favorites; Khachaturian's methods of emphasizing intonation contrasts by means of the orchestra, the use of copper as a culmination group, the use of long timbre layers, timbre "bridges" and "arches", timbre polyphony, Khachaturian perfectly masters the skill of gradually accumulating orchestral sonority. The calculation with which he “saves” certain instruments, groups, timbres for figurative and dramatic purposes is amazing.
Techniques of polyphonic development are used in a variety of ways. In lyrical episodes (the duet of Spartacus and Phrygia), in scenes of seduction (the duet of Aegina and Harmodia) and others, the composer introduces singing, in some cases gentle, affectionate, and in others - sensual, languid undertones that complement the melodic lines. In dramatically tense places, he collides several independent contrapuntal melodies, themes, and motifs in a simultaneous sound, creating numerous polymelodic combinations. Let us point out, for example, the counterpoint of the melody of the Dance of the Gaditan Maidens and the "advancing" motif of the call to revolt (7th scene) or the combination of the theme of Harmodius and the motive of Rome (6th scene).
An example of imitative polyphony can be at least canonical imitations during the performance of the Spartacus motif in the scene “The Arrival of Spartacus and the Risen Gladiators” (No. 17). dev etc.).
Colourful, fresh harmonic language. As in Gayane, the composer, depending on the dramatic situation, turns either to a transparent, softly colored harmony, or to an overly expressive harmony, saturated with delays, secondary tones, unresolved dominants, dissonant intervals (especially often reduced octaves). In characterizing hostile forces, he resorts to spicy altered, chromatic or hard whole-tone, tritone harmonies, increased and decreased intervals. Melodic combinations of chords are often found in Spartacus, the vertical is often determined by a combination of independent melodic lines, parallelisms, fourth-quint chords, clashes of functions, various polytonal ratios are used, reinforcing the opposition of contrasting musical images.
We have already spoken about Khachaturian's predilection for organ points. In "Spartacus" they play an even more important role, either contributing to greater pumping, concentration of energy, or creating a sense of extension, being, so to speak, an ostinatic rod on which more and more motive melodic formations are strung.
Tone-modulation relations in ballet link entire acts, scenes, sequences, giving them greater integrity. Let us point out the role of s-toN "I" and C-dur "a as the dominant keys in act II, the through role of D-dur" a and spoI "I.
The ballet "Spartacus" is one of the most ideologically and artistically significant works of Soviet musical and choreographic art. In his humanistic idea, in his music, marked by great depth, innovation, high skill, the main features of the work of the leading artist of our era were embodied.
If “Gayane” captivated with the juiciness of genre scenes, some amazing lyricism radiated by the image of the main character, an abundance of masterfully developed folk melodies, then in “Spartacus” they are primarily struck by monumentality, “widescreen”, grandiose dramatic antitheses, heroic and tragic pathos of folk scenes , increased expression. His musical dramaturgy is more effective, purposeful, and the images of the characters are depicted with greater sculptural relief. If Gayane is a grandiose dramatized rhapsody based on folk themes, then Spartacus, as already mentioned, can be called a choreographic symphony.
When creating ballet, Khachaturian thought of it not only as a symphony of sounds, but also as a symphony of dance; he imagined the score in plastic images. Understanding and accepting the specific language of choreographic art, the composer makes high demands on it, believing that progress in it is achievable only if there is a continuity with the classics and the obligatory constant renewal and expansion of figurative content, dramatic possibilities, means of expression, vocabulary. Khachaturian dreamed of such a stage performance that would best correspond to his idea and understanding of the heroic genre in ballet. After all, in essence, the art of ballet did not know the heroism of such a scale. Having created "large-scale" music of great breathing, the composer makes the same demands on the skill and imagination of the choreographer, on the choreographic language.
Khachaturian does not accept choreographic cliches suitable "for all occasions."
“The poverty of the choreographic vocabulary depresses me, the short fantasy of many choreographers depresses me,” Khachaturian wrote. He thinks of each individual dance or pantomimic number in the context of the whole, as an integral part of the end-to-end dramatic formation.
The versatility and, at the same time, the unity of the ideological and figurative content of the ballet, its genre diversity, organic, the combination of theatricality and symphony in it, were noted above. To achieve the harmony of these components when staging Spartacus is an extremely difficult task, requiring high skill and civic feeling, genuine talent and broad culture from the theater team. In various stage incarnations of the ballet, certain aspects of it are emphasized. There were various stage concepts, options.
As already mentioned, Spartacus was first staged in Leningrad in 1957 by the S. M. Kirov Onera and Ballet Theater (before that, suites created on the basis of ballet music were performed in symphony concerts).
The first performance was staged by choreographer L. Yakobson, conductor P. Feldt, artist V. Khodasevich.
The directors created a grandiose performance - spectacular, brightly theatrical, consisting of large scenes-pictures. Mass scenes are staged with fiction, conveying the color of the era: “The Triumph of Rome”, “Circus”, “Feast at Crassus”, uprising (the swift run with torches of slaves who escaped to freedom is especially effective). The scene of a kind of Golgotha is stunning - crosses with the crucified associates of Spartacus.
Expressive mise-en-scenes are found that reveal the relationship of the characters. The scene of parting of Phrygia and Spartacus ("Spartacus' Tent") and the scene of the seduction of Aegina Harmodia, so different from it, stand out. The finale leaves a strong impression - the mourning of Spartacus, the image of national grief.
A wonderful find of the directors was the reviving high reliefs, original epigraphs expressing the main idea of this or that picture (the death of a slave, a feast at Crassus, etc.). This technique was adopted in some other productions.
In search of expressive means corresponding to the ballet about the ancient era, the choreographer turned to the plasticity of movements, gestures, dances, captured in ancient vase painting, in the sculptures of Praxiteles. “It seems that if the dance created by L. Yakobson is stopped for a moment, then classical sculpture will be born from the movements,” wrote T. Vecheslova,
The decorative style of the performance was consistent with both the artistic design and the manner of performing the main parts.
Spartacus performed by A. Makarov impressed with sculptural picturesqueness, athletic expressiveness, heroism, monumentality. Spartak B. Bregvadze was more impulsive and passionate.
The image of Phrygia, full of poetry, was beautifully created by I. Zubkovskaya and N. Petrova. They achieved special expressiveness in dramatic scenes. A. Shelest and O. Moiseeva acted brilliantly as the seductive and insidious Aegina. S. Kuznetsov and I. Uksusnikov successfully performed the parts of Harmodius, R. Gerbek and K Shavrov performed the parts of Crassus.
The performance "Spartacus" still does not leave the stage of the Leningrad theater, _ enjoys constant success with the audience.
However, this talented and interesting production caused some objections. The press drew attention to unjustified changes in the plot composition, which partly violated the integrity of the musical dramaturgy and shifted some semantic accents. The exclusion of the scene "Appian Way", the episode of Spartacus saving the child, dancing with swords and shields, the reduction of the scene "Slave Market" - all this involuntarily weakened the heroic, plebeian theme of the ballet. And, on the contrary, it unnecessarily emphasized the scenes depicting the depraved aristocratic Rome.
Noting the appropriate use in the production of "Spartacus" of dance techniques without pointe shoes, the plasticity of antique frescoes and sculptures coming to life, criticism at the same time wrote about the excessive use of pantomime to the detriment of the dance beginning. Meanwhile, Khachaturian's music conceals, as it was said, enormous possibilities for the dance solution of images.
The Leningrad production of "Spartacus" was a significant and interesting event in the Soviet musical and choreographic art, which gave rise to the stage life of this work.
Following Leningrad, Spartak was staged on many stages in the Soviet Union and abroad. The public and the press rated the ballet as one of the outstanding innovative creations of the musical and choreographic art of the 20th century.
“The music of ballet is undoubtedly interesting and exciting. It is written with talent, and, like everything that A. Khachaturian writes, it bears the stamp of a bright creative individuality. This is a great and joyful event in our musical life,” D. Shostakovich wrote shortly after the first performance of the ballet.1
After the premiere of “Spartacus” in Tashkent, the conductor of the performance M. Ashrafi noted: “I consider this piece one of the most important. the best in the world classical repertoire. Revolutionary pathos, temperamental sparkling ballet music, truly folk melodicism distinguish Spartacus.
Most theaters, turning to Spartacus, sought to emphasize the heroic-liberating line of the ballet, the effective beginning of its dramaturgy, and were looking for new means to reveal its images.
Among the most talented and interesting directors of this ballet, we will name E. Changa (we especially note his productions in Riga and Yerevan). Pompous monumentality, an abundance of external effects of some productions, Chang countered with a performance of rapidly and intensely developing action, laconic and clear form. “The spirit of struggle, love of freedom, which breathes every episode of the work, is what became the main thing for the choreographer E. Changi,” writes E. Lutskaya. “Throughout the performance, the image of the people is the focus of the action. Such Spartak - a hero, a rebel, a man - came to the performance from the music of Aram Khachaturian.
Spartak was staged several times on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR. For the first time in 1958 (choreographer Igor Moiseev, conductor Yu, Fayer, artist A. Konstantinovsky), then in 1962 (choreographer L. Yakobson, director-consultant E. Kaplan, conductor A. Zhuraitis, artists V. Ryndin and V. Klementiev ).
The most successful was the Bolshoi Theater production in 1968 (choreographer Y. Grigorovich, conductor G. Rozhdestvensky, artist S. Virsaladze). In 1970, this performance was awarded the Lenin Prize.
The merit of the new production is primarily in its great musicality, dramatic effectiveness, in the fact that everything, it comes from
interpretation of Khachaturian's score as a heroic musical and choreographic symphony, where, first of all, the spirit of music reigns, revealed in a new way by G; Christmas. The synthesis of dance and sonata-symphony dramaturgy, the internal logic of thematic connections, leitmotif development - all this is brilliantly revealed in the sound of the orchestra and is projected onto all other components of the performance, above all, of course, onto the choreography.
Revealing the main idea. ballet, Yu. Grigorovich does not emphasize external attributes, historical, everyday decorum, trying to give a more generalized and effective disclosure of the idea.
Unlike some other productions, the choreography is based on dance. But the dance is not in its applied, everyday, but in a figuratively generalized, dramatic and effective sense. As V. Vanslov aptly notes, Grigorovich does not stage dances at a feast, but a feast in a dance, not dances in a shepherd's camp, but a shepherd's camp in a dance, not dances during an uprising, but an uprising in a dance. The victorious procession of the Roman legionnaires, with whom the performance opens, “is staged and perceived as a generalized image not so much of a procession as of an invasion; Beauty and the legionnaires appear in it not only as warriors celebrating victory, but also as invaders-militarists trampling and trampling on the conquered lands, enslaving the oppressed peoples.
There are wide associations. All this corresponds to Khachaturian's music, the author's modern understanding of the events of ancient Rome. In the scene "Slave Market", having abandoned the traditional noisy hustle and bustle of the crowd and plug-in numbers, Grigorovich. emphasized the tragedy of trampled humanity. The picture “Appian Way” leaves a huge impression. The scene of the death of Spartacus with legionnaires is expressive, he turns out to be strung up on stakes and, as if crucified, hangs in the air. With its plastic pattern and colors, the Dead Spartacus scene resembles the paintings of Renaissance masters.
The choreographic solution of the individual images of the characters is interesting and bold. The main roles in the new production were performed by wonderful ballet dancers. Phrygia is tender, fragile, “almost ethereal, like a martyr in ancient frescoes” by N. Bessmertnova and “charming in her feminine humility” by E. Maksimova. Aegina is cold, treacherous, seductive (N. Timofeeva and S. Adyrkhaeva). The male roles stand out in particular. In the excellent performance of M. Liepa and B. Akimov, Crassus is the very embodiment of militancy, cruelty, lust for power, frenzied complacency. It is impossible not to remember his predatory aggressive jumps. However, he is “young, handsome. the unbridled revelry of passions is combined in him with cruel and cold rationality ”(V. Vanslov). Spartacus is a brave, courageous, intelligent commander and at the same time a Man endowed with deep thoughts, high lyrical feelings. This is how he appears in the performance of V. Vasiliev and M. Lavrovsky (although each brings individual shades to this interpretation). Accordingly, the choreography of Spartacus is diverse. Now these are flying jumps, directed upwards, as if in a rush to freedom, then movements full of tenderness, affection, lyricism (in scenes with Phrygia), then, finally, restrainedly concentrated plasticity, conveying disturbing and painful thoughts.
O. Lepeshinskaya, speaking about the high merits of this, in her words, “extraordinary ballet” and about the penetration of the choreographer into the very spirit, the nature of Khachaturian’s music, first of all dwells on the image of Spartacus: “The talented choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, creating a performance about Spartacus, does not was afraid to show his hero as a suffering and loving person. And at the same time, Spartacus appears as a commander, a hero, whose exclusivity puts him at the head of a people fighting for freedom. Spartacus appears in two qualities - both as a concrete historical figure and as a generalized image of the people's leader leading the liberation struggle. The choreographer revealed not only the purposeful, courageous strength of Spartacus, but also his greatness, purity and, at the same time, naive credulity.” Lepeshinskaya rightly noted that the image of Spartacus “is alive, devoid of poster banality, monumental statuary”.
In the character of the Khachaturian-Grigorovich Spartacus, many sides are organically intertwined, this image develops throughout the ballet. It is symphonic not only musically, but also choreographically. Speaking about music, we noted that along with heroic intonations, there are many lyrically inspired and tragic intonations. This is what Grigorovich conveyed, sculpting a plastically finished, expressive image of Spartacus.
In the production, mass scenes and monologues of the characters constantly alternate and interact. This allows you to switch attention to different plans all the time, increases the tension of the dramatic action.
S. Virsaladze created a wonderful artistic design of the performance. The scenery is laconic, severe and majestic. They are based on a combination of black, gray and white, expressive patches of red and yellow - the colors of blood and gold. The costumes, sometimes standing out in relief, sometimes merging with the general background, play an active role in the dramaturgy of the performance. From them emanates ancient tragedy. And there is a sense of modernity. It is not by chance that you remember that the attributes of the fascist hordes - the announcer's fascia with axes, the legionary eagle - were borrowed from ancient imperial Rome.
The "big stroke", the logic of large forms and intensive symphonic development also distinguish the performing interpretation of the conductor G. Rozhdestvensky. Here, on one sound pole, there is a powerful intensity of tutti build-ups, fortissimo, the swiftness of Allegro and Presto, and on the other, the penetrating pensive lyrical melodies, the expressiveness of Largo and Adagio. The remarkable musician managed to feel and convey to the listener all the intensity of intonational dramaturgy, the development of leitthemes, leitmotifs, as if united in two opposing "parts" of a large sonata form (the themes of Phrygia, Spartacus, gladiators, on the one hand, and Rome, Crassus, Aegina - on the other hand). another).
The more you think about the last Moscow production of Spartak, the more you pay tribute to the smart, talented, deeply human performance.
And yet, something in this bright, problematic performance seems debatable. It is difficult to agree with banknotes, permutations. It is hardly justified to remove the painting “The Circus” (you involuntarily recall the vivid impression that it left in the productions of L. Yakobson, I. Moiseev, E. Changi, etc.) After all, this picture is integral to the entire composition of the ballet, from its idea and style, from the “face of the era” imprinted in it.
Was it worth abandoning the image of Harmodius, so vividly depicted in Khachaturian's music? Indeed, through him betrayal is condemned and, according to the principle of contrast, the affirmation of loyalty to the revolution and freedom, embodied in the image of Spartacus, is strengthened. It is difficult to agree with the liberty with which the choreographer sometimes interprets individual leitmotifs, leitthemes, sometimes changing their semantic meaning.
The last Moscow production is interesting and talented, by the way, it is also fruitful in that it awakens thought, raises questions about artistic criteria and thus does not close the creative dispute and competition around Spartak. I would like to think that in the new productions we will see new artistic interpretations of Khachaturian's score.
Aram Khachaturian's ballets, and in particular his Spartacus, undoubtedly had and will continue to have an impact on the development of modern musical and choreographic art. In connection with the production of "Spartacus" in Budapest, the famous choreographer Imre Eck noted: "It was a great holiday. I think that this performance will be a milestone in the development of Hungarian ballet. Brilliant, magnificent, temperamental music of Khachaturian, surprisingly vividly conveying the national flavor, turned out to be close to Hungarian performers. 1 Describing the success of Spartak in Prague, P. Eckstein emphasized that Khachaturian made a "significant contribution to the modern dance drama." Particularly noticeable is the influence of Khachaturian on the musical and choreographic art of the Soviet East, and, of course, primarily in Armenia. It suffices to name at least two new ballets by Armenian composers - "Eternal Idol" by E. Hovhannisyan and "Prometheus" by E. Aristakesyan. Original in music, they at the same time, each in their own way, continue the line of Khachaturian's "Spartak":
The stage life of Spartak will undoubtedly continue. Despite the significance of what has been achieved, not all the richness of the wonderful score has yet been revealed, not all aspects of this most interesting work have been fully disclosed.
In our time, the time of sharp class battles on the world stage, such a performance as "Spartacus" acquires a special artistic and political significance. And although, of course, various stage solutions are possible, true success will always be determined by the clarity and progressiveness of the "ideological position, dramatic concept, attentive and careful attitude to the author's text, the ability to subordinate all means of music, choreography, stage and decorative art, all the details and discoveries of the main thing - the disclosure of the main idea of the work.The ballet "Spartacus" should always be thought of as a high heroic tragedy, as a work capable of serving the noble cause of affirming the great ideas of revolution, freedom and humanism.
A. I. Khachaturian made a great contribution to Soviet musical creativity, in particular to Soviet musical and choreographic art. He created works that played a big role in the development of two leading plot lines and genres of Soviet ballet. One of them is connected with the reflection of Soviet reality ("Happiness", "Gayane"), the other - with a historical-revolutionary, heroic theme.
With his ballets, Khachaturian greatly contributed to the ideological, figurative, thematic, genre enrichment of the Soviet multinational musical and choreographic art, and the solution of many urgent creative problems.
Above, an attempt was made to show how in the works of the composer, in his numerous statements, a holistic aesthetics of realistic ballet is affirmed, based on the demand for truth in life, nationality, humanism, on the recognition of the high social purpose of art.
We tried to draw the reader's attention to issues related to the musical stage dramaturgy, form, and style of Khachaturian's ballets. We tried to emphasize in them a fruitful combination of tradition and innovation, the principles of classical ballet and folk dance, to reveal Khachaturian's understanding of the synthesis of arts and symphony in ballet, etc.
With all the individual-specific solutions to these creative problems, both Gayane and Spartak also clearly showed features typical of the entire Soviet ballet.
The ballets of Aram Ilyich Khachaturian affirm the advanced ideas of our time, condense the inexhaustible power of life-affirmation, and are marked by closeness to folk origins and high skill. They are very popular, occupy a worthy place in the history of the Soviet musical theater and rightfully entered the musical and choreographic classics of the 20th century.
Topic: The image of Salavat Yulaev in painting and sculpture.
Objectives: To acquaint students with various types of art, with artists, sculptors, directors who have revealed the image of a national hero in their work; to develop interest in the culture of the native land, thinking, oral speech, creative abilities of children, the ability to speak to an audience;
Raise a patriot of your country, pride in the glorious sons of your people.
Equipment: musical accompaniment of the audio recording: the song "Uralym" performed by R. Zagretdinov, fragments of the film "Salavat Yulaev" directed by Y. Protazanov, portraits of Belarusian artists, reproductions of paintings by A. Kuznetsov "Interrogation of Salavat", A.P. Lezhnev "The Capture of Salavat", R. Ishbulatov "Unconquered Will", "Kurai Flower", kurai - a musical instrument; the monument to S. Tavasiev and the bust of T. Nechaeva; crossword, workbook; exhibition of drawings about Salavat Yulaev; book exhibition.
DURING THE CLASSES:
I. Organizational momentU. - The long-awaited call is given
D. - The lesson begins.
U. - Let's first solve the crossword puzzle and find out who we will talk about in our lesson? (Task 1 in a notebook), (slide 1)
islamic rai3.
agidelu fa5. aksakovU lUrtaReligion followed by Muslims.
National Bashkir musical instrument.
The main river of the republic.
Capital of the Republic of Belarus.
Our fellow countryman, the author of the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower".
What is the name of the Bashkir village? The dwelling of the Bashkir nomads? What is the vertical word? (it turned out the word Salavat).
Guys, today we will continue talking about the national hero of the Bashkir people. You will have to try and show all your knowledge about it. (Slide 2). So, the topic of the lesson: "The image of Salavat Yulaev in painting and sculpture." Notebook entry.
2. Repetition of the material covered.
- And now, Alsu will briefly remind us of Salavat Yulaev, listen carefully. After her presentation, you will have to answer the questions I have posed.
The legendary hero of the Bashkir people, the poet-improviser Salavat Yulaev was born in the summer of 1754 in the village of Tekey, Shaitan-Kudeevskaya volost, Ufa province, Orenburg province. Now it is the Salavatsky district of the Republic of Belarus. Since childhood, Salavat was brave, freedom-loving, he loved his homeland and his people very much. And the entire peasant population of the country was in poverty, working from morning to night for their enslavers. But the moment came, the peasants could not stand it. And in 1773 the Peasant War began under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev. Salavat Yulaev, the glorious son of the Bashkir people, also became an active participant in this war. But soon, Salavat Yulaev and his father fell into the hands of the authorities. They were subjected to numerous interrogations, terrible tortures and were exiled to eternal hard labor in the Rogervik fortress in Estonia. Salavat Yulaev died in hard labor at the age of 46. Centuries pass, but the name of Salavat Yulaev is not forgotten. I think the glory of Salavat is connected with the fact that he embodied the best features of the people.
- So guys, in what fortress was Salavat Yulaev imprisoned?
- Who was the leader of the peasant war?
- And how would you call Salavat, how did he appear before you? (warrior, poet, singer, brave man, hero, patriot, commander, associate, defender, horseman)
+ Well done guys. Write down the best features of Salavat Yulaev on the kurai flower (Performing task 2, writing in a notebook).
-Let's hear what the Bashkir poet Shaykhzada Babich said about Salavat in his poem "Salavat is a batyr." (slide 3)
Read a poem by Vic.
Who is the formidable Salavat?
Why is he famous and rich?
He is damask native land,
He is rich in courage!
Not in a dream, not in reality
There is no equal to such a lion,
In heaven and on earth
There is no equal to his arrow.
Our Ural is his father.
He is the aspiration of all hearts,
On earth, he is the light of the earth,
The moon shines in the sky.
He is the eyes of the fatherland,
He invaders the storm,
With a saber he will turn the mountain,
The cry will scare away the lake.
Salavat, like our Ural,
Never died.
His blood is a testament to the living,
We won't desecrate it!
- What does this poem tell about, especially its last lines: “His blood is a testament to the living, we will not desecrate it!” (that the people will never forget the feat of Salavat Yulaev, which he accomplished for them).
- In Bashkir literature it is difficult to find a writer who would not turn to the image of Salavat.
-Tell me, what authors wrote about Salavat? (St, Zlobin. Roman "Salavat Yulaev"; Mustai Karim, Tale "Salavat").
It is impossible not to recall also that Salavat Yulaev wrote poetry himself.
Guys, let's listen to the song "Uralym" performed by the opera singer Zagretdinov to the verses of Salavat Yulaev, and then read his poems "My Ural" on page 38. (Listening to music) (slide 4).
What musical instrument was played?
- What is the song about?
Conclusion. - What did Salavat say in this poem? (of love for one's country).
- What did he sing? (Salavat sang the beauty of his native land).
You and I taught Salavat Yulaev's poems "The Nightingale", let's remember. Read Zarina's poems. And from this poem, we once again conclude that Salavat Yulaev loved his native land, nature, and Motherland. Oh, a real hero, batyr.
Fizkultminutka under the game on kurai.
Let's walk like a hero
We squat like a hero
Stretched like a hero
Rest like a hero
Smiled like a hero
To work like a hero
Well done. Have a rest. We continue our lesson.
- Guys, you had to prepare proverbs about the Motherland. So, you have the floor. (slide 5)
Whoever has a Motherland has a life.
Whoever wishes evil to the Fatherland - he dies from evil.
To live - to serve the motherland.
Whoever is a mountain for the Motherland is a true hero.
For your Motherland, do not spare either strength or life.
There is nothing more beautiful in the world than our Motherland.
Houses and walls help.
2. Explanation of new material
Teacher. The man who loved his homeland so much naturally inspired many poets, writers, composers, artists, sculptors to write his image. And now we will talk about painting. Each artist imagines Salavat in his own way. But each of them gives the hero the best qualities. Consider reproductions of paintings. Let's see how our Salavat appears before us and arrange these canvases in chronological order according to the time of their creation.
Among Bashkir artists, Anatoly Petrovich Lezhnev worked on creating the image of Salavat Yulaev. (slide 6) The painting is called "The Capture of Salavat", painted in 1930. Let's take a look at this picture (slide 7). Work according to the textbook, p. 57. (A. Lezhnev created a cycle of paintings dedicated to the national liberation struggle, thus initiating the development of a new, historical genre in the painting of Bashkortostan).
- (Anatoly Petrovich Lezhnev (1888-1956). "The Capture of Salavat", 1930).
- How did the artist Salavat depict here? (depicted him running away from enemies.)
Guys, artist A.P. Lezhnev, through the fate of one hero trying to get away from his enemies pursuing him, showed the drama and complexity of the national history of the Bashkir people).
Guys, what state of the hero does the artist convey in his canvas, what means of fine art does he use? Who did he portray in the foreground, how did he use the background? (The background is a majestic mountain landscape, the prevailing colors are blue, pink, silver-black shades. Cloudy evening sky, dark firs. S. Yulaev is depicted in the foreground - strong, courageous, steadfast, indestructible, despite the fact that he is being persecuted.
Teacher. Next, your attention will appear the next picture "Unbowed Will" (p. 28). Who painted this picture? (Rakhim Ishbulatov), 1966 (slide 8, 9).
Teacher. Look, the image of Salavat here is full of great inner strength, moral stamina, the invincible stamina and strength of the whole people is visible in the look.
Teacher. The next picture, one of the most famous, is called "Interrogation of Salavat" (slide 10). The message was prepared by Timur, let's listen to him, and you guys listen carefully to who painted this picture and in what year.
Teacher. So, the picture was painted in 1955 by the artist Alexei Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov. To create the image of Salavat Yulaev, Kuznetsov was posed by a young painter Amir Sultanovich Arslanov.
- And how does Salavat Yulaev appear before us here? (not broken in spirit) (slide 11).
Guys, on page 58 (second paragraph). Let's read the artist's memoir of writing this picture.
Conclusion. - What other words, seeing this picture, we could add to our list of words about Salavat? (proud, independent, fearless, batyr) (slide 12).
In 1955, the painting “Interrogation of Salavat” was exhibited at an exhibition in Moscow during the Decade of Bashkir Literature and Art, where it was noted as one of the best paintings, and the artist himself was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.
- Now we will talk about the sculpture and sculptures that created the image of Salavat.
Teacher. The memory of the hero is alive, and the sculptures help our contemporaries to better imagine the national hero. Once the Ossetian sculptor Soslanbek Tavasiev heard a story about the glorious Bashkir batyr Salavat and decided to create his monument. (slide 13). Where is he located? (In Ufa, located near the television center).
Student message. word to Ramadan. The monument was opened in 1967 in the city of Ufa on the highest bank of the Belaya. (slide 14). The monument has become an ornament of our capital. It was made by the sculptor from Ossetia Soslanbek Dafaevich Tavasiev. The idea of creating a sculpture came to him during his stay in Bashkortotan in 1941-1946 (slide 15). He created the most difficult type of sculpture - the equestrian monument. The image of the rider, his posture, confident, strong landing personifies the will and determination. The pedestal on which the monument stands, with its projections and edges, symbolizes the mountain ranges of the Ural Mountains. The monument weighs 40 tons. Made of cast iron and bronze. The height is 9.8 meters, the pedestal is 10 meters. (p. 61) (slide 16).
A trained student reads a poem by Nazar Najmi "Two horsemen", p. 45.
-What riders does the author compare in this work?
+ Guys, do you know that the Tavasiev monument is not the very first monument to Salavat, but we will now read about the first monument on page 59.
Conclusion. + What other words about Salavat can we add to our list? (inflexible, strong-willed, persistent).
So T.P. Nechaeva created in 1952 the first in the republic
bronze monument-bust to Salavat. (slide 17). Installed in the Salavatsky district in the open air, native places of S. Yulaev. The artist showed Salavat as an inflexible defender of the motherland and people, as an inspired poet. (slide 18).
+ The image of Salavat Yulaev also inspired directors and actors to create films and performances about him. (slide 19, 20). Even in cinema, the image of the legendary hero is revealed in 1941 in the feature film directed by Yakov Protazanov "Salavat Yulaev" based on the script by Stepen Zlobin (a fragment of the film), and Arslan Mubaryakov played the main role.
(viewing a fragment from the film. Salavat Yulaev and Emelyan Pugachev).
+ But in the cinema, perhaps the best of all the Bashkir actors Salavat was played by Arslan Mubaryakov - a legend of theater and cinema. Let's watch a fragment of the film.
Consolidation. Execution of a test task
1. The author of the painting "The Capture of Salavat"
a) A.P. Lezhnevb) A.A. Kuznetsov
c) K.S. Davletkildeev2. Author of the painting "Interrogation of Salavat"
a) A.P. Lezhnev
b) A.A. Kuznetsov
c) K.S. Davletkildeev3. The author of the first bronze monument-bust of Salavat Yulaevaa) T.P. Nechaevab) S.D. Tavasievv) A.P. Lezhnev4. When the monument to Salavat Yulaev was opened in Ufea) 1955
b) 1967
c) 1970
5. Author of the poem "Salavat-batyr"
a) A.S. Pushkinb) R.G. Ignatievv) Sh. Babich6. The author of the monumental monument Salavat Yulaev on the banks of the Agidelia) T.P. Nechaevab) S.D. Tavasievv) A.P. Lezhnev7. When was the film made by Y. Protazanov "Salavat Yulaev"
a) 1943
b) 1940
c) 1957
8. Who is the author of the poem? What is it called?
Ay, Ural, you, my Ural,
The gray-haired giant, Ural!
Head under the clouds
You rose, my Ural!
My song is about you
About my love for you.
9. Who posed for the painting by A.A. Kuznetsov "Interrogation of Salavat"
a) A.P. Lezhnevb) A.S. Arslanovc) A. Mubaryakov10. The actor who created the image of S. Yulaev in the film Ya. We have a worthy replacement in our school. The student's game on kurai.
1. Guys, today we saw how every word on the petals of our flower is associated with the name of Salavat Yulaev. The thought of Salavat Yulaev inspired you guys too. And you drew wonderful pictures. Everyone who participated in the exhibition of drawings gets five. And here is an exhibition of books in which you can find and read information about Salavat. Check them out at recess in the school library.
2. We picked up a lot of words that helped us characterize our Bashkir hero. Who will read them to us?
-Children, remember at what point in the lesson you were fun, joyful? - And when are you sad?
D / s. Make a quiz based on the material of the lesson (weak level.)
Teacher. + You are all great. Worked well. The lesson is over.
Goodbye.
Lesson
The lesson was compiled by Svetlana Nikolaevna Nigmatzyanova, teacher of the highest category, secondary school No. 130, Ufa, Bashkortostan.
Bashkortostan culture lesson in grade 7 on the topic:
"The image of Salavat Yulaev in art"
Target: - introduce different types of art,
revealing the image of a national hero;
Develop skills in group activities in the classroom;
Raising a patriot of one's country, developing interest in the culture of one's native land.
Decor: video film: “Oran”, musical accompaniment of the audio recording: A. Aitkulov; song “Uralym” performed by R. Zagretdinov. Painting: reproductions of paintings by A. Kuznetsov, A. Lezhnev, R. Ishbulatov, T. Nechaeva, M. Arslanov; monument to Salavat Yulaev (S. Tavasiev) and busts of T. Nechaeva "Salavat Yulaev", an exhibition of books about Salavat.
During the classes
1. The song "Uralym" sounds.
The teacher reads the poem "My Ural".
Whose poem did you just hear?
Today our lesson is dedicated to the image of Salavat Yulaev, revealed in various genres of art.
2. Acquaintance with the goals and objectives of the lesson.
The whole class is divided into 4 groups. Each group has a sheet with a list of children on the table, where the first on the list will evaluate the work in the group for each task in the lesson. The teacher says that you need to listen carefully in the lesson in order to pass the completed table (independently) based on the materials heard in the lesson:
3. Task number 1. Each team, after consulting, should ask the other team a question about the biography of S. Yulaev.
(-Where and when was he born? -Where and when was he wounded? -Who was his father? With whom did he sue for his land? - Where did Salavat's detachment join Pugachev's detachment? - Where and when was he sent to hard labor? Etc.)
4. Teacher: - Guys, it is very difficult for us to imagine, but what did Salavat look like? Let's try to make a portrait of the items that are on your table. (Each team (group) has a table next to it, on which various objects lie:
1 group - bow and arrows, pistol, machine gun, saber;
2 group-malachai, skullcap, baseball cap, kashmau,
Group 3 - boots (itek), bast shoes, sneakers, boots;
Group 4 - kurai, kubyz, accordion, guitar.
Choose the correct subject and justify your answer.
(choose: bow and arrow, saber, malachai, itek, kurai).
Teacher: And now let's equip the student and imagine in reality what our hero could look like. (The student enters the image, reads Salavat's poem).
5. Teacher: - Guys, do not forget to fill in the table, because we are going directly to the arts.
=Folklore. - In what genres of this type is Salavat sung? (songs, legends, proverbs).
6. Work with the textbook. Reading the Bashkir folk song "Salavat".
Why didn’t the people forget Salavat? (He is an intercessor, a national hero, thirsting for freedom.)
=Literature. Prose. Two students talk about the author of the novel "Salavat Yulaev" - Stepan Zlobin and the history of the creation of the work.
7. Working with handouts. each table is given leaflets with excerpts from the novel, where the suffering of the hero is especially vividly described.
What feelings do these passages evoke in you?
=Music. Teacher: -Music has always been close to the Bashkirs, and it is in this art form that the largest number of works about Salavat is. These are Bashkir folk songs, and Z.Ismagilov's opera "Salavat Yulaev", and A.Klyucharev's vocal suite, and K.Alyabyev wrote music to Salavat's verses. Prepared students talk about the opera "Salavat Yulaev" and the author.
= Ballet. Teacher: - In 1954, the ballet "Mountain Eagle" was staged, the authors of the music were N. Sabitov and Kh. Akhmetov, the libretto was A. Safiullin, the part of Salavat was danced by A. Safiullin.
= Sculpture. Teacher: - The memory of the hero is alive, and the sculptures help our contemporaries to better imagine the national hero. (Trained students report about T. Nechaeva and S. Tavasiev). In 1967, a monument was erected on the highest bank of the Belaya. The author is Ossetian S .Tavasiev and architect M. Gaynutdinov. The monument weighs 40 tons. It is made of cast iron and bronze. Height-9.8 meters, pedestal-10 meters.
A trained student reads the verse N. Najmi "Two Horsemen"
= Painting. Teacher: - Each artist imagines Salavat in his own way. But each of them endows the hero with the best qualities. Let's consider reproductions of paintings by R. Ishbulatov "Unbowed Will", A. Kuznetsov "Interrogation of Salavat", A. Lezhnev "The Capture of Salavat".
How does our Salavat appear before us? Arrange these canvases in chronological order according to the time of their creation.
=Cinema. Teacher: - Even in the cinema, the image of the legendary hero is revealed unexpectedly. In 1937, scenes for the film “Pugachev” were filmed in the village of Tuzhilovka, where the role of Salavat was played by R. Mukhitzinov, and the director was Petrov-Bytov and the script by Olga Forsh. But the feature film “Salavat Yulaev” by The film was directed by Yan Protazanov to the scenario of Stepen Zlobin, and Arslan Mubaryakov played the main role. (viewing a fragment from the film).
=Poetry. Teacher: - Name the poets who wrote about Salavat. (M. Karim, N. Najmi, R. Bikbaev, Sh. Babich, R. Nigmati, etc.)
8. Summing up. - So why is the image of Salavat Yulaev so widely represented in art?
Homework: write an essay on the topic: "The image of Salavat Yulaev in art"; (strong level);
Make a crossword puzzle based on the material of the lesson (intermediate level);
Make a quiz based on the material of the lesson (weak level.)
