Many of those who have not smiled at creative luck consider themselves unrecognized geniuses. But only time knows the true meaning of talent - it covers someone with oblivion, and someone it bestows with immortality. The unusual talent of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky was not appreciated by his contemporaries, but it was his contribution to Russian music that turned out to be the most significant for the next few generations of Russian composers.
Read a brief biography of Alexander Dargomyzhsky and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.
short biography Dargomyzhsky
On February 2, 1813 Alexander Dargomyzhsky was born. It is known for certain about the place of his birth that it was a village in the Tula province, but historians argue about its exact name to this day. However, it was not she who played a significant role in the fate of the composer, but the Tverdunovo estate, owned by his mother, in which little Sasha brought a few months old. The estate was located in the Smolensk province, not far from the village of Novospasskoye, family nest first Russian classical composer M.I. Glinka with whom Dargomyzhsky will be very friendly. As a child, Sasha did not spend much time on the estate - in 1817 the family moved to St. Petersburg. But later he repeatedly came there for inspiration and the study of folk art.
According to Dargomyzhsky's biography, in the capital, a seven-year-old boy began to learn to play the piano, which he mastered filigree. But real passion his writing became, at the age of 10 he was already the author of several plays and romances. Neither Sasha's teachers nor his parents took this hobby seriously. And already at the age of 14, he entered the service of the newly created Control Ministry imperial court. He was diligent in his work and quickly moved up the ranks. Without ceasing, at the same time, to write music. Romances composed at that time began to conquer St. Petersburg salons and were soon performed in literally every living room. Acquainted with M.I. Glinka, Dargomyzhsky independently studied the basics of composition and counterpoint using the manuscripts of Professor Z. Dehn he brought from Germany.
In 1843, Alexander Sergeevich resigned and spent the next two years abroad, communicating with prominent composers and musical figures of his era. Upon his return, he began to study Russian folklore, especially on the example of the songs of the Smolensk province. One of the results of this was the creation of the opera " Mermaid". In the late 1950s, Dargomyzhsky approached the circle of novice composers, who would later be called " mighty bunch". In 1859 he became a member of the consultants of the Russian Musical Society.
In 1861, after the abolition of serfdom, Alexander Sergeevich became one of the first landowners who freed the peasants, leaving them land without collecting cash payments. Alas, human generosity did not make him creative destiny any more successful. Against this background, his health began to steadily deteriorate, and on January 5, 1869, the composer died.
Interesting facts about Dargomyzhsky
- Dargomyzhsky was vertically challenged, thin, with high forehead and small features. His contemporary wits dubbed him the "sleepy kitten." From an illness he suffered in childhood, he spoke late and his voice remained unusually high for a man all his life. At the same time, he sang superbly, performing his own romances with such feeling that once, listening to him, even L.N. Tolstoy. He impressed women with his charm, sense of humor and impeccable manners.
- The composer's father, Sergei Nikolaevich, was the illegitimate son of the landowner A.P. Ladyzhensky, and received his surname from the name of the estate of his stepfather Dargomyzh. The composer's mother, Maria Borisovna Kozlovskaya, came from noble family originating from the Rurikovich. Her parents refused a minor official in the hand of their daughter, so they got married in secret. 6 children were born in the marriage, Alexander was the third. Sergei Nikolaevich happened to bury his beloved wife, and four of his children, and even two granddaughters. Of the entire large family of Alexander Sergeevich, the only sister, Sofya Sergeevna Stepanova, survived. She also raised two daughters of her younger sister Erminia, who died in 1860. Her son, Sergei Nikolaevich Stepanov, and two nieces became the only descendants of the Dargomyzhskys.
- Sergei Nikolaevich Dargomyzhsky highly valued a sense of humor in people and encouraged the development of this quality in his children, rewarding them with 20 kopecks for a successful witticism or a clever phrase.
- The biography of Dargomyzhsky says that Alexander Sergeevich was never married. There were rumors about him romantic relationship with Love Miller, whom he taught to sing. For many years he had a tender friendship with his student Lyubov Belenitsyna (married Karmalina), which is evidenced by the extensive correspondence that has been preserved. Several of his romances were dedicated to the latter.
- All his life the composer lived with his parents. After the death of his father, he lived for several years in the family of his sister Sofya Sergeevna, and then rented an apartment in the same house.
- In 1827, a book of children's poems and plays by M.B. Dargomyzhskaya "Gift to my daughter". Poetry was dedicated younger sister composer Ludmila.
- In the Dargomyzhsky family, music sounded constantly. In addition to Maria Borisovna and Alexander, who played the piano, brother Erast owned violin, and sister Erminia - harp.
- The opera Esmeralda was written to a libretto by V. Hugo, translated into Russian by Dargomyzhsky himself.
- The composer taught singing to amateur singers for several years without charging tuition fees. One of his students was A.N. Purgold, wife's sister ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov.
- Dargomyzhsky was an excellent and sensitive concertmaster, reading notes like a book. He learned parts from his own operas with the singers. As a composer, he always made sure that the piano accompaniment of arias or romances was extremely simple to perform and did not overshadow the performer's voice.
- In 1859, the St. Petersburg Opera House burned down, in which the claviers of operas by Russian composers were kept. " Mermaid' was one of them. And it was only by chance that the score was not irretrievably lost - two weeks before the fire it was copied before being sent to Moscow to be performed at the benefit performance of the singer Semyonova.
- The party of Melnik was one of F.I. Chaliapin, he often performed arias from "Mermaid" at concerts. In 1910, at one of the performances, the conductor tightened the pace, because of which the singer himself had to beat them with his foot so as not to suffocate in the arias. During the intermission, seeing the director's approval of the conductor's actions, he left home in anger. He was returned to the theater, and he finished the performance, but the press broke out big scandal, the director of the imperial theaters had to urgently leave for Moscow to correct the situation. As a solution to the conflict, Chaliapin was allowed to direct those performances in which he participated. So "Mermaid" gave the art of Chaliapin the director.
- Some Pushkinists believe that the poet originally conceived The Mermaid as an operatic libretto.
- Money for the production of "The Stone Guest" was collected by all of St. Petersburg. The composer set the price of his opera at 3,000 rubles. Imperial theaters did not pay such money to Russian authors, the limit was limited to 1143 rubles. Ts.A. Cui and V.V. Stasov appeared in the press with coverage of this fact. Readers of the Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti began to send money to buy the opera. Thus it was staged in 1872.
- Today, the composer is occasionally performed in his homeland and is almost unknown in the world. The West has its own "Mermaid" A. Dvorak, which has popular arias. "The Stone Guest" is difficult to perceive, moreover, the connection between music and Pushkin's verse is largely lost during translation, and hence the very idea of an unusual opera. Every year, Dargomyzhsky's operas are performed only about 30 times in the world.
Creativity of Alexander Dargomyzhsky
The first works by Sasha Dargomyzhsky date back to the 1820s - these are five diverse piano pieces. From the biography of Dargomyzhsky, we learn that by the age of 19 the composer already had several editions of chamber works and romances, and was popular in salon circles. A chance intervened in his creative destiny - rapprochement with M.I. Glinka. Assistance in preparing for the production of " Life for the king kindled in Dargomyzhsky the desire to write an opera himself. But his focus was not on epic or heroic themes, but on personal drama. At first, he turned to the story of Lucrezia Borgia, drawing up the plan for the opera and writing several numbers. However, on the advice of his inner circle, he parted with this plan. Another plot was given to him by the most popular novel of that time, The Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris» V. Hugo. The composer called his opera " Esmeralda”, she was completed by 1839, but saw the stage only in 1847. For 8 years, the opera lay in the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters without movement, receiving neither approval nor refusal. The premiere in Moscow was very successful. In 1851, "Esmeralda" was shown in the capital Alexandrinsky theater, withstanding only 3 submissions. Musical circles received the opera favorably, but critics and the public received it coolly. Both careless staging and poor performance contributed to this to a large extent.
Dargomyzhsky writes romances, including unique works of the comic genre, and the cantata " Triumph of Bacchus on Pushkin's poems. It was performed only once, then reworked into an opera-ballet, but in this form it lay in notes for about 20 years without receiving approval for staging. Dejected by this fate of his great works, the composer with difficulty set about writing new opera, also on the Pushkin story. " Mermaid"was created over 7 years. Alexander Sergeevich received a creative impulse from a concert in 1853, at which the public grandiosely accepted his works, and he himself was awarded a silver bandmaster's baton, decorated with precious stones. "Mermaid" was staged rather soon - in 1856, a year after graduation. But just as quickly, she left the stage - after only 11 performances, although in general the audience liked it. The staging was again very bad, with old costumes and sets from the selection. Mariinskii Opera House turned to it again in 1865, a very successful renewal was led by E.F. Guide.
The 1860s brought to the composer's work new round. Several symphonic works with whom he traveled to Europe. The overture from The Mermaid and the symphonic fantasy performed in Belgium were warmly received. Cossack". Returning to St. Petersburg, Dargomyzhsky again turns to the plot of his great namesake - Pushkin. IN " stone guest» there is no own libretto, the music is written directly to the text of the poet. Additionally, two songs by Laura have been added, one of which is also based on Pushkin's poems. The composer did not have time to finish this work, bequeathing to finish his latest work Ts. Cui, and to orchestrate - N. Rimsky-Korsakov. The premiere of "The Stone Guest" took place three years after the death of Alexander Sergeevich. As has been the case on many occasions, opinions differed about this groundbreaking work. First of all, because few people could see beyond unusual shape recitatives that replaced arias and ensembles, the exact correspondence of music to the rhythm of Pushkin's verse and the drama of his characters.
Cinema turned to the work of Alexander Sergeevich only twice. In 1966, Vladimir Gorikker filmed the film of the same name based on the opera The Stone Guest. Starring V. Atlantov, I. Pechernikova (singing T. Milashkina), E. Lebedev (singing A. Vedernikov), L. Trembovelskaya (singing T. Sinyavskaya). In 1971, the film-opera "Mermaid" was released with E. Suponev (I. Kozlovsky sings), O. Novak, A. Krivchenya, G. Koroleva.
Not the first, like Glinka, not brilliant, like Mussorgsky, not prolific like Rimsky-Korsakov... Distressed and frustrated by the difficulties he encountered in trying to present his operas to the judgment of the audience. What is the main significance of Dargomyzhsky for national music? By moving away from the powerful influence of Italian and French composer schools, went in art in a unique way, following only his own aesthetic tastes, without indulging the public. By making sound and word inextricably linked. Very little time will pass, and both Mussorgsky and Richard Wagner. He was honest and did not betray his ideals, and time showed the significance of his work, putting the name of Dargomyzhsky among the best Russian composers.
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Where do children get the opportunity creative development. And who is Dargomyzhsky and how he is connected with the Vyazemsky land, you can find out by getting acquainted with his biography.
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869)- Russian composer, who left a significant mark on the development of music, creating one of the new directions - realistic. Dargomyzhsky Alexander Sergeyevich once wrote in his autobiographical letter: “I want the sound to directly express the word. I want the truth” and he did it very well, because it was not for nothing that Mussorgsky called him “teacher of musical truth”.
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky short biography
Begins life path Dargomyzhsky and his brief biography from birth. This happened in February 1913. That's when the world saw a little boy who was born into a noble family, and they named him Alexander, glorious biography which began in the Trinity village of the Tula region. As soon as Napoleon's troops were expelled from the territory of Russia, the Dargomyzhskys settled in the estate, which was inherited by Dargomyzhsky's mother, in the Tverdunovo estate, in the Vyazemsky district. The first four years of the future composer passed there, after which the whole family moved to St. Petersburg. There Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky is engaged in musical education. He learns to play the violin, piano, learns to sing, tried his hand at writing his first romances, pieces for the piano.
Among his acquaintances, there were many writers, among whom were Lev Pushkin, Zhukovsky Vasily, Pyotr Vyazemsky. Big role in the fate of Dargomyzhsky played a meeting and acquaintance with Glinka.
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky created music and his first major work was work on the opera Esmeralda, which was not immediately put on stage, but when the author achieved its release, after the premiere, she quickly left the stage and was rarely staged. Such a failure with pain and worries was reflected in state of mind Dargomyzhsky, but he continues to create and writes a number of romances.
Mermaid creation story
Composer Dargomyzhsky goes abroad, so to speak, for inspiration. There he met musicologists, world composers, and upon returning to his homeland, Alexander became interested in folklore, whose echoes can be traced in many of his works, including his famous work, which brought great popularity to the author. And this is the work of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky "Mermaid" on the plot of Pushkin's tragedy "Mermaid". If we talk about the work of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky "Mermaid" and its history of creation, it is worth saying that it took about seven years to write the composer's work. He began to write it in 1848, and completed the work in 1855.The next opera that Dargomyzhsky conceived was The Stone Guest, but it is being written slowly due to the author's creative crisis, which was caused by the exit from the theater repertoire of his work "Mermaid". Again Dargomyzhsky goes abroad for inspiration. Upon arrival, he again takes on the "Stone Guest", but could not complete it.
Opera by A.S.Dargomyzhsky Mermaid
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky music
Dargomyzhsky - Melnik, sheet music
Melancholic waltz A. Dargomyzhsky
In 1869 Dargomyzhsky leaves our world. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery in the Necropolis of Masters of Arts.
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky interesting facts from life
Studying the biography of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky, one can note such an interesting fact of his life as the completion of the opera The Stone Guest, which was completed by Caesar Cui.After himself, Dargomyzhsky left a lot of works, and these are operas, and chamber vocal works, and songs of social content, and romances, and works for the piano.
During his life, Dargomyzhsky never met the one with whom he would start a family and raise children. In Vyazma, next to the art school, A.S. A monument was erected to Dargomyzhsky, and recently appeared.
Well, we invite you to get to know the composer better. After looking at the photo of Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky, you can also touch the work of Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky, listening to his works.
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky, whose brief biography is presented in the article, is a great Russian composer who brought a lot of new things to Russian classical music. The years of his life - 1813-1869. Dargomyzhsky was born on February 14, 1813. His biography begins in p. Troitsky (Dargomyzhe) Tula province, where he was born. His father served as an official, and his mother Alexandra was an amateur poetess.
How Dargomyzhsky spent his early childhood
Biography, summary works, Interesting Facts about the composer - all this is of interest to numerous admirers of his work. Let's start from the beginning and talk about early childhood future composer.
Alexander Sergeevich spent it in the estate of his parents, which was located in. After some time, the family moved to St. Petersburg. got here home education Alexander Dargomyzhsky. His biography of this time is marked by music, theater and literature. The teachers of Alexander Dargomyzhsky were A. T. Danilevsky (pianist), P. G. Vorontsov (serf violinist), F. Schobernehler ( Viennese composer and pianist), B. L. Tseibikh (singer).
In addition, Dargomyzhsky met M. I. Glinka (his portrait is presented above), who gave him theoretical manuscripts brought from Professor Dehn from Berlin. They contributed to the expansion of Alexander Sergeevich's knowledge in the field of counterpoint and harmony. At the same time, Dargomyzhsky began to study orchestration. His biography continues with the creation of the first independent works.
First works, students of Dargomyzhsky
The first piano pieces and romances were published in the 1830s. the greatest artistic value have romances created to the words of Pushkin: "Night Zephyr", "Vertograd", "Young Man and Maiden", "I Loved You", etc. And in later years vocal music was one of the main creative interests of Alexander Dargomyzhsky, who was happy to give vocal lessons, and for free. A huge number of his students. Among them, L.N. Belenitsyna (Karmalina), Bibibina, Shilovskaya, Girs, Barteneva, Purholt (Molas), Princess Manvelova. Dargomyzhsky was always inspired by female sympathy, especially singers. About the latter, he half-jokingly said that if it were not for them, it would not be worth becoming a composer.
Opera "Esmeralda"
The opera "Esmeralda" (years of creation - 1837-41) is considered the first serious work of Alexander Sergeevich. The libretto for it was previously created by Hugo himself famous novel This work, for all its immaturity (it was written in the style French opera) testifies to the realistic aspirations of Dargomyzhsky. Esmeralda was never published. In St. Petersburg, in the library of the Imperial Theaters, there is a clavier, a handwritten score and an autograph of Dargomyzhsky. A few years later, this work was staged. The premiere took place in St. Petersburg in 1851, and in Moscow in 1847.
Romances of Dargomyzhsky
Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky was dissatisfied with the production of the opera. His biography is marked by a turn in his work. "Esmeralda", apparently, disappointed the composer. Dargomyzhsky again began to compose romances, whose biography was marked by their writing before. Together with early works new ones (only 30 romances) were published in 1844. They brought Dargomyzhsky fame. The best romances of the 1840s are works based on Pushkin's poems: "Night Marshmallow", "Tear", "Wedding", "I Loved You". In 1843, Dargomyzhsky's cantata "The Triumph of Bacchus" was created to the verses of the same poet. This work was presented in 1846 at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater at a directorate concert. However, the author was refused permission to stage "The Triumph of Bacchus" in the form of an opera created in 1848. Only much later, only in 1867, was a work created by the composer Dargomyzhsky presented in Moscow. His biography continues with the next period of creativity.
Journey and new trends in the composer's work
New trends in Dargomyzhsky's work appeared in the second half of the 1840s and early 1850s. They were associated with the birth and flourishing in our country of the so-called natural school in art and literature. Alexander Sergeevich began to be attracted mainly by folk stories. In addition, his interest in folklore became even greater. Dargomyzhsky took up the processing of a peasant song. It can be said that the aggravation of the national consciousness at that time is due to the fact that the composer was abroad in the period from 1844 to 1845. He visited Germany, Vienna, Brussels and Paris. Dargomyzhsky went there as an admirer of everything French, and returned to St. Petersburg as an adherent of Russian, as in the case of Glinka.
It was to this time that the final design of "intonational realism" belongs - creative method composer (reproduction of intonations of speech is the main means by which images are created). The composer said that he strives to ensure that the sound expresses the word. In the song "Melnik" the principle professed by Alexander Dargomyzhsky was put into practice. His brief biography is marked by the active implementation of "intonational realism". From the "Melnik" song to Pushkin's poems, threads stretch to "The Stone Guest" - an opera where the principles of musical recitation were embodied. "Musical speech" appears in the romances "You will soon forget me" and "Both boring and sad."
Opera "Mermaid"
The opera "Mermaid", created in 1855 based on the drama by A.S. Pushkin, is central work of this period. It truly describes tragic fate peasant girl who was deceived by the prince. Dargomyzhsky in this work created a genre that raises the problem of social inequality (folk-everyday musical drama). On May 4, 1856, "Mermaid" was first presented at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater. It was staged with old sets, sloppy performances, inappropriate costumes, inappropriate bills. It is not surprising that this opera was not a success. By the way, the production took place under the direction of K. Lyadov, who did not like Dargomyzhsky. Until 1861, "Mermaid" withstood only 26 performances. However, in 1865 it was renewed by Komissarzhevsky and S. Platonova. The new version of the opera was a huge success. It was included in the repertoire of many theaters and became one of the most beloved Russian operas.
Musical and social activities
How much do you know about such a composer as Dargomyzhsky? The biography in the table placed in textbooks contains only the most basic information about him. Meanwhile, Dargomyzhsky was not only a composer. The musical and social activities of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky began in the late 1850s. In 1859, the composer became a member of the RMO (Russian Musical Society). Participating in the commission that considered the compositions sent to the competition, he contributed to the development of Russian music. Dargomyzhsky also participated in the creation of the charter of the first conservatory in our country. At the same time, Alexander Sergeevich became close to the composers, who later became members of the "Mighty Handful" (Balakirev Circle). The result was mutual creative enrichment.
Cooperation with Iskra
Dargomyzhsky, whose biography and work are closely connected throughout his life, in 1859 collaborated with Iskra. It was an influential satirical magazine at the time. Cooperation left an imprint on the further work of the composer. Alexander Sergeevich created music to the verses of P. I. Veinberg and V. S. Kurochkin - poets who were published in Iskra. Dargomyzhsky's innovative romances dating back to this time are permeated with social content: "Worm", "Titular Counselor", "Old Corporal". At the same time, the composer's classes with amateur singers continued, and lyrical romances were also created: “I remember deeply”, “What is in my name for you”, “We parted proudly”.
Dargomyzhsky's last opera
Composer's attention last years his life was again riveted to the opera. Having decided to carry out a radical reform, Dargomyzhsky in 1866 began to work on "The Stone Guest" based on the work of A. S. Pushkin. He wanted to write music without changing Pushkin's text. Dargomyzhsky abandoned operatic forms that had developed historically: vocal ensembles, deployed arias. His goal was continuity musical action. The recitative-ariose recitation was taken as a basis, that is, the opera is almost completely built on melodic recitative. The work was almost completed a few months later. The death of Dargomyzhsky prevented him from creating music only for the last 17 verses. C. Cui completed "The Stone Guest" according to the will of the composer. He also created the introduction to this opera, which was orchestrated by N. Rimsky-Korsakov.
Meaning of "Stone Guest"
"Stone Guest" through the efforts of Alexander Dargomyzhsky's friends was staged on February 16, 1872 at the Mariinsky Stage in St. Petersburg. In 1876, the opera was resumed, but did not stay in the repertoire. To this day, it is still not appreciated. Not only among domestic composers (Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky) did the innovative principles of Alexander Sergeevich's final opera find followers. She was appreciated and foreign musicians. In particular, Ch. Gounod wanted to create his own opera, taking The Stone Guest as a model. In the work "Pelleas and Melisandre" K. Debussy relied on the principles of the reform that Dargomyzhsky carried out. A brief biography of him would be incomplete if we did not talk about the orchestral works of Alexander Sergeevich.
Orchestral works by Dargomyzhsky
The brightest among them can be considered "Baba Yaga", "Chukhon fantasy" and "Little Russian Cossack". Everyday images of these works are exacerbated by the composer with the help of a grotesque exaggerated interpretation. It is from here that the novelty of the artistic techniques. They found continuation in the work of such Russian composers as A. Lyadov, M. Mussorgsky and others. On January 17, 1869, Dargomyzhsky died in St. Petersburg (his grave is shown in the photo below).
A brief biography of him today is studied in all music schools in Russia. And the works of Alexander Sergeevich are performed in the best theaters our country to this day. There are not many among our compatriots who have never heard of such a composer as Dargomyzhsky. The biography for children and adults presented in this article concerns only his main works and achievements. We will be glad if you want to continue your acquaintance with Russian classical music. Very interesting is such a representative of it as Dargomyzhsky (biography and creativity). You can now briefly talk about his life and legacy.
Russian composer Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky was born on February 14 (2 according to the old style) February 1813 in the village of Troitskoye, Belevsky district, Tula province. Father - Sergey Nikolaevich served as an official in the Ministry of Finance, in a commercial bank.
Mother - Maria Borisovna, nee Princess Kozlovskaya, composed plays for stage production. One of them - "Chimney sweep, or a good deed will not go unrewarded" was published in the magazine "Good-meaning". St. Petersburg writers, representatives of the "Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and Art" knew the composer's family.
In total, the family had six children: Erast, Alexander, Sophia, Lyudmila, Victor, Erminia.
Until the age of three, the Dargomyzhsky family lived at the Tverdunovo estate in Smolensk Governorate. A temporary move to the Tula province was associated with the invasion of Napoleon's army in 1812.
In 1817 the family moved to St. Petersburg, where Dargomyzhsky began to study music. His first teacher was Louise Wolgenborn. In 1821-1828, Dargomyzhsky studied with Adrian Danilevsky, who was opposed to composing music by his student. In the same period, Dargomyzhsky began to learn to play the violin together with the serf musician Vorontsov.
In 1827 Dargomyzhsky was enrolled as a clerk (without salary) in the staff of the Ministry of the Court.
From 1828 to 1831, Franz Schoberlechner became the composer's teacher. To develop vocal skills, Dargomyzhsky also works with teacher Benedikt Tseibih.
In the early period of creativity, a number of works for piano were written ("March", "Counterdance", "Melancholic Waltz", "Cossack") and some romances and songs ("The moon shines in the cemetery", "Amber Cup", "I loved you" , "Night marshmallow", "Young man and maiden", "Vertograd", "Tear", "The fire of desire burns in the blood").
The composer takes an active part in charity concerts. At the same time, he met writers Vasily Zhukovsky, Lev Pushkin (brother of the poet Alexander Pushkin), Peter Vyazemsky, Ivan Kozlov.
In 1835, Dargomyzhsky met Mikhail Glinka, using whose notebooks the composer began to study harmony, counterpoint and instrumentation.
In 1837, Dargomyzhsky began work on the opera Lucretia Borgia, based on the drama of the same name by the French writer Victor Hugo. On the advice of Glinka, this work was abandoned and the composition of a new opera, Esmeralda, also based on the plot of Hugo, began. The opera was first staged in 1847 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
In 1844-1845, Dargomyzhsky traveled around Europe and visited Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, where he met many famous composers and performers (Charles Berio, Henri Vieuxtin, Gaetano Donizetti).
In 1849, work began on the opera Rusalka based on the work of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere of the opera took place in 1856 at the St. Petersburg Circus Theatre.
Dargomyzhsky during this period focused on the development of a natural recitation of the melody. The composer's creative method, "intonation realism", is finally being formed. The main means of creation individual image served for Dargomyzhsky to reproduce the living intonations of human speech. In the 40s and 50s of the 19th century, Dargomyzhsky wrote romances and songs ("You will soon forget me", "I'm sad", "Both boring and sad", "Fever", "Darling girl", "Oh, be quiet, Quiet, quiet, ty", "I'll light a candle", "Without mind, without mind", etc.)
Dargomyzhsky became close to composer Mily Balakirev and critic Vladimir Stasov, who founded creative association"Mighty Bunch".
From 1861 to 1867, Dargomyzhsky wrote three consecutive symphonic overtures-fantasies: "Baba Yaga", "Ukrainian (Little Russian) Cossack" and "Fantasy on Finnish Themes" ("Chukhonskaya Fantasy"). During these years, the composer worked on chamber vocal works "I remember deeply", "How often I listen", "We parted proudly", "What is in my name", "I don't care". Oriental lyrics, previously represented by the romances "Vertograd" and "Eastern Romance", were replenished with the aria "Oh, the maiden rose, I am in chains." A special place in the composer's work was occupied by songs of social and domestic content "Old Corporal", "Worm", "Titular Counselor".
In 1864-1865, Dargomyzhsky's second trip abroad took place, where he visited Berlin, Leipzig, Brussels, Paris, and London. The composer's works were performed on the European stage ("Little Russian Cossack", overture to the opera "Mermaid").
In 1866, Dargomyzhsky began work on the opera The Stone Guest (based on the short tragedy of the same name by Alexander Pushkin), but did not have time to finish it. According to the author's will, Caesar Cui finished the first picture, orchestrated the opera and compiled an introduction to it by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Since 1859, Dargomyzhsky was elected to the Russian Musical Society (RMO).
Since 1867, Dargomyzhsky was a member of the directorate of the St. Petersburg branch of the RMO.
On January 17 (5 according to the old style) Alexander Dargomyzhsky died in St. Petersburg. The composer had no wife and children. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Necropolis of the Masters of Arts).
In the territory municipality The Arsenyevsky district of the Tula region has erected the world's only monument to Dargomyzhsky by sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
1. Fyodor Chaliapin performs "Miller's Aria" from Dargomyzhsky's opera "Mermaid". Recorded 1931.
2. Fyodor Chaliapin in the scene "Aria of the Miller and the Prince" from Dargomyzhsky's opera "Mermaid". Recorded 1931.
3. Tamara Sinyavskaya performs Laura's song from Dargomyzhsky's opera The Stone Guest. Orchestra of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre. Conductor - Mark Ermler. 1977
Composer, one of the founders of the Russian. classical music. A follower of M.I. Glinka. Ch. the work - op. "Mermaid" (1855, based on the dramatic poem by A.S. Pushkin) marked the birth of a new genre of Russian. operas - nar. household psychologist. dramas. D.'s work expresses critical social tendencies (the songs Old Corporal, Titural Counsellor, etc.).
Dargomyzhsky, Alexander Sergeevich - famous Russian composer. Born February 14, 1813 in the village of Dargomyzhe, Belevsky district, Tula province. He died on January 17, 1869 in St. Petersburg. His father, Sergei Nikolaevich, served in the Ministry of Finance, in a commercial bank;
Dargomyzhsky's mother, nee Princess Maria Borisovna Kozlovskaya, married against the will of her parents.
She was well educated; Her poems were published in almanacs and magazines. Some of the poems she wrote for her children for the most part instructive nature, were included in the collection: "A gift to my daughter."
One of the Dargomyzhsky brothers played the violin beautifully, participating in a chamber ensemble at home evenings; one of the sisters played the harp well and composed romances.
Until the age of five, Dargomyzhsky did not speak at all, and his late-formed voice remained forever squeaky and hoarse, which did not prevent him, however, from subsequently touching him to tears with the expressiveness and artistry of vocal performance at intimate meetings.
Education Dargomyzhsky received home, but thorough; he knew very well French And French literature.
Playing in puppet show, the boy composed small vaudeville plays for him, and at the age of six he began to learn to play the piano.
His teacher, Adrian Danilevsky, not only did not encourage his student to compose from the age of 11, but exterminated his composing experiments.
Piano learning ended with Schoberlechner, a student of Hummel. Dargomyzhsky also studied singing, with Tseibih, who informed him of information about intervals, and violin playing with P.G. Vorontsov, participating from the age of 14 in the quartet ensemble.
There was no real system in Dargomyzhsky's musical education, and he owed his theoretical knowledge mainly to himself.
His earliest compositions - rondo, variations for piano, romances to the words of Zhukovsky and Pushkin - were not found in his papers, but even during his lifetime, "Contredanse nouvelle" and "Variations" for piano were published, written: the first - in 1824, the second - in 1827 - 1828. In the 1830s, Dargomyzhsky was known in the musical circles of St. Petersburg as a "strong pianist", as well as the author of several piano pieces in a brilliant salon style and romances: "Oh, ma charmante", "The Maiden and the Rose", "I confess, uncle", "You are pretty" and others, not much different from the style of romances by Verstovsky, Alyabyev and Varlamov, with an admixture of French influence.
Acquaintance with M.I. Glinka, who handed over to Dargomyzhsky the theoretical manuscripts he had brought from Berlin from Professor Den, contributed to the expansion of his knowledge in the field of harmony and counterpoint; at the same time he began to study orchestration.
Assessing Glinka's talent, Dargomyzhsky for his first opera Esmeralda chose, however, the French libretto compiled by Victor Hugo from his novel Notre Dame de Paris, and only after the end of the opera (in 1839) did he translate it into Russian.
"Esmeralda", which remains unpublished (handwritten score, clavieraustsug, Dargomyzhsky's autograph, are stored in the central music library of the Imperial Theaters in St. Petersburg; a lithographed copy of the 1st act was found in the notes of Dargomyzhsky) - a weak, imperfect work, which cannot be compared with "Life for the king."
But the features of Dargomyzhsky were already revealed in it: drama and a desire for expressiveness of the vocal style, under the influence of acquaintance with the works of Megul, Aubert and Cherubini. Esmeralda was staged only in 1847 in Moscow and in 1851 in St. Petersburg. “Those eight years of vain waiting and in the most ebullient years of my life laid a heavy burden on my entire artistic activity,” writes Dargomyzhsky. Until 1843, Dargomyzhsky was in the service, first in the control of the Ministry of the Court, then in the Department of the State Treasury; then he devoted himself entirely to music.
Failure with "Esmeralda" suspended opera Dargomyzhsky; he took up composing romances, which, together with earlier ones, were published (30 romances) in 1844 and brought him honorable fame.
In 1844 Dargomyzhsky traveled to Germany, Paris, Brussels and Vienna. Personal acquaintance with Aubert, Meyerbeer and other European musicians influenced him further development.
He became close friends with Halévy and with Fetis, who testifies that Dargomyzhsky consulted with him regarding his compositions, including "Esmeralda" ("Biographie universelle des musiciens", Petersburg, X, 1861). Having left as an adherent of everything French, Dargomyzhsky returned to Petersburg a much greater champion of everything Russian than before (as happened with Glinka).
Reviews of the foreign press about the performance of Dargomyzhsky's works at private collections in Vienna, Paris and Brussels contributed to a certain change in the attitude of the theater management towards Dargomyzhsky. In the 1840s he wrote a large cantata with choirs based on Pushkin's text "The Triumph of Bacchus".
It was performed at the directorate's concert at the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg in 1846, but the author was refused permission to stage it as an opera, completed and orchestrated in 1848 (see "Autobiography"), and only much later (in 1867) it was staged in Moscow.
This opera, like the first, is weak in music and not typical of Dargomyzhsky. Disappointed by the refusal to stage Bacchus, Dargomyzhsky again closed himself in a close circle of his admirers and admirers, continuing to compose small vocal ensembles (duets, trios, quartets) and romances, then published and made popular.
At the same time, he took up teaching singing. The number of his students and especially his female students (he gave lessons for free) is enormous. L.N. Belenitsyn (by Karmalin's husband; Dargomyzhsky's most interesting letters to her have been published), M.V. Shilovskaya, Bilibina, Barteneva, Girs, Pavlova, Princess Manvelova, A.N. Purholt (by husband Molas).
The sympathy and worship of women, especially singers, always inspired and encouraged Dargomyzhsky, and he used to say half-jokingly: "If there were no singers in the world, it would not be worth being a composer." Already in 1843, Dargomyzhsky conceived a third opera, Rusalka, based on a text by Pushkin, but the composition moved extremely slowly, and even the approval of friends did not speed up the work; meanwhile, the duo of the prince and Natasha, performed by Dargomyzhsky and Karmalina, caused tears in Glinka.
A new impetus to the work of Dargomyzhsky gave a resounding success grand concert from his writings, arranged in St. Petersburg in the hall of the Assembly of the Nobility on April 9, 1853, according to the idea of Prince V.F. Odoevsky and A.N. Karamzin. Taking up the "Mermaid" again, Dargomyzhsky finished it in 1855 and transferred it to 4 hands (an unpublished arrangement is kept in the Imperial public library). In Rusalka, Dargomyzhsky consciously cultivated the Russian musical style created by Glinka.
New in "Mermaid" is its drama, comedy (the figure of a matchmaker) and bright recitatives, in which Dargomyzhsky was ahead of Glinka. But the vocal style of "Mermaid" is far from sustained; next to truthful, expressive recitatives, there are conditional cantilenas (Italianisms), rounded arias, duets and ensembles that do not always fit in with the requirements of the drama.
Weak side"Mermaids" is still technically its orchestration, which cannot be compared with the richest orchestral colors of "Ruslan", but from an artistic point of view - the whole fantastic part, rather pale. The first performance of The Mermaid in 1856 (May 4) at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, with an unsatisfactory production, with old scenery, inappropriate costumes, careless performance, inappropriate cuts, conducted by K. Lyadov, who did not like Dargomyzhsky, was not successful .
The opera lasted only 26 performances until 1861, but resumed in 1865 with Platonova and Komissarzhevsky, it was a huge success and has since become a repertoire and one of the most beloved of Russian operas. In Moscow, "Mermaid" was staged for the first time in 1858. The initial failure of "Mermaid" had a depressing effect on Dargomyzhsky; according to the story of his friend, V.P. Engelhardt, he intended to burn the scores of "Esmeralda" and "Mermaid", and only the formal refusal of the directorate to give these scores to the author, supposedly for correction, saved them from destruction.
Last period Creativity Dargomyzhsky, the most original and significant, can be called reformist. Its beginning, already rooted in the recitatives of "Mermaid", is marked by the appearance of a number of original vocal pieces, distinguished either by their comedy - or, rather, by Gogol's humor, laughter through tears ("Titular Counselor", 1859), then by drama ("Old Corporal", 1858; "Paladin", 1859), then with subtle irony ("Worm", on the text of Beranger-Kurochkin, 1858), then with a burning feeling of a rejected woman ("We parted proudly", "I don't care", 1859) and always remarkable in strength and truth of vocal expressiveness.
These vocal pieces were a new step forward in the history of Russian romance after Glinka and served as models for the vocal masterpieces of Mussorgsky, who wrote on one of them a dedication to Dargomyzhsky, "the great teacher of musical truth." The comic vein of Dargomyzhsky also manifested itself in the field of orchestral composition. His orchestral fantasies belong to the same period: "Little Russian Cossack", inspired by Glinka's "Kamarinskaya", and quite independent: "Baba Yaga, or From the Volga nach Riga" and "Chukhonskaya Fantasy".
The last two, originally conceived, are also interesting in terms of orchestral techniques, showing that Dargomyzhsky had taste and imagination in combining the colors of the orchestra. Dargomyzhsky's acquaintance in the mid-1850s with the composers of the "Balakirev circle" was beneficial for both sides.
The new vocal verse of Dargomyzhsky influenced the development of the vocal style of young composers, which especially affected the work of Cui and Mussorgsky, who met Dargomyzhsky, like Balakirev, earlier than the rest. Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin were particularly affected by Dargomyzhsky's new opera techniques, which were the practical implementation of the thesis expressed by him in a letter (1857) to Karmalina: "I want the sound to directly express the word; I want the truth." An opera composer by vocation, Dargomyzhsky, despite failures with the government administration, could not endure inaction for a long time.
In the early 1860s, he began to work on the magic-comic opera "Rogdan", but wrote only five numbers, two solo ones ("Duetino of Rogdana and Ratobor" and "Comic Song") and three choral ones (chorus of dervishes to Pushkin's words "Arise , fearful, stern oriental character and two women's choirs: "Quietly flow brooks" and "As the luminiferous daylight appears"; all of them were first performed in concerts of the Free Musical School of 1866 - 1867). Somewhat later, he conceived the opera "Mazepa", based on the plot of Pushkin's "Poltava", but, having written a duet between Orlik and Kochubey ("Again you are here, despicable person"), he stopped at it.
There was not enough determination to expend energy on a large work, the fate of which seemed unreliable. Traveling abroad, in 1864-65, contributed to the rise of his spirit and strength, as it was very successful artistically: in Brussels, Kapellmeister Hansens appreciated Dargomyzhsky's talent and contributed to the performance of his orchestral works in concerts (overture to "Mermaid" and "Cossack "), which was a huge success. But the main impetus to the extraordinary awakening of creativity was given to Dargomyzhsky by his new young comrades, whose talents he quickly appreciated. The question of opera forms then became another.
Serov dealt with it, intending to become opera composer and captivated by ideas opera reform Wagner. Members of the Balakirev circle, especially Cui, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, also dealt with it, solving it on their own, based largely on the features of Dargomyzhsky's new vocal style. Composing his "William Ratcliffe", Cui immediately introduced Dargomyzhsky to what he had written. They introduced Dargomyzhsky to their new vocal compositions also Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Their energy was communicated to Dargomyzhsky himself; he decided to boldly embark on the path of operatic reform and sang (as he put it) the swan song, setting about composing The Stone Guest with extraordinary zeal, without changing a single line of Pushkin's text and without adding a single word to it.
Did not stop creativity and Dargomyzhsky's disease (aneurysms and hernia); in the last weeks he had been writing in bed with a pencil. Young friends, gathering at the patient's, performed scene after scene of the opera as it was being created, and with their enthusiasm gave new strength to the fading composer. Within a few months the opera was almost finished; death prevented him from completing the music only for the last seventeen verses. According to Dargomyzhsky's will, he completed Cui's The Stone Guest; he also wrote the introduction to the opera, borrowing thematic material from it, and orchestrated the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. Through the efforts of friends, The Stone Guest was staged in St. Petersburg on the Mariinsky Stage on February 16, 1872 and resumed in 1876, but it did not stay in the repertoire and is still far from appreciated.
However, the significance of The Stone Guest, which logically completes the reformist ideas of Dargomyzhsky, is beyond doubt. In The Stone Guest, Dargomyzhsky, like Wagner, seeks to achieve a synthesis of drama and music, subordinating the music to the text. The operatic forms of The Stone Guest are so flexible that the music flows continuously, without any repetitions that are not caused by the meaning of the text. This was achieved by abandoning symmetrical shapes arias, duets and other rounded ensembles, and at the same time the rejection of a continuous cantilena, as not elastic enough to express rapidly changing shades of speech. But here the paths of Wagner and Dargomyzhsky diverge. Wagner center of gravity of musical expression of psychology actors transferred to the orchestra, and his vocal parts were in the background.
Dargomyzhsky concentrated musical expressiveness on the vocal parts, finding it more expedient for the actors themselves to talk about themselves. Opera links in the continuously flowing music of Wagner are leitmotifs, symbols of persons, objects, ideas. The operatic style of The Stone Guest is devoid of leitmotifs; nevertheless, the characteristics of the characters in Dargomyzhsky are bright and strictly sustained. Different speeches are put into their mouths, but they are the same for everyone. Denying a solid cantilena, Dargomyzhsky also rejected the ordinary, so-called "dry" recitative, which has little expressiveness and is devoid of purely musical beauty. He created a vocal style that lies between cantilena and recitative, a special melodious or melodic recitative, elastic enough to be in constant correspondence with speech, and at the same time rich in characteristic melodic twists, spiritualizing this speech, bringing into it a new, lacking emotional element.
This vocal style, which fully corresponds to the peculiarities of the Russian language, is the merit of Dargomyzhsky. The operatic forms of The Stone Guest, caused by the properties of the libretto, the text, which did not allow for the widespread use of choirs, vocal ensembles, and independent performance of the orchestra, cannot, of course, be considered immutable models for any opera. Artistic problems allow not one, not two solutions. But the resolution of Dargomyzhsky's operatic problem is so characteristic that it will not be forgotten in the history of opera. Dargomyzhsky had not only Russian followers, but also foreign ones.
Gounod intended to write an opera on the model of The Stone Guest; Debussy in his opera "Pelléas et Mélisande" implemented the principles of Dargomyzhsky's operatic reform. - Dargomyzhsky's social and musical activity began only shortly before his death: from 1860 he was a member of the committee for the consideration of compositions submitted to competitions of the Imperial Russian Musical Society, and from 1867 he was elected director of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Society. Most of Dargomyzhsky's works were published by P. Jurgenson, Gutheil and V. Bessel. Operas and orchestral works are named above. piano pieces Dargomyzhsky wrote little (about 11), and all of them (except for the "Slavic Tarantella", composed in 1865) belong to early period his creativity.
Dargomyzhsky is especially prolific in the field of small vocal pieces for one voice (over 90); he wrote 17 more duets, 6 ensembles (for 3 and 4 voices) and "Petersburg Serenades" - choirs for different voices(12 ©). - See the letters of Dargomyzhsky ("Artist", 1894); I. Karzukhin, biography, with indexes of works and literature about Dargomyzhsky ("Artist", 1894); S. Bazurov "Dargomyzhsky" (1894); N. Findeisen "Dargomyzhsky"; L. Karmalina "Memories" ("Russian Antiquity", 1875); A. Serov, 10 articles about "Mermaid" (from a collection of critical essays); C. Cui "La musique en Russie"; V. Stasov "Our music for the last 25 years" (in collected works). Grigory Timofeev.
