Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov (1877- 1944)
Spiritual choirs.
The son of the church regent (near Zvenigorod). Early discovered the music. ability and beautiful voice. Entered the Synod. uch-sche and finished it with a gold medal. Student of Smolensky and (privately) Taneyev. Since 1903 - regent; quickly becomes known for his compositions and excellent work with the choir. He taught at the Synod. uch-shche and at the annual summer regency courses in St. Petersburg, actively participated in regency congresses. In 1913 (at the age of 36, being a famous composer and conductor) he entered the Moscow. cons. (learned from Ipp.-Ivanov). After the revolution, he taught and conducted in different places (school named after Oct. Rev., 2nd State Choir, Moscow Academic Capella, Bolshoi Theater Choir, Moscow Philharmonic Chapel, Choir Class (later - Department) of the Conservatory), at the same time without leaving the regency (until 32 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which he did not want to leave even a minute before the explosion, he was the last to leave the temple). In 1940 he published the book "Choir and Management" (originally conceived as a generalization of the regency's experience), which has since become one of the main and best textbooks on choral work. During the war, Chesnokov, remaining regent, did not go on an evacuation with the professors of the conservatory and, having lost bread cards, starved and died at the beginning of 44 (the frozen body was found at the bakery on Herzen Street).
From the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he directed the choir of the Church of the Trinity on Gryazy (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Neokesarius on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave sacred concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs. In total, Chesnokov created about five hundred choral pieces - spiritual compositions and arrangements of traditional chants (among them there are several full cycles of the liturgy and the all-night vigil, a memorial service, cycles ( To the Holy Mother of God, In the days of battle, To the Lord God), adaptations of folk songs, choirs to verses by Russian poets.
Author of many compositions and harmonizations, creator of his inimitable and always recognizable style of choral writing. Refinement and beauty of harmonies, emotional depth and purity, great melodic gift make Chesnokov the greatest spiritual composer of the 20th century. Despite the excellent knowledge of voices and the laws of choral texture, Chesnokov's choirs (as well as solo parts: "Angel Cries", "May He Be Corrected", etc.) are very complex and "risky" for church performance: they need to be sung either very well and strictly , or not to sing at all - the slightest emotional "pressure" can turn the finest harmonies into unacceptable "sweetness" and sentimentality.
As a composer, Chesnokov enjoys wide, worldwide fame. He wrote many vocal works (over 60 opuses), mainly for mixed choir without instrumental accompaniment, over 20 women's choirs with piano accompaniment, several arrangements of Russian folk songs, romances and songs for solo voice.
His vocal and choral flair, understanding of the nature and expressive possibilities of the singing voice have few equals not only in the works of domestic, but also in foreign choral literature.
He knew and felt the "secret" of vocal and choral expressiveness. Perhaps the strict ear and keen eye of a professional critic will notice in his scores the saloon of individual harmonies, the sentimental sweetness of some turns and sequences. It is especially easy to come to this conclusion when playing a score on the piano without a clear idea of how it sounds in the choir. But listen to the same piece performed live by the choir. The nobility and expressiveness of the vocal sound greatly transforms what was heard on the piano, the same music appears in a completely different form and is able to attract, touch the soul, and sometimes delight the listener. “You can sort through all the choral literature over the past hundred years, and there is little to be found equal to the mastery of the choral sound of Garsnikov,” said the prominent Soviet choral leader G. A. Dmitrevsky in conversations with us.
Many of Chesnokov's choral works have become firmly established in the concert repertoire of choirs, in the curricula of classes in the conducting and choral specialty. Some of them can rightly be attributed to the works of Russian choral classics.
Love for choral creativity in all its manifestations was the meaning of the whole life of P. G. Chesnokov. However, the most striking side of his artistic aspirations was, perhaps, his love for choral performance. If the passion and need for composition was able to cool down with age, then he retained his love for working with the choir until the end of his days. “Egorushka, let me stand in front of the choir for an hour,” he asked his beloved assistant in the chapel of the Moscow State Philharmonic, G. A. Dmitrevsky, having come to the choral rehearsal still not recovered from his illness. In the difficult year of 1943, shortly before his death, when a decision was made to organize a professional chapel at the Moscow Conservatory, Chesnokov, sick and almost incapacitated, touchingly asked N. M. Danilin, who was planned to be the artistic director of the chapel, to give him the opportunity to work with the choir.
Without exception, all the choirs headed by Chesnokov during his many years of creative activity achieved excellent artistic results. In a number of cases, the choirs led by him achieved exceptionally high vocal and technical skill and vivid expressiveness.
In his work with the choir, Chesnokov presented himself as a great connoisseur of choral singing, an excellent educated musician and a talented highly professional conductor. Perhaps one can say that his work with the choir was not filled with that exciting interest and brightly striving strong-willed
direction, leading the team to an artistic goal, predetermined by the conductor, as could be observed, for example, in N. M. Danilin. Nevertheless, each step of his work with the choir was deeply meaningful and consistent, each requirement was perfectly expedient and clear, his leadership was felt in the entire action of the choir - an ardent creative feeling and a strong thought of a great artist and musician. All his activities with the choir, from rehearsal to concert inclusive, never bore the character of everyday life and craftsmanship.
He was an excellent practitioner of the vocal nature and performance capabilities of the human voice. Having excellent knowledge of the theoretical foundations and techniques of singing art, Chesnokov, as a true master of his craft, considered working on vocals in the choir the most difficult task, requiring a special approach in the performance of each given work. He spoke with restraint about the production of his voice, but was very attentive to the choral and solo singing sound; I always knew and took into account the vocal laws both in work with the choir and in composition. He told how A. V. Nezhdanova, who had an ideally pure intonation, sang the solo written for her by Chesnokov with insufficient accuracy. After carefully reviewing the work and thinking deeply about the reasons for impure intonation, he noticed an abundance of transitional notes. I changed the key, a few sounds, and the solo sounded perfect.
The works of Pavel Chesnokov are very advantageous in terms of concerts. They allow singers to best demonstrate their vocal abilities. But this is not always good from the point of view of the church, because worship does not require showiness and bright colorful sound. On the contrary, they interfere with the depth and severity of prayer, and therefore are not very compatible with worship. However, this was the manifestation of the universality of Pavel Chesnokov's talent. He was cramped within narrow limits, and the composer, by the grace of God, argued with the regent of church choirs. And this dispute did not always end with an unambiguous solution to the issue. The name of Pavel Chesnokov is called next to such famous names as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Taneyev, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. All of them belong to the so-called Moscow Composer School. The music of these composers is characterized by deep lyricism and psychology.
Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called. of the "new direction" in Russian sacred music, he is characterized, on the one hand, by an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his transcriptions of chants), and on the other hand, an inclination towards great emotional openness in expressing religious feelings , up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical of spiritual compositions for solo voice with a choir that are still very popular).
Pavel Chesnokov was a high-class master of polyphony. Russian Orthodox sacred music, as it exists today, is predominantly polyphonic. Polyphony began to penetrate Russian sacred music in the 17th century. And before that, for six centuries, from the moment of the baptism of Ancient Rus' in 988, there was a monophonic church singing that came to Rus', like Christianity itself, through Byzantium. The element of monophony was rich and expressive in its own way. Such singing was called Znamenny singing from the ancient Slavic word "banner", which means "sign". Even "banners" were called "hooks". With the help of "banners" or "hooks" in Rus', sounds were recorded, and these signs really looked like hooks of different shapes. Such a recording of sounds had nothing to do with musical notation, not only in appearance, but even in terms of the principle of recording. It was a whole culture that existed for more than 500 years and then, due to historical reasons, seemed to have sunk into the sand. Among modern musicians there are enthusiasts looking for ancient manuscripts in the archives and deciphering them. Znamenny singing is gradually returning to church life, but so far it is perceived more as a rarity, exotic. To the credit of Pavel Chesnokov, it should be said that he also paid tribute to Znamenny singing, and this showed his sensitivity as a musician who felt the prospect of musical historical development. He made harmonizations of Znamenny chants, trying to connect the past with the present. But still, in its musical and artistic essence, he belonged to our era and practiced polyphony.
Here is what the head of the church choir of the Moscow Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Valentin Maslovsky said: “He was an extraordinary person. He was the last regent of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the former Moscow Cathedral, blown up in Stalin's time. When the temple was destroyed, Pavel Chesnokov was so shocked by this, that he stopped writing music. He took a kind of vow of silence. As a composer, he died along with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The most magnificent musician, Pavel Chesnokov, very subtly felt every word, every verse, every prayer. And he reflected all this in music. "
“Chesnokov sounds a lot in churches, and this is no coincidence,” says Marina Nasonova, choir director of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Moscow, Ph.D. compositional technique. At the same time, coming from a family of hereditary regents, he was in the church from childhood, served as a chorister and knew the applied church tradition very well. He subtly felt worship. His music is extremely deep in its spirituality. "
I based my work on my observations over many years of practical work, setting as my task the theoretical substantiation of the conclusions verified in practice. However, one should not look for any strictly scientific provisions in the proposed book. My goal was to consolidate and systematize the achievements of many years of practice. I wanted mainly to make it easier for novice conductors to follow the path that I myself have traveled.
Let this work of mine lay the foundation for the development of choral science.
There are 2 directions in Chesnokov's work: 1. Reliance in church music on the znamenny chant ("Grace of the World", "Praise the Name of the Lord") 2. Use of turns of the Russian lyrical romance ("Your Secret Supper")
The All-Night Vigil is an evening service that begins in the evening. Chin, the content of this service was formed in the first centuries of the adoption of Christianity. What is the meaning of the all-night service? Salvation of mankind in the Old Testament time (before the birth of Jesus Christ) through faith in the coming Messiah - Savior. The All-Night Vigil opens with a bell ringing - the blagovest and combines the great vespers with the litia and the blessing of the loaves, matins and the first hour. For centuries, the moral and instructive nature of readings and chants has evolved. During the service, the Holy Trinity is necessarily glorified. The main choral parts contain important events, they develop the plot outline of the story, and at the same time they are emotional, psychological and spiritual climaxes. One of the first large numbers - "Bless, my soul, gentlemen" to the text of 103 psalms. This is a story about the creation of the world by God, the glorification of the Creator of everything earthly and heavenly. This is a solemn, joyful song about the harmony of the universe, everything that exists. But the man disobeyed the prohibition of God and was expelled from paradise for his sin. After the reading of the Gospel and the choir "Seeing the Resurrection of Christ", a canon is read in honor of some saint and the feast of this service. Before canon 9, the deacon calls to magnify the Mother of God with singing, and the choir sings the song "My soul magnifies the Lord." This is a song on behalf of the Mother of God, Mary's own doxology, said at the meeting with the righteous Elizabeth. The Virgin Mary addresses her with words that reveal the delight and joy of Her soul. “And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord; and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior, that he looked upon the humility of his servant; for from now on all generations will please me; that the Mighty One has done greatness to me, and His name is holy ”(Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, st. 46-49). Let us briefly compare the different versions - everyday and concert - of the four main choirs of the all-night vigil. In the usual chant “Bless, my soul, the Lord”, despite the stinginess of expressive means in melody and harmony, an image is created sublime, pure, expressing the delight of the soul. In Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Bless the Lord, My Soul, is written for choir and alto soloist. The composer took the ancient Greek chant as the basis of the theme and retained the features of ancient chants in a complex choral arrangement. The image created by Rachmaninov is stern, ascetic, austere, and at the same time “written out” in the music in more detail, with subtle nuances of dynamics and tempo. "Quiet light" - as a rule, deployed, large choirs. The Kyiv chant choir is soulful and lyrical, sublimely peaceful. Music conveys the essence of what is happening - immersion in perception, contemplation of a quiet, blessed light. The melody of the upper voice, as it were, sways smoothly and soars against the background of other voices, forming a barely noticeable, soft change of harmonic colors.
The beginning of Christian church singing is sanctified by the example of Jesus Christ, who ended the Last Supper with the singing of the Psalms: "And having sung, they went up to the Mount of Olives" (Mat. 26:30). In the 4th century, all the rites of the Christian Church were arranged. Eight-voice singing was established, and by the beginning of the 8th century, liturgical singing was established by the greatest songwriter John of Damascus. A single type of octoglas was adopted, which is observed to this day. In 988, Rus' adopted Christianity, and Prince Vladimir brought to Kyiv, along with the clergy, singers from Bulgaria and a full clergy (choir) from Greece. Thus, the initial formation of Russian church music is based on a mixture of Bulgarian and Greek styles. The most ancient chant of the church is the Znamenny chant, which got its name from the word "banner" - "sign". These signs were placed above the words of the prayers. Until the 16th century, the singing of the entire Orthodox Church was only melodic, performed by a male choir in unison (in unison, the simultaneous sounding of two or more sounds of the same height) or antiphonally (by two choirs alternately). Large durations were used, there was no size, many chants of one syllable. The largest scientist in the field of deciphering hook singing is Viktor Brazhnikov.
Octophony
Properly, the Russian octo-voice was formed by the 12th century, when Znamenny chant reached its apogee. The theory of octophonic singing is described in the book "Svyatogradets", the manuscript is kept in the Parisian library. In practice, the book "Oktoeh" is still used, where a service is written out for each day of the week for each of the eight voices, and separately for holidays. There are 4 basic voices and 4 auxiliary voices in the octagon. They were formed on the basis of folk modes (there are 7 main modes of folk music: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Lacrian). The weeks of voices are counted from Easter.Voice - certain motive; there are 4 pitchforks: troparion, sticherny, irmosny, power.Troparion - the main short prayer to any saint or holiday.Stichera - several short prayers in which an event is described.Irmos - the first song of the canon; last song -confusion . degree - a short prayer before reading the Gospel, divided by the words "Glory now."
The first mention of polyphony dates back to the beginning of the 16th century. It was also called "line singing". The more diverse the horizontal (melody) of such singing was, the more complicated its vertical became (well, if simply it is a chord - several sounds of different heights, which are taken simultaneously by several voices), which was not paid attention at all. Polyphony consisted of the imposition of several Znamenny chants one on top of the other. At the beginning of the 17th century, linear notation became widespread (they began to write with notes, and not with hooks-icons as before). At the end of the 17th century, as a result of Polish influence, harmonic partes singing spread, first in the form of kants ("song") - short hymn chants (kant refers more to secular music, but is also used in sacred music). For example, the edging "Orly Russian", dedicated to the Poltava victory of Peter I.
The whole history, destiny, the whole past life of the Church, Her teachings, dogmas, lives, sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Mother of God, the apostles, prophets, martyrs are depicted in the annual cycle of worship. The main types of Orthodox services are the Liturgy and the All-Night Vigil. The word "liturgy" in Greek means "common cause". In the Old Testament, it is established that people pray and offer sacrifices to God at certain hours (Psalm 54 of King David). These prayers are now read in the church before the Liturgy and the All-Night Vigil and they are called "Hours" (1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th). 1st hour - 7 am (Judgement of Jesus Christ in the New Testament); 3rd hour - 9 am (Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles); 6th hour - 12-14 hours (Sufferings of Christ); 9th hour - 15 hours (His death on the cross).
Liturgy (Lust)
Liturgy - the morning service in which the Eucharist (Communion) is celebrated. There are 3 parts to the liturgy: 1. Proskomidia (bringing) - served without singing. 2. Liturgy of the catechumens (the catechumens are people who are preparing to be baptized). Songs: 1) Bless, my soul, the Lord (Psalm 102 of King David); 2) Praise, my soul, the Lord (Psalm 145) In the indicated Psalms, the blessings of God to the human race are depicted. 3) Only-begotten Son (prayer); 4) Gospel beatitudes; 5) Trisagion.
3. Liturgy of the faithful. Chants: 1) Cherubic hymn, in which there is a call to put aside worldly cares and direct thoughts to God; 2) The Creed - read in chant by all parishioners; 3) Grace of the world - consists of three sections: 1 - Grace of the world is a sacrifice of praise; 2 - Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts ("Lord of the hosts of heaven") - the praise of the Lord along with the angels; 3 - We sing to you - the descent of the Holy Spirit on bread and wine, their transformation into the Body and Blood of the Lord. 4) It is worthy to eat - a song to the Mother of God. Those for whom the Sacrifice of Christ was brought are remembered, in the first place - the Most Holy Theotokos. 5) Our Father - is read in chant by all parishioners; 6) Communion verse, during which priests commune in the altar, then prayers for communion are read; 7) Choir "Receive the Body of Christ" - at this time the parishioners take communion; 8) Vidihom True Light - prayer after communion in gratitude.
All-night vigil
It is performed on the eve of the liturgy in the evening. Consists of Vespers and Matins.Vespers 1) Bless, my soul, the Lord (103rd Psalm); 2) Blessed is the husband (1st Psalm); 3) Stichera to the tune "Lord, I cry to Thee"; 4) Light quiet; 5) vouchsafe, Lord; 6) Now let go; 7) Mother of God Virgin, rejoice (song of the Mother of God); 8) Small Doxology - Vespers ends ("Glory to God in the highest").Matins 1) Praise the name of the Lord; 2) Reading the Gospel; 3) seeing the Resurrection of Christ; 4) Canon, where prayers are read and irmos are sung; 5) My soul magnifies the Lord (song of the Virgin); 6) Stanzas ("Let every breath glorify the Lord"); 7) Great doxology; 8) Hymn to the Mother of God "Victorious Chosen Governor"
Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions. Born near the city of Voskresensk (now the city of Istra) of the Zvenigorod district of the Moscow province on October 12 (24), 1877 in the family of a rural regent. All the children in the family showed musical talent, and the five Chesnokov brothers at different times studied at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing (three choir directors were graduated - Mikhail, Pavel and Alexander). In 1895 Chesnokov graduated with honors from the Synodal School; subsequently took composition lessons from S.I. Taneyev, G.E. Konyus (1862–1933) and M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov; much later (in 1917) he received a diploma from the Moscow Conservatory in composition and conducting classes. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools; in 1895-1904 he taught at the Synodal School, in 1901-1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir, in 1916-1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society.
From the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he directed the choir of the Church of the Trinity on Gryazy (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Neokesarius on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave sacred concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs. In total, Chesnokov created about five hundred choral pieces - spiritual compositions and transcriptions of traditional chants (among them several complete cycles of liturgy and all-night vigil, a memorial service, the cycles "To the Most Holy Theotokos", "In the days of battle", "To the Lord God"), arrangements of folk songs, choirs on verses of Russian poets. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called. "new direction" in Russian sacred music; typical for him, on the one hand, is an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his arrangements of chants), and on the other hand, a tendency to great emotional openness in expressing religious feelings, up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical of spiritual compositions for solo voice with choir that are still very popular today).
After the revolution, Chesnokov led the State Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater; from 1920 until the end of his life he taught conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After 1928 he was forced to leave the regency and compose sacred music. In 1940 he published the book Chorus and Management. Chesnokov died in Moscow on March 14, 1944.
Chesnokov, Alexander Grigorievich(1890–1941), younger brother of Pavel Grigorievich, also a famous regent and composer. He graduated with honors from the Synodal School, and then from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the composition class of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. He was a teacher and regent of the Court Singing Chapel, a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He emigrated in 1923, first to Prague, where he led the All-Student Russian Choir. A.A. Arkhangelsky, then moved to Paris. Author of a number of spiritual and choral works in the style of the "new direction", the original oratorio for choir, soloists and orchestra "Requiem - The Sacrament of Death" (first performed in Moscow in the second half of the 1990s) and a number of secular works.
Encyclopedia Around the World
October 24 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Russian composer Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov, one of the brightest, most famous and beloved authors of church hymns. What are the features of his creative style, why did the sacred music of P. Chesnokov have not only admirers, but also opponents, what was the fate of his creative heritage? This is at the request of the journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" tells the doctor of art history, professor at the Moscow State Conservatory. P. I. Tchaikovsky, leading researcher of the State Institute of Art History Natalya Plotnikova.
“Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov was a man of deep decency, who preserved until his advanced years the naive simplicity and trustfulness of his poetic and sensitive soul.<…>He had a persistent and stubborn character; he reluctantly renounced his earlier opinions: in his judgments and statements he was direct and completely alien to hypocrisy; internally focused; in the manifestation of feelings, he is restrained and laconic, only occasionally revealing significant inner strength; prone to subtle and clever humor; in all his actions he is always unhurried, punctual; in dealing with people, as a rule, he is attentive, correct and restrainedly affectionate, full of great human charm; true to his friendly feelings; it harmoniously combined the features of spiritual and physical purity.
These words were dedicated to Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov (1877-1944) by his younger contemporary and colleague K.B. Bird, rightly believing that "in order to draw up a sufficiently clear and complete picture of the appearance of the artist and his work, it is necessary to know the main features that characterize personal qualities." Reading the verbal portrait, peering into old photographs, one can try to understand what human qualities the remarkable composer, regent, choir conductor, teacher, one of the outstanding representatives of that very Moscow Synodal School, which was the highest pinnacle of the centuries-old development of domestic liturgical singing, possessed. The significance of this school is well known, and yet one cannot but be surprised at such a powerful movement, rise, takeoff, a brilliant constellation of authors: A. D. Kastalsky (1856-1926), Vic. S. Kalinnikov (1870-1927), A. V. Nikolsky (1874-1943), S. V. Rakhmaninov (1873-1943) ... Let's pay attention to the dates of their lives. Pavel Grigoryevich was, in fact, the last of the "synodals" who made up the glory of the school before the revolution of 1917, the largest composer who ended his journey in his homeland. For some time, the traditions continued to live in the works of N. S. Golovanov (1891-1953), written "on the table", in the foreign opuses of A. T. Grechaninov (1864-1956). The great era that gave Russian culture masterpieces of choral music was ending.
And it began in 1889, when S. V. Smolensky (1848-1909) was appointed director of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing. Thanks to him, a new direction in Russian sacred music has developed - a multifaceted cultural and artistic phenomenon that holistically embraces musical composition, scientific works on the history and theory of ancient and modern church singing, closely and directly connected with the Russian choral performing school. Already at the first lecture on October 5, Smolensky spoke about his ardent faith in the vitality of the ideas he developed “in the lessons on the monuments of our ancient church singing”, about the significance of this newly discovered source of knowledge for “the direction of his Russian music, to create his own counterpoint” . It is not known whether the eleven-year-old pupil of the Synodal School, third-grader Pasha Chesnokov, heard this lecture, but Stepan Vasilyevich was always an indisputable authority for him, he trusted his opinion both in life and in creativity.
Six years later, by the end of the school, Chesnokov was the author of several spiritual hymns, and on February 18, 1896, his Antiphon of the 4th tone sounded at the home concert of the Synodal Choir conducted by V. S. Orlov. Two works by Chesnokov - "Cherubic" and "It is worthy to eat" - were included in the program of the concert on December 18, 1897, which became one of the starting points of the new school, about which Smolensky himself proudly wrote: "The spiritual concert on December 18 aroused unanimous approval in the press as pointing to the serious and lively direction of our activity. The first editions of Chesnokov's sacred music were published later, in 1904, but since that time they have become an integral part of both church life and concert programs throughout Russia.
From 1895 to 1904, Pavel Grigorievich was an assistant regent of the Synodal Choir, but the fame of an outstanding conductor - "both a wonderful virtuoso and the finest artist" - was brought to him by the management of the choir of singing lovers at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Gryazek near the Intercession Gate (1902-1914). The choir was "modest in size and in the quality of the vocal material of its members", but its performance was called "excellent", it was distinguished by "first-class virtues"; a contemporary believed that "it is difficult to imagine more control power and wise measure in comparing the sonority of not only individual groups, but also individual voices of the choir."
Before the revolution, Chesnokov's authority as a remarkable regent was confirmed by his activities in 1911-1916 at summer courses at the Regency School, founded by Smolensky. “The course choir annually after classes sang a funeral Liturgy and a memorial service for Smolensky under the direction of Chesnokov in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg and aroused universal admiration among numerous worshipers.” Pavel Grigoryevich repeatedly left Moscow at the invitation of the places to conduct spiritual concerts (Kharkov, 1911; Nizhny Novgorod, 1914; Kineshma, 1925).
In the Soviet years, Chesnokov for five years (1922-1927) headed the State Academic Choir, the only large professional choir in Moscow, and the choir always sang, "like one person, like a real artist team." He also directed the choir of the Moscow Proletkult (1928-1932), the vocal and choral ensemble (1933-1938).
Chesnokov's heritage in the field of sacred music is enormous: it includes 38 opuses and 17 works without an opus, in total more than three hundred chants. Before the revolution, all of Chesnokov's works were published by P. Jurgenson's publishing house. In the second half of the 1920s, 17 chants were reproduced on a hectograph thanks to P. M. Kireev, the former owner of the publishing house. In the 1990s, several attempts were made to publish in Moscow. In 1992, the Russian Musical Publishing House issued a reprint of the Liturgy op. 42 as part of a series prepared on the basis of materials from the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate under the guidance of His Eminence Pitirim, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryevsky. In 1994-1995, Chesnokov’s “Collected Sacred and Musical Works” was planned, three notebooks with opuses 6, 33, 30, 19, 9 were published (the editors and authors of the introductory article in the first notebook were A. G. Muratov, D. G. Ivanov). Nowadays, the publication of all unpublished compositions was carried out by the publishing house "Life-giving source" in four editions of "Spiritual works for choir a cappella". A musical publication with accurate source comments was prepared by A.A. Naumov, a great connoisseur of the life and work of the composer; he also compiled a detailed "List of spiritual and musical works of P. G. Chesnokov", giving a clear and precise idea of the chronology of his work from 1895 to 1927.
Chesnokov's largest opuses include: op. 12 (1906) Panikhida ("In memory of dear, unforgettable brother Nikolai Grigorievich Chesnokov"); op. 24 (1909) Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with the famous "May my prayer be corrected" (alto solo); op. 30 (1909) Lay funeral hymns; op. 39 (1912) Panikhida (No. 2) (“In memory of the dear, unforgettable teacher-friend Stepan Vasilyevich Smolensky); op. 39a (1912) Panikhida (No. 2), arranged by the author for male choir; op. 43 (1914) "To the Most Holy Lady"; op. 44 (1914-1915) "The main hymns of the All-Night Vigil".
Let us note that for a long time Chesnokov did not create complete cycles of the Liturgy. Yes, op. 9 is a collection: it opens with 17 numbers "From the Liturgy", followed by eight hymns "From the Vespers" and five hymns of Great Lent and the Liturgy. Opuses 15 and 16 (1907) are called "Chants from the Liturgy", they contain a selection of compositions, including those from previous opuses 7, 8, 9, 10.
And only in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom op. 42 (1913) for a small mixed choir, he implements the idea of cyclicality, the creation of a single cycle in figurative and musical terms, which is especially noted in the author's preface: “I wanted to give the small choirs a Liturgy that is whole in mood, valuable in content and accessible in terms of performance. How much I have achieved this goal - the future will show. The last two cycles are the All-Night Vigil and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the usual tune, op. 50 were written in 1917.
The composer created mono-genre cycles: op. 22 (1908) Honors for the Lord's and Mother of God feasts, in znamenny chant, the last number is the famous "Angel crying out" with a soprano solo; op. 25 (1909) Ten communicants; as well as polyphonic arrangements of vowel tunes: op. 17 (1907) “Lord, I have cried”, “May my prayer be corrected” and the first stichera with the chant of eight voices, Kyiv chant; op. 18 (1908) Theotokos of the Mother of God in eight tones, in a large znamenny chant; op. 19 (1907) "God is the Lord" and Sunday troparia of eight tones; op. 47 (1915-1916) Irmos are Sunday in eight voices, for a small mixed choir.
At the beginning of the First World War, responding to the growth of religious and patriotic sentiments in society, Chesnokov wrote several cycles: op. 45 (1915) "In the days of battle", including special intensified prayers to the Mother of God ("To You, the invincible Wall" and "Mother of God"); op. 46 (1915) "Following prayer singing to the Lord God, sung during the battle against adversaries who are on us."
Other opuses of P. G. Chesnokov have a composite character, contain various liturgical chants. One of them certainly stands out - op. 40 (1913), containing the most famous works of the composer with solo voices: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (soprano solo), dedicated to A. V. Nezhdanova, in which “the singer’s pure and gentle voice rings, bursting literally like a lark against the background of luxurious sonority choir”, “Eternal Council” (alto solo and male choir), “Prudent robber” (tenor solo and male choir), “Now let go” (bass solo), “God is with us” (tenor solo), finally, “Do not reject me in old age ”with a unique solo of the lowest male voice - an octavist, or bass profundo, reaching the salt of the counteroctave.
The final points of Pavel Grigorievich's creative activity in the field of sacred music fall on 1927-1928. In December 1927, he wrote the last church hymn "Angel Cries" (No. 2) for a soloist (tenor) and a mixed choir, and on June 1, 1928, he ceased his regency activities. The fight against "churchism" was gaining momentum, composers were obliged not to distribute their cult compositions, the regent's activity began to be considered incompatible with the title of Soviet professor. But even during these years, Chesnokov's music was constantly heard at divine services. "Questionnaire on the performance of composers for the years 1927-1928" shows that in 446 churches in Russia, Chesnokov's chants sounded 5221 times.
What first of all attracted listeners in Chesnokov's music? Her beauty is the beauty of melody, harmony, choral sound. “Written with style and very beautiful,” notes a critic in 1898 of the hymn “Bless, my soul, the Lord.” “A beautiful and full-sounding work,” says another about the composition “The Highest of Heaven”. "Sweet singer, servant of God Pavel" was proclaimed many years by 22 Moscow protodeacons at a prayer service in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of his musical activity. Sweet copying is a pleasant, gentle, beautiful singing, coming from the soul, from the heart. Admirers of the talent of Pavel Grigorievich, parishioners of the church of St. Basil of Caesarea wrote: “It is impossible to perceive your wonderful works without spiritual trepidation,<…>which have always testified and testify not only to the inexhaustibility of your creativity and the strength of your composing skills, but also to your deep faith, your religious enthusiasm, which you poured out in the chants you created.
Chesnokov possessed an amazing melodic gift, the ability to compose embossed, memorable melodies, especially in hymns in honor of the Mother of God. How to convey in sounds the words of the Most Holy Lady “My soul magnifies the Lord”? Even theologians fall silent, reflecting, for example, on the mysterious events of the feast of the Dormition, giving way to singing: “A certain spiritual haze covers the disclosure of everything in the words about Her, not allowing the hidden understanding of the sacrament to be clearly expressed” (St. Andrew of Crete). And since it is not typical to talk about what is above words, then love for the Mother of God should be sanctified primarily with hymns.
The melody “Angel Vopiyashe” begins with the soloist with the words of the Arkhangelsk greeting “Pure Virgin, rejoice”: a small undulating movement with a graceful descent, then its repetition, and then take-off, a wide jump, enlargement of the rhythm (“and pack the river”). And finally, the climax: "Rejoice!" - coverage of the octave, sliding down to the third tone - stable, but also solemn. Here, the melodic drawing in the literal sense, that is, drawing with a melody, and the carefully calibrated musical embodiment of speech, and the subtle penetration into the meaning of each word, are striking.
In the soft three-part pattern of this Chesnokov chant, one can catch some distant resemblance to the beginning of F. Makarov's famous Paschal Zadostoynik, and the hymn in D major evokes Cherubim No. 7 by D. S. Bortnyansky. And at the same time, there is more freedom, space, joyful light in Chesnokov's creation. Building the form, the composer easily and imperceptibly overcomes the traditional school "squareness" of constructions (five lines of the chant have a length of 13-12-11-7-11 measures). The fugato characteristic of classical spiritual concerts is repeated twice (“Rejoice now”, “Shine, shine”), the ascending order of the entry of voices ends with a wide choral chant; these small sections do not stop or slow down the movement, but enhance the upbeat character of the chant. Is the influence of opera or salon music felt in this "Angel Crying", for which the composer was often reproached? It seems that the presence of such an aria with a choir would bring into the opera features of oratorio, and then critics should note the special sublimity, solemnity and even prayerfulness of this music, that is, the qualities inherent in spiritual chants.
Chesnokov was often reproached for excessive beauty, inappropriate in church singing, "romantic style", chromaticism in melody and harmony, luxurious "spicy" non-chords. But even K. B. Ptitsa wrote about the unusual “transformation” of the same means in choral performance: “Perhaps the strict ear and keen eye of a professional critic will notice in the scores the saloon of individual harmonies, the sentimental sweetness of some turns and sequences. It is especially easy to come to this conclusion when playing a score on the piano, without a sufficiently clear idea of its sound in the choir. But listen to the same piece performed live by the choir. The nobility and expressiveness of the vocal sound to an enormous extent transform what was heard on the piano. The content of the work appears in a completely different form and is able to attract, touch, delight the listener.
Chesnokov's works demonstrate excellent composing technique; he masters a wide variety of ways of presenting and developing musical fabric, including polyphonic ones. It is known how stubbornly, persistently Pavel Grigorievich strove to get a real professional, namely, a composer's education; the learning process lasted almost until his fortieth birthday. After graduating from the Synodal School, “in 1895-1900 he studied privately with M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. Then, in search of a teacher, he thought and dreamed of studying with G. E. Konyus, A. T. Grechaninov, S. I. Taneev, S. V. Rakhmaninov. Konus, having become acquainted in the summer of 1902 with two published opuses by Chesnokov, gave the following assessment to the young composer: “I really like his work. He is undeniably talented. Sincere. He is sensitive to musical beauty, to spiritual movements and, moreover, possesses the ability of musical painting, knows how to give figurative relief to his thoughts. If he writes a lot and improves himself, he will go far. Taneyev also appreciated Chesnokov in 1900: "In the field of church music, he can do a lot." In 1917, being the author of fifty secular and spiritual opuses, Pavel Grigoryevich graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the classes of special theory and free composition (with S. N. Vasilenko) with a small silver medal.
Many of Chesnokov's works are amazing examples of how in detail, step by step, he reveals and unfolds the content of the text. One of these samples, "Behold the Bridegroom" op. 6 No. 1, was analyzed in detail by the priest Mikhail Lisitsyn, the creator of the theory of the New Direction. For example, in the words “Behold the Bridegroom is coming”, in his opinion, “it turns out, as it were, a program picture”: “the news of the approach of the Bridegroom is transmitted in the crowd by word of mouth, which is expressed by Mr. Chesnokov through imitation” . Another explanation: at the words “watch out for my soul”, that is, “be attentive”, the melody is transferred to the soprano, the first bass enters in a second to her and with this blow, as it were, tries to arouse the mindfulness of the soul ".
Lisitsyn especially emphasizes the formation of new sound colors from unusual combinations of voices: “All this, like mixing instruments in an orchestra, each time gives new and new colors, so that choral pieces in the compositions of the New Direction in Russian sacred music become similar to orchestral ones. Because of this, the former term “to put”, or “shift”, something to the choir can now be replaced by the expression “orchestrate” something to the choir, which will be more in line with the essence of New Direction church music. This idea of Father Mikhail Lisitsyn, which reveals one of the most important properties of the Moscow school, coincides with the ideas expressed by Chesnokov in the book "Chorus and its Management". Summarizing his many years of experience as a conductor, his finest knowledge of human voices, Pavel Grigorievich developed the idea of choral timbrization (orchestration) of performed compositions, calling it "the science of the future". He wrote that “with the emergence of a science related to instrumentation, but studying human voices, their timbres, ranges, registers and using different combinations of voices according to register-timbre groups”, composers will no longer create four-part, but multi-line choral scores, making the most of the possibilities of the choir.
Chesnokov's music is distinguished by another valuable quality: the continuity of development, a special energy that links the various sections of the work into a single whole. Often the entire composition can be seen as one extended crescendo leading to a dramatic climax. So, at the beginning of the chant “To you, an invincible wall”, the concentration of prayer is emphasized by the unison of female voices in B minor (although the composer does not disregard the words “salvation affirmation”, marking them with the first major highlight). The next line, “Destroy the councils of the opposition, but make Your people sorrow for joy,” again starts from the minor key, gradually rushes up, but still lingers on the word “sorrow” with a sudden piano, and only at the end is the major. But the composer does not stop, continues to develop, switching his attention to the bass part: “Your city is fenced” - it sounds insistent, demanding. Here a dissonant chord with a second, beloved by Chesnokov, arises, reminiscent of the epic, heroic pages of Russian operas (for example, the prologue to Borodin's "Prince Igor"). The last section (18 measures) contains a gradual, with ledges, but purposeful rise to the brightest climax of the chant, marked by a wide chant and a powerful amplification of the texture of divisi sopranos, tenors and basses (“as thou art, Mother of God, hope, our hope”); then follows a slow decline with a triple repetition of the last words “our hope”, as if fading into pianissimo on the lips of those who pray. Dynamics, nuances, phrasing, strokes are dictated by the text, everything is thought out to the smallest detail and recorded in the score. That is why Chesnokov's chants were always listened to "with captivating attention."
Some of Chesnokov's later opuses contain many verbal comments that help express the author's will. For example, in the Six Psalms, op. 53 No. 1, in addition to the tempo designation “Moderately” and the nuance “Solemnly”, in the part of the canonarch (viola) several remarks are immediately given: “In one breath, rhythmically, in time, soon, sonorously, clearly.” With the introduction of solo voices (“Lord, open my mouth”), a new tempo was written out: “Slowly, but not very much”, new nuances: “Singular, prayerfully joyful, light”, and each soloist repeatedly wrote out the remark “Softly”. Sometimes the composer is very categorical. So, in a commentary on his last composition “Angel Crying” (No. 2) with a tenor solo, he writes: “It is customary to sometimes assign solo tenor parts to soprano soloists and vice versa. I declare that this work is intended only for the tenor soloist. If the solo part is sung by a soprano, then the composition will be completely spoiled.
In the hymn "Pomyannik" (op. 53 No. 4, to the text of the last three sections of morning prayers, dedicated to the community and the choir of the church of St. Basil of Caesarea, where the composer led the choir from the beginning of 1920 until July 1, 1928), 31 remarks are recorded. Here is a kind of author's preface: “The nuances must be precise and calm. The diction is clear and embossed, because if the words do not reach the listener, everything is lost. The general mood is reverent quietness and prayerfulness. Alt - bright and convex; sensitive, gifted penetration into the performed and complete sound completeness - the conditions under which only one can entrust the performance. A few pages later, he again gives extended instructions: “For the first part of the Commemoration Book (“Save”), a wide, massive, singsong alto is desirable, here - a strict, impassive (monastic) canonarch. It is better if these two parts will be performed by two different violas, each typical in its own way. Violas must be female, not childish. All recitative sections should be played a little faster than the bar sections; in all clocks there must be a certain speed of movement. This whole part (“Remember”) goes by the choir in a strict shaded sound. Viola is bright, impassive, humbly asking. It is impossible not to note the originality of the composer's vocabulary, for example, here: "In small nuances there should not be oversalting, pretentiousness." The prayer “Remember, Lord, from the life of this departed servant of Your ever-memorable, His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia” is accompanied by the remark “Strictness and impassivity in external design and deep inner expressiveness”, and above the female trio that enters further, the word “remember” is written "Gently (three candles)." The note “Verily, but not defiantly and not loudly, but with faith and confidence” on the words “I confess to You, Lord, all my sins” makes you think again about what a wide palette of sound colors, shades Pavel Grigorievich felt, felt in the choral sound.
Chesnokov became widely known for his compositions with the solo parts of the deacon. According to the memoirs of Hieromonk Daniel (Sarychev), a resident of the Danilov Monastery, Chesnokov eclipsed all church composers with his innovations. "Almost all the protodeacons - Mikhailov, Kholmogorov, Turikov - sang his litanies, 'God Save'". We are talking primarily about the "Great Litany" (deacon bass solo) from op. 37 (1911), dedicated to the great archdeacon Konstantin Rozov. Chesnokov’s opinion is known: “It always seemed to me that the litanies are performed in a completely different way, as it should be, that is, the deacon, in whom all the content is relegated to the background, and the choir, this humbly asking crowd, is in the foreground with its loud voice and monotony. This thought prompted me to write an ektenia in the proposed (reverse) form.
The new presentation - the deacon's melodious recitative against the backdrop of choral accompaniment - was received with great enthusiasm. “More solemn majesty is heard in prayer for the King's house and the hierarchs of the church, the exciting voice of earthly sorrow is heard in a humble prayer for the 'ill, suffering, captive'<…>It is with this form of writing that the Great Litany acquires significance corresponding to its significance in worship, each word is imprinted in the soul with the proper mood. This is confirmed by the greeting address dated November 16/29, 1925, signed by ten protodeacons and 12 deacons of the city of Moscow: “You are the first in your musical church works to pay attention to deacon service. The litanies that you clothed in melody showed us, deacons, a new understanding of our purpose as clergymen, who must not only accurately and clearly convey the text of liturgical prayers, but also combine the beauty of sound with transmission and take care of creating a high spiritual level in those who pray. moods. This is how Orthodox Rus' understood your works for deacons, and why these works found such a wide reception throughout Rus'.
It is worth noting that in 1917 the Moscow Council of Deans, “having heard the statements of some fathers of deans about the increasing and increasing recitation in some churches in Moscow of Chesnokov’s litanies, reminiscent of theatrical plays, devoid of a prayerful nature and generally alien to the Orthodox Church system, determined: to bring through fathers of the deans to the attention of the rectors of the churches that the recitation of such litanies should be completely prohibited. But from the memoirs of a contemporary, we learn about the actual permission to perform these compositions, given by Metropolitan Trifon (Turkestanov). Vladyka Trifon, knowing about the complaints about Chesnokov's music, asked the famous Protodeacon Mikhail Kholmogorov to sing the litany at his Mass at the Androniev (Savior Andronikov) Monastery, and then at the table asked several of those present about the impression he had made. And when a monk from New Athos said: “When I listened to her, I had such a feeling, as if I were not on earth, but in heaven,” Vladyka supported him: “I had exactly the same feeling. Sing, father archdeacon, sing!” .
The 140th anniversary of Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov gives us a reason to draw some conclusions: what has been done to study his biography, to preserve, research, disseminate the heritage, to perpetuate his memory? The situation with the publication of his spiritual works is relatively favorable: they are all printed in the sum of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern editions, but there is no complete collection of Chesnokov's works in the truly scientific sense of the word. There is no complete set of all his works in audio recording, although individual compositions are constantly heard at divine services, in concerts, and recorded on discs. Of great value are the publications in various volumes of "Russian Sacred Music in Documents and Materials" of many documentary sources (correspondence, fragments of memoirs, periodicals, concert programs, etc.), mostly prepared and commented on by A. A. Naumov. But there is not a single monograph about Chesnokov... The basis of musicological research, laid down in the works of K. B. Ptitsa and K. N. Dmitrevskaya, is practically not developed. The first edition of the book "The Choir and its Management", which contained examples from spiritual and musical literature and analyzes of similar compositions, was not published, only a preface was published with a dedication to Russian regents, "seekers, striving to know their art" . There is not a single monument, a bust of Chesnokov, at the place of his burial at the Vagankovsky cemetery - a simple marble plaque. “Finally, it seems, the time has come for Chesnokov,” wrote A. A. Naumov on the 120th anniversary of Pavel Grigorievich. We hope to repeat this in 2017, paying tribute of respect and love to the outstanding Russian musician.
(1944-03-14 ) (66 years old)Russian empire Russian Empire RSFSR RSFSR USSR USSR
Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov (October 12 (24) ( 18771024 ) , Zvenigorod district, Moscow province - March 14, Moscow) - Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions.
Biography
In 1917, Chesnokov received a diploma from the Moscow Conservatory in composition and conducting classes.
From the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he directed the choir of the Church of the Trinity on Gryazy (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Caesarea on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave sacred concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs.
After the revolution, Pavel Grigorievich directed the State Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater. From 1920 until the end of his life he taught conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After 1928, he was forced to leave the regency and compose sacred music. In 1940 he published a monumental work on choral studies "Choir and its management".
Chesnokov died in Moscow on March 14, 1944 from a myocardial infarction. He was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery. Since the early 2000s, attempts have been made to obtain official permission to erect a monument on the composer's grave, but none of them has been successful.
Musical works
In total, the composer created about five hundred choral pieces - spiritual compositions and transcriptions of traditional chants (among them several complete cycles of the liturgy and the all-night vigil, a memorial service, the cycles "To the Blessed Lady", "In the days of battle", "To the Lord God"), arrangements of folk songs, choirs on verses of Russian poets. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called "new trend" in Russian sacred music; typical for him, on the one hand, is an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his transcriptions of chants), and on the other hand, a tendency to great emotional openness in expressing religious feelings, up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical of spiritual compositions for solo voice with choir that are still very popular today). His choirs are distinguished by the breadth of their range, the use of low basses (octavists), the use of complementary rhythms and, as a rule, are accessible to highly qualified groups.
The main direction of Chesnokov's work was sacred music, he wrote over 400 sacred choirs (almost all before 1917) of various genres ("Liturgy", "Vespers", concerts with solo soprano, alto, tenor, bass, bass octave; arrangements of ancient Russian chants, transcriptions for male choir, etc.). These compositions were very popular (although the author did not escape accusations of being "romantic"). Spiritual compositions of Chesnokov began to be performed (after many years of silence) only recently.
The content of Chesnokov's secular works is usually a contemplative perception of nature, such as "The Dawn Is Warm", "August", "Night", "In Winter", "Alps". Even in Dubinushka, Chesnokov's music softens L. N. Trefolev's socially pointed text. The composer made a number of complex concert arrangements of Russian folk songs (“Hey, let’s go”, “There was a birch tree in the field”, “Oh you, birch”), often introducing soloists into them (“Oh you, canopy”, “Ditch”, “Walked baby", "Lucinushka and bludgeon"). Some of his author's choirs are written in the folk spirit, such are "Forest" to the words of A. V. Koltsov, "Across the river for the fast" and "Not a flower fades in the field" to the words of A. N. Ostrovsky; in "Dubinushka" an authentic folk song is used as a background.
In total, Chesnokov wrote over 60 secular mixed choirs a cappella, and also (in connection with pedagogical work in women's boarding schools) - more than 20 women's choirs with extensive piano accompaniment (“Green Noise”, “Leaves”, “Uncompressed Band”, “ Peasant Feast). Several male choirs of Chesnokov - an arrangement of the same works for a mixed composition.
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Notes
Literature
- Chesnokov P. G. Ed. 3rd - M., 1961
- Dmitrevskaya K.
- // "The World of Orthodoxy". - No. 10 (115). - 2007.
An excerpt characterizing Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich
- You better wait until you get married ...- You know, - said Anatole, - j "adore les petites filles: [I love girls:] - now he will be lost.
- You already got caught once on a petite fille [girl], - said Dolokhov, who knew about Anatole's marriage. - Look!
Well, you can't do it twice! A? - said Anatole, laughing good-naturedly.
The next day after the theater, the Rostovs did not go anywhere and no one came to them. Marya Dmitrievna, hiding from Natasha, was talking to her father about something. Natasha guessed that they were talking about the old prince and inventing something, and she was worried and offended by this. She waited every minute for Prince Andrei, and twice that day sent the janitor to Vzdvizhenka to find out if he had arrived. He didn't come. It was now harder for her than the first days of her arrival. Her impatience and sadness for him were joined by an unpleasant recollection of a meeting with Princess Marya and the old prince, and fear and anxiety, for which she did not know the reason. It seemed to her that either he would never come, or that before he arrived, something would happen to her. She could not, as before, calmly and for a long time, alone with herself, think about him. As soon as she began to think about him, the recollection of him was joined by the recollection of the old prince, of Princess Mary, and of the last performance, and of Kuragin. She again presented herself with the question of whether she was guilty, whether her loyalty to Prince Andrei had already been violated, and again she found herself remembering every word, every gesture, every shade of the play of expression on the face of this man, who knew how to arouse in her incomprehensible for her and a terrible feeling. In the eyes of her family, Natasha seemed livelier than usual, but she was far from being as calm and happy as she had been before.
On Sunday morning, Marya Dmitrievna invited her guests to Mass at her parish of the Assumption on Mogiltsy.
“I don’t like these fashionable churches,” she said, apparently proud of her free-thinking. “There is only one God everywhere. Our priest is fine, he serves decently, it's so noble, and so is the deacon. Is it any holiness from this that they sing concerts on the kliros? I do not like, one pampering!
Marya Dmitrievna loved Sundays and knew how to celebrate them. Her house was all washed and cleaned on Saturday; people and she did not work, everyone was festively discharged, and everyone was at mass. Meals were added to the master's dinner, and people were given vodka and a roasted goose or pig. But on nothing in the whole house was the holiday so noticeable as on the broad, stern face of Marya Dmitrievna, which on that day assumed an unchanging expression of solemnity.
When they had drunk coffee after mass, in the living room with the covers removed, Marya Dmitrievna was informed that the carriage was ready, and with a stern look, dressed in a ceremonial shawl in which she made visits, she got up and announced that she was going to Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky to explain to him about Natasha.
After the departure of Marya Dmitrievna, a fashionista from Madame Chalmet came to the Rostovs, and Natasha, having closed the door in the room next to the living room, very pleased with the entertainment, began trying on new dresses. While she, putting on a bodice that was still sleeveless, swept up on a live thread, and bending her head, looked in the mirror at how her back was sitting, she heard in the living room the lively sounds of her father's voice and another, female voice, which made her blush. It was Ellen's voice. Before Natasha had time to take off the bodice she was trying on, the door opened and Countess Bezukhaya entered the room, beaming with a good-natured and affectionate smile, in a dark purple, high-necked velvet dress.
Ah, ma delicieuse! [Oh, my lovely!] - she said to the blushing Natasha. - Charmante! [Charming!] No, it's not like anything, my dear count, - she said to Ilya Andreevich, who came in after her. - How to live in Moscow and not go anywhere? No, I won't leave you! This evening m lle Georges is declaiming at my place and some people will gather; and if you don't bring your beauties, who are better than m lle Georges, then I don't want to know you. There is no husband, he went to Tver, otherwise I would have sent him for you. By all means come, by all means, at the ninth hour. She nodded her head at the familiar fashionista, who respectfully crouched down to her, and sat down on an armchair near the mirror, picturesquely spreading the folds of her velvet dress. She did not stop chatting good-naturedly and cheerfully, constantly admiring Natasha's beauty. She examined her dresses and praised them, and also boasted of her new dress en gaz metallique [made of metal-colored gauze] which she had received from Paris and advised Natasha to do the same.
“However, everything suits you, my lovely,” she said.
A smile of pleasure never left Natasha's face. She felt happy and flourishing under the praises of this dear Countess Bezukhova, who had previously seemed to her such an impregnable and important lady, and who was now so kind to her. Natasha became cheerful and felt almost in love with this beautiful and such good-natured woman. Helen, for her part, sincerely admired Natasha and wanted to amuse her. Anatole asked her to set him up with Natasha, and for this she came to the Rostovs. The thought of bringing her brother together with Natasha amused her.
In spite of the fact that she had previously been annoyed with Natasha for having wrested Boris from her in Petersburg, now she did not even think about it, and with all her heart, in her own way, wished Natasha well. Leaving the Rostovs, she withdrew her protegee aside.
- Yesterday my brother dined with me - we were dying of laughter - he does not eat anything and sighs for you, my charm. Il est fou, mais fou amoureux de vous, ma chere. [He's going crazy, but he's going crazy in love with you, my dear.]
Natasha blushed purple upon hearing these words.
- How blushing, how blushing, ma delicieuse! [my charm!] - Helen said. - You should definitely come. Si vous aimez quelqu "un, ma delicieuse, ce n" est pas une raison pour se cloitrer. Si meme vous etes promise, je suis sure que votre promis aurait desire que vous alliez dans le monde en son absence plutot que deperir d "ennui. [From the fact that you love someone, my lovely, you should not live as a nun. Even if you're a bride, I'm sure your fiancé would rather have you go out into the world in his absence than die of boredom.]
“So she knows that I am a bride, so she and her husband, with Pierre, with this fair Pierre, Natasha thought, talked and laughed about it. So it was nothing." And again, under the influence of Helen, what had previously seemed terrible seemed simple and natural. “And she is such a grande dame, [important lady,] so sweet and so evidently loves me with all her heart,” thought Natasha. And why not have fun? thought Natasha, looking at Helen with surprised, wide-open eyes.
