Choral master. Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich See what "Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich" is in other dictionaries

Russian empire RSFSR USSR

composer, choir conductor

Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov(October 12 (24), 1877, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province - March 14, 1944) - Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions.

Biography

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).

Literature

• Chesnokov P. G. Chorus and management. Manual for choir conductors. Ed. 3rd - M., 1961
• Dmitrevskaya K. Russian Soviet choral music. Issue. 1.- M.: "Soviet composer", 1974.- S. 44-69
• List of published spiritual works by P. G. Chesnokov

Links

Categories:

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• October 24
• Born in 1877
• Born in Zvenigorod district
• Deceased March 14
• Deceased in 1944
• Deceased in Moscow
• Composers alphabetically
• Church regents
• Spiritual composers
• Choral conductors of Russia
• Choral conductors of the USSR

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See what "Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich" is in other dictionaries:

- (1877 1944) Russian choral conductor. In 1895 1916 teacher at the Synodal School (People's Choir Academy), in 1917 22nd chief conductor of the Moscow State Choir, in 1922 28th head of the Moscow Chapel. The author of the first Russian ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Soviet choral conductor, teacher and composer. In 1895 he graduated from the Synodal School as a choir conductor, in 1917 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in composition class with S... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich- CHESNOKOV Pavel Grigorievich (1877 1944), choir conductor, composer and teacher. Leader of many choirs (church and secular). One of the largest representatives of Russian choral culture. About 500 compositions for choir; Russia's first capital ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1877 1944), choral conductor, regent, composer. In 1895 1916 teacher at the Synodal School (People's Choir Academy), in 1917 22nd chief conductor of the Moscow State Choir, in 1922 28th head of the Moscow Chapel. The author of the first... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1877, near the city of Voskresensk, Moscow province, now the city of Istra, 1944, Moscow), composer, choir conductor, regent. From the family of a clergyman. In 1895 he graduated from the Synodal School of Church Singing; in 1895 99 took composition lessons from S.I. Taneeva, ... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

Genus. 1877, mind. 1944. Choral conductor. He was chief conductor of the Moscow State Choir (1917–22), led the Moscow Chapel (1922–28). Composer of musical works for the choir. Since 1921, professor at the Moscow Conservatory ... Big biographical encyclopedia

- (24 (12) October 1877 March 14, 1944) Russian choral conductor, composer, church regent, professor at the Moscow Conservatory (since 1921). Born on October 24 (12, old style) October 1877 near the city of Voznesensk, Zvenigorod district ... ... Wikipedia

Grigorievich Russian choir conductor, composer, church regent, professor at the Moscow Conservatory Chesnokov, Pavel Vasilievich artist, heraldist ... Wikipedia

Chesnokov Pavel Grigoryevich (October 24 (12), 1877 March 14, 1944) Russian choir conductor, composer, church regent, professor at the Moscow Conservatory (since 1921). Born on October 24 (12, old style) October 1877 near the city of Voznesensk ... ... Wikipedia

Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich Russian choir conductor, composer, church regent, professor at the Moscow Conservatory Chesnokov, Pavel Vasilievich artist, heraldist ... Wikipedia

Books

• Chorus and management. Textbook, Chesnokov Pavel Grigorievich, P. G. Chesnokov is one of the greatest masters of Russian choral culture, who contributed to raising it to a new, highest level with his versatile musical activity. Real work... Category: Music Series: Textbooks for universities. Special literature Publisher:

Pavel G. Chesnokov(October 12 (24), 1877, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province - March 14, 1944, Moscow) - Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions.

Biography

Born near the city of Voskresensk (now Istra) in the family of a rural regent. Father - Grigory Petrovich, mother - Marfa Fedorovna Chesnokovy. From the age of five he began to sing in his father's choir. 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, he took composition lessons from S. I. Taneyev, G. E. Konyus and M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools: in 1895-1904 he taught at the Synodal School, and in 1901-1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir. In 1916-1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society (on Kuznetsky Most in the house of Torletsky-Zakharyin).

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. According to a common version, he fell while standing in line for bread, and the cause of the heart attack was the general exhaustion of the body. 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 as "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.

October 24, 1877 - March 14, 1944

Russian choir conductor, composer, church conductor, professor at the Moscow Conservatory

Biography

Born near the city of Voskresensk (now Istra) 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, he took composition lessons from S. I. Taneyev, G. E. Konyus and M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools: in 1895-1904 he taught at the Synodal School, and in 1901-1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir. In 1916-1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society (on Kuznetsky Most in the house of Torletsky-Zakharyin).

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 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.

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".

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).

"To the venerable sweet-singing creator,
servant of God, Pavel Grigorievich,
many years for the glory of the Church
Orthodox to the hard worker ... "

/ A. D. Kastalsky, from “Many Years to Paul
Grigoryevich Chesnokov" /

"...P. G. Chesnokov left us inimitable samples of high religious inspiration, which burned with a quiet flame in him all his life. Not striving for any external effects, Chesnokov inspired the words of prayer petitions and praises with the simplest melodies, sounding from the depths of pure and perfect harmony. His music is alien to earthly passions, and earthly thought does not penetrate into the depths of simple and strict harmonies. This wonderful composer interpreted church music as prayer wings, on which our soul easily ascends to the throne of the Most High.” These words, spoken in the obituary of the "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate" in April 1944, were the only ones that this genius of choral music of the 20th century was awarded in the national press after his death. Like Bach, who absorbed all the German music that existed before him, in order to later build a grandiose building, brick-by-brick, not subject to decay, Chesnokov summed up the thousand-year history of Russian church music by the tragic year of 1917, raising above the world the dome of a temple not made by hands, designed to purify human souls. And just as then, in the 18th century, blind contemporaries did not notice the grandiose creation that now strikes our imagination, so now we, standing at the foot of the temple, are trying in vain to distinguish the outlines of a cross on a dome that goes into the clouds. It took decades, as well as the efforts of many people, to understand and appreciate Bach; an equally long way must be traveled to comprehend Chesnokov.

The origins of his work should be sought in the mists of time, when monophonic chants that came from Greece and Byzantium were sung in the monasteries and temples of semi-pagan Rus'. The strict ascetic spirit of the ascetics of the early Christian era lived in these hymns, passed down from generation to generation by oral tradition. In addition to the Znamenny (monophonic) chant, polyphonic chant was used: demestvennaya chant, travel chant. At the same time, the voices did not correlate harmoniously in any way, each went its own way, intertwining with the others into a bizarre dissonant vertical (the middle voice was called the “way” - hence the name of the chant, the upper one was “top”, the lower one was “bottom”). This fact is important for understanding the style of Chesnokov the composer. The unhurried and peaceful course of events was interrupted shortly after 1652, when part of the Church, opposing the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, went into schism. The clouds were gathering more and more over the Orthodox Church, and the storm was not long in coming - in 1666, after the trial, the former Patriarch Nikon was exiled to a distant monastery. This fracture in the Church predetermined the fate of Russia for centuries to come. From that moment on, only the Old Believers remained the same singing, for whom time stopped the course; in the reformed Church, however, the wheel of history, having begun to move, began to gain momentum. For liturgical singing, the first stage began: Polish-Ukrainian partes singing, which was strongly influenced by the Catholic Church, began to irresistibly crowd out the old chants. Following the first period (which lasted until the end of the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740)) was followed by the second - it was marked by the arrival of the Italian Francesco Araya in Moscow to "establish" musical life at court. The "Enlightened West" first poured into Russia as a thin stream, then as an increasingly full-flowing river, in order to teach the Russian barbarians the fine arts. The main apologist for the Italian style in Russian church music was Galuppi's student, Dmitry Bortnyansky, director of the Court Singing Chapel, under the sign of whose dominance the entire 19th century would pass. After 1816 and until his death (1825), for ten years he was the only, almost omnipotent censor of spiritual and musical compositions allowed for performance in the temple and allowed for publication. Needless to say, this position greatly contributed to his enormous popularity (of course, we are not in the least inclined to reduce his creative activity and composing talent: 59 sacred concertos alone were written and published, of which 20 are double-horse). Liturgical singing again divided into two paths: parish and monastic. And if in the monasteries behind the high walls, under the vigilant eye of the church hierarchs, the statutory singing, transmitted in the oral tradition by previous generations of novices and monks, was still preserved, then the long-suffering parishes turned into concert halls, where, along with the theater, the public went to listen to the performance (it should be noted that often masterful) of the same Italian operatic music, only for liturgical texts. Here is how Bulgakov, who was ambassador to Constantinople under Catherine II, reflects the customs of that time in a letter to his son: “The glorious singers of Kazakov, who now belong to Beketov, sing in the church of Demetrius of Thessalonica in Moscow. Such a congress happens that the entire Tverskoy Boulevard is lined with carriages. Recently, prayers have reached such shamelessness that in the church they shouted “handicap” (i.e. “bravo”, “encore”). Fortunately, the owner of the singers had a hunch to get the singers out, without which they would have reached more obscenity. Thus, in the minds of both the parishioners and the performers themselves, singing ceased to be a part of the divine service, but became simply music, bringing a pleasant “diversity” to the course of the service. The chaos generated by the craze for musical Italian singing could not exist for long, for it corrupted the very foundations of church worship. It was put to an end by the imperious hand of General A.F. Lvov, who was appointed in 1837 as the manager of the Court Choir, and therefore of all church music (here we do not take into account the complete lack of logic in the situation when singing in church is an integral part of worship , was regulated not by the charter and not even by church hierarchs, but by secular musicians who have a very vague idea of ​​the genesis of liturgical singing and church services as such). On the one hand, Lvov brilliantly coped with his task: for 26 years of his activity in this post, he brought to uniformity all everyday (voice) singing, having carried out the publication of "The Use of Simple Church Singing, Used at the Highest Court", which became mandatory for all churches and which we still use today. It also matters to us that he liberated from the Procrustean bed of symmetrical meter and bar lines the harmonized ancient chants into which Italian music based on poetic versification and dance drove them. And yet Lvov, replacing the Italian polyphony "concerto grosso" with a strict German chorale, was far from realizing the fact that ancient Russian music has its own, completely different laws of development. “The Znamenny chant still continued to remind people who undertook to harmonize it that they do not know its musical structure and, applying a new European harmony to it, do not know what they are doing, and unite the incompatible” (Preobrazhensky, “Cult Singing”). Thus, towards the end of its third period, liturgical singing was again led into a blind alley. Vocal usage, so rich in melodies in ancient liturgical books, was reduced to eight voices of the Chapel's Daily Service, and the freely composed repertoire at the end of the 19th century was the same as at the beginning, plus the published works of Lvov himself. The removal of the Church itself from solving singing problems also had a negative effect. In some churches, the choir directors, despite the remarks of the bishops, allowed themselves to completely disregard the Rule and in singing adhered only to their own personal taste. Archbishop Nikanor of Kherson and Odessa tells about his impressions upon entering the administration of the diocese in his letter to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K.P. Here is the order of unimaginables... In general, nothing is read in the cathedral until the Six Psalms... The prokeimns all sing on the same note. Old rich tunes in voice are forgotten. In general, these routines of the Court Chapel have a disastrous effect on all-Russian ancient singing ... The regent, frivolous to the point of insolence, even inflicted several insults on me, leaving in exaggerated Italian, which I objected to ... ”Tchaikovsky echoes him:“ A sugary style is heard from the capital to the village Bortnyansky and - alas! - the audience likes it. We need a messiah who will destroy everything old with one blow and go on a new path, and the new path consists in returning to the hoary antiquity and in communicating the ancient tunes in appropriate harmonization. How the ancient tunes should be harmonized, no one has yet properly decided ... "

Meanwhile, in Moscow, which was not affected as much as Petersburg by the reformist activities of the managers of the Court Choir, a new period in the development of liturgical singing was gradually maturing. Having begun together with the 20th century, it arose as a reaction of gifted, educated Russian musicians to the dominance of first Italian and then German music in worship, and in any case, it had absolutely nothing to do with the ancient roots of Russian church singing. The center of the new direction was the Synodal Choir, as well as the Synodal School of Church Singing formed under it. The necessary prerequisites for this were: The Synodal Choir sang divine services out of duty in the Moscow Great Assumption Cathedral, where their own special liturgical charter operated and their obligatory tunes were preserved. Appointed in 1886 as regent of the choir, V. S. Orlov, a student of Tchaikovsky, raised the choir's performance level to unprecedented heights, forever burying the monopoly of the Court Singing Chapel on highly artistic singing. The director of the School at that time was S. V. Smolensky (the first and main teacher of Chesnokov), who stated that “The Synodal School of Church Singing aims to study ancient Russian church singing ...” He himself, being the largest theorist in this field, collected (on own funds) the richest, unique library of singing manuscripts.

Now we can be convinced that by the beginning of the 20th century, the ground was completely prepared for the appearance in Russian church music of a figure of such magnitude as P. G. Chesnokov, who combined in his work all the characteristic features of previous eras: the instrumentality of partes singing, the polyphony of Italian music, the severity and beauty of the harmony of the German chorale; He graciously combined all this with a deep knowledge and inner feeling of the national roots of ancient Russian church chant, which could only be accessible to a sincere believer.

The future composer was born on October 24 (12 according to the old style) October 1877 near the city of Voznesensk, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province, in the family of a church regent. In addition to Pavel, Grigory Chesnokov had two more sons - Alexei and Alexander (the latter was also known as a spiritual composer, the author of many works for the choir, including Liturgy op.8 for mixed choir). By the age of seven, the boy had an outstanding musical talent and a wonderful singing voice: they allowed him to enter the Synodal School without any problems, which he graduated with a gold medal in 1895. In high school, Chesnokov studied composition in the class of Smolensky; his first writings belong to this period. After graduating from college, feeling insufficient technical preparedness for free creative self-expression in composition, Chesnokov took private lessons from S. I. Taneyev for four years. At this time, the composer worked as a teacher of choral singing in gymnasiums and women's boarding schools, and in 1903 he became director of the choir at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Pokrovka ("on the Mud"), which under his leadership became one of the best in Moscow, despite its amateur status. “They didn’t pay the choristers, but the choristers paid to be accepted into the Chesnokov choir,” recalled one of the old-timers-choirmasters S. N. Danilov in 1960. In the journal "Choral and Regency Business" in 1913 (No. 4), a review was published of the anniversary (on the 10th anniversary of the management of the choir by Chesnokov) concerts of the choir, where the author describes his impressions as follows: “...P. G. Chesnokov is a remarkable virtuoso in conducting the choir and a finest artist. The choir sang simply and seriously, humbly and sternly. There is no desire to surprise with an extraordinary effect, to prepare something striking, some striking contrast. All shades are given in such a way that the inner feeling and musical beauty of each performed work require. In addition, Pavel Chesnokov served as regent in the church of Cosmas and Damian on Skobelevskaya Square, and also (1911–1917) taught at the annual summer regency courses in St. Petersburg with P. A. Petrov (Boyarinov), which were called “Smolensky courses”, since continuation of the work begun by Smolensky in Moscow in 1909. Every year, at the end of the course, the choir of regents under the direction of Chesnokov sang a liturgy in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, where the works of both Pavel Grigorievich himself (Cherubim "Starosimonovskaya", "Rejoice"), and other authors (Tchaikovsky, Grechaninov, Kastalsky, Shvedov) . After the liturgy, there was always a memorial service for Smolensky, where Smolensky himself performed the "Panikhida on the themes of ancient chants". Chesnokov repeatedly traveled from Moscow at the invitation of places to conduct spiritual concerts (Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.). Not confining himself to personal problems, at the same time, Chesnokov the regent actively manifested himself in the public arena, participating in the work of all (except for the 2nd) regency congresses, which played a significant role in raising the social status and improving the financial situation of the Russian regents. He zealously saw to it that each congress really brought concrete results and did not stray away from the solution of precisely the regency's problems. Thus, the journal "Choral and Regency Business" (1910, No. 12), under the title "Those who have ears to hear - let them hear," published a letter written by Chesnokov after the 3rd congress in 1910, in which there are the following lines: "... Material and social the downtroddenness of the regents gave birth to regent congresses. And the first two showed clearly what and how the regent can achieve. But then those who were ashamed to be called regents appeared and merged the purely regency business with the general choral one. The 3rd Congress of Choral Workers has appeared, and we see what it gave. On it, everything related to the regency was carefully erased, bypassed ... That is why I am still against the merger of the regency congresses with the congresses of choral workers. Regency activity runs like a red thread through the composer's entire life, despite any political upheavals and persecution. Chesnokov the regent did not think of himself outside the church, remaining faithful to this service until the end of his days.

In 1913, at the age of 36, being the most famous regent and author of spiritual works, Chesnokov entered the Moscow Conservatory (one can only marvel at this irresistible striving for perfection, combined with true Christian humility!). There he studied composition and conducting with M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, as well as instrumentation with S. I. Vasilenko. Like the hero of the gospel parable, who acquired five other talents for the 5 talents given to him in order to double back to his master what the master bestowed on him, Chesnokov by 1917, his fortieth birthday, the year of graduating from the conservatory, had 36 (out of 38 written by him) spiritual opuses (in total by that time there were 50 of them - along with secular music), behind were two decades of tireless work in the choral and regency field, active social activity. It was probably no coincidence that it was precisely in this year that Chesnokov and his choir participated in the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon (the first since the abolition of the patriarchate in 1718), whom the infernal machine of the new order could not break, and whose martyrdom meant that everything Russia lived before that, gone into the irretrievable past, and everything that cannot be broken will be destroyed. Thus, the work of summer regency courses ceased, the Synodal School was first transformed into the Choir Academy, and then abolished, churches were closed one after another, and regency congresses were out of the question. Everyone who surrounded Chesnokov either emigrated or, like him, remained out of work. As an example, we can cite A. V. Nikolsky, who, having signed an agreement “not to distribute his cult works” in order not to let his family die of hunger, worked in Proletkult until 1925, composing new “proletarian songs”, though very similar to his spiritual works. The fate of N. M. Danilin was broken, who, after the collapse of the brilliant career of the regent of the Synodal Choir (suffice it to recall the famous trip to Rome with concerts in Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, Dresden), tried to find a job as a choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater, head of the choir of the former Courtyard chapel, the State Choir of the USSR, but did not stay anywhere for a long time, apparently, the contrast between what filled his former life as a church conductor and the new repertoire of Soviet choirs was too striking. Pavel Grigorievich was no exception, who had to rebuild his life in his fifties. This period of the composer's life is quite clearly recorded in the Soviet press. In it, we can read that P. G. Chesnokov “actively joined the work on the development of Soviet choral culture” (Musical Encyclopedia) and “his activity becomes at the service of the people, filled with new content” (K. B. Ptitsa). This means that in 1917-1922. he led the 2nd State Choir, in 1922-1923. - Moscow Academic Chapel. In 1931–1933 worked as the chief choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater, and at the same time directed the chapel of the Moscow Philharmonic; from 1917 to 1920 he taught at the Musical College named after the October Revolution.

In 1923, the "People's Choir Academy", created instead of the abolished Synodal School, ceased to exist. In turn, instead of it, a sub-department was organized at the instructor-pedagogical faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. Its origins were the main "ideologist" of the new direction A. D. Kastalsky (he already taught at the conservatory, and many even considered him a "red professor" - however, unfairly) and former teachers of the Synodal School, and then the People's Choir Academy A. V Nikolsky, N. M. Danilin, A. V. Alexandrov. P. G. Chesnokov, who from 1920 led the choir class and the course of choral studies he created at the conservatory, was one of them. Like any new undertaking (we do not question its expediency - in any case, there was no other way out), the sub-department entered a long period of reorganization and reforms: curricula, structure, name changed, choirs were created and disbanded, their leaders changed. Chesnokov directed the choral class of the subdepartment from 1924 to 1926 (the same year marked the 30th anniversary of Chesnokov's church singing activity as a composer and choir director, on this occasion Kastalsky wrote inspired lines that serve as the epigraph of this article). When the department of choir conducting was created in 1932, Chesnokov was its first head, but he never stayed in such positions for long, because accusations of "churchism" (and until 1932 he was regent in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior) followed him like a trail until end of life. During these years, Chesnokov worked on the main theoretical work of his life - the book "Chorus and its management", which was published in 1940 (circulation sold out in a matter of hours). Since then, the work has been repeatedly reprinted - and quite deservedly so: no one has yet written a better book that combines the theory and practice of conducting a choir. Nevertheless, the internal breakdown that occurred in the author after the revolution is clearly felt in it. According to the original plan, this work was supposed to sum up and generalize the church singing experience that filled the life of the composer and regent, but due to the aggressive atheistic policy of the Soviet government (it was the time of the “godless five-year plan”: by 1943 not a single temple, not a single priest - but the war prevented) Chesnokov was forced to write simply about the choir; the only church music example in this book is Berezovsky's "Don't Reject Me in Old Age", without lyrics. The creative activity of the composer-author of spiritual works also ended long ago: the last opuses were secular. After 1917, according to the data available today, only 20 sacred works were composed, some of which were published, while others, remaining in manuscripts, were included in opuses No. 51 and No. 53.

The last years of the life of P. G. Chesnokov were filled with need and deprivation. The official Soviet press tells us nothing about these years - but who wants to remember once again that we are to blame for the starvation death of another Russian genius? At best, we can read that this happened in the "difficult days of the Great Patriotic War, in April 1944" (K. B. Ptitsa). Old singers recall that Chesnokov, being regent, did not go along with the “large group of professors” of the Moscow Conservatory to Nalchik and, having lost bread cards, spent the last days in lines at the bakery on Herzen Street, where on March 14, 1944 they found him a frozen, lifeless body forever abandoned by a pure, childishly naive soul. The funeral service was performed in the church on Bryusovsky Lane (Nezhdanova St.), and Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov found his last resting place at the Vagankovsky cemetery, where his ashes rest to this day.

This article does not aim to exhaustively summarize the entire life and creative biography of the composer, but we would like each musician, having come into contact with the spiritual world of the Master himself, carefully and cautiously approach the interpretation of his works, recognizing the greatness of the composer's musical gift and the depth of his human humility.

CHESNOKOV, PAVEL GRIGORIEVICH(1877-1944), Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions. Born near Voskresensk (now Istra) 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. Taneev, 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 led 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 Neokesariysky 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 complete 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. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called. "new direction" in Russian sacred music ( cm. RUSSIAN SPIRITUAL 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).

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 a book Choir and management. Chesnokov died in Moscow on March 14, 1944

Music lovers in Russia recently celebrated 125 years since the birth of Pavel Chesnokov. He wrote both secular and church music, but he was honored, first of all, as a church Orthodox composer and leader of many church choirs.

The works of Pavel Chesnokov are very advantageous in terms of concerts. They allow singers to demonstrate their vocal abilities in the best possible way, therefore the stars of Russian opera, for example, Irina Arkhipova, a former soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, often turn to Pavel Chesnokov's spiritual chants. 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 in a narrow framework 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.

Pavel Chesnokov was born in 1877 in the Moscow region into a family of hereditary regents. In 1895 he graduated from the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, then took lessons from the composer and music theorist Sergei Taneyev, director of the Moscow Conservatory in those years. Sergei Taneyev entered the history of music as a master of choral polyphony, and he taught this art to Pavel Chesnokov.

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.

In 1917, Pavel Chesnokov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, he was a student of the composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. Pavel Chesnokov worked hard: he led a choral conducting class at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, taught choral singing in elementary and secondary schools, and, in addition, directed the choir of the Russian Choral Society and was a regent in several church choirs. The regency was for him the main thing in life. Could he have thought at a time when Russia was still an Orthodox state that the coming revolution would turn all the foundations of life upside down, and his noble cause would become objectionable in his own country?.. But this happened during the years of Soviet power, with which Pavel Chesnokov tense relations, although representatives of official state atheism in the Soviet Union could not help but see his great talent as a composer and choirmaster. The musical encyclopedia, published in the Soviet era, wrote about Pavel Chesnokov as follows: "He was one of the greatest masters of Russian Soviet choral culture. Possessing extensive teaching experience, Chesnokov, as a choir leader, achieved perfect performance technique, impeccable order and ensemble, and an accurate transfer of the composer's intention" .

Pavel Chesnokov also worked very actively under the new government, although there was not as much work as a conductor in church choirs, his favorite, as before. In addition to directing a number of choirs, the composer taught at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, which was transformed by the new government into a secular institution and was called the Choir Chapel. Pavel Chesnokov also led the Moscow Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater, taught at the Moscow Conservatory and its school. And, of course, he wrote music.

According to experts, Pavel Chesnokov was a brilliant choir conductor. He wrote the book "The Chorus and its Administration". Now it is considered a reference book for major choral conductors. In the 1930s and 1940s, Pavel Chesnokov, after being unable to publish it for a long time, turned to Sergei Rachmaninov, who was then in exile in the United States, for help. Finally, Pavel Chesnokov's book was published in the Soviet Union, but with a disapproving preface. The permanent regency was never forgiven him ...

Pavel Chesnokov died in 1944 in Moscow. It was the time of the Second World War. The Moscow Conservatory, where he taught, was evacuated, but the composer refused to be evacuated. He did not want to part with the church, with the regency, which at that time was not possible everywhere. Church ministry Pavel Chesnokov revered above his own life.

Modern musicians note the interesting musical language of Pavel Chesnokov, who wrote over 500 choral works. 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. "

Vespers and Liturgy

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.