The 20th century is an era of great transformations in world culture, in particular, music. On the one hand, both world wars and many revolutions influenced the general turbulent situation in the world.
On the other hand, technological development progressing before our eyes has led to the creation of radically new genres, styles, directions, ways of musical expression. Despite this, some composers of the 20th century did not abandon traditional classical forms and developed and enriched this art form. Within the framework of this article, we will talk about such innovative composer schools and composers as
- New Vienna School and its representatives
- Composers of the French Six
- Avant-garde composers
- Composers of the French Six
New Vienna School
One of the first innovators at the beginning of the 20th century is the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, who led the New Vienna School and created the dodecaphone system. His students followed - Alban Berg and Anton Webern - completely abandoned the tonal system, thus creating atonal music, which means the rejection of the tonic (main sound). The exception is the latest works of A. Berg. The atonalist composers mostly composed in the expressionist style, on which the imprints of the cruel upheavals of humanity from the loss of loved ones during the war, hunger, cold, and poverty lie. The atonal system has exhausted itself for some time, however, in the future, throughout the 20th century and to this day, many composers try their hand at using this technique.
"French Six"
Almost simultaneously with the Schoenberg group, the composers of the French Six began to operate in France, united by a common worldview. These are A. Honegger, D. Milhaud, F. Poulenc, J. Auric, L. Duray, J. Tayefer. The composers of the "Six" wanted to make the art of music accessible to representatives of all segments of the population. Nevertheless, their music was on a par with many classical works. The composers of the "Six" in their works promoted the direction of urbanism associated with the growth of cities and high-tech progress of the 20th century. The use of various noise effects in the works (especially in the works of A. Honegger) - beeps, the rhythm of a steam locomotive, etc. - is a kind of tribute to the direction of urbanization.
Vanguard 50s
In the 1950s, avant-garde composers P. Boulez (France), K. Stockhausen (Germany), L. Nono and L. Berio (Italy) appeared on the scene. Music for these composers turns into a field for experiments, where more attention is paid to the design of the sound range, rather than the very content of the musical canvas. A special place in their work is occupied by the serial technique, which originates from the dodecaphonic system and is brought to its apogee. Total serialism is created - in this writing technique, seriality is reflected in all elements of the musical whole (rhythm, melody, dynamic shades, etc.). Avant-garde composers are also the founders of electronic, concrete, minimal music and pointillism techniques.
Above is a small list of musical styles, trends, musical expression, therefore, one can imagine what diversity this interesting, multi-layered and many-sided 20th century brings.
Russian, and as its continuation the Soviet and Russian school of composers, originates in the 18th century. One of the most significant professional composers of that time, who deserves mention in the Great History of Russian Music, was D.S. Bortnyansky.
However, as often happened in the history of Russia, professional Russian music began with imitation and copying of the West. In the case of Bortnyansky, this is a "copy" from the music of Vivaldi.
The Russian composer of the first half of the 19th century, Mikhail Glinka (who is considered the founder of Russian classical music), solved this issue in the following way: the music must contain intonations and even entire melodies of folk music of the nationality to which the author belongs. He really successfully and talentedly used acquaintance in his music, Russian-folk intonations and melodies. His ingenious music is purely Russian in spirit and European in form.
Glinka's words "the people compose the music, we only orchestrate it" were picked up by other composers. The idea was liked and became a postulate, an immutable rule that many composers began to follow. United by this idea, the Russian school of composers began to take shape.
In history, as always, only the most talented and brilliant
List of great Russian composers
| But. | Name | Epoch | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romanticism | 1861-1906 | |
| 2 | "Mighty handful" - nationally oriented Russian music school | 1836/37-1910 | |
| 3 | classicism | 1745-1777 | |
| 4 | Romanticism - "The Mighty Handful" | 1833-1887 | |
| 5 | classicism - church music | 1751-1825 | |
| 6 | Russian folk music | 1801-1848 | |
| 7 | Romanticism | 1799-1862 | |
| 8 | Romanticism - "The Mighty Handful" | 1865-1936 | |
| 9 | classicism | 1804-1857 | |
| 10 | - | 1874/75-1956 | |
| 11 | Romanticism | 1864-1956 | |
| 12 | - | 1803-1858 | |
| 13 | Romanticism | 1813-1869 | |
| 14 | church music | 1776-1813 | |
| 15 | 1859-1935 | ||
| 16 | 20th-century classical composers | 1904-1987 | |
| 17 | Russian musical classics | 1866-1900/01 | |
| 18 | Romanticism - "The Mighty Handful" | 1835-1918 | |
| 19 | 20th-century classical composers | 1855-1914 | |
| 20 | Romanticism | 1850-1924 | |
| 21 | Romanticism - "The Mighty Handful" | 1839-1881 | |
| 22 | Czech by nationality | Romanticism? | 1839-1916 |
| 23 | Neoclassicism | 1891-1953 | |
| 24 | Romanticism | 1873-1943 | |
| 25 | Romanticism - "The Mighty Handful" | 1844-1908 | |
| 26 |
Slide 8
Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich
D. Shostakovich suffered from a kind of illness - the death of muscles. At his son's wedding on October 20, 1960, he went out onto the landing and suddenly fell: his legs gave out. During the fall, he broke his leg, and had to call an ambulance and take him to the hospital right from the holiday. But even there Shostakovich did not stop working: he wrote from memory, without a piano. The eighth quartet, dedicated to the memory of the victims of fascism, Shostakovich wrote very quickly, in three days, reflecting in it all the most important events of his life. In the work, he used the music of the First Symphony, the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the Second Trio in memory of I. Sollertinsky, as well as the music of the Tenth Symphony, written immediately after Stalin's death in 1953, and the First Cello Concerto in 1959, dedicated to M. Rostropovich. D. Shostakovich resorted in the quartet to the melody of his musical monogram D - S - C - H, which means the notes "re - mi-flat - do - si", as a link between fragments of the quartet, which were quotes from his early works
World classical music is unthinkable without the works of Russian composers. The Russian school of composers, whose traditions were continued by the Soviet and today's Russian schools, began in the 19th century with composers who combined European musical art with Russian folk melodies, linking together the European form and the Russian spirit.
as A. S. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, A. S. Griboyedov, A. A. Delvig. The creative impetus to his work was added by a long-term trip to Europe in the early 1830s and meetings with the leading composers of the time - V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, F. Mendelssohn and later with G. Berlioz, J. Meyerbeer. Success came to M. I. Glinka after the production of the opera “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”) (1836), which was enthusiastically received by everyone, for the first time in world music, Russian choral art and European symphonic and opera practice were organically combined, as well as a hero appeared, similar to Susanin, whose image summarizes the best features of the national character. V. F. Odoevsky described the opera as “a new element in Art, and a new period begins in its history - the period of Russian music.”Glinka: “In order to create beauty, one must be pure in soul”
The second opera - the epic "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1842), the work on which was carried out against the backdrop of the death of Pushkin and in the difficult living conditions of the composer, due to the deeply innovative nature of the work, was ambiguously received by the audience and the authorities and brought M. I. Glinka hard feelings . After that, he traveled a lot, living alternately in Russia and abroad, without stopping composing. Romances, symphonic and chamber works remained in his legacy. In the 1990s, Mikhail Glinka's "Patriotic Song" was the official anthem of the Russian Federation.
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka was not distinguished by good health, despite this he was very easy-going and knew geography very well, perhaps if he had not become a composer, he would have become a traveler. He knew six foreign languages, including Persian.
Alexander Porfiryevich BORODIN (1833-1887)
Alexander Porfirievich Borodin, one of the leading Russian composers of the second half of the 19th century, in addition to his talent as a composer, was a chemist, doctor, teacher, critic and had a literary talent.
Born in St. Petersburg, since childhood, everyone around him noted his unusual activity, enthusiasm and abilities in various directions, primarily in music and chemistry. A.P. Borodin is a Russian nugget composer, he did not have professional musician teachers, all his achievements in music are due to independent work on mastering the technique of composing. The formation of A. P. Borodin was influenced by the work of M. I. Glinka (as well as all Russian composers of the 19th century), and two events gave impetus to the close occupation of composition in the early 1860s - firstly, acquaintance and marriage with the talented pianist E. S. Protopopova, and secondly, a meeting with M. A. Balakirev and joining the creative community of Russian composers, known as the “Mighty Handful”. In the late 1870s and 1880s, A.P. Borodin traveled and toured extensively in Europe and America, met with the leading composers of his time, his fame grew, he became one of the most famous and popular Russian composers in Europe at the end of the 19th century. th century.
The central place in the work of A.P. Borodin is occupied by the opera “Prince Igor” (1869−1890), which is an example of the national heroic epic in music and which he himself did not have time to finish (it was completed by his friends A.A. Glazunov and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov). In "Prince Igor", against the backdrop of majestic pictures of historical events, the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe composer's entire work was reflected - courage, calm grandeur, spiritual nobility of the best Russian people and the mighty strength of the entire Russian people, manifested in the defense of the motherland. Despite the fact that A.P. Borodin left a relatively small number of works, his work is very diverse and he is considered one of the fathers of Russian symphonic music, who influenced many generations of Russian and foreign composers.
The chemical reaction of silver salts of carboxylic acids with halogens, resulting in halogenated hydrocarbons, was named after Borodin, which he was the first to investigate in 1861.
Modest Petrovich MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is one of the most brilliant Russian composers of the 19th century, a member of the Mighty Handful. Mussorgsky's innovative work was far ahead of its time.
Born in the Pskov province. Like many talented people, from childhood he showed talent in music, studied in St. Petersburg, was, according to family tradition, a military man. The decisive event that determined that Mussorgsky was born not for military service, but for music, was his meeting with M. A. Balakirev and joining the Mighty Handful. Mussorgsky is great because in his grandiose works - the operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina - he captured in music the dramatic milestones of Russian history with a radical novelty that Russian music did not know before him, showing in them a combination of mass folk scenes and a diverse richness of types, the unique character of the Russian people. These operas, in numerous editions by both the author and other composers, are among the most popular Russian operas in the world. Another outstanding work of Mussorgsky is the cycle of piano pieces "Pictures at an Exhibition", colorful and inventive miniatures are permeated with the Russian refrain theme and the Orthodox faith.
There was everything in Mussorgsky's life - both greatness and tragedy, but he was always distinguished by genuine spiritual purity and disinterestedness. His last years were difficult - life's disorder, non-recognition of creativity, loneliness, addiction to alcohol, all this determined his early death at 42, he left relatively few compositions, some of which were completed by other composers. The specific melody and innovative harmony of Mussorgsky anticipated some features of the musical development of the 20th century and played an important role in the development of the styles of many world composers.
At the end of his life, Mussorgsky, under pressure from his "friends" Stasov and Rimsky-Korsakov, renounced the copyright to his works and presented them to Tertiy Filippov.
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, perhaps the greatest Russian composer of the 19th century, raised Russian musical art to unprecedented heights. He is one of the most important composers of world classical music.
A native of the Vyatka province, although his paternal roots are in Ukraine, Tchaikovsky showed musical abilities from childhood, but his first education and work was in the field of law. Tchaikovsky is one of the first Russian "professional" composers - he studied music theory and composition at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory. Tchaikovsky was considered a “Western” composer, in contrast to the folk figures of the “Mighty Handful”, with whom he had good creative and friendly relations, however, his work is no less permeated with the Russian spirit, he managed to uniquely combine the Western symphonic heritage of Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann with Russian traditions inherited from Mikhail Glinka.
The composer led an active life - he was a teacher, conductor, critic, public figure, worked in two capitals, toured Europe and America. Tchaikovsky was a rather emotionally unstable person, enthusiasm, despondency, apathy, irascibility, violent anger - all these moods changed in him quite often, being a very sociable person, he always strove for loneliness.
Tchaikovsky: "Great talent requires great diligence"
It is a difficult task to single out something best from Tchaikovsky's work, he has several works of equal size in almost all musical genres - opera, ballet, symphony, chamber music. The content of Tchaikovsky's music is universal: with inimitable melodism, it embraces images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, works of Russian and world literature are revealed in it in a new way, deep processes of spiritual life are reflected.
Cambridge University in absentia and without defending a dissertation awarded Tchaikovsky the title of Doctor of Music, as well as the Paris Academy of Fine Arts elected him a corresponding member.
Nikolai Andreevich RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)
Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov is a talented Russian composer, one of the most important figures in the creation of an invaluable domestic musical heritage. His peculiar world and worship of the eternal all-encompassing beauty of the universe, admiration for the miracle of being, unity with nature have no analogues in the history of music.
Born in the Novgorod province, according to family tradition, he became a naval officer, on a warship he traveled around many countries in Europe and two Americas. He received his musical education first from his mother, then taking private lessons from the pianist F. Canille. And again, thanks to M. A. Balakirev, the organizer of the Mighty Handful, who introduced Rimsky-Korsakov into the musical community and influenced his work, the world did not lose the talented composer.
The central place in Rimsky-Korsakov's legacy is occupied by operas - 15 works demonstrating the diversity of genre, stylistic, dramatic, and compositional decisions of the composer, nevertheless having a special style - with all the richness of the orchestral component, melodic vocal lines are the main ones. Two main directions distinguish the composer's work: the first is Russian history, the second is the world of fairy tales and epic, for which he received the nickname "storyteller".
In addition to direct independent creative activity, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov is known as a publicist, compiler of collections of folk songs, in which he showed great interest, and also as the finalist of the works of his friends - Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky and Borodin. Rimsky-Korsakov was the founder of the composer school, as a teacher and head of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he produced about two hundred composers, conductors, musicologists, among them Prokofiev and Stravinsky.
Alexander Nikolaevich SKRYABIN (1872 - 1915)
Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin is a Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. The original and deeply poetic work of Scriabin stood out for its innovation even against the background of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in public life at the turn of the 20th century.
Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was brought up by his aunt and grandfather, from childhood he showed musical abilities. At the beginning he studied at the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S. V. Rachmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer, he toured Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.
The peak of Scriabin's composing creativity was 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony ("Divine Poem"), the symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works were released. "The Poem of Ecstasy", consisting of several themes-images, concentrated Sryabin's creative ideas and is his bright masterpiece. It harmoniously combined the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. The colossal vital energy, fiery passion, strong-willed power embodied in the "Poem of Ecstasy" makes an irresistible impression on the listener and to this day retains the strength of its influence.
Scriabin: "I'm going to tell them not to expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves."
Another masterpiece of Scriabin is "Prometheus" ("The Poem of Fire"), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, passed no light effects.
The last unfinished "Mystery" was the idea of Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all mankind and inspire him to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.
Sergei Vasilyevich RACHMANINOV (1873 - 1943)
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the greatest world composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. The creative image of Rachmaninov as a composer is often defined by the epithet “the most Russian composer”, emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg composer schools and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in isolation in world musical culture.
Born in the Novgorod province, from the age of four he began to study music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a big gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, composing music. The disastrous premiere of the groundbreaking First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg sparked a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninoff emerged in the early 1900s with a style that combined Russian church songwriting, waning European romanticism, modern impressionism and neoclassicism, all saturated with complex symbolism. During this creative period, his best works were born, including 2 and 3 piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his favorite work - the poem "The Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.
Rachmaninov: “I feel like a ghost that wanders alone in a world alien to him.”
In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the United States. For almost ten years after his departure, he did not compose anything, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and the greatest conductor. For all the stormy activity, Rachmaninoff remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the intrusive attention of the public. He sincerely loved and yearned for his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, helped financially. His last compositions - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) became the result of his creative path, absorbing all the best of his unique style and the mournful feeling of irreparable loss and homesickness.
During the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the money collected from which he sent to the Red Army fund to fight the Nazi invaders.
Igor Fedorovich STRAVINSKY (1882−1971)
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, the leader of neoclassicism. Stravinsky has become a "mirror" of the musical era, his work reflects the multiplicity of styles that constantly intersect and are difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries of musical history and subordinating them to his own rules.
Born near St. Petersburg, studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was Stravinsky's only composing school, thanks to which he mastered the compositional technique to perfection. He began composing professionally relatively late, but the rise was swift - a series of three ballets: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913) immediately brought him to the number of composers of the first magnitude.
In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having been forced to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and ended up living in the USA. His work is divided into three periods - "Russian", "neoclassical", American "serial production", the periods are divided not by the time of life in different countries, but by the author's "handwriting".
Stravinsky: “I have a Russian syllable. Maybe in my music it’s not immediately obvious, but it’s built into it.”
Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person with a wonderful sense of humor. The circle of his acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, statesmen.
The last highest achievement of Stravinsky - "Requiem" (Chants for the Dead) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming a true apotheosis of the master's work.
One unique feature stands out in Stavinsky's work - "uniqueness", it was not for nothing that he was called the "composer of a thousand and one styles", the constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to constructions in which Russian origin is visible, heard Russian roots.
Sergei Sergeevich PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev is one of the greatest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist and conductor.
Born in the Donetsk region, from childhood joined the music. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical "wunderkinds", from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but show a desire for creation), at the age of 13 he passed exams in Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and a misunderstanding of his individual fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style, the paradox is that, breaking the academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained true to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.
The country has changed and Prokofiev's "free" creativity was forced to give in to the realities of the new demands. Prokofiev's talent flourished with renewed vigor - he writes operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely accurate music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera. In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: on suspicion of espionage, his first Spanish wife was arrested and exiled to camps; the Decree of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of “formalism” and the dangers of their music; there was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health, he retired to the country and practically did not leave it, but continued to compose.
Prokofiev: "The composer, like the poet, sculptor, painter, is called to serve man and the people."
Some of the brightest works of the Soviet period were the operas "War and Peace", "The Tale of a Real Man"; the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, which have become a new standard in world ballet music; oratorio "On guard of the world"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano work.
Prokofiev's work is striking in its versatility and breadth of themes, the originality of his musical thinking, freshness and originality made up an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.
Prokofiev was very fond of chess, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, among which he invented "nine" chess - a board of 24 × 24 fields with nine sets of pieces placed on it.
Dmitry Dmitrievich SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 - 1975)
Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most significant and performed composers in the world, his influence on contemporary classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and chronicle of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and mankind, with the fate of his native country.
Born in St. Petersburg, he received his first musical lessons from his mother, graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him with Mozart - so he impressed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and composer's gift. Already in the early 1920s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers in the country. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International Chopin Competition in 1927.
Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Shostakovich worked as a freelance artist - an "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The harsh denunciation of this opera in 1936 and the repressions of 1937 laid the foundation for the subsequent constant internal struggle of Shostakovich for the desire to express his views by his own means in the face of the state's imposition of trends in art. In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, was awarded and was on the verge of arrest himself and his relatives.
A soft, intelligent, delicate person, he found his form of expression of creative principles in symphonies, where he could tell the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all the vast works of Shostakovich in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy the central place, the most dramatic are symphonies 5,7,8,10,15, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich opens up in chamber music.
Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a "home" composer and practically did not travel abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world, performed by the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich's talent is so immense that the full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is yet to come.
The work of Russian composers of the late 19th - first half of the 20th century is a holistic continuation of the traditions of the Russian school. At the same time, the concept of the approach to the “national” affiliation of this or that music has changed, there is practically no direct quotation of folk melodies, but the Russian intonation basis, the Russian soul, has remained.
(1872 — 1915)
- Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. The original and deeply poetic work of Scriabin stood out for its innovation even against the background of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in public life at the turn of the 20th century.
Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was brought up by his aunt and grandfather, from childhood he showed musical abilities. At first he studied at the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S.V. Rakhmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer, he toured Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.
The peak of Scriabin's composing creativity was the years 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony ("Divine Poem"), the symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works were released.
"Poem of Ecstasy" , consisting of several themes-images, concentrated the creative ideas of Sryabin and is his bright masterpiece. It harmoniously combined the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. The colossal vital energy, fiery passion, strong-willed power embodied in the "Poem of Ecstasy" makes an irresistible impression on the listener and to this day retains the strength of its influence.
Another masterpiece of Scriabin is "Prometheus"(“Poem of Fire”), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history, this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, was held without lighting effects.
Last unfinished "Mystery" was the idea of Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all mankind and inspire him to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.
Quote by A. N. Scriabin: “I’m going to tell them (people) that they… don’t expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves… I’m going to tell them that there’s nothing to grieve about, that there is no loss. So that they are not afraid of despair, which alone can give rise to real triumph. Strong and mighty is he who has experienced despair and conquered it.
Quote about A. N. Scriabin: “Scriabin's work was his time, expressed in sounds. But when the temporary, the transient finds its expression in the work of a great artist, it acquires a permanent meaning and becomes enduring. G. V. PLEKHANOV
(1873 — 1943)
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the greatest world composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. The creative image of Rachmaninov as a composer is often defined by the epithet “the most Russian composer”, emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg composer schools and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in isolation in world musical culture.
Born in the Novgorod province, from the age of four he began to study music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a big gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, composing music.
The disastrous premiere of the groundbreaking First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg sparked a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninoff emerged in the early 1900s with a style that combined Russian church songwriting, waning European romanticism, modern impressionism and neoclassicism, all saturated with complex symbolism. During this creative period, his best works were born, including 2 and 3 piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his favorite work - the poem "The Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.
In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the United States. For almost ten years after his departure, he did not compose anything, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and the greatest conductor.
For all the stormy activity, Rachmaninoff remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the intrusive attention of the public. He sincerely loved and yearned for his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, helped financially. His last compositions - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) became the result of his creative path, absorbing all the best of his unique style and the mournful feeling of irreparable loss and homesickness.
Quotes by S.V. Rachmaninov:
“I feel like a ghost that wanders alone in a world that is alien to him.”
"The highest quality of any art is its sincerity."
“Great composers have always and above all paid attention to the melody as the leading principle in music. Melody is music, the main foundation of all music… Melodic ingenuity, in the highest sense of the word, is the composer’s main life goal…. For this reason, the great composers of the past showed so much interest in the folk melodies of their countries.”
Quote about S.V. Rachmaninov:
“Rakhmaninov was created from steel and gold: Steel in his hands, gold in his heart. I can't think of him without crying. I not only bowed before the great artist, But I loved the man in him. I. Hoffman
“The music of Rachmaninoff is the Ocean. Its waves - musical - start so far beyond the horizon, and lift you up so high and lower you so slowly ... that you feel this Power and Breath. A. Konchalovsky
Interesting fact: During the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the money collected from which he sent to the Red Army fund to fight the Nazi invaders.
8. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, the leader of neoclassicism.
Stravinsky has become a "mirror" of the musical era, his work reflects the multiplicity of styles that constantly intersect and are difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries of musical history and subordinating them to his own rules.
Born near St. Petersburg, studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was Stravinsky's only composing school, thanks to which he mastered the compositional technique to perfection. He began composing professionally relatively late, but the rise was swift - a series of three ballets: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913) immediately brought him to the number of composers of the first magnitude.
In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having been forced to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and ended up living in the USA.
His work is divided into three periods - "Russian", "neoclassical", American "serial production", the periods are divided not by the time of life in different countries, but by the author's "handwriting".
Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person with a wonderful sense of humor. The circle of his acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, statesmen.
The last highest achievement of Stravinsky - "Requiem" (Chants for the Dead) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming a true apotheosis of the master's work.
In Stravinsky's work, one unique feature stands out - "uniqueness", it was not for nothing that he was called the "composer of a thousand and one styles", the constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to constructions in which Russian origin is visible, heard Russian roots.
Quote by I.F. Stravinsky: “I have been speaking Russian all my life, I have a Russian syllable. Maybe in my music this is not immediately visible, but it is inherent in it, it is in its hidden nature.
Quote about I.F. Stravinsky: “Stravinsky is a truly Russian composer… The Russian spirit is indestructible in the heart of this truly great, multifaceted talent, born of the Russian land and vitally connected with it…” D. Shostakovich
Interesting fact (bike):
Once in New York, Stravinsky took a taxi and was surprised to read his name on the sign.
— Are you a relative of the composer? he asked the driver.
Is there a composer with such a surname? the driver was surprised. - Hear it for the first time. However, Stravinsky is the name of the taxi owner. I have nothing to do with music - my name is Rossini ...
9. Sergei Petrovich Prokofiev
(1891-1953)
Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev is one of the greatest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist and conductor.
Born in the Donetsk region, from childhood joined the music. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical "wunderkinds", from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but show a desire for creation), at the age of 13 he passed exams in St. Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and a misunderstanding of his individual fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style, the paradox is that, breaking the academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained true to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.
The country has changed and Prokofiev's "free" creativity was forced to give in to the realities of the new demands. Prokofiev's talent flourished with renewed vigor - he writes operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely accurate music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera.
In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: on suspicion of espionage, his first Spanish wife was arrested and exiled to camps; the Decree of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of “formalism” and the dangers of their music; there was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health, he retired to the country and practically did not leave it, but continued to compose.
Some of the brightest works of the Soviet period were the operas "War and Peace", "The Tale of a Real Man"; the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, which have become a new standard in world ballet music; oratorio "On guard of the world"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano work.
Prokofiev's work is striking in its versatility and breadth of themes, the originality of his musical thinking, freshness and originality made up an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.
Quote by S.S. Prokofiev: “Can an artist stand apart from life?.. I am of the conviction that a composer, like a poet, sculptor, painter, is called upon to serve man and the people... He, first of all, must be a citizen in his art, sing of human life and lead man to a brighter future...
“I am a manifestation of life, which gives me strength to resist all non-spiritual”
Quote about S.S. Prokofiev: “… all facets of his music are beautiful. But there is one completely unusual thing here. We all seem to have some failures, doubts, just a bad mood. And at such moments, even if I don’t play and don’t listen to Prokofiev, but just think about him, I get an incredible boost of energy, I feel a great desire to live, to act” E. Kissin
Interesting fact: Prokofiev was very fond of chess, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, among which he invented "nine" chess - a 24x24 board with nine sets of pieces placed on it.
(1906 — 1975)
Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most significant and performed composers in the world, his influence on contemporary classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and chronicle of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and mankind, with the fate of his native country.
Born in St. Petersburg, he received his first musical lessons from his mother, graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him with Mozart - so he impressed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and composer's gift. Already in the early 1920s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers in the country. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International Chopin Competition in 1927.
Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Shostakovich worked as a freelance artist - an "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The harsh denunciation of this opera in 1936 and the repressions of 1937 laid the foundation for the subsequent constant internal struggle of Shostakovich for the desire to express his views by his own means in the face of the state's imposition of trends in art.
In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, was awarded and was on the verge of arrest himself and his relatives.
A soft, intelligent, delicate person, he found his form of expression of creative principles in symphonies, where he could tell the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all the vast works of Shostakovich in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy the central place, the most dramatic are symphonies 5,7,8,10,15, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich opens up in chamber music.
Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a "home" composer and practically did not travel abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world, performed by the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich's talent is so immense that the full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is yet to come.
Quote by D. D. Shostakovich:"Real music is capable of expressing only humane feelings, only advanced humane ideas."
