Music of Russia
Encyclopedia
Music of Russia denotes music produced in Russia
and/or by the Russians
. Russia
is a large and culturally
diverse country, with many ethnic group
s, each with their own locally developed music
. Russian music also includes significant contributions from ethnic minorities (such as the Jewish, Ukrainians, Gypsies and others) who populated the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern day Russia.
Russian music includes a variety of styles: from ritual folk song, to the sacred music of the Russian orthodox church, and also included the legacy of several prominent 19th century classical and romantic composers. Major contributions by 20th century Soviet composers
as well as various forms of popular music are also part of the make-up of Russian music.
Written documents exist that describe the musical culture of Rus'. The most popular kind of instruments in medieval Russia were thought to have been string instruments, such as the gusli or gudok
. Archeologists have uncovered examples of these instruments in the Novgorod region dating as early as 11th century. (Novgorod republic
had deep traditions in music; its most popular folk hero and the chief character of several epics was Sadko
, a gusli player). Other instruments in common use include flutes (svirel
), and percussive instruments such as the treshchotka
and the buben. The most popular form of music, however was singing
. Bylina
s (epic ballads) about folk hero
es such as Sadko, Ilya Muromets
, and others were often sung, sometimes to instrumental accompaniment. The texts of some of these epics have been recorded.
In the period of Muscovy, a distinct line was formed between the sacred music of the Orthodox Church and that of secular music used for entertainment. The former draws its tradition from the Byzantine Empire
, with key elements being used in Russian Orthodox bell ringing
, as well as choral singing. Neume
s were developed for musical notation, and as a result several examples of medieval sacred music have survived to this day, among them two stichera composed by Tsar Ivan IV in the 16th century.
Secular music included the use of musical instruments such as fipple flutes
and string instruments, and was usually played on holidays initially by skomorokh
s — jesters and minstrels who entertained the nobility. During the reactionary period of the Great Russian Schism in the 17th century, skomorokhs along with their form of secular music were banned from plying their trade numerous times, but despite these restrictions, some of their traditions survived to the present day.
Russia has a history of classical music innovation. In the 18th century, Peter I brought in reforms introducing western music fashions to Russia. During the subsequent reign of Empresses Elisabeth and Catherine
, the Russian imperial court attracted many prominent musicians, many from Italy
. They brought with them Italian traditions of opera
and classical music in general, to inspire future generations of Russian composers. A number of composers received training in Italy or from these recent Italian emigres and composed vocal and instrumental works in the Italian Classical tradition popular in the day. These include ethnic Ukrainian composers Dmitri Bortniansky, Maksim Berezovsky and Artem Vedel who not only composed masterpieces of choral music but also included operas, chambers works and symphonic works.
The first great Russian composer to exploit native Russian music traditions into the realm of Secular music was Mikhail Glinka
(1804–1857), who composed the early Russian language operas Ivan Susanin
and Ruslan and Lyudmila
. They were neither the first operas in the Russian language nor the first by a Russian, but they gained fame for relying on distinctively Russian tunes and themes and being in the vernacular.
Russian folk music became the primary source for the younger generation composers. A group that called itself "Mighty Five
", headed by Balakirev
(1837–1910) and including Rimsky-Korsakov
(1844–1908), Mussorgsky
(1839–81), Borodin
(1833–87) and César Cui
(1835–1918), proclaimed its purpose to compose and popularize Russian national traditions in classical music. Among the Mighty Five's most notable compositions were the operas The Snow Maiden
(Snegurochka), Sadko
, Boris Godunov
, Prince Igor
, Khovanshchina
, and symphonic suite Scheherazade
. Many of the works by Glinka and the Mighty Five were based on Russian history, folk tales and literature, and are regarded as masterpieces of romantic nationalism
in music.
This period also saw the foundation of the Russian Musical Society
(RMS) in 1859, led by composer-pianists Anton
(1829–94) and Nikolay Rubinstein (1835–81). The Mighty Five was often presented as the Russian Music Society's rival, with the Five embracing their Russian national identity and the RMS being musically more conservative. However the RMS founded Russia's first Conservatories in St Petersburg and in Moscow: the former trained the great Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93), best known for ballet
s like Swan Lake
, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker
. He remains Russia's best-known composer outside Russia. Easily the most famous successor in his style is Sergey Rakhmaninov (1873–1943), who studied at the Moscow Conservatory (where Tchaikovsky himself taught).
The late 19th and early 20th century saw the third wave of Russian classics: Igor Stravinsky
(1882–1971), Alexander Scriabin
(1872–1915), Sergei Prokofiev
(1891–1953) and Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906–1975). They were experimental in style and musical language. Some of them emigrated after the Russian revolution, though Prokofiev eventually returned and contributed to Soviet music
as well.
In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the so-called "romance songs
" became very popular. The greatest and most popular singers of the "romances" usually sang in operas at the same time. The most popular was Fyodor Shalyapin. Singers usually composed music and wrote the lyrics, as did Alexander Vertinsky
, Konstantin Sokolsky
, Pyotr Leshchenko
.
After the Russian Revolution, Russian music changed dramatically. The early 1920s were the era of avant-garde
experiments, inspired by the "revolutionary spirit" of the era. New trends in music (like music based on synthetic chord
s) were proposed by enthusiastic clubs such as Association for Contemporary Music.
In the 1930s, under the regime of Joseph Stalin
, music was forced to be contained within certain boundaries of content and innovation. Classicism was favoured, and experimentation discouraged. (A notable example: Shostakovich's veristic
opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
was denounced in Pravda
newspaper as "formalism
" and soon removed from theatres for years).
The music patriarchs of the era were Prokofiev
, Shostakovich
and Aram Khachaturian
. With time, a wave of younger Soviet composers, such as Georgy Sviridov
, Alfred Schnittke
, and Sofia Gubaidulina
took the forefront due to the rigorous Soviet education system. The Union of Soviet Composers
was established in 1932 and became the major regulatory body for Soviet music.
Jazz
was introduced to Soviet audiences by Valentin Parnakh
in the 1920s. Singer Leonid Uteosov and film score composer Isaak Dunayevsky
helped its popularity, especially with the popular comedy movie Jolly Fellows that featured a jazz soundtrack. Eddie Rosner
, Oleg Lundstrem
and others contributed to soviet jazz music.
Film soundtracks produced a significant part of popular Soviet/Russian songs of the time, as well as of orchestral and experimental music. The 1930s saw Prokofiev's scores for Sergei Eisenstein
's epic movies, and also soundtracks by Isaak Dunayevsky that ranged from classical pieces to popular jazz.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the beginning of modern Russian pop and rock music. It started with the wave of VIA's (vocal-instrumental ensemble)
, a specific sort of music bands performing radio-friendly pop, rock and folk, composed by members of the Union of Composers and approved by censorship. This wave begun with Pojuschie Gitary and Pesnyary; popular VIA bands also included Tcvety, Zemlyane
and Verasy
. Among the pioneers of Soviet electronica
, was 1970s ambient
composer Eduard Artemiev, best known for his scores to Tarkovsky's science fiction films.
That period of music also saw individual pop star
s such as Valery Leontiev
, Sofia Rotaru
, Alla Pugacheva
, Yuri Antonov. Many of them remain popular to this day. They were the mainstream of Soviet music media, headliners of festivals such as Song of the Year
, Sopot
, and Golden Orpheus
. The year 1977 saw also establishment of Moskovsky Komsomolets hit parade
, the Russia's first music chart.
Music publishing and promotion in Soviet Union was a state monopoly. To earn money and fame from their talent, Soviet musicians had to assign to state-owned label Melodiya
. This meant to accept certain boundaries of experimentation, that is, the family-friendly performance and politically neutral lyrics favoured by censors. Meanwhile, with the arrival of new sound recording technologies, it became possible for common fans to record and exchange their music via magnetic tape recorders
. This helped underground music subculture (such as bard and rock music) to flourish despite being ignored by the state-owned media.
"Bardic
" or "authors' song" (авторская песня) is an umbrella term for the singers-songwriters
movement that arose at the early 1960s. It can be compared to the American folk revival movement of the 60s, with their simple single-guitar arrangements and poetical lyrics. Initially ignored by the state media, bards like Vladimir Vysotsky
, Bulat Okudzhava
, Alexander Galich gained so much popularity that they finished being distributed by the state owned Melodiya
record company. The largest festival of bard music is Grushinsky festival
, held annually since 1968.
Rock music came to Soviet Union in the late 1960s with Beatlemania
, and many rock bands arose during late 1970s: Mashina Vremeni
, Aquarium
, Autograph. Unlike the VIAs, these bands were not allowed to publish their music and remained in underground. The "golden age" of Russian rock
is widely considered to have been the 1980s. Censorship mitigated, rock clubs opened in Leningrad and Moscow, and soon rock became mainstream Popular bands of that time include Kino
, Alisa
, Aria
, DDT
, Nautilus Pompilius
, and Grazhdanskaya Oborona
. New wave
and post punk were the trend in 80s Russian rock.
, Muz TV and various radio stations. A number of pop artists have broken through in recent years. The Russian duet t.A.T.u is the most successful Russian pop band of its time. They have reached number one in many countries around the world, with several of their singles and albums. Other popular artists include the Eurovision 2008 winner Dima Bilan
, as well as Philipp Kirkorov
, Vitas
and Alsou
. Music producers like Igor Krutoy
, Maxim Fadeev
, Ivan Shapovalov
, Igor Matvienko, and Konstantin Meladze control a major share of Russia's pop music market, in some ways continuing the Soviet style of artist management. On the other side, some independent acts such as Neoclubber
use new-era promo tools to avoid these Soviet old-fashioned ways in reaching their fans.
The rock music scene has gradually evolved from the united movement into several different subgenres similar to those found in the West. There's youth pop rock
and alternative rock
(Mumiy Troll
, Zemfira
, Splean, Bi-2
, Zveri
). There's punk rock, ska and grunge (Korol i Shut
, Pilot
, Leningrad
, Distemper
, Elisium
). The heavy metal scene has grown substantially, with new bands playing Power and Progressive Metal (Catharsis
, Epidemia
, Shadow Host
, Mechanical Poet
), and Pagan Metal (Arkona
, Butterfly Temple, Temnozor
).
Rock music media has become prevalent in modern Russia. The most notable is Nashe Radio
, which is promoting classic rock
and pop punk
. Its Chart Dozen (Чартова дюжина) is the main rock chart in Russia, and its Nashestvie
rock festival attracts around 100,000 fans annually and was dubbed "Russian Woodstock" by the media. Others include A-One TV channel, specializing in alternative music and hardcore. It has promoted bands like Amatory
, Tracktor Bowling and Slot, and awarded many of them with its Russian Alternative Music Prize. Radio Maximum
broadcasts both Russian and western modern pop and rock as well.
Other types of music include folk rock (Melnitsa
), trip hop (Linda
) and reggae (Jah Division). Hip Hop/Rap is represented by Bad Balance
, Kasta
, Ligalize and Mnogotochie. There's also an experimental rapcore
scene headlined by Dolphin
and Kirpichi
.
A specific, exclusively Russian kind of music has emerged, that mixes criminal songs, bard and romance music. It is labelled "Russian chanson" (a neologism popularized by its main promoter, Radio Chanson). Its main artists include Mikhail Krug
, Mikhail Shufutinsky
, and Alexander Rosenbaum
. With lyrics about daily life and society, and frequent romanticisation of the criminal underworld, chanson is especially popular among adult males of the lower social class.
Electronic music in modern Russia is underdeveloped in comparison to other genres. This is largely due to a lack of promotion. There are some independent underground acts performing IDM
, downtempo
, house
, trance
and dark psytrance
(including tracker music scene), and broadcasting their work via internet radio
. They include Parasense
, Fungus Funk, Kindzadza
, Lesnikov-16, Yolochnye Igrushki and Messer Für Frau Müller. Of the few artists that broke through to the mainstream media, there are PPK
and DJ Groove, that exploit Soviet movie soundtracks for their dance remixes.
The profile of "Classical" or concert hall music has to a considerable degree been eclipsed by on one hand the rise of commercial popular music in Russia, and on the other its own lack of promotion since the collapse of the USSR. Yet a number of composers born in the 1950s and later have made some impact, notably Leonid Desyatnikov
who became the first composer in decades to have a new opera commissioned by the Bolshoi Theatre
(Rosenthal's Children, 2005), and whose music has been championed by Gidon Kremer
and Roman Mints. Meanwhile Gubaidulina, amongst several former-Soviet composers of her generation, continues to maintain a high profile outside Russia composing several prestigious and well-received works including "In tempus praesens" (2007) for the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
.
Adygea's national anthem was written by Iskhak Shumafovich Mashbash with music by Umar Khatsitsovich Tkhabisimov.
is a Central Asian region, known for traditional epics and a number of folk instruments.
beginning in 1930. The 1968 foundation of the Ufa State Institute of Arts sponsored research in the field.
The kurai
is the most important instrument in the Bashkir ensemble.
of the far east is known for distinctive folk music which uses the two-stringed horsehead fiddle, or morin khuur
. The style has no polyphony
and has little melodic
innovation. Narrative structures are very common, many of them long epics which claim to be the last song of a famous hero, such as in the Last Song of Rinchin Dorzhin. Modern Buryat musicians include the band Uragsha, which uniquely combines Siberian and Russian language lyrics with rock and Buryat folk songs.
The Chechen national anthem
is said to be "Death or Freedom", an ancient song of uncertain origin.
, who is said to be the first professional composer from Dagestan. He wrote the first Dagestani opera, Khochbar, in 1945 and recorded a great deal of folk music from all the peoples of Dagestan.
ns are Finnish
, and so much of their music is the same as Finnish music
. The Kalevala
is a very important part of traditional music; it is a recitation of Finnish legends, and is considered an integral part of the Finnish folk identity.
The Karelian Folk Music Ensemble is a prominent folk group.
are people of the Caucasian Region, and thus Ossetian Music and Dance has similar themes to Music of Chechnya and Music of Dagestan.
s in ancient Russia. Authentic folk instruments include the Livenka (accordion
) and woodwinds like zhaleika
, svirel
and kugikli, as well as numerous percussion instrument
s: buben, bubenci, kokshnik, korobochka, lozhki, rubel, treschetka, vertushka
and zvonchalka.
Chastushka
s are a kind of Russian folk song with a long history. They are typically rapped
, and are humorous or satiric.
During the 19th century, Count Uvarov led a campaign of nationalist revival which initiated the first professional orchestra with traditional instruments, beginning with Vasily Andreyev, who used the balalaika
in an orchestra late in the century. Just after the dawn of the 20th century, Mitrofan Pyatnitsky
founded the Pyatnitsky Choir
, which used rural peasant singers and traditional sounds.
remains an important cultural practice of the ethnic group
s of Siberia and Sakhalin
, where several dozen groups live. The Yakut
s are the largest, and are known for their olonkho
songs and the khomus, a jaw harp.
and Turkic
. Singing girls, renowned for their subtlety and grace, are a prominent component of Tatar folk music. Instruments include the kubyz (violin
), quray (flute
) and talianka (accordion
).
s. The style was first recorded by Ted Levin, who helped catalogue a number of different styles. These are include borbannadir (which is compared to the sound of a flowing river), sygyt (similar to whistling
), xoomii, chylandyk (likened to chirping crickets
) and ezengileer (like a horses trotting). Of particular international fame are the group Huun-Huur-Tu
and master throat singer Kongar-ool Ondar
.
is an independent country since 1991, Ukrainians
constitute the second-largest ethnic minority in Russia. The bandura
is the most important and distinctive instrument of the Ukrainian folk tradition, and was utilized by court musicians in the various Tsarist courts. The kobzar
s, a kind of wandering performing who composed dumy
, or folk epic
s. Many of the early classical composers of Russia such as Dmitry Bortniansky, Maksym Berezovsky
and Artemy Vedel
and a significant number of others were of Ukrainian descent.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and/or by the Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
is a large and culturally
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
diverse country, with many ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s, each with their own locally developed music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Russian music also includes significant contributions from ethnic minorities (such as the Jewish, Ukrainians, Gypsies and others) who populated the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern day Russia.
Russian music includes a variety of styles: from ritual folk song, to the sacred music of the Russian orthodox church, and also included the legacy of several prominent 19th century classical and romantic composers. Major contributions by 20th century Soviet composers
Soviet music
Soviet music is the music composed and produced in the USSR. It varied in many genres and epochs. Although the majority of it was written by Russians, it was also influenced by various national minorities in the Soviet Republic. The Soviet state supported musical institutions, but also carried out...
as well as various forms of popular music are also part of the make-up of Russian music.
Early history
Gudok
The gudok or hudok is an ancient Eastern Slavic string musical instrument, played with a bow.A gudok usually had three strings, two of them tuned in unison and played as a drone, the third tuned a fifth higher. All three strings were in the same plane at the bridge, so that a bow could make them...
. Archeologists have uncovered examples of these instruments in the Novgorod region dating as early as 11th century. (Novgorod republic
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
had deep traditions in music; its most popular folk hero and the chief character of several epics was Sadko
Sadko
Sadko is a Russian medieval epic . The title character is an adventurer, merchant and gusli musician from Novgorod.-Synopsis:Sadko played the gusli on the shores of a lake. The Sea Tsar enjoyed his music, and offered to help him...
, a gusli player). Other instruments in common use include flutes (svirel
Svirel
Svirel is an old folk Russian wind instrument of the end-blown flute type. In the Old Rus’ this instrument was made either of hollow reed or cylindrical wood branches. A legend says that Lel', son of the Slavic goddess of love Lada was a svirel player. In spring he would make his svirel of birch...
), and percussive instruments such as the treshchotka
Treshchotka
Treshchotka [singular] sometimes referred as Treshchotki [plural] is an Russian folk music idiophone instrument which is used to imitate hand clapping.-Treshchotka :...
and the buben. The most popular form of music, however was singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. Bylina
Bylina
Bylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
s (epic ballads) about folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
es such as Sadko, Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets is a Kievan Rus' epic hero. He is celebrated in numerous byliny . Along with Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich he is regarded as the greatest of all the legendary bogatyrs...
, and others were often sung, sometimes to instrumental accompaniment. The texts of some of these epics have been recorded.
In the period of Muscovy, a distinct line was formed between the sacred music of the Orthodox Church and that of secular music used for entertainment. The former draws its tradition from the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, with key elements being used in Russian Orthodox bell ringing
Russian Orthodox bell ringing
Russian Orthodox bell ringing has a history starting from the baptism of Rus in 988 and plays an important role in the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church.-Theology:The ringing of bells is one of the most essential elements of an Orthodox church...
, as well as choral singing. Neume
Neume
A neume is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. The word is a Middle English corruption of the ultimately Ancient Greek word for breath ....
s were developed for musical notation, and as a result several examples of medieval sacred music have survived to this day, among them two stichera composed by Tsar Ivan IV in the 16th century.
Secular music included the use of musical instruments such as fipple flutes
Fipple
A fipple is a constricted mouthpiece common to many end-blown woodwind instruments, such as the tin whistle and the recorder. These instruments are known variously as fipple flutes, duct flutes, or tubular-ducted flutes.-How it works:...
and string instruments, and was usually played on holidays initially by skomorokh
Skomorokh
The skomorokhs were medieval East Slavic harlequins, i.e. actors, who could also sing, dance, play musical instruments and compose most of the scores for their oral/musical and dramatic performances. The etymology of the word is not completely clear...
s — jesters and minstrels who entertained the nobility. During the reactionary period of the Great Russian Schism in the 17th century, skomorokhs along with their form of secular music were banned from plying their trade numerous times, but despite these restrictions, some of their traditions survived to the present day.
18th and 19th century: Russian Classical music
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
, the Russian imperial court attracted many prominent musicians, many from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. They brought with them Italian traditions of opera
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
and classical music in general, to inspire future generations of Russian composers. A number of composers received training in Italy or from these recent Italian emigres and composed vocal and instrumental works in the Italian Classical tradition popular in the day. These include ethnic Ukrainian composers Dmitri Bortniansky, Maksim Berezovsky and Artem Vedel who not only composed masterpieces of choral music but also included operas, chambers works and symphonic works.
The first great Russian composer to exploit native Russian music traditions into the realm of Secular music was Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
(1804–1857), who composed the early Russian language operas Ivan Susanin
A Life for the Tsar
A Life for the Tsar , as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen,...
and Ruslan and Lyudmila
Ruslan and Lyudmila
Ruslan and Lyudmila is an opera in five acts composed by Mikhail Glinka between 1837 and 1842. The opera is based on the 1820 poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The Russian libretto was written by Valerian Shirkov, Nestor Kukolnik and N. A. Markevich, among others...
. They were neither the first operas in the Russian language nor the first by a Russian, but they gained fame for relying on distinctively Russian tunes and themes and being in the vernacular.
Russian folk music became the primary source for the younger generation composers. A group that called itself "Mighty Five
The Five
The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin...
", headed by Balakirev
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
(1837–1910) and including Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
(1844–1908), Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
(1839–81), Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
(1833–87) and César Cui
César Cui
César Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
(1835–1918), proclaimed its purpose to compose and popularize Russian national traditions in classical music. Among the Mighty Five's most notable compositions were the operas The Snow Maiden
The Snow Maiden
The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tale is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composed during 1880–1881. The Russian libretto, by the composer, is based on the like-named play by Alexander Ostrovsky .The first performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera took place at the...
(Snegurochka), Sadko
Sadko (opera)
Sadko is an opera in seven scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the bylina of Sadko in 1867, when he completed a tone poem on the subject, his Op. 5...
, Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
, Prince Igor
Prince Igor
Prince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
, Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina
Khovanshchina is an opera in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was written between 1872 and 1880 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The composer wrote the libretto based on historical sources...
, and symphonic suite Scheherazade
Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Sheherazade , Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. Based on One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights, this orchestral work combines two features common to Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colourful...
. Many of the works by Glinka and the Mighty Five were based on Russian history, folk tales and literature, and are regarded as masterpieces of romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
in music.
This period also saw the foundation of the Russian Musical Society
Russian Musical Society
The Russian Musical Society was an organisation founded in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and her protégé, pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein, with the intent of raising the standard of music in the country and disseminating musical education.Rubinstein and the Grand Duchess's...
(RMS) in 1859, led by composer-pianists Anton
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
(1829–94) and Nikolay Rubinstein (1835–81). The Mighty Five was often presented as the Russian Music Society's rival, with the Five embracing their Russian national identity and the RMS being musically more conservative. However the RMS founded Russia's first Conservatories in St Petersburg and in Moscow: the former trained the great Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93), best known for ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
s like Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
. He remains Russia's best-known composer outside Russia. Easily the most famous successor in his style is Sergey Rakhmaninov (1873–1943), who studied at the Moscow Conservatory (where Tchaikovsky himself taught).
The late 19th and early 20th century saw the third wave of Russian classics: Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
(1882–1971), Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
(1872–1915), Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
(1891–1953) and Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
(1906–1975). They were experimental in style and musical language. Some of them emigrated after the Russian revolution, though Prokofiev eventually returned and contributed to Soviet music
Soviet music
Soviet music is the music composed and produced in the USSR. It varied in many genres and epochs. Although the majority of it was written by Russians, it was also influenced by various national minorities in the Soviet Republic. The Soviet state supported musical institutions, but also carried out...
as well.
In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the so-called "romance songs
Romance (music)
The term romance has a centuries-long history. Applied to narrative ballads in Spain, it came to be used by the 18th century for simple lyrical pieces not only for voice, but also for instruments alone. During the 18th and 19th centuries Russian composers developed the French variety of the...
" became very popular. The greatest and most popular singers of the "romances" usually sang in operas at the same time. The most popular was Fyodor Shalyapin. Singers usually composed music and wrote the lyrics, as did Alexander Vertinsky
Alexander Vertinsky
Alexander Nikolayevich Vertinsky was a Russian and Soviet artist, poet, singer, composer, cabaret artist and actor who exerted seminal influence on the Russian tradition of artistic singing.-Early years:...
, Konstantin Sokolsky
Konstantin Sokolsky
Konstantin Sokolsky Russian singer...
, Pyotr Leshchenko
Pyotr Leshchenko
Pyotr Konstantinovich Leshchenko , a singer in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, is universally considered "the King of Russian Tango" and specifically known for his rendition of "Serdtse"—a tango song not in the Spanish language...
.
20th century: Soviet music
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
experiments, inspired by the "revolutionary spirit" of the era. New trends in music (like music based on synthetic chord
Synthetic chord
In music the mystic chord or Prometheus chord is a complex six-note chord, scale, or pitch collection, which loosely serves as the harmonic and melodic basis for some of the later pieces by Russian composer Alexander Scriabin...
s) were proposed by enthusiastic clubs such as Association for Contemporary Music.
In the 1930s, under the regime of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, music was forced to be contained within certain boundaries of content and innovation. Classicism was favoured, and experimentation discouraged. (A notable example: Shostakovich's veristic
Verismo
Verismo was an Italian literary movement which peaked between approximately 1875 and the early 1900s....
opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is an opera in four acts by Dmitri Shostakovich, his Op.29. The libretto was written by Alexander Preis and the composer, and is based on the story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov. The opera is sometimes referred to informally as Lady Macbeth...
was denounced in Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
newspaper as "formalism
Formalism (art)
In art theory, formalism is the concept that a work's artistic value is entirely determined by its form--the way it is made, its purely visual aspects, and its medium. Formalism emphasizes compositional elements such as color, line, shape and texture rather than realism, context, and content...
" and soon removed from theatres for years).
The music patriarchs of the era were Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
and Aram Khachaturian
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
. With time, a wave of younger Soviet composers, such as Georgy Sviridov
Georgy Sviridov
Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov was a Soviet Russian neoromantic composer....
, Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
, and Sofia Gubaidulina
Sofia Gubaidulina
Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, is a Russian composer of half Russian, half Tatar ethnicity.Gubaidulina's music is marked by the use of unusual instrumental combinations...
took the forefront due to the rigorous Soviet education system. The Union of Soviet Composers
Union of Soviet Composers
The USSR Union of Composers or Union of Composers of the USSR , , was a professional organisation of composers in the Soviet Union...
was established in 1932 and became the major regulatory body for Soviet music.
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
was introduced to Soviet audiences by Valentin Parnakh
Valentin Parnakh
Valentin Yakovlevich Parnakh was a Russian poet, translator, choreographer, and musician who is best remembered as a founding father of Soviet jazz.- Early years :...
in the 1920s. Singer Leonid Uteosov and film score composer Isaak Dunayevsky
Isaak Dunayevsky
Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky was the biggest Soviet film composer and conductor of the 1930s and 1940s, who achieved huge success in music for operetta and film comedies, frequently working with the film director Grigori Aleksandrov...
helped its popularity, especially with the popular comedy movie Jolly Fellows that featured a jazz soundtrack. Eddie Rosner
Eddie Rosner
Adolph Ignatievich Rosner, also known as Eddie Rosner was a Polish and Soviet Jazz musician called "The White Louis Armstrong" or "Polish Louis Armstrong" in different sources. This is in part because of his rendition of the St. Louis blues...
, Oleg Lundstrem
Oleg Lundstrem
Oleg Leonidovich Lundstrem was a Soviet and Russian jazz composer and conductor of the Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra, one of the earliest officially recognized jazz bands in the Soviet Union Oleg Leonidovich Lundstrem (also spelled Lundstroem, Lundström, ; April 2, 1916, Chita—October 14, 2005, near...
and others contributed to soviet jazz music.
Film soundtracks produced a significant part of popular Soviet/Russian songs of the time, as well as of orchestral and experimental music. The 1930s saw Prokofiev's scores for Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
's epic movies, and also soundtracks by Isaak Dunayevsky that ranged from classical pieces to popular jazz.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the beginning of modern Russian pop and rock music. It started with the wave of VIA's (vocal-instrumental ensemble)
VIA music
VIA music or Vokalno-instrumentalny ansambl , was the official name applied to pop and rock bands in the Soviet Union...
, a specific sort of music bands performing radio-friendly pop, rock and folk, composed by members of the Union of Composers and approved by censorship. This wave begun with Pojuschie Gitary and Pesnyary; popular VIA bands also included Tcvety, Zemlyane
Zemlyane
Zemlyane, is a Soviet, and later Russian rock band which enjoyed great popularity in the early 1980s. The band was formed in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1979 and remains active to this day....
and Verasy
Verasy
Verasy was a musical band created in Belarus in 1971. It was created under the Belarusian State Philarmony, Minsk, director and composer Vasily Rainchik...
. Among the pioneers of Soviet electronica
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, was 1970s ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
composer Eduard Artemiev, best known for his scores to Tarkovsky's science fiction films.
That period of music also saw individual pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
s such as Valery Leontiev
Valery Leontiev
Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev is a Soviet and Russian pop singer whose popularity peaked in the early 1980s. He was titled a People's Artist of Russia in 1996...
, Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Rotaru
Sofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
, Alla Pugacheva
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva or Pugachova , born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day...
, Yuri Antonov. Many of them remain popular to this day. They were the mainstream of Soviet music media, headliners of festivals such as Song of the Year
Song of the Year (festival)
The Song of the Year song contest is a TV song festival in the former USSR, then Russia. First held in 1971. Since the first years of its existence the festival was given importance of the main musical event of the year , which the festival retained until now, as evidenced by television...
, Sopot
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
, and Golden Orpheus
Golden Orpheus
The Golden Orpheus, is an international and Bulgarian song contest. It has been held annually between 1965 till 1999 in different concert halls located on the Sunny Beach.-External links:* *...
. The year 1977 saw also establishment of Moskovsky Komsomolets hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
, the Russia's first music chart.
Music publishing and promotion in Soviet Union was a state monopoly. To earn money and fame from their talent, Soviet musicians had to assign to state-owned label Melodiya
Melodiya
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
. This meant to accept certain boundaries of experimentation, that is, the family-friendly performance and politically neutral lyrics favoured by censors. Meanwhile, with the arrival of new sound recording technologies, it became possible for common fans to record and exchange their music via magnetic tape recorders
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
. This helped underground music subculture (such as bard and rock music) to flourish despite being ignored by the state-owned media.
"Bardic
Bard (Soviet Union)
The term bard came to be used in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, and continues to be used in Russia today, to refer to singer-songwriters who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment, similarly to beatnik folk singers of the United States...
" or "authors' song" (авторская песня) is an umbrella term for the singers-songwriters
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
movement that arose at the early 1960s. It can be compared to the American folk revival movement of the 60s, with their simple single-guitar arrangements and poetical lyrics. Initially ignored by the state media, bards like Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
, Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musician, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He was one of the founders of the Russian genre called "author song"...
, Alexander Galich gained so much popularity that they finished being distributed by the state owned Melodiya
Melodiya
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
record company. The largest festival of bard music is Grushinsky festival
Grushinsky festival
Grushinsky festival is an annual Russian bard song festival that has been established in 1968. It takes place near the city of Samara, on the Mastryukovo lakes...
, held annually since 1968.
Rock music came to Soviet Union in the late 1960s with Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
, and many rock bands arose during late 1970s: Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia...
, Aquarium
Aquarium (group)
Aquarium or Akvarium is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly Gunitsky, then a playwright and absurdist poet.-History:...
, Autograph. Unlike the VIAs, these bands were not allowed to publish their music and remained in underground. The "golden age" of Russian rock
Russian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
is widely considered to have been the 1980s. Censorship mitigated, rock clubs opened in Leningrad and Moscow, and soon rock became mainstream Popular bands of that time include Kino
Kino (band)
Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the 1980s.-History:The band was formed in the summer of 1981 in Leningrad, USSR Kino was a Soviet rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. It was one of the most famous Soviet rock groups of the...
, Alisa
Alisa
Alisa is a Russian hard rock band, who are credited as one of the most influential bands in the Russian rock movement.-Biography:Alisa was formed in November 1983 by bassist Svyatoslav Zadery. The band's name originated from Zadery nickname...
, Aria
Aria (Russian band)
Aria is a Russian heavy metal band that was formed in 1985 in Moscow. Although it was not the first Soviet band to play Heavy music, Aria was the first to break through to mainstream media and commercial success. According to several public polls, Aria ranks among top 10 most popular Russian rock...
, DDT
DDT (band)
DDT is a popular Russian rock band founded by its lead singer, Yuri Shevchuk , in Ufa in 1980...
, Nautilus Pompilius
Nautilus Pompilius (band)
Nautilus Pompilius , sometimes nicknamed Nau , was a prominent Soviet/Russian rock band formed by the lead singer Vyacheslav Butusov and bassist Dmitry Umetsky while the two studied in Sverdlovsk Institute of Architecture . The band, with its various incarnations, was active between the years 1983...
, and Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona is one of the earliest and most famous Russian punk bands and now maintains a huge army of fans, admirers, and followers. It inspired hundreds of subsequent Soviet and then Russian bands. The name of the band means "Civil Defence" in Russian...
. New wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and post punk were the trend in 80s Russian rock.
21st century: Modern Russian music
Russian pop music is well developed, and enjoys mainstream success via pop music media such as MTV RussiaMTV Russia
MTV Russia is a Russian language free-to-air 24 hour entertainment and music service seen in 22 million households in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, among other cities.-History:...
, Muz TV and various radio stations. A number of pop artists have broken through in recent years. The Russian duet t.A.T.u is the most successful Russian pop band of its time. They have reached number one in many countries around the world, with several of their singles and albums. Other popular artists include the Eurovision 2008 winner Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
, as well as Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov is a Bulgarian-born Russian singer and producer living and working in Moscow.-Biography:Philipp Kirkorov was born on April 30, 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father is Bulgarian singer of Armenian and Belarusian ethnicity Bedros Kirkorov. His mother, Victoria, is...
, Vitas
Vitas
Vitaliy "Vitalik" Vladasovich Grachyov , better known by his stage name Vitas , is a Russian singer-songwriter.Known for his high falsetto voice, he has been given the nickname "Prince of the Dolphin Voice" in China...
and Alsou
Alsou
- Early life :Alsou was born in Bugulma, Tatarstan. Her father, Ralif Rafilovich Safin is a Russian oligarch, a former LUKoil executive and a current member of the Federal Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. He is also the owner of the FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi football team and was...
. Music producers like Igor Krutoy
Igor Krutoy
Igor Yakovlevich Krutoy , born on July 29, 1954, is a Russian composer of Ukrainian descent, performer, producer and musical promoter.Krutoy was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1989...
, Maxim Fadeev
Maxim Fadeev
Maxim "Max" Aleksandrovich Fadeev is a Russian singer-songwriter, composer and producer.-Early life and career:Maxim Fadeev was born on 6 May 1968 in Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, USSR. When he was a child, he attended a musical school in Kurgan, and learned how to play bass guitar...
, Ivan Shapovalov
Ivan Shapovalov
Ivan Nikolayevich Shapovalov is a musical producer based in Moscow, Russia. He is best known for being the founder and former executive producer/manager for t.A.T.u.- Early life and career :...
, Igor Matvienko, and Konstantin Meladze control a major share of Russia's pop music market, in some ways continuing the Soviet style of artist management. On the other side, some independent acts such as Neoclubber
Neoclubber
-About:Neoclubber was organized in the late of 2008 and for a short time managed to draw attention of not only listeners, but also of some media. Neoclubber is one of few Russian dance-pop projects which quite successfully make their releases abroad....
use new-era promo tools to avoid these Soviet old-fashioned ways in reaching their fans.
The rock music scene has gradually evolved from the united movement into several different subgenres similar to those found in the West. There's youth pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
(Mumiy Troll
Mumiy Troll
Mumiy Troll is a Russian rock group, founded in 1983 in Vladivostok by vocalist and songwriter Ilya Lagutenko . The literal name of the band, 'The mummies' troll', is a pun on Moomin Troll, the series of Finnish children's books by Tove Jansson.Mumiy Troll broke up when Lagutenko, who graduated in...
, Zemfira
Zemfira
Zemfira, officially Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova ; born 26 August 1976 in Ufa, Bashkortostan) is a Russian rock artist of Bashkir descent...
, Splean, Bi-2
Bi-2
Bi-2 is a Russian rock band with Belarusian origin, formed in the 80's in Minsk, Belarus. It was one of the most successful with many sales and chart-hits in Russia. Bi-2 was awarded MTV Russian Music Awards for Best Rock Act in 2007.-Pre-history:...
, Zveri
Zveri
Zveri is a Russian pop/rock band. Noted for their song "Kvartira" featuring in the video game Grand Theft Auto 4-Biography:Zveri was formed in mid-2002 by Roman Bilyk, the lead singer of the band, better known as Roma Zver'....
). There's punk rock, ska and grunge (Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut
Korol' i Shut is a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg who takes its inspiration and costumes from tales and fables.-History:...
, Pilot
Pilot (Russian band)
Pilot, also known as PilOt is a popular Russian punk band from Saint Petersburg, led by Ilja "Chjort" Knabengof. Composed of 4 members, the band appeared in the late 1990s.-Current line-up:...
, Leningrad
Leningrad (band)
Leningrad , also known as Gruppirovka Leningrad and Bandformirovanie Leningrad , is a popular Russian ska punk band from Saint Petersburg , led by Sergey "Shnur" Shnurov....
, Distemper
Distemper (band)
Distemper is a ska punk band from Moscow that was founded in 1989 and is also successful outside of Russia.-History:Distemper was founded on 4 September in 1989 in Moscow. They started out as a hardcore punk band and released their first record 2 years after the band was founded, still not very...
, Elisium
Elisium
Elisium is a ska-punk/cosmos-rock band formed in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, in 1994. They freely vary own musical style, though generally it’s evolving from cheerful ska-pop-punk on early albums in direction to rock and alternative with lyrics concerning social problems on EP “Дети мишени/Дети...
). The heavy metal scene has grown substantially, with new bands playing Power and Progressive Metal (Catharsis
Catharsis (Russian band)
Catharsis is a Russian symphonic power metal band founded in 1996.-Biography:The band was founded in Moscow in 1996 by guitarist Igor Polakov and vocalist Sergey Bendrikov. In its demo albums the band played a kind of death doom metal, but since their second album, "Febris Erotica", they turned to...
, Epidemia
Epidemia
Epidemia is a Russian power metal band famous for doing the Elven Manuscript metal opera in 2004. It was formed by guitarist Yuri "Juron" Melisov in 1993, with the first songs made in 1995. The band was once nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award....
, Shadow Host
Shadow Host
-Formation of Band:Shadow Host is a power metal band from Russia that was formed in 1993 by guitarist Alexey Arzamazov. Alexey soon recruited Sergey Ramzin on guitar, Platon Yukhnovets on bass, and Max Zelenskiy on drums. The band played with a number of vocalists for nearly the next year. ...
, Mechanical Poet
Mechanical Poet
Mechanical Poet is a Russian metal band formed in Moscow in 2002. The band releases concept albums in post-prog and progressive metal genres with original orchestral arrangements and electronic instruments.-History:...
), and Pagan Metal (Arkona
Arkona (band)
Arkona is a Russian pagan metal band. Their lyrics are heavily influenced by Russian folklore and Slavic mythology, and their music incorporates several traditional Russian musical instruments...
, Butterfly Temple, Temnozor
Temnozor
Temnozor is a pagan metal NSBM band formed in 1996 in Obninsk, Russia. According to the band in statements on its website, it was formed to express the pride its members had of being Slavic. Temnozor started out as a raw black metal band with folk influences, but folk music has increasingly...
).
Rock music media has become prevalent in modern Russia. The most notable is Nashe Radio
Nashe Radio
Nashe Radio is a rock music station designed to promote Russian rock bands . It is broadcast in every major Russian city as well as having an internet stream...
, which is promoting classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
and pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
. Its Chart Dozen (Чартова дюжина) is the main rock chart in Russia, and its Nashestvie
Nashestvie
Nashestvie is one of the largest open-air festival of Russian rock, organized by Nashe Radio station. It is held annually during the first weekend of August somewhere in the environs of Moscow, Russia, since 1999 to this day with the exception of 2007...
rock festival attracts around 100,000 fans annually and was dubbed "Russian Woodstock" by the media. Others include A-One TV channel, specializing in alternative music and hardcore. It has promoted bands like Amatory
Amatory
Amatory is a Russian nu-metal band, formed in 2001 in Saint Petersburg. The band spans several genres, including Death Metal, Metalcore, and Melodic Death Metal....
, Tracktor Bowling and Slot, and awarded many of them with its Russian Alternative Music Prize. Radio Maximum
Radio MAXIMUM
Radio Maximum is a Russian radio station, specializing in pop and rock music.Maximum was founded in 1991 as a joint venture of Westwood One, Harris Corporation, StoryFirst Communications, and The Moscow News weekly. It started broadcasting in Moscow on December 25, 1991 on the frequency of 103.7...
broadcasts both Russian and western modern pop and rock as well.
Other types of music include folk rock (Melnitsa
Melnitsa
Melnitsa - is a Russian folk rock band. It was founded in 1999 by Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea and Alexey "Chus" Sapkov around the remnants of a local folk band 'Till Eulenspiegel'.-Style:...
), trip hop (Linda
Linda (musician)
Linda is a stage name for Svetlana Lvovna Geiman , a Russian singer. Her style incorporates trip hop, electronic and ethnic music.-Albums:-Singles:-Trivia:...
) and reggae (Jah Division). Hip Hop/Rap is represented by Bad Balance
Bad Balance
Bad Balance is a Russian rap group considered to be one of the first rap acts in USSR. The group maintained a devoted underground following during the 1990s.-Formation:...
, Kasta
Kasta
Kasta is Russian rap band from Rostov-on-Don. Group is led by MC and beatmaker Vlady. Other members include MC's Shim, Hamil and Zmey, as well as DJ Hobot. Although Kasta is notably influenced by New York rap tradition, especially Wu-Tang Clan, they have always written in Russian.- History :Vlady,...
, Ligalize and Mnogotochie. There's also an experimental rapcore
Rapcore
Rapcore is a subgenre of rap rock fusing vocal and sometimes instrumental elements of hip hop with punk rock .-History:...
scene headlined by Dolphin
Dolphin (musician)
Andrey Vyacheslavovich Lysikov is a Russian poet and musician, known by his stage name Dolphin . He won the award of best artist at the 2004 MTV Russian Music Awards...
and Kirpichi
Kirpichi
Kirpichi is one of the most influential alternative groups in Russia, which formed in 1995 as "Bricks Are Heavy".-Early years and rise to fame:...
.
A specific, exclusively Russian kind of music has emerged, that mixes criminal songs, bard and romance music. It is labelled "Russian chanson" (a neologism popularized by its main promoter, Radio Chanson). Its main artists include Mikhail Krug
Mikhail Krug
Mikhail Krug , born as Vorobyov , was a Russian singer, one of the leading singers of the style of songs known as blatnaya pesnya , or shanson, which has been part of Russian culture since the beginning of the twentieth century.Mikhail Krug was born in Morozovskiy Gorodok, a suburb of the city of...
, Mikhail Shufutinsky
Mikhail Shufutinsky
Mikhail Zakharovich Shufutinsky is a pop Russian singer, citizen of the USA. He is the pre-eminent current singer of Russian chanson music....
, and Alexander Rosenbaum
Alexander Rosenbaum
Alexander Yakovlevich Rosenbaum is a Soviet and Russian bard from Saint Petersburg. He is best known as an interpreter of the blatnaya pesnya genre...
. With lyrics about daily life and society, and frequent romanticisation of the criminal underworld, chanson is especially popular among adult males of the lower social class.
Electronic music in modern Russia is underdeveloped in comparison to other genres. This is largely due to a lack of promotion. There are some independent underground acts performing IDM
IDM
IDM may refer to:Science and technology* Identity management, the management of the identity life cycle of an entity* IDM Computer Solutions* Integrated Data Management...
, downtempo
Downtempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
, house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
and dark psytrance
Dark psytrance
Dark psytrance is a darker, faster and more distorted form of psychedelic trance music, with tempo ranges usually from 145 to 180 BPM, but reaches +220 BPM...
(including tracker music scene), and broadcasting their work via internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
. They include Parasense
Parasense
Parasense is the name of a dark psytrance duo from Russia. The name is a short for "Paranoic Sensations".They played their first international gig at the Eclipse Festival in Hungary in 1998....
, Fungus Funk, Kindzadza
Kindzadza
Kindzadza, real name Lev Greshilov , a dark psytrance musician from Moscow, Russia. His musical nickname is derived from the title of the popular Soviet movie Kin-dza-dza! He is currently booked on Osom Music record label....
, Lesnikov-16, Yolochnye Igrushki and Messer Für Frau Müller. Of the few artists that broke through to the mainstream media, there are PPK
PPK (group)
PPK is a notable Russian trance duo that was based primarily in Rostov-on-Don.The group consisted of Sergei Pimenov and Alexander Polyakov. PPK name is the acronym of founding members' initials, K was for short-time member DJ Kordj ....
and DJ Groove, that exploit Soviet movie soundtracks for their dance remixes.
The profile of "Classical" or concert hall music has to a considerable degree been eclipsed by on one hand the rise of commercial popular music in Russia, and on the other its own lack of promotion since the collapse of the USSR. Yet a number of composers born in the 1950s and later have made some impact, notably Leonid Desyatnikov
Leonid Desyatnikov
Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov is a Russian composer.Leonid Desyatnikov was born in 1955 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He is a graduate of the Leningrad Conservatory, where he studied composition and instrumentation. Desyatnikov has penned four operas, several cantatas and numerous vocal and instrumental...
who became the first composer in decades to have a new opera commissioned by the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
(Rosenthal's Children, 2005), and whose music has been championed by Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
and Roman Mints. Meanwhile Gubaidulina, amongst several former-Soviet composers of her generation, continues to maintain a high profile outside Russia composing several prestigious and well-received works including "In tempus praesens" (2007) for the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist.- Early life :Mutter was born in Rheinfelden, Germany. She began playing the piano at age five, and shortly afterwards took up the violin, studying with Erna Honigberger, a pupil of Carl Flesch...
.
Ethnic roots music
Russia today is a multi-ethnic state with over 300 ethnicities living under one flag. Each of these ethnic groups has their own indigenous folk, sacred and in some cases art music, which can loosely be categorized together under the guise of Ethnic roots music, or folk music. This category can further be broken down into folkloric (modern adaptations of folk material, and authentic presentations of ethnic music).Adygea
In recent years, Adygea has seen the formation of a number of new musical institutions. These include two orchestras, one of which (Russkaya Udal), uses folk instruments, and a chamber music theater.Adygea's national anthem was written by Iskhak Shumafovich Mashbash with music by Umar Khatsitsovich Tkhabisimov.
Altay
AltayAltay Mountains
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the original locus of the speakers of Turkic as well as other members of the proposed...
is a Central Asian region, known for traditional epics and a number of folk instruments.
Bashkir
The first major study of Bashkir music appeared in 1897, when ethnographer Rybakov S.G. wrote Music and Songs of the Ural's Muslims and Studies of Their Way of Life. Later, Lebedinskiy L.N. collected numerous folk songs in BashkortostanBashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...
beginning in 1930. The 1968 foundation of the Ufa State Institute of Arts sponsored research in the field.
The kurai
Kurai
Kurai may refer to:*Kurai , an instrument used by the Bashkir peoplePlaces*Band Kurai, a town in Pakistan*Kurai, NWFP, a town in NWFP, Pakistan*Kuray Mountains, a mountain range in Russia...
is the most important instrument in the Bashkir ensemble.
Buryatia
The BuryatsBuryats
The Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
of the far east is known for distinctive folk music which uses the two-stringed horsehead fiddle, or morin khuur
Morin khuur
The morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. The morin khuur is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified...
. The style has no polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
and has little melodic
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
innovation. Narrative structures are very common, many of them long epics which claim to be the last song of a famous hero, such as in the Last Song of Rinchin Dorzhin. Modern Buryat musicians include the band Uragsha, which uniquely combines Siberian and Russian language lyrics with rock and Buryat folk songs.
Chechnya
Alongside the Chechen rebellion of the 1990s came a resurgence in Chechen national identity, of which music is a major part. People like Said Khachukayev became prominent promoting Chechen music.The Chechen national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
is said to be "Death or Freedom", an ancient song of uncertain origin.
Dagestan
Dagestan's most famous composer may be Gotfrid HasanovGotfrid Hasanov
Gotfrid Alidin xva Hasanov - composer, the founder of the Dagestan professional music, the initiator of foundation and the first director of the Dagestan musical college, the founder and the head of the Union of composers of Dagestan.-External links:* *...
, who is said to be the first professional composer from Dagestan. He wrote the first Dagestani opera, Khochbar, in 1945 and recorded a great deal of folk music from all the peoples of Dagestan.
Karelia
KareliaKarelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
ns are Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and so much of their music is the same as Finnish music
Music of Finland
The music of Finland can be roughly divided in the following three categories.Folk music is typically influenced by Karelian traditional tunes and lyrics of the Kalevala metre. Karelian heritage has traditionally been perceived as the purest expression of Finnic myths and beliefs, thought to be...
. The Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
is a very important part of traditional music; it is a recitation of Finnish legends, and is considered an integral part of the Finnish folk identity.
The Karelian Folk Music Ensemble is a prominent folk group.
Ossetia
OssetiansOssetians
The Ossetians are an Iranic ethnic group of the Caucasus Mountains, eponymous of the region known as Ossetia.They speak Ossetic, an Iranian language of the Eastern branch, with most also fluent in Russian as a second language....
are people of the Caucasian Region, and thus Ossetian Music and Dance has similar themes to Music of Chechnya and Music of Dagestan.
Russia
Archeology and direct evidence show a variety of musical instrumentMusical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s in ancient Russia. Authentic folk instruments include the Livenka (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
) and woodwinds like zhaleika
Zhaleika
The zhaleika is a Russian single-reed hornpipe. It is the most popular Russian folk wind instrument.-External links:*...
, svirel
Svirel
Svirel is an old folk Russian wind instrument of the end-blown flute type. In the Old Rus’ this instrument was made either of hollow reed or cylindrical wood branches. A legend says that Lel', son of the Slavic goddess of love Lada was a svirel player. In spring he would make his svirel of birch...
and kugikli, as well as numerous percussion instrument
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
s: buben, bubenci, kokshnik, korobochka, lozhki, rubel, treschetka, vertushka
Vertushka
The Vertushka was a special internal telephone system in the Kremlin. Parallel systems existed in other cities as well as in the capitals of Soviet satellite states...
and zvonchalka.
Chastushka
Chastushka
A Chastúshka is a traditional Russian or Ukrainian folk poem which makes use of a simple rhyming scheme to convey humorous or ironic content...
s are a kind of Russian folk song with a long history. They are typically rapped
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, and are humorous or satiric.
During the 19th century, Count Uvarov led a campaign of nationalist revival which initiated the first professional orchestra with traditional instruments, beginning with Vasily Andreyev, who used the balalaika
Balalaika
The balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
in an orchestra late in the century. Just after the dawn of the 20th century, Mitrofan Pyatnitsky
Mitrofan Pyatnitsky
Mitrofan Yefimovich Pyatnitsky was a Russian and Soviet musician, gatherer of Russian folk songs. He established the famous Pyatnitsky Choir in 1910 from 18 peasants originally from the Voronezh, Ryazan and Smolensk gubernias. After his death in 1927, the chorus was named after him....
founded the Pyatnitsky Choir
Pyatnitsky Choir
The Pyatnitsky Russian Folk Chorus was established by Mitrofan Pyatnitsky in 1910 initially with 18 peasants from Voronezh, Ryazan and Smolensk gubernias. The peasant chorus held its first performance at the Small hall of the Moscow Nobility Club on March 2, 1911.Pyatnitsky focused on...
, which used rural peasant singers and traditional sounds.
Sakha
ShamanismShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
remains an important cultural practice of the ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s of Siberia and Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
, where several dozen groups live. The Yakut
Yakut
Yakut may refer to:* Yakuts, the Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic* Yakut language, a Turkic language also known as Sakha.* Ruby in Turkish language* Yakut , a breed from Russia*Yakut Pony, horse breed from Siberia, Russia...
s are the largest, and are known for their olonkho
Olonkho
Olonkho - a heroic epic tale of the Sakha people. The poetic tales, which vary from 10,000 to 20,000 verses in length, are performed by the Olonkho singer and story-teller.The longest olonkhos are sung during up to seven nights...
songs and the khomus, a jaw harp.
Tatarstan
Tatar folk music has rhythmic peculiarities and pentatonic intonation in common with nations of the Volga area, who are ethnically Finno-UgricFinno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
and Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
. Singing girls, renowned for their subtlety and grace, are a prominent component of Tatar folk music. Instruments include the kubyz (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
), quray (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
) and talianka (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
).
Tuva
Tuvan throat singing, or xoomii, is famous worldwide, primarily for its novelty. The style is highly unusual and foreign to most listeners, who typically find it inaccessible and amelodic. In throat singing, the natural harmonic resonances of the lips and mouth are tuned to select certain overtoneOvertone
An overtone is any frequency higher than the fundamental frequency of a sound. The fundamental and the overtones together are called partials. Harmonics are partials whose frequencies are whole number multiples of the fundamental These overlapping terms are variously used when discussing the...
s. The style was first recorded by Ted Levin, who helped catalogue a number of different styles. These are include borbannadir (which is compared to the sound of a flowing river), sygyt (similar to whistling
Whistling
Human whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
), xoomii, chylandyk (likened to chirping crickets
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
) and ezengileer (like a horses trotting). Of particular international fame are the group Huun-Huur-Tu
Huun-Huur-Tu
Huun-Huur-Tu is a music group from Tuva, a Russian Federation republic situated on the Mongolian border....
and master throat singer Kongar-ool Ondar
Kongar-ool Ondar
Kongar-ol Ondar is a master Tuvan throat singer and a member of the Great Khural of Tuva. Ondar was born in 1962 near the Khemchik River in western Tuva. Considered a living treasure by the Republic of Tuva, Ondar is granted a stipend and an apartment for the musical skills he possesses...
.
Ukrainian music
Although UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
is an independent country since 1991, Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
constitute the second-largest ethnic minority in Russia. The bandura
Bandura
Bandura refers to a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza...
is the most important and distinctive instrument of the Ukrainian folk tradition, and was utilized by court musicians in the various Tsarist courts. The kobzar
Kobzar
A Kobzar was an itinerant Ukrainian bard who sang to his own accompaniment.-Tradition:Kobzars were often blind, and became predominantly so by the 1800s...
s, a kind of wandering performing who composed dumy
Duma (epic)
A Duma is a sung epic poem which originated in Ukraine during the Hetmanate Era in the sixteenth century...
, or folk epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
s. Many of the early classical composers of Russia such as Dmitry Bortniansky, Maksym Berezovsky
Maksym Berezovsky
Maksym Sozontovych Berezovsky was a Ukrainian composer, opera singer, and violinist.Berezovsky was the first Ukrainian composer to be recognized throughout Europe and the first to compose an opera, symphony, and violin sonata. His most popular works are his sacred choral pieces written for the...
and Artemy Vedel
Artemy Vedel
Artem Vedel was one of the most prominent Ukrainian composers of the 18th century. Together with Maksym Berezovsky and Dmytro Bortniansky, Vedel is recognized as one of the big three composers of the period....
and a significant number of others were of Ukrainian descent.
Further reading
- Broughton, Simon and Didenko, Tatiana. "Music of the People". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 248–254. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0