Welcome to Music section of our site!
Here you can learn about the main streams of Russian musical culture.
Index of All Articles on Russian Music
Folk Music
Russian Folk Music Instruments
Classical Music in Russia
Russian Opera
Russian Romance, the Art of Sentimental Art Song
Russian Great Singers of the 20th Century
Author's Song
Pop-Music in Russia
Rock Music in Russia
Jazz in Russia
Punk Rock & Alternative Rock in Russia
Country Music in Russia
Celtic Music in Russia
A Glimpse of Hip-Hop Culture in Russia
Russian Sacred Music
Russian Music
Folk music is certainly the oldest of
them. The roots of Russian folk music date as far back as to the middle
of the first millennium AC, when Slavic tribes settled in the European
part of the present territory of Russia. Those tribes were famous for
their love and mastery of music, singing and dancing. From generation to
generation folk ensembles and singers try and keep up the authentic
Russian music traditions alive. Folk song and dance ensembles present
old country repertoire with songs often blending pagan roots and
Christian symbolism, songs either sad and drawling or merry, as well as
dances - dignified and graceful or rollicking and vigorous, accompanied
with traditional musical instruments (balalaikas, whistles, guslis,
wooden spoons, bayan, etc.) and colourful costumes. These days enjoy the
'new folk wave' bringing together old traditions, modern technologies
and experimental music styles.
Read more...
Russian Folk Instruments
Ancient chronicles, epics and medieval foreign writers’ notes bear all
evidence that the Slavs were extremely fond of music. Karamzin points
out in History of the Russian State: “The Northern Venedi (the
old name for Slavs) in the 6th century said to the Greek Emperor that
the major delight of their living was music and that on the road they
usually took not weapons but citharas or gusli invented by them”. As
time passed by lots of new music instruments came to be used by folk
musicians. Nowadays different styles are in fashion yet there is still
hope that interest in traditional Russian music will never ever fade.
Traditional folk music instruments have come to be used in lots of
modern styles and eclectic ways in recent years.
Read More...
Classical music
Russian
national composer school acquired its individual shape rather late, only
by the mid 19th century. However, once getting mature Russian music
rushes into the world music arena. West European musicians and critics
of the 19th century could not but appreciate most peculiar features of
Russian music, such as the use of rich and fresh folk music material of
Eurasian type, blending 'eastern' and 'western' elements; and absolutely
new forms of symphonic development - synthetic rather than analytical,
as was the convention with the West European symphony. The appearance of
such figures as Skryabin, Stravinsky and Prokofiev in the early 20th
century put Russian music in the avant-garde of the world music process.
Read more...
Opera
Russian opera is on a par with Italian, German and French operas in
terms of their worldwide significance.
This is mainly due to the range of operas created in the second half of
the 19th century and certain operas of the 20th century. Among the most
popular operas on the world stage of the late 20th - early 21st cc are
Boris Godunov by Musorgsky, Pikovaya Dama/Queen of Spades
and Eugeny Onegin by Chaikovsky, Knyaz Igor/Prince Igor by
Borodin, and Zolotoi Petushok/Golden Cockerel by Rimsky-Korsakov,
all dating back to the 19th century. Of the 20th century's operas stand
out Ognenny Angel/Fiery Angel by Prokofiev and Lady McBeth of
Mzensk district by Shostakovitch.
Read more...
Russian Romance
Russian romance means intimate lyrical songs that touch the soul, feelings set to music, and poetry that makes one cry and smile. Romance as music genre is a traditionally Russian type of music creativity: it is in romance that the so-called “mysterious Russian soul” has found ways of expressing its passions. Just recall the famous "Ochi Chyornie" (Black Eyes)!
Read more...
Great singers of the 20th century
Sweeping various style definitions aside we would like to introduce you
the most prominent singers of the 20th century who belonged to various
genres. One thing uniting them is that their charismatic personalities
and artistry left an influential trace in the musical history of Russia.
Here you can read about life and creative work of Fyodor Shalyapin,
Sergey Lemeshev, Claudia Shulzhenko, Isabella Yurieva, Leonid Utesov,
Mark Bernes and other legendary singers who deserve live attention of
any generation. Read more...
Author's song
Author's song as a genre supposes that a songwriter performs one's songs
alone to his/her own guitar accompaniment (or some other instrument,
which is rare). Singers to guitar are also called bards. Originated as a
free alternative to semi-official mainstream concert music in the Soviet
Union, this genre remains non-commercial and in this regard perhaps more
independent than any other. Great attention is paid to the meaning of
lyrics, aspiring to convey some deep message. Read about the phenomenon
of bard song in Russia and about such distinguished authors and
performers as Alexander Vertinsky, Boulat Okoudjava, Vladimir Vysotsky
and Alexander Bashlachev. The author's song is a chamber genre aimed at
a peculiar audience as compared to rock music attracting wide public (especially
the youth) due to its versatile sound and eccentricity.
Read more...
Pop Music
Genres of pop music widely spread in modern Russia and CIS countries
started taking shape back in the USSR epoch and were somewhat different
from similar styles both of the West and the East. By the early 1960s
Russian-language pop music developed into one of the biggest music
markets in the world. In the 1990s when the country was undergoing
severe economic and political crisis Russia and Moscow in particular
still remained to be significant producers of Russian-language music
industry. Strange as it may seem lots of famous pop music hits were
recorded in that very period.
Read more...
Rock music
Rock
music came to Russia from the West and for a long time remained
underground and rebellious to the stale oppressive atmosphere of the
Soviet Establishment.
For a long time having no opportunity to use good professional
instruments and up-to-date electronic equipment for recording and sound
mixing, Russian rock musicians got accustomed to a peculiar minimalism
in music. Guitar and unpretentious percussion 'beat' - that was
practically all to comprise the acoustic palette of Russian rock, which
from the very beginning tended to attach the first importance to the
lyrics and the message conveyed. Rock music became a specific Russian
phenomenon mainly due to poet and singer Alexander Bashlachev. A
perfectly Russian author he influenced many rock musicians and played an
important role for Russian rock to advert to the roots of Russian music
folklore and imparted the genuine Russian spirit to it. Read
more...
Brief History of Jazz in Russia
Jazz stage emerged in the USSR in the 1920s, just parallel to its
flourishing in the USA. The first Russian jazz orchestra was established
in Moscow in 1922. Jazz started gaining wide popularity in the 1930s, to
a great extent thanks to the Leningrad jazz ensemble headed by famous
actor and singer Leonid Utyosov. Soviet authorities displayed quite
ambiguous attitude towards jazz: Russian jazzmen, as a rule, were not
banned, though jazz as such was severely criticized in the context of
overall criticism of Western culture on the whole.
Read more...
Punk Rock & Alternative Rock in Russia
Punk music penetrated into the USSR in the early 1980s. From the mid
1980s pank rock bands started to spring up all around the USSR and as
time passed by they somehow fell into two categories: central and
Siberian ones. Alternative rock originated in Russia in the mid 1990s.
Bands playing alternative rock and alternative metal are often referred
to with the same definition “alternative”, without dividing them from
each other. Read more...
Country Music in Russia
Even in Soviet Russia American style of country music was growing in
popularity. In 1975 a Russian student band named Ornament already
performed real country disguised as songs of struggle and protest.
Though today palette of Russian country music adherents is not that rich
and versatile in comparison with America and Europe, it still has
something to offer. Read
more...
Celtic Music in Russia
Just like country music, so untypical for Russia, Celtic music is also
popular among the Russians. The talking about affinity of “mysterious”
Irish and Russian minds is not casual: they really have much in common.
Yet, Russia missed the first wave of interest in Irish music that
overwhelmed the world in the 1960s-70s. But then in the early 1990s we
fitted very well into the second one and till date have been taking an
active part in this global process.
Read more...
A Glimpse of Hip-Hop Culture in Russia
Hip hop gained fame, then rather limited, in the second half of the
1980s, when fancy for break dance started in this country. Yet,
English-language rap compositions as such were little known among music
lovers then. The first Russian language rap performers appeared in the
early 1990s, Bogdan Titomir enjoying fame, whereas more underground
sorts of Russian hip hop (such as “MD&C Pavlov” and the like) were far
from being a success. The market of Russian hip hop as industry took its
shape only in the late 1990s.
Read more...