The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union
This article considers the renaissance of Russian art-song in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, especially around the time of the Pushkin anniversary celebrations of 1937. The lyric - as a poetic and musical form - had enjoyed an uncertain reputation since the October Revolution. In the light of the Pu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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W. S. Maney & Son Ltd.
2007
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| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1797088273271619584 |
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| author | Bullock, P |
| author_facet | Bullock, P |
| author_sort | Bullock, P |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | This article considers the renaissance of Russian art-song in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, especially around the time of the Pushkin anniversary celebrations of 1937. The lyric - as a poetic and musical form - had enjoyed an uncertain reputation since the October Revolution. In the light of the Pushkin centenary, however, it proved to be a convenient way for composers to participate in the official celebrations. Moreover, the foundation of a Soviet lyric repertoire was an important element in raising the cultural aspirations of the Soviet audience. Equally, the establishment of a Soviet repertoire would suggest that the Soviet Union had matched the cultural achievements of the past. Explicit parallels were made with the musical culture of Pushkin's age, and the composers of the 1820s and 1830s were rehabilitated as models of the kind of accessible repertoire that the new era demanded. However, the ambitions of the time were realized only in part. Many composers stuck to tried-and-tested love lyrics, rather than Pushkin's more ambitious civic and philosophical lyrics. Moreover, the invocation of the music of the 1820s and 1830s encouraged composers to engage in ofter characterless stylization. Finally, the fetishization of Pushkin meant that contemporary poets were neglected; the establishment of a truly Soviet art-song repertoire was delayed for several decades. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:47:40Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ac93d421-9055-4c13-9c52-5650bcbc5dde |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:47:40Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publisher | W. S. Maney & Son Ltd. |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ac93d421-9055-4c13-9c52-5650bcbc5dde2022-03-27T03:29:55ZThe Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet UnionJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ac93d421-9055-4c13-9c52-5650bcbc5ddeMusicRussianEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetW. S. Maney & Son Ltd.2007Bullock, PThis article considers the renaissance of Russian art-song in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, especially around the time of the Pushkin anniversary celebrations of 1937. The lyric - as a poetic and musical form - had enjoyed an uncertain reputation since the October Revolution. In the light of the Pushkin centenary, however, it proved to be a convenient way for composers to participate in the official celebrations. Moreover, the foundation of a Soviet lyric repertoire was an important element in raising the cultural aspirations of the Soviet audience. Equally, the establishment of a Soviet repertoire would suggest that the Soviet Union had matched the cultural achievements of the past. Explicit parallels were made with the musical culture of Pushkin's age, and the composers of the 1820s and 1830s were rehabilitated as models of the kind of accessible repertoire that the new era demanded. However, the ambitions of the time were realized only in part. Many composers stuck to tried-and-tested love lyrics, rather than Pushkin's more ambitious civic and philosophical lyrics. Moreover, the invocation of the music of the 1820s and 1830s encouraged composers to engage in ofter characterless stylization. Finally, the fetishization of Pushkin meant that contemporary poets were neglected; the establishment of a truly Soviet art-song repertoire was delayed for several decades. |
| spellingShingle | Music Russian Bullock, P The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title | The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title_full | The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title_fullStr | The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title_short | The Pushkin anniversary of 1937 and Russian art-song in the Soviet Union |
| title_sort | pushkin anniversary of 1937 and russian art song in the soviet union |
| topic | Music Russian |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bullockp thepushkinanniversaryof1937andrussianartsonginthesovietunion AT bullockp pushkinanniversaryof1937andrussianartsonginthesovietunion |