Verstovsky Alexey Nikolaevich short biography. The meaning of Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky in a brief biographical encyclopedia

Alexey Nikolaevich (02/18/1799, Seliverstovo estate, near the village of Mezinets, Kozlovsky district, Tambov province - 11/5/1862, Moscow), Russian. composer, musical and theater figure. V.'s first music teacher was the regent from the village. Mezinets, former court singer Levit Shafranov. In 1816-1817 V. studied in St. Petersburg, then moved to Moscow and served in various civil institutions. Since 1825, inspector of music, since 1830, inspector of the repertoire of Moscow imperials. theaters, in 1848-1860. office manager of the Moscow imperial directorate. theaters V. is the author of operas (“Askold’s Grave”, “Thunderbolt”), vaudevilles, vocal-symphonic and piano works, ballads and romances. He was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

In the 30s V. created 3 spiritual concerts and “Lunch” (hymns from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). According to N.F. Findeizen, these works were performed in the c. Ascension at the Nikitsky Gate and in the University Church. mts. Tatiana (Findeisen. pp. 115-116). A. A. Alyabyev gave a positive assessment of “Lunch” in his letter of 1834 (Steinpress B.S. Pages from the life of A. A. Alyabyev. M., 1956. P. 267). V. also owns the “Presanctified Mass” (chants of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts), created, possibly, in the late period of the composer’s work.

Works of spiritual content include the hymn “Great is the Lord” (to the words of N. M. Yazykov) for choir and orchestra, composed by V. for the benefit of orphans left after the death of their parents during the cholera epidemic (it was performed in 1831 in the hall of the Moscow Noble Assembly) .

Spiritual-music The compositions are distinguished by a concert style; in terms of intonation they are close to the opera and romance works of V. All concerts are written in a 3-part form; The structure of the parts is characterized by repetition of thematic structures. Unlike his contemporaries, V. less often uses the comparison of solo (or ensemble) and choral sound, as well as techniques of imitative polyphony. Within the framework of early romantic harmony, V. widely used elliptical sequences of seventh chords and their inversions, and chromatic movements of voices. Great severity of textural and harmonic presentation distinguishes certain hymns of the “Pre-Consecrated Mass.”

V.’s works on liturgical texts remained unpublished, although the composer sent the “Mass” to St. Petersburg to the director of the Court Singing Chapel F. P. Lvov, as reported in a letter to V. F. Odoevsky in 1836 (Autobiography of the Composer Verstovsky / Communication B. Modzalevsky // Biryuch Petrograd State Academic Theatres: Collection of articles [Pg.], 1920. Issue 2. P. 236). In this letter, V. also mentions his concert “Tell me, Lord” for 4 voices (not found at present). “Lunch” and V.’s spiritual concerts were included in his handwritten collection of works; “Presanctified Mass” is kept in the archives of Archpriest. Dimitry Razumovsky.

Op.: “Lunch” (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), concerts: “I will exalt Thee, O Lord,” “Hear, O God, my voice,” “Lord, my God, trust in Thee.” For men choir (2 tenors and 2 basses): Rkp. // Collection op. / MGK. T. 9. pp. 167-187, 189-225; Presanctified Mass // RSL OR. F. 380. K. 21. No. 4.

N. Yu. Plotnikova

A talented Russian musician, composer and theater figure, A. Verstovsky was the same age as Pushkin and an older contemporary of Glinka. In 1862, after the composer’s death, the outstanding music critic A. Serov wrote that “in terms of popularity, Verstovsky overpowers Glinka,” referring to the unusually lasting success of his best opera, Askold’s Grave.

Having entered the musical field in the late 1810s, Verstovsky was at the center of the musical and theatrical life of Russia for more than 40 years, actively participating in it both as a prolific composer and as an influential theater administrator. The composer was closely acquainted with many outstanding figures of Russian artistic culture. He was on friendly terms with Pushkin, Griboyedov, Odoevsky. Close friendship and joint creativity connected him with many writers and playwrights - primarily A. Pisarev, M. Zagoskin, S. Aksakov.

The literary and theatrical environment had a noticeable influence on the formation of the composer’s aesthetic tastes. His closeness to the figures of Russian romanticism and Slavophiles was reflected in Verstovsky’s commitment to Russian antiquity, and in his attraction to “diabolical” fantasy, to fiction, whimsically combined with a loving reproduction of the characteristic features of national life, real historical persons and events.

Verstovsky was born on the Seliverstovo estate in the Tambov province. The composer's father was the illegitimate son of General A. Seliverstov and a captured Turkish woman, and therefore his surname - Verstovsky - was formed from part of the family surname, and he himself was assigned to the nobility as a native of the “Polish nobility”. The boy's musical development took place in a favorable environment. The family played a lot of music; my father had his own serf orchestra and a large music library for those times. From the age of 8, the future composer began performing in amateur concerts as a pianist, and soon his penchant for musical composition manifested itself.

In 1816, by the will of his parents, the young man was assigned to the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers in St. Petersburg. However, after studying there for only one year, he left the institute and entered the public service. The gifted young man was captivated by the musical atmosphere of the capital, and he continues his musical education under the guidance of the most famous St. Petersburg teachers. Verstovsky took piano lessons from D. Steibelt and J. Field, studied violin, studied music theory and the basics of composition. Here, in St. Petersburg, his passion for theater was born and grew stronger, a passionate supporter of which he would remain for the rest of his life. With his characteristic ardor and temperament, Verstovsky takes part in amateur performances as an actor, translates French vaudevilles into Russian, and composes music for theatrical performances. Interesting acquaintances are made with prominent representatives of the theater world, poets, musicians, and artists. Among them are the young writer N. Khmelnitsky, the venerable playwright A. Shakhovskoy, the critic P. Arapov, and the composer A. Alyabyev. Among his acquaintances was also N. Vsevolozhsky, the founder of the literary and political society “Green Lamp”, which included many future Decembrists and Pushkin. Verstovsky also attended these meetings. Perhaps it was at this time that his first acquaintance with the great poet took place.

In 1819, the twenty-year-old composer gained fame, which was brought to him by staging the vaudeville “Grandma’s Parrots” (text by Khmelnitsky). Inspired by success, Verstovsky decides to devote himself entirely to serving his beloved art. The first vaudeville was followed by “Quarantine”, “The first debut of the actress Troepolskaya”, “Madhouse, or Strange Wedding”, etc. Vaudeville, transferred from the French stage and converted to Russian customs, became one of the favorite genres of the Russian public of that time. Witty and cheerful, full of life-affirming optimism, it gradually absorbs the traditions of Russian comic opera and develops from an entertaining play with music into a vaudeville opera, in which music plays an important dramatic role.

Contemporaries highly valued Verstovsky, the author of vaudevilles. Griboyedov, in the process of working together on the vaudeville “Who is Brother, Who is Sister, or Deception after Deception” (1823), wrote to the composer: “I have no doubt at all about the beauty of your music and I congratulate myself on it in advance.” A strict adherent of high art, V. Belinsky wrote: This is not ordinary musical chatter without meaning, but something animated by the life of strong talent. Verstovsky owns music for more than 30 vaudevilles. And although some of them were written in collaboration with other composers, it was he who was recognized as the founder of this genre in Russia, the creator, as Serov wrote, of “a kind of code of vaudeville music.”

Verstovsky's brilliant beginning as a composer was strengthened by his career. In 1823, in connection with his appointment to the office of the Moscow military governor-general D. Golitsyn, the young composer moved to Moscow. With his characteristic energy and enthusiasm, he joins the Moscow theater life, makes new acquaintances, friendly and creative contacts. For 35 years, Verstovsky served in the Moscow theater office, managing both the repertoire and the entire organizational and economic part, in fact heading the then unified opera and drama troupe of the Bolshoi and Maly theaters. And it is no coincidence that his contemporaries called the long period of his service to the theater “the era of Verstovsky.” According to the recollections of various people who knew him, Verstovsky was a very extraordinary person, combining the high natural talent of a musician with the energetic mind of an organizer - a practical theater practitioner. Despite his many responsibilities, Verstovsky continued to compose a lot. He was the author not only of theatrical music, but also of various songs and romances, which were successfully performed on stage and firmly entered into urban life. He is characterized by a subtle implementation of the intonations of Russian folk and everyday romance songs, reliance on popular song and dance genres, richness, and specificity of the musical image. A distinctive feature of Verstovsky’s creative appearance is his tendency to embody strong-willed, energetic, active mental states. Bright temperament and special vitality significantly distinguish his works from the work of most of his contemporaries, painted primarily in elegiac tones.

Verstovsky's talent was manifested most fully and originally in his ballad songs, which he himself called “cantatas.” These are “Black Shawl” (at Pushkin Station), “Three Songs” and “Poor Singer” (at V. Zhukovsky Station), composed in 1823, reflecting the composer’s attraction to a theatrical, dramatized interpretation of the romance. These “cantatas” were also performed in a staged form - with scenery, costumes and orchestral accompaniment. Verstovsky created large cantatas for soloists, choir and orchestra, various vocal and orchestral works “on occasion”, and sacred choral concerts. The most cherished sphere remained musical theater.

Verstovsky's creative heritage includes 6 operas. The first of them - “Pan Twardowski” (1828) - was written in libr. Zagoskin based on his “terrible story” of the same name, based on the West Slavic (Polish) version of the legend of Faust. The second opera, “Vadim, or the Awakening of the Twelve Sleeping Maidens” (1832), based on Zhukovsky’s ballad “Thunderbolt, or the Twelve Sleeping Maidens,” is based on a plot from the life of Kievan Rus. The third and most famous opera by Verstovsky, “Askold’s Grave” (1835), takes place in ancient Kyiv, based on the historical-romantic story of the same name by Zagoskin.

The public enthusiastically welcomed the appearance of the first three operas by Verstovsky, who consciously strove to create a national Russian opera based on historical and mythological events from the distant semi-legendary past and embodying the highly ethical and strongly national aspects of the people's character. The romanticized reproduction of historical events unfolding against the backdrop of detailed pictures of folk life, with its rituals, songs, and dances, corresponded to the artistic tastes of the era of romanticism. The contrast between the real life of popular heroes and dark demonic fantasy is also romantic. Verstovsky created a type of Russian song opera, in which the basis of the characteristics is the Russian-Slavic song-dance, elegiac romance, dramatic ballad. He considered vocalism and song lyricism to be the main means of creating lively, expressive characters and depicting human feelings. On the contrary, the fantastic, magical and demonic episodes of his operas are embodied by orchestral means, as well as with the help of melodrama, which was very characteristic of that time (i.e., recitation against the background of orchestral accompaniment). These are the “terrible” episodes of spells, witchcraft, and the appearance of “hellish” evil spirits. The use of melodrama was quite natural in Verstovsky’s operas, since they were still a kind of mixed musical and dramatic genre, including prosaic spoken dialogues. It is noteworthy that in “Vadim” the main role, intended for the famous tragedian P. Mochalov, was purely dramatic.

The appearance of Glinka's Ivan Susanin, staged a year after Askold's Grave. (1836), marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of Russian music, eclipsing everything that preceded it and pushing Verstovsky’s naive romantic operas into the past. The composer was painfully worried about the loss of his former popularity. “Of all the articles that I recognized as yours, I saw complete oblivion towards myself, as if I did not exist...” he wrote to Odoevsky. - “I am the first admirer of Glinka’s most beautiful talent, but I do not want and cannot give up the right of primacy.”

Unwilling to accept the loss of his authority, Verstovsky continued to compose operas. The opera “Longing for the Motherland” (1839), the fairy-tale-magical opera “A Waking Dream, or Churova Valley” (1844) and the great legendary-fantastic opera “Thunderbreaker” (1857) that appeared during the last period of its life - indicate creative searches both in relation to the operatic genre and in the stylistic sphere. However, despite some successful discoveries, especially in the last opera “Thunderbolt”, marked by the Russian-Slavic flavor characteristic of Verstovsky, the composer still failed to regain his former glory.

In 1860, he left his service in the Moscow theater office, and on September 17, 1862, having outlived Glinka by 5 years, Verstovsky died. His last composition was the cantata “The Feast of Peter the Great” based on poems by his favorite poet, A. S. Pushkin.

T. Korzhenyants

VERSTOVSKY Alexey Nikolaevich

(1 III 1799, Seliverstovo estate, now Tambov region - 17 IX 1862, Moscow)

A talented Russian musician, composer and theater figure, A. Verstovsky was the same age as Pushkin and an older contemporary of Glinka. In 1862, after the death of the composer, the outstanding music critic A. Serov wrote that “in terms of popularity, Verstovsky overpowers Glinka,” referring to the unusually lasting success of his best opera, “Askald’s Grave.”

Having entered the musical field in the late 1810s, Verstovsky was at the center of the musical and theatrical life of Russia for more than 40 years, actively participating in it both as a prolific composer and as an influential theater administrator. The composer was closely acquainted with many outstanding figures of Russian artistic culture. He was on friendly terms with Pushkin, Griboyedov, Odoevsky. Close friendship and joint creativity connected him with many writers and playwrights - primarily A. Pisarev, M. Zagoskin, S. Aksakov.

The literary and theatrical environment had a noticeable influence on the formation of the composer’s aesthetic tastes. His closeness to the figures of Russian romanticism and Slavophiles was reflected in Verstovsky’s commitment to Russian antiquity, and in his attraction to “diabolical” fantasy, to fiction, whimsically combined with a loving reproduction of the characteristic features of national life, real historical persons and events.

Verstovsky was born on the Seliverstovo estate in the Tambov province. The composer's father was the illegitimate son of General A. Seliverstov and a captured Turkish woman, and therefore his surname - Verstovsky - was formed from part of the family surname, and he himself was assigned to the nobility as a native of the "Polish nobility." The boy's musical development took place in a favorable environment. The family played a lot of music; my father had his own serf orchestra and a large music library for those times. From the age of 8, the future composer began performing in amateur concerts as a pianist, and soon his penchant for musical composition manifested itself.

In 1816, by the will of his parents, the young man was assigned to the Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers in St. Petersburg. However, after studying there for only one year, he left the institute and entered the public service. The gifted young man was captivated by the musical atmosphere of the capital, and he continues his musical education under the guidance of the most famous St. Petersburg teachers. Verstovsky took piano lessons from D. Steibelt and J. Field, studied violin, studied music theory and the basics of composition. Here, in St. Petersburg, his passion for theater was born and grew stronger, a passionate supporter of which he would remain for the rest of his life. With his characteristic ardor and temperament, Verstovsky takes part in amateur performances as an actor, translates French vaudevilles into Russian, and composes music for theatrical performances. Interesting acquaintances are made with prominent representatives of the theater world, poets, musicians, and artists. Among them are the young writer N. Khmelnitsky, the venerable playwright A. Shakhovskoy, the critic P. Arapov, and the composer A. Alyabyev. Among his acquaintances was also N. Vsevolozhsky, the founder of the literary and political society "Green Lamp", which included many future Decembrists and Pushkin. Verstovsky also attended these meetings. Perhaps it was at this time that his first acquaintance with the great poet took place.

In 1819, the twenty-year-old composer gained fame, which was brought to him by staging the vaudeville "Grandma's Parrots" (text by Khmelnitsky). Inspired by success, Verstovsky decides to devote himself entirely to serving his beloved art. The first vaudeville was followed by “Quarantine, The first debut of actress Troepolskaya, The Madhouse, or Strange Wedding” and others. Vaudeville, transferred from the French stage and converted to Russian customs, became one of the favorite genres of the Russian public of that time. Witty and cheerful, full of life-affirming optimism, it gradually absorbs the traditions of Russian comic opera and develops from an entertaining play with music into a vaudeville opera, in which music plays an important dramatic role.

Contemporaries highly valued Verstovsky, the author of vaudevilles. Griboedov, in the process of working together on the vaudeville “Who is Brother, Who is Sister, or Deception after Deception” (1823), wrote to the composer: “I have no doubt at all about the beauty of your music and I congratulate myself in advance on it.” A strict adherent of high art, V. Belinsky wrote: This is not ordinary musical chatter without meaning, but something animated by the life of strong talent. Verstovsky owns music for more than 30 vaudeville acts. And although some of them were written in collaboration with other composers, it was he who was recognized as the founder of this genre in Russia, the creator, as Serov wrote, of “a kind of code of vaudeville music.”

Verstovsky's brilliant beginning as a composer was strengthened by his career. In 1823, in connection with his appointment to the office of the Moscow military governor-general D. Golitsyn, the young composer moved to Moscow. With his characteristic energy and enthusiasm, he joins the Moscow theater life, makes new acquaintances, friendly and creative contacts. For 35 years, Verstovsky served in the Moscow theater office, managing both the repertoire and the entire organizational and economic part, in fact heading the then unified opera and drama troupe of the Bolshoi and Maly theaters. And it is no coincidence that his contemporaries called the long period of his service to the theater “the era of Verstovsky.” According to the recollections of various people who knew him, Verstovsky was a very extraordinary person, combining the high natural talent of a musician with the energetic mind of an organizer - a practical theater practitioner. Despite his many responsibilities, Verstovsky continued to compose a lot. He was the author not only of theatrical music, but also of various songs and romances, which were successfully performed on stage and firmly entered into urban life. He is characterized by a subtle implementation of the intonations of Russian folk and everyday romance songs, reliance on popular song and dance genres, richness, and specificity of the musical image. A distinctive feature of Verstovsky’s creative appearance is his tendency to embody strong-willed, energetic, active mental states. Bright temperament and special vitality significantly distinguish his works from the work of most of his contemporaries, painted primarily in elegiac tones.

Verstovsky's talent was most fully and uniquely manifested in his ballad songs, which he himself called “cantatas.” These are “Black Shawl” (at Pushkin Station), “Three Songs” and “Poor Singer” (at V. Zhukovsky Station), composed in 1823, reflecting the composer’s attraction to a theatrical, dramatized interpretation of the romance. These “cantatas” were also performed in a staged form - with scenery, costumes and orchestral accompaniment. Verstovsky created large cantatas for soloists, choir and orchestra, various vocal and orchestral works “on occasion”, and sacred choral concerts. The most cherished sphere remained musical theater.

Verstovsky's creative heritage includes 6 operas. The first of them - "Pan Tvardovsky" (1828) - was written in libr. Zagoskin based on his “terrible story” of the same name, based on the West Slavic (Polish) version of the legend of Faust. The second opera, “Vadim, or the Awakening of the Twelve Sleeping Maidens” (1832), based on Zhukovsky’s ballad “Thunderbolt, or the Twelve Sleeping Maidens,” is based on a plot from the life of Kievan Rus. The third and most famous opera by Verstovsky, “Askold’s Grave” (1835), takes place in ancient Kyiv, based on Zagoskin’s historical-romantic story of the same name.

The public enthusiastically welcomed the appearance of the first three operas by Verstovsky, who consciously strove to create a national Russian opera based on historical and mythological events from the distant semi-legendary past and embodying the highly ethical and strongly national aspects of the people's character. The romanticized reproduction of historical events unfolding against the backdrop of detailed pictures of folk life, with its rituals, songs, and dances, corresponded to the artistic tastes of the era of romanticism. The contrast between the real life of popular heroes and dark demonic fantasy is also romantic. Verstovsky created a type of Russian song opera, in which the basis of the characteristics is the Russian-Slavic song-dance, elegiac romance, dramatic ballad. He considered vocalism and song lyricism to be the main means of creating lively, expressive characters and depicting human feelings. On the contrary, the fantastic, magical and demonic episodes of his operas are embodied by orchestral means, as well as with the help of melodrama, which was very characteristic of that time (i.e., recitation against the background of orchestral accompaniment). These are the “terrible” episodes of spells, witchcraft, and the appearance of “hellish” evil spirits. The use of melodrama was quite natural in Verstovsky’s operas, since they were still a kind of mixed musical and dramatic genre, including prosaic spoken dialogues. It is noteworthy that in “Vadim” the main role, intended for the famous tragedian P. Mochalov, was purely dramatic.

The appearance of Glinka's Ivan Susanin, staged a year after Askold's Grave. (1836), marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of Russian music, eclipsing everything that preceded it and pushing Verstovsky’s naive romantic operas into the past. The composer was painfully worried about the loss of his former popularity. “Out of all the articles that I recognized as yours, I saw complete oblivion towards myself, as if I did not exist”... - he wrote to Odoevsky. - “I am the first admirer of Glinka’s most beautiful talent, but I do not want and cannot give up the right of primacy.”

Unwilling to accept the loss of his authority, Verstovsky continued to compose operas. The opera “Longing for the Motherland” (1839), the fairy-tale-magical opera “A Waking Dream, or Churova Valley” (1844) and the great legendary-fantastic opera “Thunderbreaker” (1857) appeared during the last period of its life. indicate creative searches both in relation to the operatic genre and in the stylistic sphere. However, despite some successful discoveries, especially in the last opera "Thunderbolt", marked by the Russian-Slavic flavor characteristic of Verstovsky, the composer still failed to return to his former glory.

In 1860, he left his service in the Moscow theater office, and on September 17, 1862, having outlived Glinka by 5 years, Verstovsky died. His last composition was the cantata “The Feast of Peter the Great” based on poems by his favorite poet, A. S. Pushkin.

Creative portraits of composers. - M.: Music. 1990 .

See what “VERSTOVSKY Alexey Nikolaevich” is in other dictionaries:

Large biographical encyclopedia

Russian composer and theater figure. From the age of 9 he performed in concerts in Ufa. In 1816 he moved to St. Petersburg, studied with J. Field and D. Steibelt (piano), F. ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia- (1799, Seliverstovo estate, now Tambov region 1862, Moscow), composer. From the nobles. He received his education in St. Petersburg. From 1823 in Moscow, in the service of the chancellery, from 1825 inspector of music of the Imperial Moscow theaters, from 1830... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

One of the most talented and very famous Russian composers, b. 18 Feb 1799 in Tambov province, on his father’s estate. He early discovered his musical abilities both as a performer and as a composer. Considered Field’s best student, V. often... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

A. N. Verstovsky ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky

Alexei Verstovsky is called “Glinka’s rival.” They really lived and worked at the same time. Perhaps they competed a little, although it did not show in any way. But more importantly, they made a huge contribution to the creation of professional Russian music.

Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky was born in the Tambov province, on the Seliverstovo estate, on February 18 (March 1), 1799. Verstovsky’s grandfather, General Seliverstov, brought a “captive” Turkish woman from a military campaign. Catherine the Second allowed the marriage on the condition of “terminating the surname.” So the Selivestrovs turned into the Verstovskys (the number of letters remained the same).

Verstovsky's father was already an employee, but could run his own orchestra. All the children in the family played musical instruments and studied. Then the family moved to Ufa, where Alexey Verstovsky began performing, having discovered his early talent. Then he went to St. Petersburg, where he studied at the Institute of Railway Engineers. Despite his profession, he continued to take music lessons, including from John Field. Subsequently, Verstovsky’s life was connected with the activities of managing theaters (the playwright A. Ostrovsky spoke very highly of him) and, of course, composing music. Alexey Verstovsky died on November 5 (17), 1862, and was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow.

Askold's grave

This is what Askold's grave looks like now

A. Verstovsky wrote operas (for example, “Pan Tvardovsky”), vaudeville (“Who is brother, who is sister” based on the text by Griboyedov and Vyazemsky, staged several years ago by Roman Viktyuk) and ballads. The world famous opera is “Askold’s Grave” (libretto based on the novel by M. Zagoskin). There is a remarkable place in Kyiv - Askold’s grave. Let the people of Kiev better tell about the most ancient tract, the knight Askold, about the monastery and church, and I will limit myself to Verstovsky’s opera.

In the old days there lived grandfathers

Have more fun with your grandchildren;

How to drink plain water

Honey and strong wine;

We had fun, we had fun,

We feasted all year round!

This is how they lived under Askold

Our grandfathers and fathers!

Those interested can see what a huge section is devoted to this opera in the English Wikipedia - even with sound and notation examples. So, the action takes place in the 19th century, in Kyiv, on the banks of the Dnieper. The opera has everything: the love of a pagan for a Christian,

and the mysterious Stranger, revealing to the youth Vseslav that he is a descendant of Askold, therefore, can lay claim to the place of the prince. There is the kidnapping of the bride, and the refusal of betrayal, and the storm, and the death of the Unknown in the shuttle.

There is also an important hero - the horn player Toropka Golovan. That is, all the features of a romantic opera are present. But there is also just good music.

It is interesting that the censorship ordered to move the “action time” a little, and also to produce a happy ending (the prince forgave the heroes).

The opera was a great success all over the world (“We heard... that barrel organs in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna often play “Hey, Dnieper” or “Oh, my friends, how sad,” as well as other tunes... "). The opera is still being recorded, although not often, but many numbers are heard from concert venues.

An old husband, a formidable husband!

An old husband, a formidable husband!

Cut me, burn me!

I'm strong, I'm not afraid

No knife, no fire!.

This famous gypsy song is full of passion and determination. The author himself, A. Pushkin, gave the poems to Verstovsky. They were friends, Verstovsky even attended the bachelor party that Pushkin organized before his marriage.

Many of Verstovsky’s ballads were written to poems by Pushkin (for example, the famous “Black Shawl”). Alexei Verstovsky was always drawn to the world of antiquity, traditions and legends, as well as to the world of human passions - but that’s how a romantic is supposed to be. And his rich melodies come from Slavic folklore, partly from Gypsy folklore, which can be heard in this song.

Alexey Verstovsky is an outstanding representative of Russian art of the first half of the 19th century.

Verstovsky is rightfully considered one of the outstanding composers of the first half of the 19th century. He was a prominent representative of the romantic trend in music, the creator of Russian romantic opera.

Verstovsky was born in 1799. He spent his childhood years on his parents' estate, where serf musicians often organized concerts that featured the music of Haydn, Mozart, as well as works by Russian composers and arrangements of folk songs. In such an environment, literally saturated with music, the boy’s musical abilities quickly developed.

In his younger years, Verstovsky studied for some time at the St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers, after which he devoted himself to art. He becomes a student of the wonderful pianist J. Field. In addition, he diligently studies music theory and tries his hand at singing and playing the violin. At the same time, the future composer met a circle of writers, actors and musicians, the recognized leader of which was A. Shakhovsky. Verstovsky's connection with a group of progressive people of that era was reflected in his own creative activity: he began to act as a translator of plays, a singer and actor in amateur performances, and most importantly, as the author of music for theatrical productions. He soon gained popularity as a vaudeville composer.

Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky

In 1823, Verstovsky, who served as an official in one of the St. Petersburg departments, was transferred to Moscow. Here he met a number of famous figures of Russian art, wrote music for Griboedov and Vyazemsky’s vaudeville “Who is Brother, Who is Sister,” and, in collaboration with Alyabyev and other composers, composed music for A. Pisarev’s vaudevilles.

In 1825, Verstovsky went to work at one of the Moscow theaters as a music inspector. The close proximity to the theater gave him the idea of ​​​​creating an opera, especially since his desire was warmly supported by a circle of friends - Moscow writers, which included such famous writers as S. Aksakov and M. Zagoskin.

Several years of hard work finally culminated in the production in 1828 of Verstovsky’s first opera, Pan Twardowski, based on an ancient Polish legend, on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. And soon the premiere of another opera took place - “Vadim”, based on the fantastic plot of Zhukovsky’s famous ballad.

In 1835, “Askold’s Grave” was staged - Verstovsky’s best opera, written on the plot of the novel of the same name by M. Zagoskin and which won the sympathy of listeners for many years. The opera takes place in Ancient Rus', but real historical events, as in Zagoskin’s novel, are intertwined with fiction, and everyday scenes alternate with fantastic episodes. The summary of the opera “Askold’s Grave” is as follows: from the Unknown, young Vseslav learns that he is a descendant of Askold, who was once killed by the ancestors of the now ruling prince Svyatoslav. The unknown calls on Vseslav to revenge and to fight for the princely throne. To make him hate Svyatoslav, the Unknown helps the prince’s people kidnap Nadezhda, Vseslav’s beloved. With the help of his friend, the singer Torop, Vseslav frees Nadezhda and runs away with her. The sorceress Vakhromeevna discovers the refuge of the fugitives, after which their pursuit begins. However, soon news comes of the prince’s mercy, who allows Vseslava and Nadezhda to enter into a legal marriage. Vseslav makes peace with Svyatoslav, and the Unknown drowns in the waves of the Dnieper.

As you can see, the plot of the opera is not particularly intricate, but the entertaining intrigue, romantic mystery and drama of individual scenes made it one of the favorite repertoire works of the Russian stage. The main reason for the popularity of opera lies in the peculiarities of musical dramaturgy. The outstanding Russian critic Serov wrote: “Verstovsky has lightness, gaiety, liveliness, variety, dexterity in managing the stage.”

Excerpt from the fishermen’s choir “Go you, Dnieper” from the opera “Askold’s Grave” by A. N. Verstovsky

Reproducing a distant era, Verstovsky did not strive to give the music a touch of antiquity. On the contrary, he relied entirely on modern types of musical art. “Askold’s Grave” contains a lyrical romance, a ballad, and a drinking song.

This work marks a significant advance over the comic operas of the 18th century. Despite the fact that the principle of alternating musical numbers with spoken dialogues is still preserved here, the musical numbers themselves, under the influence of the changes that have occurred in Russian music since the appearance of the first operas, have become different. There are not only large, extended arias and ensembles, but also entire musical scenes with continuous action. The role of the orchestra has also increased. The skillful use of a variety of instrumental colors made it possible for Verstovsky to create several vivid images and enhance the expressiveness of the music.

In the first act of the opera, the fishermen’s chorus “Hey, Dnieper,” written by the composer a capella, attracts the most attention. It combines a wide chant and measured marching gait, elements of folk polyphony and harsh unison moves with a chord structure.

The second chorus of fishermen “Come on, brothers, quickly” (also from the first act) sounds energetically, in a uniform rhythm. At the same time, the melody of the upper voice resembles a drawn-out song.

The first act also contains a folk play scene, the choirs of which are distinguished by lightness, liveliness, and grace of the melodic line. They are based on three-beat dance rhythms, often found in Polish music.

Alexander Nikolaevich Serov

Neizvestny's aria “Soon, soon the clear month” from the second act is noteworthy, since it is one of the earliest examples of a large dramatic aria in Russian opera. Orchestral and choral sonority help the composer paint a vivid picture of the setting in which the action takes place. The second part of the aria - a rapid allegro, ending with an extended coda - sharply contrasts with the stern concentration of the introduction.

The girls' choir “Ah, girlfriends” (third act) is interesting because of its combination of Russian and Polish national elements. The vocal part contains the intonations of an urban romance, while the accompaniment is kept in the rhythm of a polonaise.

Of the characters in the opera, first of all it is necessary to pay attention to the singer Torop, endowed with remarkable musical characteristics. For example, his song “Close to the City of Slavyansk” from the third act is a ballad written in a through form. It begins in a calm, narrative tone, but after repeating the main verse twice, the major is replaced by a minor, and the wide, flowing melody is replaced by a recitative. The accompaniment includes the rhythm of horse stomping and other figurative elements. The composer celebrates the culmination of the stage action with “melodrama,” that is, speech against the background of instrumental accompaniment. The subsequent return of the main melody makes it clear that the musical narrative is over.

The intermission and chorus “Brew, Potion” from the fourth act are created in the tradition of romantic opera. The composer tried to give the intermission music an eerie and fantastic flavor. The tonality of B-flat minor is gloomy. A powerful increase in sonority leads to tremolo. Various registers are repeatedly compared, and bizarre-sounding harmonies appear every now and then.

The choir, personifying evil spirits, does not have an independent part, and its texture consists entirely of chords duplicating orchestral voices. Each phrase of the choir corresponds to the melody of the orchestra. At the same time, there is a continuous increase in sonority.

The music of “Askold’s Grave” is typical of the musical practice of that time. But since the musical material widespread in everyday life became the basis for operatic forms of a new type here, opera can be considered as a fundamentally new stage in the development of Russian operatic drama.

After 1835, Verstovsky created three more operas, but they cannot be compared with Askold’s Grave. Appearing after Glinka’s brilliant creations, during the heyday of Russian classical opera, they did not have much influence on the life of the Russian theater.

Verstovsky proved himself not only as a talented composer, but also as a theater figure, who actually led the musical and theatrical life of Moscow, as well as as a director and teacher. Thanks to his efforts, music classes were opened at the management of Moscow theaters, where musicians were trained for the orchestra. Verstovsky died in 1862. He made an invaluable contribution to the development of the national theater.

Verstovsky Alexey Nikolaevich Verstovsky Alexey Nikolaevich, one of the most talented and very famous Russian composers, b. 18 Feb 1799 in Tambov province, on his father’s estate. He discovered his musical abilities early, both as a performer and as a composer. Considering

Bakh Alexey Nikolaevich Bakh Alexey Nikolaevich, Soviet scientist and revolutionary figure, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1929), Hero of Socialist Labor (1945). Founder of the school of Soviet biochemists. Born into a family of technicians. WITH