Pg Garlicov and the Synodal School. Choir as a vocal organization

Russian composer, choral conductor, author of widely performed sacred compositions. Born near the town of Voskresensk (now the town of Istra), Zvenigorod district, Moscow province, on October 12 (24), 1877 in the family of a rural regent. All the children in the family showed musical talent, and the five Chesnokov brothers studied at different times at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing (three became certified regents - Mikhail, Pavel and Alexander). In 1895 Chesnokov graduated with honors from the Synodal School; subsequently took composition lessons from S.I. Taneev, G.E. Konyus (1862–1933) and M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov; much later (in 1917) he received a diploma from the Moscow Conservatory in composition and conducting classes. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools; in 1895–1904 he taught at the Synodal School, in 1901–1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir, in 1916–1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society.

Since the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he directed the choir of the Trinity Church on Gryazi (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Neocaesarea on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave spiritual concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs. In total, Chesnokov created about five hundred choral plays - spiritual compositions and transcriptions of traditional chants (among them several complete cycles of the liturgy and all-night vigil, a memorial service, the cycles "To the Most Holy Theotokos", "In the Days of War", "To the Lord God"), adaptations of folk songs, choirs based on poems by Russian poets. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called. “new direction” in Russian sacred music; Typical for him, on the one hand, is an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his transcriptions of chants), and on the other hand, a tendency towards great emotional openness in the expression of religious feelings, up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical for spiritual works for solo voice and choir that are now very popular).

After the revolution, Chesnokov led the State Academic Choir and was choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater; from 1920 until the end of his life he taught conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After 1928 he was forced to leave the regency and the composition of sacred music. In 1940 he published the book “The Choir and Its Management.” Chesnokov died in Moscow on March 14, 1944.

Chesnokov, Alexander Grigorievich(1890–1941), younger brother of Pavel Grigorievich, also a famous regent and composer. He graduated with honors from the Synodal School, and then from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the composition class of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. He was a teacher and regent of the Court Singing Chapel, a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He emigrated in 1923, first to Prague, where he directed the All-Student Russian Choir. A.A. Arkhangelsky, then moved to Paris. Author of a number of spiritual and choral works in the style of the “new direction”, an original oratorio for choir, soloists and orchestra “Requiem – The Sacrament of Death” (first performed in Moscow in the second half of the 1990s) and a number of secular works.

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P. G. CHESNOKOV CHORUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT MANUAL for choral conductors Third edition STATE MUSIC PUBLISHING HOUSE Moscow 1961 -2- CONTENTS K. Bird. P. G. Chesnokov and his book “The Choir and Its Management” ..................................... 3 Preface by the author ........................................................ ........................................................ 19 Part one CHORAL DANCE Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter one. on the second day. third. Fourth of the year. p i t a i. w e s t a i. s e d m a i. What is a choir................................................... ............ 21 Choir composition................................... .......................... 27 Ensemble...................... ........................................... 36 Construction..... ........................................................ ................. 58 Nuances................................... ........................................... 88 Nuances of contrapuntal compositions...... 110 Complex form vocal organization of the choir..... 119 Part two CHOIR MANAGEMENT Introduction. What does it mean to manage a choir................................................... ................... 138 Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter First. on the second day. third. Fourth of the year. p i t a i. Entry Reception........................................................ 140 Ensemble techniques.................................................... .144 Formation techniques.................................................... ......... 149 Techniques of nuances.................................... ............ 151 System of methods and techniques for learning compositions with a choir.................................... ..................158 APPENDICES Appendix I. “The Dawn Is Glowing” by P. Chesnokov.................. ........................ 174 Appendix II. Fugue by M. Berezovsky................................................... ................... 190 Appendix III. “In Winter” by P. Chesnokov................................................. ..................... 208 Appendix IV. “Anchar” by A. Arensky................................................... ....................... 217 Appendix V. Conductor’s homework plan.................................... ........................ 236 Appendix VI. Advice for young conductors................................................................. ....... 237 Appendix VII. Choir Admission Form................................................................. ............... 239 INTRODUCTORY ARTICLE NOTES K. BIRD S. POPOV -3- P. G. CHESNOKOV AND HIS BOOK “CHORUS AND ITS CONTROL” For many centuries, choral singing has been the main path along which the development of the musical culture of our people took place. The exceptional poetic and musical talent of the Russian people found its expression in the images of song creativity, and the most favorite form of musical performance, organically inherent to the people, became choral singing. It was in this area that, first of all, those artistic values ​​were created that brought our people worldwide recognition in the field of musical art and established for them the glory of the song-creator people. On the basis of folk song culture, the mighty Russian professional musical art arose and rose. In the process of development of national choral culture, choir groups were created that have no equal in performing skills. The artistic education and subsequent creativity of the most gifted Russian musicians was invariably associated, to a greater or lesser extent, with folk songs and choral singing. The field of folk singing art attracted all those musicians in whose work the best traditions of Russian musical culture lived and were established. At the same time, the deep originality of Russian choral music has always been capable of exerting a strong influence both on the emerging creative image of the musician and on his very character. Over the course of several generations, many talented Russian musicians and performers have devoted themselves entirely and confidently to choral work. Among them were outstanding musical figures who left a noticeable mark on the history of Russian music: D. S. Bortnyansky (1751-1825), M. S. Berezovsky (1745-1777), G. Ya. Lomakin (1812-1885), V. S. Orlov (1856-1907), A. D. Kastalsky (1856-1926) and many others. -4- In the galaxy of remarkable Russian choral musicians, the name of Professor Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov, whose entire life was devoted to serving the Russian choral art, occupies an honorable place. * Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov is one of the largest figures of Russian choral culture of the first half of our century, a versatile choral figure - composer, conductor, teacher, deeply national and original in his creative appearance. As a composer, Chesnokov enjoys wide, worldwide fame. He wrote many vocal works (over 60 opuses), mainly for mixed choirs without instrumental accompaniment, over 20 women's choirs with piano accompaniment, several arrangements of Russian folk songs, romances and songs for solo voice. The most characteristic feature of his work is poetic sincerity, filled with deep lyrical reflection, contemplation and grace. These are precisely his famous choirs, written for a mixed composition of voices - “Dawn is Warming”, “Forest”, “Night”, etc. All of Chesnokov’s works are imbued with the spirit and influence of Russian folk song creativity, and at the same time they bear the features of his bright creative individuality. In those works where the influence of folk songs is most strong, Chesnokov’s work reaches great dramatic intensity (“Dubinushka”, “Not a flower in a field withers”, an arrangement of the Russian folk song “A little girl walked along the bollard”). His vocal and choral flair, understanding of the nature and expressive capabilities of the singing voice have few equals not only in the works of domestic but also foreign choral literature. He knew and felt the “secret” of vocal and choral expressiveness. Perhaps the strict ear and keen eye of a professional critic will note in his scores the salon quality of individual harmonies, the sentimental sweetness of some turns and sequences. It is especially easy to come to this conclusion when playing the score on the piano, without a sufficiently clear idea of ​​​​its sound in the choir. But listen to the same piece performed live by a choir. The nobility and expressiveness of the vocal sound greatly transforms what was heard on the piano; the same music appears in a completely different form and is capable of attracting, touching the soul, and sometimes delighting the listener. “You can go through all the choral literature over the last hundred years and you will find little that equals Gareshkov’s mastery of choral sound,” said the prominent Soviet choral figure G. A. Dmitrevsky in conversations with us. Many of Chesnokov's choral works have become firmly established in the concert repertoire of Soviet choirs and in the curricula of conducting and choral classes. Some of them can rightly be classified as works of Russian choral classics. * Love for choral creativity in all its manifestations was the meaning of P. G. Chesnokov’s whole life. However, the most striking aspect of his artistic aspirations was, perhaps, his love for choral performance. If the passion and need for composition was capable of cooling with age, then he retained his love for working with the choir until the end of his days. “Egorushka, let me stand in front of the choir for an hour,” he asked his beloved chapel assistant at the Moscow State Philharmonic, G. A. Dmitrevsky, when he came to the choir rehearsal, still not recovering from his illness. In the difficult year of 1943, shortly before his death, when the decision was made to organize a professional choir at the Moscow Conservatory, Chesnokov, sick and almost unable to work, touchingly asked N. M. Danilin, who was scheduled to be the artistic director of the chapel, to give him the opportunity to work with the choir. Without exception, all choirs headed by Chesnokov during his many years of creative activity achieved excellent artistic results. In a number of cases, choirs led by him achieved exceptionally high vocal and technical skill and vivid expressiveness. Chesnokov went through an excellent Russian music school - the Synodal School and the Moscow Conservatory. His teachers were S. V. Smolensky, S. I. Taneyev, V. S. Orlov, S. N. Vasilenko, M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. His friends and comrades in art were the wonderful Russian artists A. V. Nezhdanova, L. V. Sobinov, D. A. Smirnov, M. D. Mikhailov, who willingly communicated creatively with him and happily sang in choirs under his direction. Chesnokov was one of the prominent representatives of Russian musical performance, preserving and continuing the best traditions of Russian vocal and choral art, transforming them with the power of his original and great talent. In his work with the choir, Chesnokov appeared as an excellent connoisseur of choral singing, an excellent educated musician and a talented, highly professional conductor. performed Perhaps, it can be said that it is exciting that his interest and bright work with the choir was not a strong-willed -6- orientation, leading the group to an artistic goal predetermined by the conductor, as could be observed, for example, with N. M. Danilin. Nevertheless, every step of his work with the choir was deeply meaningful and consistent, every requirement was completely expedient and clear, in all the actions of the choir his leadership was felt - the ardent creative feeling and strong thought of a great artist and musician. All his activities with the choir, from rehearsal to concert inclusive, never had the character of everyday life and handicraft. He belonged to a glorious galaxy of wonderful artists - Russian choral conductors, such as V. S. Orlov, N. S. Golovanov, N. M. Danilin, A. V. Sveshnikov, A. V. Alexandrov, G. A. Dmitrevsky , for whom artistic activity at every moment was a kind of “sacred act.” They completely devoted all their spiritual strength to art, and they demanded this from others - their comrades in labor and creativity. And here, when working with the choir, he was invariably demanding and persistent, and even harsh at times, when the inattention of an individual singer disrupted the structure of his creative action, which began from the very moment when he stood at the podium and the choir inspector brought him the conductor’s baton. The system of classes had the character of solemnity, emanating from his state: it was enough to listen to Chesnokov’s introductory speech about the composer and the work with which he began the rehearsal work, and you immediately felt the seriousness of the conductor’s attitude to his work. He rarely took time off from work for a cheerful word or joke. True, he considered a well-timed joke to be a necessary mental release for the team at work, but he always did it with restraint, laconic, as if slightly embarrassed. Chesnokov's performing appearance was characterized by many individual traits. His performance was always distinguished by its nobility and impeccable taste. His understanding of the content of the work was characterized by a wise and deep penetration into the author's intention. In the conductor's interpretation of works, he was organically characterized by an excellent artistic flair. One could argue about certain particulars of the performance, sometimes one could wish for greater brightness of dynamically intense but never artistic places in conveying the performance of the figurative composer Chesnokov's intentions *. the contents of the work were not transferred and there were contradictions, etc., with the performance ___________________ * Perhaps the only case can be found in his book “The Choir and Its Management,” where Chesnokov confidently changed the dynamics in the choir “Anchar” by A. Arensky. -7- your spiritual purity. Never any falsehood in the interpretation, no “gags” designed for external success, to satisfy backward tastes. Creating easy success for himself was organically contrary to his nature. In this sense, his work with the choir and performance were an excellent pedagogical example for young people - student conductors. Everyone who attended the rehearsals and concerts of the Moscow State Philharmonic Choir (1932-1933) was unforgettably impressed by Chesnokov’s work on Russian classics, filled with the conductor’s ardent love for the work being learned, the originality and accuracy of the performing interpretation. Scene in the Streltsy Settlement from “Khovanshchina” by M. Mussorgsky, his “Joshua”, a cappella choirs (“Kovyl” by Yu. Sakhnovsky, “North and South” by A. Grechaninov, “Dubinushka” by P. Chesnokov, etc.), performed by the chapel under the direction of Chesnokov, they were remembered for a long time, almost for a lifetime. And, having retained these bright, first youthful impressions, his students were subsequently convinced of the correctness and accuracy of Chesnokov’s interpretation of the content of the work. His artistic appearance was especially characterized by deep poetry and sincerity. The lack of grandiose climaxes and broad spontaneous epicness of the performance was compensated for by the subtlety and penetration of living human feeling, which always captivated the listener. He knew this power of his and used it skillfully. It is interesting to note that Chesnokov boldly took on some works that seemed not entirely typical of his artistic make-up, and, using his strong performing qualities, he often achieved great and well-deserved success. Such, for example, was the performance in the 1932/33 season in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory of A. Davidenko’s choral work “The Street is Worried.” The audience and the author enthusiastically accepted the artistically truthful, technically virtuoso performance of this choir, although its interpretation did not have the spontaneous scope that could be observed in the interpretation of other outstanding choral conductors (N. M. Danilina, A. V. Sveshnikova). The power of Chesnokov's artistic charm found its response primarily in his choir. Chesnokov has always enjoyed the exceptional love of his singers. The main choir, to which humanity is the principle, we find the relationship Chesnokov followed throughout the mutual respect of the singers in the book “The Choir and the Leader of Their Life, and Them.” the conductor was the team. management discipline, in his opinion, should have in its deepest Indications on a production basis full respect for -8- the team leader. Cases of harshness in Chesnokov’s treatment of singers were very rare and were caused only by the most serious, in his opinion, violations of creative discipline. The discipline, both external and internal, in his classes was excellent. Everyone willingly sought to fulfill the leader’s demands. It should be noted that Chesnokov did not demand the establishment of strict discipline and intense tempo in rehearsal work. He considered the rehearsal norm for the choir to be two hours of practice a day, that is, “singing for your own pleasure.” Nevertheless, Chesnokov knew how to work with the choir not only calmly, but also economically. Strict professionalism and deep respect for his work invariably accompanied his work with the choir. Many of Chesnokov's personal advantages served this ability - to work productively and, if necessary, spend time sparingly; there was tremendous musicality and excellent hearing, combined with clear thinking and will, which gave him the opportunity to accurately feel and understand the next need in the work being done, to set specific demands, achieving their fulfillment. There was also enormous practical experience in working with the choir, accumulated over many years and necessary for the proper quality of work. In his parting words to young choirmasters who graduated from the conservatory, he said: “Now, my dear friends, you will work with a choir for a dozen years and then you will begin to understand something about choral affairs.” Chesnokov was an exceptional master in the field of leading a cappella choral singing. N. M. Danilin argued that there is no choir equal to Chesnokov in tuning in nature. And in fact, the structure of the choir, led by Chesnokov, was exceptionally pure. When a choral chord changed, the next one came intonationally precisely and simultaneously, which gave the impression of unusual peace and completely satisfied the ear. The most complex modulations were performed effortlessly and accurately in all voices and chords. I remember how at one of the concerts in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, towards the end of a large program, the choir was tired, but its structure was still clear, its intonation was free. They sang “Dubinushka” and “Ditch” - the best of Chesnokov’s arrangements of Russian songs. Pavel Grigorievich, having given the tonal tuning, walked away from the choir and watched without controlling it. The choir sang freely and easily. The intonation was impeccable. After finishing the piece, Pavel Grigorievich checked the tone on the piano for the audience. The choir held the formation absolutely precisely. In the performance of the works, artistic talent was deployed with special a cappella power. His creative range in this Chesnokov genre was -9- especially wide. Composer B. S. Shekhter recalls the performance of his beautiful, deeply dramatic work - the choral miniature “Beyond the Dniester”: “I have never heard such a soulful and subtle performance of this choir as that of P. G. Chesnokov.” The opposite Russian folk song “Ditch” enjoyed enormous success with the public, where Chesnokov’s unique artistic nature emerged both in the treatment of the beautiful humorous theme and in its performance. He was an excellent expert and practitioner of the vocal nature and performing capabilities of the human voice. Having an excellent command of the theoretical foundations and techniques of the art of singing, Chesnokov, as a true master of his craft, considered working on vocals in a choir to be the most difficult task, requiring a special approach in the performance of each given piece. He spoke with restraint about voice production, but was very attentive to choral and solo singing sound; I always knew and took into account the vocal laws both in working with the choir and in composition. He told how A.V. Nezhdanova, who had ideally pure intonation, sang the solo written for her by Chesnokov insufficiently accurately. Having carefully examined the work and deeply thought through the reasons for the impure intonation, he noticed an abundance of transitional notes. I changed the key, a few sounds, and the solo sounded perfect. * To form a fairly clear and complete picture of the artist’s appearance and his work, it is necessary to know the main features that characterize personal qualities. Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov was a man of deep decency, who retained the naive simplicity and gullibility of his poetic and sensitive soul until his old age. The sublime ideas of humanism, humanity and goodness certainly attracted him, although their actual value in combination with the public good was understood by him in a unique way and was not always defined correctly. He had a persistent and persistent character; reluctantly abandoned previously formed opinions: in his judgments and statements he was straightforward and completely alien to hypocrisy; internally focused; in the manifestation of feelings he is restrained and taciturn, only occasionally revealing significant inner strength; prone to subtle and intelligent humor; in all his actions he is always unhurried and punctual; in dealing with people, as a rule, he is attentive, correct and discreetly affectionate, filled with great human charm; - 10 - true to his friendly feelings; it harmoniously combined the features of mental and physical purity. * The social and musical activity of P. G. Chesnokov was divided by the boundary of two historical eras - the Great October Socialist Revolution. He began and lived approximately half of his adult life in social conditions directly opposite to those in which he spent the second half. Naturally, his life, worldview and artistic creativity were directly dependent on these circumstances. P. G. Chesnokov was born on October 25, 1877 in a workers’ village near the city of Voskresensk, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province, into the family of a church regent. From the age of five, in his father's choir, his singing education began. The outstanding musical abilities and excellent singing voice that soon emerged gave the seven-year-old boy the opportunity to enter the Moscow Synodal School. In 1895 he graduated from college and was awarded a gold medal. Already in high school, the young man enthusiastically devotes many hours to choral composition under the guidance of the brilliant teacher and musician S. V. Smolensky. “At that time,” Pavel Grigorievich recalled in a conversation with his students, “I first knew inspiration. I wrote my first big concerto for choir with love and diligence. But every time, at the next composition and theory lesson, S. V. Smolensky calmly crossed out what he had written with a pencil and said: “This is not it.” In the end I was close to despair. But then one day I was walking down the street, thinking about my unsuccessful essay, and suddenly it dawned on me! It was as if a closed door had opened in front of me. I stood there for a moment and then started running. Muscovites probably looked with surprise at the lanky young man running with a happy face along the Kuznetsky Bridge. I wrote all night. And the next morning S.V. Smolensky, having carefully played through what I had done, stood up, hugged me, kissed me and said: “Congratulations to you.” And indeed, it was one of my best compositions!” The desire for musical creativity led Chesnokov to S.I. Taneyev, with whom he studied for four years. In 1913, already a famous composer and conductor, he entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he graduated in 1917 in the free composition class with a silver medal. All the pre-revolutionary activities of P. G. Chesnokov - performing, composing and teaching - unfolded in Moscow. The most significant works - 11 - were written by him in the field of religious music. He was a popular regent, taught choral singing in gymnasiums and directed choirs of girls' boarding schools, for whom he composed many charming miniatures - women's choirs, popular even today ("Green Noise", "Uncompressed Strip", etc.). Chesnokov met the Great October Revolution at a mature time in his life. It would seem that for him, who enjoyed wide popularity in the field of his specific activities, the great social transformation should have been perceived primarily as the collapse of personal well-being, sanctified by the entire previous system of life and existence in Russia. However, being a man of great intelligence and emotional sensitivity, Chesnokov could not fail to understand in the end the essence of what was happening. His honest and truthful nature persistently sought the right solution to the emerging problem of belonging to one of the two social sides in a divided world. And, ultimately, decency, honesty, intuition, love for his homeland and people determined his attitude to the movement of life. Indignantly rejecting the possibility of emigration, he became a loyal member of the Soviet state, willingly giving his strength to the new society, understanding a lot, agreeing with a lot. Often erring and making mistakes, but invariably striving for goodness and truth, Chesnokov was a stranger to hypocrisy and hated untruth. When he was convinced that he was wrong, then, without hesitation or hypocrisy, he sincerely and openly repented of the mistake he had made. N.G. Raisky recalled the following incident, which clearly characterizes Pavel Grigorievich. At one of the meetings of the artistic council of the conservatory, Chesnokov misinterpreted the speech of the rector N. G. Raisky addressed to the choral department, was offended and attacked the rector with harsh remarks. Then, during the meeting, his comrades explained that he was wrong. As soon as the council meeting ended, Chesnokov got up and went straight to the chairman’s table. He stopped and asked N. G. Raisky, almost for the first time addressing him as “you”: “Are you angry?” “No, I’m not angry,” he answers. - Are you offended? - Yes, it’s a shame for the injustice. - Excuse me? - I forgive you! Pavel Grigorievich bowed low and left the hall. It should be said with all certainty that only after the Great October Revolution did Chesnokov’s social and musical activity unfold in the fullness and diversity that corresponded to his versatile talent. At this time, his activities become at the service of the people and are filled with new, progressive content. Chesnokov supervised the amateur choral performances of workers, achieving in a number of cases remarkable results (the choir of the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after Gorky, etc.), placing the work in amateur performances at a highly professional level. He worked as a teacher of choral singing techniques at courses for directors of amateur choirs and taught special choral disciplines at the Moscow Music College. October revolution. In 1920, he was invited as a professor at the Moscow State Conservatory, where he worked until the end of his days. At the conservatory, Chesnokov taught a choral studies course he created, a choral class, special conducting, and solfeggio. At the same time, his professional performing activities expanded widely. After the revolution, from 1917 to 1922, Chesnokov led the Second State Choir, and from 1922 to 1928 - the Moscow State Academic Chapel. In 1931-1933 he worked as choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1932-1933 he headed the chapel of the Moscow State Philharmonic. And always, wherever Chesnokov worked, in a big or small matter, his immense love for choral singing, illuminated by great and bright talent, his honesty and integrity in life and work could be an excellent example of service to his native art. We must honor his devoted, selfless work as a Soviet musician - a worker and a citizen; labor, which, without stopping or weakening, continued until his death, which occurred during the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War - in April 1944. * In 1940, Chesnokov’s work, “The Choir and Its Management,” was published. The appearance of this book is connected not only with the experience of practical work with the choir accumulated over many years, but also with the many years of fruitful teaching activity of its author. Back in the early twenties, with Chesnokov’s arrival at the conservatory, he was faced with the problem of creating a methodology for choral work. The systematic and consistent education of highly qualified choral conductors, carried out for the first time in the Soviet state (in pre-revolutionary times, there were no conducting and choral departments in conservatories), required a serious theoretical basis. Meanwhile, there were not enough complete and in-depth works on these issues - 13 - either in domestic or foreign pedagogical literature. With his characteristic thoroughness and love for everything related to the choir, Chesnokov began to create a textbook on choral methodology, which he called “choral studies.” Chesnokov was a pioneer in creating a national theory of choral music. In his book, for the first time, a serious attempt was made, built on many subtle observations and deep knowledge of choral nature, to generalize his enormous, although mostly personal, experience of working with the choir. He put more than eighteen years of hard work into creating his book. The greatest difficulty in working on the book was the lack of such works, as well as Chesnokov’s own insufficient experience in literary presentation of the most difficult issues of musical performance - something that often prevents the best of practicing musicians from expounding truths that have long been learned and clear to them. Pavel Grigorievich himself, jokingly, said about this: “As soon as I take up a letter, the pen in my hand turns into a heavy crowbar, and I go to the bottom with all my thoughts and conclusions.” Nevertheless, he was fascinated by the noble and disinterested task of leaving to his descendants, as he said, those traces of his many years of performing activity that would help facilitate and guide their work along the right path. He devoted many hours, days and years of his life to solving this problem. Most of the conclusions in Chesnokov’s book are in one way or another connected with his direct activities in the choir. And that is why, we think, in all these provisions and conclusions there is truth, emanating from practical expediency, which is constantly necessary in living work. Despite some erroneous judgments, inaccuracies, and insufficient coverage of certain issues, often associated with the author’s poor command of the dialectical method of cognition, the most imperfect, from a modern point of view, research by P. G. Chesnokov always carries a greater or lesser grain of truth and practical usefulness there, where they are practice data. One of the most controversial and dubious points in the description of the methodology for rehearsal work on choral works is the mechanical division of the entire work process into “phases” and “periods” proposed by Chesnokov. Each phase has its own strictly limited task of a technological or artistic nature: mosaic analysis of the work; development of structure and nuances, diction, etc. Technical and artistic work is decisively divided into two periods. - 14 - Citing many interesting and necessary comments and advice, quite reasonably and naturally analyzing rehearsal work with the choir with deep knowledge of the matter, Chesnokov isolates from this holistic process its various aspects - work on the structure, ensemble, on the artistic finishing of the work. But, delving into the analysis of rehearsal work, he forgets about the mandatory interpenetration and interdependence of these parts in practice. In making such a division, Chesnokov does not indicate that in the choir’s work on mastering the technological difficulties of the work, artistic tasks must already be defined and artistic tasks must be carried out, that work on mastering the technology and identifying the content, in fact, cannot exist one without the other, not leading to the nonsense that if, indeed, at the beginning of work on a work, technical requirements prevail, and in the final period, artistic requirements, then the process of the performing formation of a work of art is still the same. Having succumbed to the temptation to establish methodological patterns and order in choral work in the book, in his passion for analytical research, Chesnokov makes a methodological error, not free from formalism. It should be remembered that he tried to establish this mechanistic distinction in his studies with the choir, dividing the rehearsal process by days and hours, into periods of technical and artistic work, punctually placing intonation marks on each sound with the singers. It would seem that such a method of work should have led to the drying out and impoverishment of the artistic nature of the conductor and the creative aspirations of the ensemble. But living reality actively opposed this, practice made amendments to theoretical calculations. And it was clear to those who observed how Chesnokov’s artistic talent illuminated the work even in the first, so-called “technical period,” how his keen ear and natural musicality forced him to work on the unfinished work of the choir in the “artistic technical period.” in places of the work What deserves the greatest interest at the time is not the system of phases and periods presented in the book itself, but a whole series of useful practical tips that systematize the work of a conductor. Looking back into the past and remembering Chesnokov’s performance, you come to the final conclusion that everything in the book is good that is a record of the data of his direct performing activity. The situation is much worse when Chesnokov moves on to complex generalizations and makes an attempt to create a strictly scientific system in the field of performing arts. More needs to be said. - 15 - Having purely speculatively created a certain pattern, which in its essence may be correct, but which was exaggeratedly theorized by him and therefore lost the flexibility inherent in the “laws” of performance, Chesnokov, due to the peculiarities of his character, often persistently and persistently strove to further carry it out in his conducting work, without taking into account the peculiarities and specifics of individual cases of practice, sometimes contradicting himself. For example, his conductor's gesture was distinguished by freedom, breadth and smoothness of movement, and his performing nature was most characteristic of the control of works with a wide cantilena sound. A small, sharp and quick gesture was less successful for him. His long, strong arms, a tall and broad-boned man, were capable of great physical exertion in moments of expression and demanding the power of the sound of the choir. And he created great vivid expression in the appropriate places of the work, contradicting the rules of his book, according to which the main indicators of the dynamics in the movement of the hands are only their different height positions in relation to the conductor’s body: forte - hands at the top, mezzo-forte - in the middle of the body , piano - below. Chesnokov abandoned his theoretical rules with great reluctance. I remember a funny incident. At the choral conducting department at the Moscow Conservatory, in the spring of 1943, Chesnokov and Danilin argued about the possibilities for a conductor to demonstrate dynamic shades of music. Chesnokov argued that the provisions set out in his book should be rules for students. N. M. Danilin objected: “Tell me, what am I showing?” - he asked, with the lightest smooth movement of his hand, carrying out the conductor’s diagram at the level of his face. “In my book it turns out that it’s forte,” says Chesnokov. Instant silence... - What is this?! - Danilin exclaims, eyes flashing, tensely lowering his hands down and shaking them in such a loud voice that the floor trembles. “There should be a piano here,” Chesnokov answers calmly. The question presented in the book about the peculiarities of singers' intonation of intervals, related to the problem of choral structure, was sharply criticized. Chesnokov was rightly reproached for the fact that he considered the issues of intonation of individual chord sounds regardless of the mode. It was pointed out that the intonation of the same intervals has different features depending on their mode-functional affiliation. The pitch ratio, for example, of the C-E sounds in - 16 - the key of C major will be different than in A minor. However, agreeing with the above criticism, it should be noted that here too, Chesnokov’s published observations on tuning contain a number of correct and useful instructions, being at one time the first and correct step towards the study of the most complex element of choral sonority - tuning. Chesnokov's instructions on formation have certainly retained their significance in our time, requiring only some adjustments and additions. The previously mentioned system of mark-arrows, proposed by Chesnokov, which indicates difficult-to-perform intervals (scale degrees) and the need for their intonation tightening or lowering, also deserves the most serious attention. And here Chesnokov, too, striving for exhaustive completeness of methodological provisions, somewhat exaggerated the need to use marks, demanding that they be placed on all notes of each work. It is unlikely that there is a need for such detailed markings, which in this case lose their significance as signals in particularly intonationally dangerous places in the score or choral part. The need for prior knowledge of such places by the conductor and singers and their marking is now known to every choir director. * Many objections have been expressed regarding Chesnokov’s definition of a choir as “a collection of singers, the sonority of which has a strictly balanced ensemble, a precisely calibrated structure and artistic, clearly developed nuances.” ** Such a definition really does not reveal the artistic and aesthetic side of choral singing and does not outline the main educational goals set for modern choral art. We consider, however, that it is necessary to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that the above quotation is only one of the definitions given by Chesnokov to the choir in his book. Somewhat earlier, even in the preface, the author defines the choir this way: “A cappella choir is a full-fledged unification of a significant number of human voices, capable of conveying the subtlest bends of mental movements, thoughts and feelings expressed in the composition performed” ***, which significantly expands the concept of choir , given in the first formulation, bringing it closer to the modern definition of a choral group and its creative tasks. ____________________ * A.V. Sveshnikov testified that during foreign tours he had to observe the use of the method of Cheschelkov’s litter of intonations in various choirs and teaching aids. ** Page 25 of this edition. *** Page 19 of this edition. - 17 - The section of the book devoted to the description of complex forms of vocal organization of the choir is very interesting. Chesnokov, essentially speaking, in this chapter offers new ways to develop the artistic expressiveness of collective singing art. An excellent connoisseur of the expressive capabilities of the human voice, he tested the feasibility and reality of his theory through the experience of using register-timbre division of voices in the State Chapel on works specially written taking into account his requirements by A. V. Nikolsky and Yu. S. Sakhnovsky, with the division of choral parts into small timbre groups. According to experts, even in the first experiments, serious positive results were felt. This problem will certainly require serious attention in the further development of national choral culture. * In Chesnokov’s book one can find, in addition to those indicated, many inaccurate, far from complete and not always correct definitions, a confusion of concepts in the description of the performing capabilities of a choral group and in its organization (primarily this relates to the issues of determining choral sonority and elements of artistic performance - ensemble, nuances, to the distinction and definition of technical and artistic elements in choral singing). But, despite a number of shortcomings, it is difficult to overestimate the impact of Chesnokov’s book “The Choir and Its Management” in the history of Russian Soviet choral culture. The book “The Choir and Its Management” can be considered one of the wonderful works that will greatly benefit the younger generation of Soviet choral conductors who are looking for new ways in the development of domestic choral art. Chesnokov's book is a kind of encyclopedia of choral work and is undoubtedly the best work in this area. The interest in the book is also evidenced by the fact that when it came out of print, the circulation sold out in a few hours. The second edition of the book is now also a bibliographic rarity. It is known and translated abroad. A great musician and teacher, a man of a pure and unselfish soul, P. G. Chesnokov loved his students with heartfelt fatherly love, carefully keeping its warmth in his heart. And this love, this warmth was the force that convinced him of the need to complete many years of work. - 18 - He dedicated his book to his students and friends, fellow choral workers: “In brief, I put into it the whole essence of almost fifty years of practice, I did (and conscientiously) what I wanted to do for my favorite art. * * These are, in general terms, the main milestones in the life and work of Professor Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov. A lot of interesting and instructive things could be said about him - a wonderful choral figure in our country, representing, without a doubt, as G. A. Dmitrevsky said, “a significant page in the history of Russian music.” K. Bird _____________ * P. G. Chesnokov. Letter to K. B. Ptitsa dated December 23, 1942 - 19 - PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR In this book, by the word choir I mean exclusively a choir without instrumental accompaniment - an a cappella choir, to which this work is entirely devoted. An a cappella choir is a full-fledged unification of a significant number of human voices, capable of conveying the subtlest bends of mental movements, thoughts and feelings expressed in the composition performed. The a cappella choir has its own ancient school, which reached a high level of development in the 16th century; this can be judged from the surviving works of such great masters as Palestrina, Josquin des Pres and others. I do not at all pretend that I was able to completely resolve all the issues of choir and choreography posed in this work; Having outlined these issues, I encourage the new generation of conductors to take part in their further development. I was forced to work on the book without auxiliary materials: there are none, except for those with a special choral bias on issues of musical form, phrasing, etc. I based the work on my observations over many years of practical work, setting as my task a theoretical justification conclusions tested in practice. In the proposed book, however, one should not look for any strictly scientific provisions. My goal was to consolidate and systematize what I had achieved through many years of practice. I wanted, mainly, to make it easier for novice conductors to follow the path that I myself have traveled. Let this work of mine lay the foundation for the development of choral science. - 20 - * The book is divided into two parts: 1st - choir (choral studies); part 2 - managing it (choir management). The first part aims to resolve three main questions: 1) what is a choir, 2) what are the elements of choral sonority and 3) what are the ways to identify and develop these elements. The purpose of the second part is to identify practical techniques for managing a choir. I will consider many years of work devoted to the study of the materials presented in this book and their processing to be not in vain if it benefits young choral conductors and is a contribution to the future science of choirs and their management. I dedicate this book to the memory of my teacher and friend Stepan Vasilyevich Smolensky, an outstanding musician and comprehensively educated person. He was the teacher of a whole galaxy of choral masters, many of whom still work in our country. With a feeling of gratitude, I cannot help but mention here the name of the modest, selfless enthusiast of choral art, K. I. Klugen, who helped me for many years in working on this book. P. Chesnokov - 21 - PART ONE CHOIRING _____________________________________________________________________ Chapter One WHAT IS A CHOIR What is a choir, and what is not a choir, but only a collection of singers; what is choral sonority, and what is only the sound of human voices; why one choir sings well and the other worse; What is unhealthy and requires treatment in a choir that sings poorly? Without resolving these issues, it is impossible to accurately indicate to the choral conductor the practical path of his work. Resolving them introduces us to the field of choral studies. Good, healthy choral sonority is created by three main elements. It is possible to establish what these elements are through a comprehensive study of the choral sonority of an excellent singing choir. Let's try to imagine the sound of such a choir: quiet, but wide and full-voiced chords, like waves, smoothly rolling towards us; we are enchanted by the even, full sonority and amazing fusion of all voices in a single chord; We do not hear in this combined sonority not only individual singers, but also individual parts of the choir, everything merged and balanced to form the beautiful sonority of the chord. The integrity and monolithic quality of this sonority is striking: the choir with its numerous singers seems to us like a single living organism. The wave chords begin to grow, expand and finally reach enormous power. In this most difficult process of expansion, growth of sound, in this power of the choral forte, the same unity, integrity are preserved, and at the same time such lightness is felt, as if the choir did not expend any effort at all on this expansion of sound, on this sonorous, powerful forte. Let's try to get into the very thick of the choir and set ourselves the goal of breaking down this beautiful sonority into its component elements. To begin with, let's at least watch the viola part. - 22 - What do we see and hear in it? We see, first of all, the singers’ concentrated attention to their part, we notice the desire of each individual singer to merge with his part both by the strength of his voice and the timbre (color) of the sound. We hear the result of such concentrated attention, such striving: all the violas, mutually balanced in strength and merging in timbre, formed a choral part, i.e., not a random combination of vocal tensions of various colors, but as if one strong and powerful, sometimes soft and gentle, sometimes a firm and elastic choral voice with a characteristic, uniformly typical coloring characteristic of a given part. This balance in style and unity in color is the basis of the first element of choral sonority - the private ensemble. Ensemble is a French word. In translation it means - at once, together, together and, most importantly, in a balanced way - the main thing is because you can sing to everyone at once, together and even together, but if there is no balance in strength, then you won’t get what should be called a private ensemble . (“We call this ensemble private because it belongs to a separate choral part - part of the choir.) We will find the basis of the first element of choral sonority - a private ensemble - in any part of an excellent singing choir. That is why, perceiving the overall choral sonority, we did not hear individual singers. If we step out of the circle of any one party and look from the outside at its relationship to the choir (as a part to the whole), then we will notice the desire of an entire party, united by a private ensemble, to balance out the strength of sound with the other parts of the choir. This desire creates a uniform, balanced sound of all choral parts. As a result, the overall ensemble of the choir is achieved, which constitutes the complete first element of choral sonority. It determined the integrity and unity of all the parts that we observed while listening to the overall choral sonority. If we place ourselves in the center of the choir, we will feel many subtle aspirations - threads that tightly connect all the parts. We will notice how along these threads runs from singer to singer and from part to part the desire to calibrate one’s sound, to place one’s sound and the sound of one’s part in a general chord at a completely precise height in relation to the sounds of neighbors in the part and to the sounds of other parts. Observing this, we will see how the individual singer and each part strives, when giving sound, to rely on its neighbor, on its part, and on all the other parts of the choir, in order to verify and accurately place its sound in chord and in terms of pitch. Each singer, each party, - 23 - sensitively listening to its neighbors and to other parties, builds its sound in relation to their sounds absolutely correctly and accurately. Each singer and each part tries to hear the entire choral chord, then the ear of the individual singer and, say, the collective ear of each part tells them the exact position of their sounds in the chord. This gives a precisely calibrated, harmonious chord. As a result, a choral structure arises; the choral structure is the second element of choral sonority. This second element - structure - was the source of the harmony and beauty that we observed when we listened to the overall choral sonority. The ease of tension and sonority in the powerful forte (“as if the choir were not expending any effort at all”) were due to the combination of the ensemble with the formation. Let us remember, therefore, that only that chord sounds great, which is balanced and structured, and the more balanced and harmonious the chord, the more lightness and sonority it has. Therefore, the more power and lightness you need to achieve in sonority, the more strictly you need to balance and build the chord more accurately. A balanced and well-structured chord acquires volatility: then on the most delicate pp it will fly and sound in the most distant corners of any large room. The chord, devoid of ensemble and structure, gets stuck right there in the choir and does not sound even on the loud ff. Let us look at the choir even more closely, listen even more attentively, and we will notice a whole network of threads-aspirations of a different order than in the ensemble and structure. We will see and feel that these new threads, emanating from each singer and, as if in bundles from each part, rush to one point. This central guiding point for the choir is the conductor. We see how each singer and each part, taking care of the ensemble and structure, at the same time pays attention to the conductor. We clearly feel that each singer has a strong connection with the conductor; that the will of the conductor is his will; that the singer does not think of making a single sound without observing the conductor and without being in continuous communication with him; that he is strong through this communication and this leadership. Such communication and merging of singers with the conductor establishes a mutual understanding of extraordinary sensitivity: the slightest instruction from the conductor is instantly perceived and performed by all singers, all parts, all in chorus; the look, facial expression, and internal movements of the conductor's artistic feeling are immediately reflected in the consciousness and feelings of the singers. From this subtle mutual understanding, the third element of choral sonority is born - nuances, or shades. - 24 - So, having analyzed the sound of an imaginary exemplary choir, we have established the three most important components of choral sonority: ensemble, structure, nuances. The properties and meaning of these three main elements of choral sonority can be clearly displayed with the following tablet: Elements Properties of elements Results Ensemble Balance, unity of each part and all parts Integrity Structure Slenderness, precision, accuracy of the chord Beauty Nuances Perception and execution of the conductor's instructions Expressiveness The listed main elements of choral sonority are indispensable. Let us imagine that there is no ensemble in the choral sonority. This absence in itself will spoil the choral sonority, since there will be no balance of sound both in each part between the singers composing it, and in the choir between individual parts. At the same time, the absence of an ensemble will have a bad effect on the other elements of choral sonority - on the tuning and nuances: on the tuning because the singers and parts, not hearing all their party comrades and all the parts of the choir, will not be able to build the chord as needed ; nuances in the absence of an ensemble cannot be uniform, friendly, again because the singers will not be able to balance them without hearing either their neighbors in the party or all the parts of the choir. From this it is clear that the absence of an ensemble destroys the choral sonority. There is no need to talk about the lack of tuning, since it is easy to imagine how “beautiful” the sonority will be if the choir begins to sing out of tune and out of tune. It would seem that if the ensemble and structure are present, then good choral sonority is ensured and the lack of nuances will not destroy it. In reality this is not the case. Nuances give choral sonority the necessary expressiveness, the absence of which deprives it of vitality: without nuances, choral sonority is dead. - 25 - A structure and an ensemble can only be vital and alive when there are nuances. So, the absence of an ensemble or structure, or nuances, or, especially, all of them together destroys the choral sonority. Regarding diction, tempo, rhythm, etc. , then these requirements relate to the performance, to the transmission of the composition: without them, or rather, when they are poorly developed, the choral sonority is still preserved (for more details, see the end of Chapter V, Part 1). The performance and transmission of a composition should not be confused with choral sonority as such: with good choral sonority, there can be an anti-artistic, even illiterate presentation of the composition. If a choir with good sonority has poor diction, that is, the choir pronounces words poorly and unclearly, then the brightness of the composition’s presentation, on the one hand, and the artistry of the impression, on the other, will undoubtedly suffer. The composition performed sounds complete, harmonious, and even expressive, but what its meaning is is difficult to understand, since it is impossible to make out the words that the choir sings. This is undoubtedly a significant drawback in terms of artistic impression and vividness of transmission. But does choral sonority suffer from this shortcoming? No. No, because the composition being performed sounds complete and beautiful, and although not bright, it is still expressive. So, poor diction of a choir with good sonority spoils the brightness of the transmission and the artistry of the impression, but does not destroy the choral sonority as such. If a choir with good sonority sings unrhythmically, the listener may become dissatisfied, even annoyed. But the choral sonority will not be lost, because you can sing unrhythmically, but in a balanced, harmonious and to some extent expressive manner. If a good choir performs a composition at an inappropriate tempo, then one can feel sorry for the composition itself and its author, but do not blame the choral sonority, because one can sing at the wrong tempo even if there is an ensemble, structure and nuances. So, the lack of good diction, precise rhythm and correct tempo, while spoiling the performance of the work, does not destroy the choral sonority. The ensemble, structure and nuances are the most important and indispensable elements of choral sonority as such. This position should be the fundamental principle, the cornerstone in the foundation of choral science - in choral studies. Based on this basic position, it is possible to accurately determine what a choir is? A choir is a collection of singers whose sonority has a strictly - 26 - balanced ensemble, a precisely calibrated structure and artistic, clearly developed nuances. Attaching great importance to the most important elements, we consider it necessary, before considering them in detail, to give elementary rules for their formation and improvement. These rules are mandatory for every choral singer, and only by following them will he be able to master elementary choral technique. These are the rules that are necessary and accessible to every choral singer, the implementation of which must be constantly monitored by the conductor: 1. Everyone singing in the choir must listen sensitively to his part so that the strength of his voice is balanced in it and the timbre of his sound merges with it. The exact execution of this rule is given by a private ensemble. 2. Each part, having merged and balanced within itself, must listen sensitively to all the other parts of the choir in order to be balanced by the strength of its sound in the overall choral sonority. The overall ensemble will gain skill in following this rule. 3. Each singer in the choir, developing the ensemble of the part, must listen to it in order to merge with it in exact unison with the pitch of his sound. Fulfillment of this rule will give the party a private system. 4. Each part, having united in a private and general ensemble and improved its particular structure, must listen sensitively to all the other parts and, perceiving the choral chord as a whole, build the pitch of its sound absolutely correctly and accurately in relation to the pitch of the other parts of the choir. Accuracy in the execution of this rule will give a general choral system. 5. Each singer in the choir must establish continuous communication with the conductor, see and understand his instructions, and follow them accurately. Fulfillment of this rule will give choral nuances. By intelligently instilling and constantly reminding these elementary rules, the conductor will gradually but surely develop in the singers a sense of ensemble, a sense of structure, and a sense of balanced nuances. The choir as a whole will perhaps slowly but firmly master the most important elements of choral sonority. Only by acquiring them and improving in them will a group of singers be rightly called a choir. - 27 - Chapter Two COMPOSITION OF THE CHOIR In terms of the composition of the choir, the most common are three main types: 1. Choir of female or children’s voices (or both together), 2. Choir of male voices, 3. Choir of mixed voices.* Choir of the first type, consisting of sopranos and altos, and a choir of the second type, consisting of tenors and basses, are called homogeneous choirs. The combination of these two homogeneous choir groups (upper and lower) results in one mixed group, so that the choirs of the first and second types can be considered two halves of the choir of the third type. This does not deny their independent significance, but both together they form the most perfect type of choir - a mixed choir. The first type of choir consists of: 1st soprano, 2nd soprano (or mezzo-soprano), 1st altos and 2nd altos (or contraltos). If we illustrate this composition with the simplest choral chord, then the voices of the choir are arranged like this: The choir of the second type consists of: 1st tenor, 2nd tenor, baritones, basses and octavists. __________________ * When considering the issue of choir composition, P. G. Chesnokov does not characterize the artistic and performing capabilities of this or that type of choir. (Note by S. Popov). - 28 - The same chord for a choir of this composition should be arranged as follows: By combining homogeneous choral groups of the 1st and 2nd types, we get a complete mixed choir, the most perfect type of choir, which should consist of nine parts: 1) 1st soprano, 2) 2nd soprano, 3) 1st altos, 4) 2nd altos, 5) 1st tenors, 6) 2nd tenors, 7) baritones, 8) basses and 9) octavists. The arrangement of the chord for a full mixed choir will be as follows: When comparing the ranges and registers of choral parts, we will see (in detail in Chapter III, Part I) that the full mixed choir falls into four groups of related voices: 1) 1st soprano and 1st soprano e tenors, 2) 2nd sopranos and 2nd tenors, 3) altos and baritones, 4) basses and octavists. Graphically, this can be depicted as follows: At the same time, according to registers, the choir is divided (we attach special importance to this division) into three layers according to the sonority of the chord (with doubling): 1) a layer of upper voices, 2) a layer of middle voices and 3) a layer of lower voices, as can be seen from the tablet and the musical example: - 29 - 1. Layer of the upper goals. - 1st conp. + 1st ten. 2. Medium layer. - 2nd conp. + 2nd ten. + alt. + barite 3. Layer of the lower goals. - basses + octavists Insufficiently good choral sonority is often due, among other things, to the fact that these three layers of voices sound unevenly in the choir, unbalanced in sound strength: the upper layer is strong, the lower layer is weaker, the middle layer is even weaker. (We will talk about this in more detail in the chapter on the ensemble.) * Of no small importance is the question of the smallest number of singers in each choral part. Its correct resolution will make it possible to substantiate further conclusions. If we take one singer per part, then, of course, there will be no choral part, since one singer is a soloist. Will there be two singers in the choir? No, they won’t: at the moment when one singer takes his breath, the other will be in the position of a soloist. If we take three singers for a part, then the part will be complete: when one of the three takes breath, then there are still two singers left. Consequently, with three skilled singers, it is possible to form a minimal choir. The smallest number of singers for each choral part is three. If we make up each part from the smallest number of singers, then we will get: Soprano - 3 Altos - 3 Tenors - 3 Bass - 3 ___________ Total 12 people. Consequently, for the formation of a properly organized mixed choir, such a choir is required to be at least 12, we will call it small singers, distributed in a mixed choir of three. for each Small Choir part. At the same time, there is an incomplete choir*; it is forced to limit itself, as they say, to “pure four-voice.” By evenly increasing each part of the small choir, we will approach the smallest amount of the middle (but already full) mixed choir. When the number of singers in each part of the small choir doubles (and triples in the bass part), it will turn into a medium mixed choir with the smallest number of singers, namely: In the bass part, as can be seen from the tablet, a regrouping has been made: at the expense of the octavists, one singer has been added into the bass line. This is recommended because the bass line, as the main one, needs to be strengthened a little. In relation to octavists, a deviation from the basic principle can be allowed - “the smallest number of singers for a party is three”; The octavist part, in essence, is not a separate party - this beautiful-sounding part is, to some extent, already a luxury in the choir (however, almost necessary). This part should be used very carefully, avoiding abuse, otherwise the colorfulness of its sound will be devalued and even become boring. The average mixed choir of the smallest composition (27 people) can perform, with very few exceptions, almost all choral literature, since it is a full choir, i.e., composed of 9 choral parts. By uniformly increasing all his parts, we will approach the smallest composition of a large mixed choir. When the number of singers is average mixed ________________ * We pay attention to the peculiar use of the terms: “full choir” and “incomplete choir”. By “incomplete”, P.G. Chesnokov understands a small choir, while a “full” choir is a choir in which the choral parts can be divided into groups. This is contrary to the currently accepted understanding of the above terms. By “incomplete” is meant a choir that is missing some choral part, for example a choir consisting of soprano, alto and tenor parts. A choir is considered “full” if it has all the choral parts (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), regardless of their number. (Note by S. Popov). - 31 - the choir will double, it will turn into a large mixed choir with the smallest number of singers: All choral literature is available to this powerful choir, since each part of it can form four regular groups of 3 singers each. The above calculations may seem somewhat abstract. We do not categorically insist on them, but we consider it necessary to point out that they are the result of many years of observation and experience. By indicating the initial smallest number of singers of a large mixed choir, we do not undertake to determine its maximum maximum number, but we consider it necessary to stipulate that there is a limit beyond which the musical sonority of a large choir already develops into noise sonority. * As for the arrangement of the choir, this question is interpreted differently. Let us still try to find objective justifications for its resolution. The choir, as mentioned above, is divided into four groups of related voices. Let's place the parties of the first group at opposite ends of the stage. Will they be comfortable singing? Of course not: they, as having homogeneous ranges and registers and singing when doubling in octaves, always strive to be closer to one another. Try to separate the octavists from the basses, and you will hear the murmur of the first: “It’s inconvenient, you can’t hear the bass, there’s no one to rely on.” Therefore, related parties should be in the same group. In this case, the parts that make up the layer of upper voices and take on most of the melodic material should stand on the right side of the conductor. The middle layer parts, filling the space between the upper and lower layers with harmonic material, are placed throughout the choir. Finally, the parts of the lower layer, as fundamental parts, as the basis on which the entire weight of the choral chord rests, should gravitate towards the center. The proposed arrangement of the choir has been verified by experience and observation. But this is not - 32 - something absolutely obligatory; Sometimes the room and acoustic conditions may require some changes in the choir placement*. Having examined the various types of choirs and the order in which they are arranged, let us dwell on some organizational issues. The choir conductor must have assistants in both the musical and artistic and organizational parts. The assistant conductor for music conducts preparatory work with the choir and replaces the conductor in case of his absence for any reason. The assistant conductor for the musical part is part of the choir, participates in all the work of the conductor, assimilating his requirements, so that in cases of replacement he does not introduce any new interpretations on his own. There should not be two influences on the choir and different directions in work. It goes without saying that the assistant conductor must have an appropriate musical education. The assistant conductor for organizational matters should be the head of the choir. The main task of the choir leader is to ensure the order, the organization that is necessary for artistic work. Each of the four choral parts must, in addition, have a head of the choral part, who is responsible for it both from the organizational and musical side. The head of the choir party must be an excellent experienced singer, sufficiently musically educated. The head of the choral parish is her representative, her living connection with the conductor. He must know each singer of his part thoroughly. Noticing the shortcomings of the singers of his party, he can and should point them out, thus achieving the improvement of each singer individually and the entire party as a whole. An inexperienced, technically poorly prepared singer ________________ * For basses and tenors, it is recommended to create a platform on the stage so that they stand head higher than the sopranos and altos. - 33 - The headman must place him under the guidance of an experienced singer, who guides him until he gains experience and improves his technique. This guide is of great practical importance. No matter how good the singer who has just joined the choir may be, he encounters a style of singing and the conductor’s techniques that are not yet familiar to him, and therefore it is irrational to immediately put him in the position of a completely independent singer. The leader of the choral party is in this case an indispensable assistant to the conductor. Without fail being present when testing the voice, hearing, knowledge and skills of a singer newly joining the choir, the headman must immediately select an experienced singer in his choir party and place the newcomer under his leadership. From this it is clear that only as many singers can be re-accepted into the choral party as there are experienced ones who can guide the newcomers. If this order is observed, the newcomer cannot be a brake on his party or interfere with it: at the first mistake he will be stopped by the senior singer-leader. Over time, when such a beginner gradually gains experience, masters the conductor’s techniques, learns to support both a private and a general choral ensemble, tuning, etc., he becomes an independent singer. It is useful for such a singer who has completed training experience to give training to someone with little experience over time: observing the mistakes of his student, he will clearly understand why he himself needed to take this “course.” The head of the choral party must select one singer from its composition who would be in charge of the notes of his part. It is recommended to have five good, durable folders - four for the choir (one per part) and one for the conductor. The librarian, having received instructions from the conductor which works and in what order will be worked out at the rehearsal, accordingly puts the notes into folders and hands them over to the singers allocated in each part. The conductor announces the thing to be worked on. Those in charge of music folders distribute notes and, upon completion of work on a given piece, immediately collect them back into folders; Even the headman should not, in addition to those in charge of the folders, dispose of the notes - if this rule is observed, the folders with the notes will arrive at the end of the rehearsal to the librarian in the same order in which he issued them. The conductor's folder is directly managed by the librarian. All of the listed organizational measures are of great practical importance. In the choir, everything must be connected, fastened, welded. With a clear organization, no violation of the musical or social side of the matter should - 34 - take place: organizational functions are precisely distributed, each section of organizational work is placed in the proper hands. Each link intelligently coordinates its work with the other in the name of the interests of the common cause; the organization and discipline necessary for fruitful artistic activity are firmly introduced into the choir. * Often a conductor who demands discipline is criticized: he is reproached for being too strict, for having excessively high demands. Of course, all unreasonable demands are subject to condemnation. Let's try to delve deeper into this issue. We know from experience what disappointing results such “demands” sometimes lead to. How can one demand, for example, personal favor or sincere and heartfelt participation in the overall artistic work? This can only be desired, but this is achieved not by demands, but by other means. One must be demanding, first of all, of oneself and know that every work of a conductor with a choir must be a creative act, that inspiration, controlled by a sense of artistic proportion, must be a constant companion of the conductor both in preparatory work and during public performance. The conductor must always be outwardly neat, friendly, and never allow himself to be rude: he must firmly understand that rudeness and fine artistic work exclude each other. We divide the discipline of the choir into external and internal. External discipline is order, a prerequisite for carrying out any collective work. This external discipline is necessary as a means for nurturing and establishing the internal discipline necessary for artistic work. Concern for maintaining external discipline is the direct responsibility of the choir leader and the choir leaders; they calmly and reasonably establish the external order necessary for work. But if only the elders are always concerned about maintaining external discipline, then this is not sustainable. The conductor himself must gradually and patiently instill in the choir reasonable and conscious external discipline. It is necessary that the singer, under the influence of the gentle persistent influence of the conductor, discipline himself, clearly understand that external discipline depends on him, that it is necessary and that only with it is the choir capable of creative artistic work. External discipline creates in the choir an atmosphere of seriousness, deep respect for art, that external order and that concentration that introduces the choir into the area of ​​internal artistic discipline. Thus, internal discipline is closely related to external discipline. Without it, it will be difficult for the conductor and the choir to make their classes creatively meaningful. Creative work, and especially artistic execution, is a delicate and complex process. It requires extraordinary concentration, thoughtfulness, mood, and depth. The creative upsurge that determines true artistic performance cannot be induced artificially and hastily. But we can prepare the way for him. These ways are the strengthening of external discipline and the overcoming of the technical difficulties of the material being worked on by it. When a disciplined choir overcomes these difficulties, then the paths leading to the field of discipline of internal artistic order become clear, in the presence of which only uplift and inspiration can manifest. Only with careful compliance with all the requirements of external and internal discipline does the choir become capable of inspired artistic performance and the work of the choir becomes a true work of art. The musical talent of each singer is of great importance for the successful work of the choir. Therefore, when hiring a new singer, the conductor must pay sufficient attention to his musical talent. A musically gifted singer has an idea of ​​the beauty of sound, and therefore a desire to find such a sound; it will take very little guidance and advice before the proper sound is found. Once a musically gifted singer has mastered the basics of breathing and sound production, he quickly achieves good results with very few exercises. The more musically gifted singers there are in the choir, the more easily the choir understands and accepts the conductor’s requirements, the more successful it is in its work. * Two words about the number and duration of rehearsals. From many years of practice, we come to the conclusion that the smallest number of rehearsals for amateur choirs is two per week. With one rehearsal a week, the results of the work done are almost completely dissipated by the next, the acquired skills are smoothed out. Under these conditions, the results are not felt, and the singers’ interest in work decreases. Professional choirs must practice daily (except weekends). The duration of rehearsals should not exceed 2½ hours: the first part 1¼ hours, rest - ¼ hour and the second - 1 hour - 36 - Chapter Three ENSEMBLE Starting to study the first of the three main elements of choral sonority - the ensemble, we find ourselves on unstable ground: when studying structure or nuances, one can rely on some scientific justification, but in relation to an ensemble it is still almost impossible to do this. Analyzing the system, we will deal with scale, intervals, melody, harmony; studying the nuances - with a motive, a phrase, a sentence, a period, a musical form; We approach the ensemble mainly from the side of direct sensation of it. To achieve an ensemble, the singer needs to be as balanced as possible and merge with his part, the parts need to be balanced in the choir, the conductor needs to regulate the sound strength of both individual singers and entire parts. The flair of the ensemble is crucial; There are no scientific and theoretical foundations in this area yet. But we will still try to summarize the results of our practical observations. * To achieve an ensemble, that is, a balanced sound of singers in each choral part and all parts in the choir, requires: 1. The same number of singers in each choral part. Cases that are not uncommon in choral practice, when there are fewer altos in a choir than sopranos, disproportionately few 2 S. * and 2 T., should be recognized as an abnormal phenomenon. The consequence of such an abnormality is usually that the choir either does not acquire an ensemble at all, or acquires a semblance of it, and with great difficulty. ______________ * In the following presentation, abbreviations are used: 2 S. (second sopranos), 2 T. (second tenors), etc. - 37 - 2. The same quality of voices in each choral part. If, for example, the party of the 1st S. consists of 6 votes - 2 strong, 2 medium and 2 weak, then all other parties should be structured in approximately the same way in quantitative and qualitative terms. Let us assume that the party of the 1st S. of the indicated composition will be opposed by the party of the 1st T., consisting of one strong and five weak votes. With such an incorrect balance of forces, these two parties, although equal in the number of singers, will hardly be able to balance, especially in forte, and therefore it will be very difficult to establish an ensemble. In the name of the qualitative equivalence of choral parts, it is sometimes possible to sacrifice exact adherence to the quantitative norm, as long as the main law of the ensemble is observed - balance. But still, our many years of experience and observations show that the first condition of the ensemble - the same number of singers in the choral parts - should be fulfilled whenever possible. 3. Single timbre of voices in each part. Often there are voices that seem to complement each other in timbre and, thus, merge under the condition of balance in strength. Rarely, but still there are bands whose timbre differs greatly from the typical color of a given part, due to which they have almost no opportunity to merge into a common timbre with it. Such singers with a sharply isolated timbre should not be accepted into the choir: one or two such voices are enough, even for a large choral part, for the ensemble to be spoiled. Note: Singers with strong vibration, i.e., a swinging voice should also be avoided: strong vibration destroys the private ensemble. A choir, the parts of which are constructed in compliance with the above three requirements, already in the very nature of the ensemble, which has the necessary prerequisites, we will agree to call it mechanical *: in order to achieve such a choir as if ________________ * This term raises objections. The ensemble, as an element of choral sonority, never arises “mechanically” in the choir, but is the result of the conscious actions of the choir singers and its conductor. (Note by S. Popov). - 38 - by itself, almost without the efforts of the singers, it will sound relatively balanced. This is due to the fact that in the choir both the number of singers, the quality of voices, and their timbre are balanced. The more carefully these three conditions are fulfilled, the more fertile the soil will be for the manifestation of that type of perfect ensemble that should be called artistic-organic. Balance is the main requirement of the ensemble. However, deviations from it are also allowed *. These deviations are of three kinds: 1. Partial isolation from the ensemble of any part that leads the main melody of the composition or its individual parts, as well as the highlighting of any minor melodic-rhythmic figures accompanying the main theme. 2. Complete departure from the ensemble of the soloist when performing works for one voice with choir accompaniment. 3. Identification of the main theme in works of contrapuntal style (imitation, canon, fugue, etc.). These deviations are due to the perspective of execution and are directly related to the nuances that mainly create this perspective. However, indirectly they also affect the ensemble in relation to the mutual balance of the sound of the choral parts. That is why, when examining the ensemble, it is necessary to touch upon them at least briefly. The first type of deviation from the requirements of balance is most easily understood using a musical example, since the clarity of markings and designations of dynamic nuances will reveal its essence better than words. To do this, you should firmly study the music of the proposed example, and then turn to the verbal explanations, comparing them with the musical example. Having studied the music of the musical example and analyzed it, we will see that the tenor part plays the main role in the given passage: it contains the main idea of ​​the entire passage, it sets out the main melody and conveys the textual content. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the tenor part in the above example, which is why partial separation from the ensemble is necessary here. _________________ * In modern choral studies, the concept of an ensemble includes not only the balance of the voices and parts of the choir in terms of sound strength - dynamics, but also includes the need for an appropriate correlation of such elements as intonation, structure, timbre, rhythm, agogics, which together make up the choir ensemble. (Note by S. Popov). - 39 - ______________ * The piano part is provided to make the score easier to read. - 40 - - 41 - - 42 - The dominant part in the present case joins the overall ensemble only at the end of the passage - in bars 12-15. Here it becomes equal to the other parts of the choir and, according to the general requirement of the ensemble, must be balanced with them. As for the point of highlighting the secondary figures accompanying the main melody, they are clearly marked with brackets with the number 1 b. These secondary phrases always appear where the main melody declines, weakens, or they precede the main melody, preparing an appropriate background for it. This is where these phrases should be “put forward”, because their purpose and meaning is to fill the voids that may form, to support the weakening tension; or prepare and, as it were, evoke the introduction of the main melody. It should be added that both the selection of the main melody and, in particular, the “promotion” of secondary phrases must be treated with great caution, strictly guided by a sense of artistic proportion, otherwise the result will be pretentiousness and the perspective of the composition will be disfigured. As for the second type of deviations from the requirements of balance when performing works written for one voice with the accompaniment of a choir, where solo singers emerge from the general ensemble, they often say: “The quieter the choir sings throughout the entire accompaniment, the better, because then the soloist sounds brighter." In fact, in these cases, the result is often complete isolation of the soloist from the choir: the soloist sings brightly, sonorously, and the choir rustles somewhere in the distance. This is, of course, wrong. A relative ensemble must be established between the soloist and the accompanying choir. The choir, in terms of sound intensity, must be at a known, always certain distance from the soloist. But this difference in sound strength should not expand too much, so that the threads connecting the soloist and the chorus of the ensemble do not break with each other and disunity and disunity arise. Therefore, the choir in relation to the soloist should sing one nuance lower, i.e. if the soloist has f, then the choir should have mf; if the soloist has mf, then the choir has p; if the soloist extends the sound to ff, then the choir must follow him to f, etc. In this way the choir will always be at a certain distance from the soloist, supporting him in strong places or creating a soft background for his quiet singing. Following the soloist in this way, the choir will not break the threads of the relative ensemble and will form one whole with it. This is the first condition that you need to pay attention to. The second condition should be some dimming of the timbre of the choral part to which the soloist belongs. Let us assume that the bass is the soloist, then the bass part of the choir should not reveal its timbre too brightly, especially on high notes, but on the contrary, it should shade it so that the soloist’s timbre does not seem pale. - 43 - The third type of deviation from the requirements of balance - highlighting the main theme in works of the contrapuntal style - is so extensive and complex that it needs to be given a special chapter (see Chapter VI); For now, let's return to the question of the artistic-organic ensemble. Having built the choir correctly from the point of view of the ensemble, instilled in the singers the proper rules for developing and maintaining it and considering the work of establishing the ensemble completed, the conductor will inevitably experience... disappointment: everything seems to have been done, said, suggested, but something is missing, despite Despite all the efforts of the singers, something is missing. What is missing is the conductor himself, his artistic will, his talent, manifested in inspired uplift. Only when the will of the conductor unites the individual aspirations of the singers, unites and welds them into one whole, captures and subjugates them with inspired inspiration, only then will that perfect ensemble, which we called artistic-organic, be achieved. So, what we have called a mechanical ensemble depends on the proper selection of singers, the organization of choral parts and the choir as a whole, and on strict adherence by all singers to the rules for its development and maintenance; and the artistic-organic one - from the conductor, from his talent, as well as from the artistic maturity of the choir. Note: It must be added that singers, inspired by the conductor at the moment of his artistic ascent, actively participate in the creation of an artistic-organic ensemble. The conductor, with the power of his talent, involves the choir in the process of artistic creativity, and only by taking everything from the choir and giving it all of himself, he and the choir achieve true inspiration. A perfect artistic-organic ensemble is unthinkable without a mechanical ensemble. It is therefore extremely important to indicate those technical techniques with which an artist, if he had talent, would be fully equipped. * Organizing and balancing all the elements of the mechanical ensemble in the choir - the number of singers, the quality of voices and their timbres - is a direct matter for the conductor. However, this is sometimes not enough. The fact is that one often encounters a chord structure in which the equal natural tension of the voices in all choral parts is not taken into account, and therefore, despite all the efforts of the choir and the conductor, it can be very difficult to achieve a balanced sound. Such chords in their very construction, in their nature, do not have the prerequisites necessary for an ensemble. - 44 - Let's take for example this chord with the nuance f: Bass C - the sound is very tense, tenor E - tense, alto G - a sound of medium tension and soprano C - a sound that is almost weak in tension. Thus, the natural tension of each part in this chord from bass to soprano gradually decreases. This chord is not in the ensemble by its very construction. What needs to be done to still install the ensemble? You can apply various nuances to each part: This will be difficult to achieve in performance, because this is an artificial ensemble; it is therefore better to rearrange the parts so that the natural tension in all of them is the same *: ____________________ * Based on the belief that all chords in the choir should sound balanced, P. G. Chesnokov recommends “non-ensemble” (P. G. Ch.’s term) chords lead in one way or another to a balanced sound. “Non-ensemble” chords in choral works of a harmonic nature can occur as a result of the composer’s insufficient knowledge of the nature of choral sonority. In such cases, there really is a need to artificially bring the “non-ensemble” chord to a balanced sound. However, in choral literature there are cases when the composer, using “non-ensemble” chords, thereby strives to create a specific sonority of the choir that corresponds to the artistic image of the work. Transforming such “non-ensemble” chords into balanced-sounding ones will inevitably lead to a distortion of the composer’s artistic intent. Therefore, the choir director must be able to understand the nature of the "non-ensemble" chord before changing it into a balanced sounding one. (Note by S. Popov). - 45 - This will be easily achievable in performance, for this is a natural ensemble, since the tension in all parts will be the same: the altos, merging with the sopranos in their tension, will be completely balanced with the basses; the sounds of the tenor part, although divided, are themselves so strong and intense that they successfully fill the middle between these two tense Cs. Thus, in relation to the construction of the chord, the ensemble should be divided into artificial and natural. In order to learn to accurately identify any chord from the point of view of an artificial and natural ensemble, we need to consider the range and registers of each choral part. From the table above it is clear that the range of C. 1st, extending from the first octave to the third, is divided into five registers, of which the 2nd (low), 3rd (middle) and 4th ( high). But they are not equally good: as they rise, the sounds in each of these three registers become stronger and acquire greater definition in timbre. When considering the above plate, special attention should be paid to the nuances displayed: they are natural, they lie in the nature of the voice or choral part in question (of course, there may be deviations from them, but very minor). To force a soprano f to sing in a low register means to distort the natural essence and, probably, not to obtain a sound of good quality. Note: The human voice is very flexible, and therefore ranges and registers cannot be spoken of with literal precision; they are approximate. However, the data presented can be taken as “average”, characteristic of the majority of votes, and therefore suitable for practical guidance; for choral parts, provided that voices of the same quality are selected, the definitions given in the tablets acquire an almost exact meaning and meaning. - 46 - The best register is C. 2 - medium and partly high. In addition, it is recommended to take into account two practical notes: 1) S. 2nd, as the voices are more massive and dense in comparison with S. 1st, should not be used above F (or G) of the third register; otherwise, they make the sonority of the S. 1st part too heavy and, going beyond the limits of their range, give a bad sound; 2) regarding the quality and quantity of batch C. The 2 should be selected better than is usually done in choirs: a more careful selection will benefit the sonority of the entire choir: Almost the entire range of the alto part is good. Only the first two sounds and the last are difficult and of poor quality. The peculiarity of the timbre of the alto sound is its density, density, strength and brightness: The range of A. 2 differs from 1 in that A. 2 has in the low register those two sounds (G and A) that sound good. which A. 1 does not have; The timbre of the sound of A. 2's, without having the tone of brightness that is observed in A. 1's, is even more dense, thick, strong and very meaningful. The four parts considered constitute a choir of the 1st type, i.e. a choir of women's or children's voices * (or both together). The entire range of this homogeneous choir can be depicted as follows: ____________ * The complete equality established here by P. G. Chesnokov between the women's choir and the children's choir is incorrect. The children's choir has its own characteristics both in vocal and technical terms and in artistic and performing terms, which differ significantly from the women's choir. (Note by S. Popov). - 47 - Let's move on to the tenor and bass parts. In the part of the first tenors, the middle and high registers are very good in strength, brightness and brilliance. In terms of the nature of the timbre, the T. 1sts are quite consistent with the S. 1sts, the same lightness, brightness and brilliance: the T. 2nds differ from the 1sts in that they have a low register, in the absence of a high register; the sound is strong and thick, not shining with brightness, but full and dense: Two comments made about the part of S. 2-x fully apply to the part of T. 2-x. There are three divisions in the bass part: - 48 - Strength and at the same time lightness, brightness and brilliance - these are the qualities of baritones: Strength, power, fullness, thickness, richness and brightness - the qualities of the bass, this main voice, which bears the entire weight of the choir chord. The timbre and character of the bass sound are so well known that there is hardly any need to dwell on them: The octave is good only on notes located on the lower incremental lines; everything above, although sometimes sounds good, is rare. The choir of the 2nd type is formed from the parts of tenors and basses - a homogeneous choir of male voices: The range of a full mixed choir is within the following limits: - 49 - In relation to the considered ranges and their registers, you can examine the construction of any chord in order to accurately determine whether this chord is in the ensemble or not. Let us note in passing that the comparison of ranges and registers S. 1's and T. 1's, S. 2's and T. 2's, A. and Bar., Basov and Oct. clearly illustrates the relatedness of these voices. Possessing a range of 4½ octaves and a wealth of varied living vocal colors, the choir is the most perfect group in terms of its artistic performance capabilities. From everything that has been said about the ensemble, it follows that in order to establish and maintain it, the conductor must: 1. Strive to ensure that each choral part has the same number of singers and the same quality of voices, paying appropriate attention to the selection of uniform voice timbres. Without such balance in the composition of the choir, work on achieving and establishing an ensemble does not achieve the desired results. 2. Ensure that the elementary rules for achieving and establishing an ensemble, which we set out in Chapter. I, were firmly internalized by every choral singer. Compliance with these rules, which seem easy but are actually difficult to follow, helps develop and sharpen the singers' sense of ensemble. 3. Pointing out to the choir the chords that are imperfect, from the point of view of the ensemble (artificial ensemble), demand from the party leaders that different nuances be marked in the notes for such chords. This is necessary so that each choral part knows the places that are dangerous in terms of the ensemble and is attentive to their performance. 4. Be able to regulate the sound strength of both entire parts and individual singers who disrupt the general or private ensemble. It is difficult to precisely indicate the hand movement required for this, but the nature of the gesture should be calming when the part or individual singer overly strains the sound (“stand out”), and exciting when the sound is insufficient (“not audible”). (For more information about this, see Part 2 - “Chorus Direction.”) The pattern of the gesture must be developed by the conductor himself in such a way that it is understandable to the singers and almost invisible from the outside. 5. Pay attention to the balanced sound of related parts when doubling. 6. Accustom yourself to being at least, of course, “on the rise” while working with the choir and especially when performing. It’s difficult, always with the same inspiration, but it’s also impossible to be internally calm. The conductor must be able - 50 - to always be on some kind of “uplift”, otherwise any internal connection between him and the choir will be broken. We have already mentioned that in the study of an ensemble one has to proceed not so much from exact knowledge, but from the feeling of the ensemble. The singer perceives the ensemble with the help of hearing and feeling - and one must base it on them when creating an ensemble. The conductor must always be able to find a mistake in the ensemble, point it out to the choir or party, explain what it is, give detailed and comprehensive methods and techniques for correcting it, and achieve its immediate elimination without skimping on reasonable repetitions. By acting in this way, the conductor will be understood by the choir and, most importantly, will gain the necessary authority, and intelligently carried out work and a noticeable approach to improvement will interest the choir. * When considering the nature and strength of sound, it is necessary to dwell on the issues of breathing and sound production. The conductor must communicate the information from this brief outline to the choir. Breath is the source of sound. Without proper breathing there cannot be a good, correct and musical sound. Breathing consists of two sequential actions: taking air into the lungs - inhalation, releasing air from the lungs - exhalation. But the volume of air inhaled may be different and the purpose of inhalation may not be the same. Therefore, breathing should be divided into three types: small breathing, usual in life and speech, large breathing - the breathing of singing, and spare. We breathe with small breathing in a calm state, during sleep and when we speak. Big breathing, which is what interests us in this case, is necessary for singing. You cannot sing with small breaths, because for traction and sound strength you need both a lot of air and considerable tension in the muscular system. Let's watch the moment of inhalation. It is produced through the nose - with rapid inhalations, the mouth also participates. When inhaled through the nose, the air is warmed and cleared of impurities; dust particles in the air, falling directly into the mouth and larynx, irritate the mucous membranes, which, of course, harms singing. Inhalation—the introduction of air through the nose into the lungs—is accomplished. The mouth is open, the tongue lies flat in the mouth, touching the tip of the lower teeth, the moment has come to extract the sound. But about the sound later. Let's trace the second moment of breathing - exhalation. These two points make up the breathing technique. - 51 - The second point is no less, if not more important, than the first, because sound is formed during exhalation. The main difficulty and concern of the singer when exhaling, and therefore when producing sound, is to save breath. You must be able to save your breath in such a way that with the least amount of air you can get a large supply of sound and, moreover, the best quality. Inept singers, having taken a large and even correct breath, throw it out en masse and after 2-3 seconds are left without breathing, i.e. without sound. At the same time, the sound quality cannot be good, because, as J. Bates says quite correctly, “if you want to get a clear and full-bodied sound, use as little breath as possible on it.” This at first seems like a contradiction: take an unskilled, beginning violinist and force him to produce a strong sound - he will hold the entire bow, pressing it hard on the string, and the result is only jolts, rustling, creaking and whatever you want, but not a musical sound. Unskilled beginning singers treat their bow—the breath—in the same way, with the same results. And take a skilled violinist: very little use of the bow and almost imperceptible pressure on the string, and the sound is soft, smooth, strong, and musical. Therefore, when exhaling, along with the formation of sound, the singer must first of all protect his breath. This will give what is called "big breath" and make the singer complete master of his breath and sound. This leads to the following rule for the singer. When inhaling, you should take a large amount of air into the lungs through the nose**, and when exhaling, use it very sparingly. Mastering this rule is necessary to develop good, correct breathing. A few words about spare breathing. Try to take a big breath and, without making a sound, without effort, release it normally and naturally, that is, exhale. When you do this and the natural exhalation ends, begin to sing without taking a new inhalation, pay attention to the feeling that results. At the very first moment of singing, you will feel awkwardness, as if something is pulling from within; and the further, the _________________ * Bats Joa (1741-1799) - English composer and conductor, author of the opera “Parnassus” and a number of piano vocal works. (Note by S. Popov). ** From this instruction of P. G. Chesnokov it does not at all follow that one should always take in as much air as the singer’s lungs can accommodate. The amount of air inhaled should be different in each individual case. You need to take into your lungs the amount of air that is necessary to complete a particular singing task. (Note by S. Popov). - 52 - this awkwardness and craving from within will increase more and more. At the end of singing, you will feel tired and need to take deep breaths several times. What is the reason here? The fact is that when we inhale a lot, we exhale approximately half of the air taken in, and the other half remains to maintain normal lung volume. Of course, this remaining spare half will come out with the next breath, and will be replaced by the fresh half of the next breath. Having done this experiment, we began to sing directly with the second, spare half of our breath. The lungs lost their volume, the flow of oxygen stopped, and we felt tired; and the need to take deep breaths several times appeared because it was necessary to restore this used second spare half of the breath. Conclusion: you cannot sing with a spare breath, because using it requires immediate recovery. This should be explained to singers, especially those with little experience, and they should be advised not to touch the spare breath. Note: Singing requires deep breathing, filling the lungs to their fullest capacity; Therefore, you should take care of the cleanliness of the room, the absence of dust and fresh air in it. A room that does not meet these conditions will harm the health of the singers. The conductor must know that a singer suffering from a heart defect, even to a mild degree, cannot be allowed to participate in the choir. Now about sound production. It begins with the second moment of breathing, that is, exhalation, and should be associated with the end of the first moment of breathing. From the depths of the lungs, an air stream, passing through the respiratory tract, enters the larynx. The larynx consists of cartilage and the muscles that control them. The larynx lies above the windpipe, to the upper end of which it is directly connected. What we call the “Adam’s apple” or “Adam’s apple,” and which anyone can feel with their fingers on the front of their neck, is the apex of the larynx. Two membranes, called vocal cords, are stretched horizontally through its cavity inside. If we compared breathing, or rather an air stream, to a bow, then the vocal cords are the strings of our vocal instrument. In the Adam's apple, the vocal cords are connected and strengthened; here an acute angle is formed between them. Further along their length, they diverge and form a gap between themselves in the form of an elongated triangle, and are attached at their ends to the cartilage; the purpose of two of them, the thyroid, is to stretch the ligaments and the two, the arytenoid, are to separate and bring them together. Ligaments are very elastic: they can stretch and contract both in length and width, they can fluctuate with their entire composition and edges. When inhaled, they, - 53 - with the help of arytenoid cartilages, diverge, allowing free passage for air. When exhaling, the air stream in the larynx encounters an obstacle: with the beginning of exhalation, the same cartilages bring the ligaments together and a narrow gap is formed between them, called the glottis. The air stream, having encountered an obstacle in the form of connected ligaments, begins to put pressure on their lower surface and breaks through the narrow glottis. Then the ligaments deviate upward, slightly expanding the glottis under the pressure of the air stream, and immediately return again to their previous state of rest, and again almost close the gap. As a result, below, in the windpipe, the air pressure increases, the air stream again breaks through the glottis, thereby moving the vocal cords, etc. d. In a word, our bow - an air stream - vibrates our strings - the vocal cords, and as a result of this struggle, they, trembling - oscillating, give birth to sound. From the larynx, sound along with the breath enters the pharynx and from there into the oral cavity; hitting the upper palate, it flies out of the mouth. It is known that the sound produced by the vocal cords alone is weak. How does sound gain strength, timbre and pitch? Regarding the strength of sound, we can say: the stronger the stream of air directed to the vocal cords, the greater the range of vibrations (amplitude), the louder the sound. Therefore, the strength of the sound of the human voice depends on the width of the vocal cords when vibrating. To obtain the breadth of the swing, you need to press firmly with an air stream on the lower surface of the vocal cords, like a bow on a string. But that is not all. Above the larynx there is a number of resonators. The most important and closest of them are: the pharynx, nasopharyngeal cavity and oral cavity. These organs are extremely mobile, and therefore they can, like resonators, adapt to any sound. By adapting, they resonate the sound, that is, they give it strength. They also give it timbre (color). Sound coloring depends most of all on the pharynx and mouth, nasopharyngeal and nasal cavities, together with their neighboring cavities. All sounds from the vocal cords alone, without the assistance of resonators, are weak, ugly, and hoarse. They can be compared with the sound of the so-called “through” violins, where the lower and upper soundboards are removed, and only the side walls are left, somewhat thickened for strength. These resonatorless violins have an extremely pale, weak and hoarse sound. - 54 - It is necessary to pay attention to one important circumstance regarding the timbre of sound. The impact of sound in the upper cavity of the mouth, in the palate, is an important moment for the formation of timbre. The sound, flying out of the larynx and passing through the pharynx, hits either the nasal region, or the soft palate (deep in the mouth), or the hard palate (close to the upper teeth) and, reflected, flies out of the mouth. In the first case, the result is a nasal sound, an ugly, unnecessary sound. It happens most often about

The Russian history of the past century shows us wonderful examples of standing up for the faith. In Russia, during the atheistic regime, hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians accepted torture and death for Christ. But there were people whom the atheistic authorities did not dare to openly persecute. Nevertheless, their life was a stoic profession of faith and they managed to remain faithful to God. Such people include Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov.

P.G. Chesnokov was born in 1877 in a working-class village in the Moscow province. His father was a regent in the local church - conductor of the church choir. From a very early age, when the father began to take his little son to the service, Chesnokov’s singing ministry began.

It is significant that Pavel Grigorievich was born on the day of remembrance of the Monk Cosmas of Maium, a hymn writer who, according to Archbishop Philaret (Gumilevsky), “composed sweet, harmonious songs for the Church, with tireless deeds presenting himself as a harmonious psalter to the Lord.”

The Lord endowed the boy with excellent hearing and voice, and at the age of eight he entered the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing. Pavel finishes it in 1895 with a gold medal.

After this, he worked as a regent in many churches in Moscow, taught in gymnasiums and colleges, and at the same time continued his musical education. For several years he has been taking composition lessons from S.I. Taneyev, and in 1913 he entered the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1917 with a silver medal in the free composition class.

Chesnokov works a lot: he leads a choral conducting class at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, teaches choral singing in primary and secondary schools, in addition, he directs the choir of the Russian Choral Society and serves as a regent in several church choirs. The Regency was the main thing in his life.

Could he have imagined at a time when Russia was still an Orthodox state that the coming revolution would overturn all the foundations of life, and his noble cause would become objectionable in his own country?..

The revolution found Chesnokov at the peak of his creative and vital powers and, of course, was a strong blow for him. Regent, composer, teacher - all his activities were entirely devoted to the Church...

In the early 20s, concerts from Chesnokov’s works were still held in some places, but as the persecution of the Church and believers intensified, it became clear that the previous creative activity was impossible. And what could be more painful for a real artist than forced silence?

At this time, many artists emigrated, and even his brother Alexander went to Paris, but Pavel Grigorievich, who undoubtedly had such an opportunity, remained in Moscow, and this was natural for someone whose work was deeply national.

He directs the Moscow Academic Choir, works as a choirmaster at the Bolshoi Theater, and teaches at the Moscow Conservatory and its school. And, of course, writes music.

Chesnokov was dearly loved by Muscovites. To confirm this, one can cite a fragment of congratulations on the 30th anniversary of his creative activity, which he received from the clergy and parishioners of the St. Nicholas Church on Arbat:

...Thank you for the Orthodox story,

For the faith of our native antiquity,

For a song consonant, glorious,

In a vision of the coming Spring.

Thank you for the burning flame -

Their prayer lives in silence.

Thanks for all the pleasures

Our rapturous soul.

We welcome you for many years,

May genius live forever

And the Eternal to us, many years old,

He sings to the joy of Russia.

According to experts, Pavel Chesnokov was a brilliant choral conductor. After graduating from the conservatory, Chesnokov begins to write the main work of his life - the book “The Choir and Its Management.” At the end of 1917, he writes: “God gave me the idea that I should write a book...” By 1926, almost all the work was completed. But the joy over the creation of the book was premature.

In 1930, he wrote to his brother Alexander in Paris: “...You probably remember that in December 1917 I began writing a big book - “The Choir and Its Management.” I, who had never written two lines for publication, sat down for writing a big book because, having worked for twenty years in the field of my favorite choral business, I realized that there is no science in our art. Having realized this, I set myself a bold thought - to create, if not a science, then at least a true and solid foundation for it.

The work, which lasted continuously for thirteen years, was full of sorrows and joys, because to discover laws and their systems means to exert the greatest stress, not only physical, volitional, nervous, but also the strain of the entire spiritual essence... I will be brief - the book was rejected, print it from I can’t have us in the USSR.

Cause? Apolitical. But, of course, this is not the reason. Everyone who needed it knew that I was not a politician, that I was a choir specialist and was writing a scientific and technical book. The real reason, in my opinion, is that it was written by Chesnokov, a former church regent and spiritual composer. And so the thought came to me - if it’s not possible here, with us, then maybe, maybe it will be abroad?..”

Pavel Chesnokov had rather tense relations with the Soviet authorities, but representatives of official state atheism in the Soviet Union could not help but see his great talent as a composer and choirmaster, and in 1931 permission to publish the book was nevertheless given. True, another nine whole years passed before it was published, full of moral suffering and upheaval.

In 1940, the book was finally published, but with a disapproving preface. He was never forgiven for his permanent regency... Be that as it may, since then it has remained a reference book for the world's leading conductors.

Despite the unequivocal attitude of the authorities towards him, Pavel Grigorievich enjoys enormous authority among fellow musicians, and in 1920 M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov invites him to teach at the Moscow Conservatory. Standing at the origins of the creation of the department of choral conducting at the Conservatory, Chesnokov was the founder of the national choral school. In the period from 1917 to 1933, he led several professional and amateur groups.

With Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov and other famous masters of choral art. Moscow Conservatory, mid-1930s.

It cannot be said that the repressions did not affect him in any way. One day (in the late 30s), coming home in the evening, he said to his wife Yulia Vladislavovna: “Yulechka, pack your things, they’ll probably take me away soon.” - "What's the matter?" “Today I was called to the Lubyanka and asked to write anti-religious ditties.” - "And you?" - “Naturally, he refused.” But the Lord was merciful, and after this incident Chesnokov was no longer remembered “there.”

Pavel Chesnokov died in 1944 in Moscow. It was the time of the Second World War. The Moscow Conservatory, where he taught, was evacuated, but the composer refused to evacuate. He did not want to part with the church, with the regency, which was not possible everywhere at that time. Pavel Chesnokov revered church service above his own life.

Creative heritage of P.G. Chesnokov extensively. He wrote both secular and church music, but, first of all, gained fame as a church Orthodox composer. The church hymns he created are practically all the most important prayers of Orthodox worship (often in several versions). From them we can trace the development of Chesnokov’s compositional language. His writings are very different.

The early ones, performed by the Synodal Choir in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral, are quite simple in musical composition and inspired by strict ancient chants. Later works are based on the same chants, but appear before us in a completely new form, thanks to various harmonization techniques. However, each creation of the composer surprisingly easily conveys the words of prayer to the hearts of both the simple and the sage. Chesnokov's creativity is deeply national and original.

The works of Pavel Chesnokov are very advantageous in concert terms. They allow singers to best demonstrate their vocal capabilities, which is why Russian opera stars, for example, Irina Arkhipova, a former soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, often turn to Pavel Chesnokov’s spiritual chants.

But this is not always good from the point of view of the church, because worship does not require spectacular and brightly colorful sound. On the contrary, they interfere with the depth and severity of prayer, and therefore are little compatible with worship. But this is where the universality of Pavel Chesnokov’s talent was revealed. He was cramped within narrow limits and the composer, by the grace of God, argued with the director of the church choirs. And this dispute did not always end with an unambiguous solution to the issue.

The name of Pavel Chesnokov is mentioned next to such famous names as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Taneyev, Ippolitov-Ivanov. All of them belong to the so-called Moscow school of composers. The music of these composers is characterized by deep lyricism and psychology.

Pavel Chesnokov was a highly qualified master of polyphony. Russian Orthodox sacred music as it exists today is predominantly polyphonic. Polyphony began to penetrate Russian sacred music in the 17th century. And before that, for six centuries, from the moment of the baptism of Ancient Rus' in 988, there was monophonic church singing, which came to Rus', like Christianity itself, through Byzantium.

The element of monophony was rich and expressive in its own way. Such singing was called znamenny singing from the ancient Slavic word “znamya”, which means “sign”. The “banners” were also called “hooks”. In Rus', sounds were recorded with the help of “banners” or “hooks,” and these signs actually resembled hooks of different shapes. This recording of sounds had nothing in common with musical notation, not only in appearance, but even in the recording principle. It was an entire culture that existed for more than 500 years and then, due to historical reasons, seemed to disappear into the sand.

Among modern musicians there are enthusiasts who search for ancient manuscripts in archives and decipher them. Znamenny singing is gradually returning to church life, but for now it is perceived more as a rarity, exotic.

To the credit of Pavel Chesnokov, it should be said that he also paid tribute to Znamenny singing, and this showed his sensitivity as a musician who sensed the prospect of musical historical development. He harmonized znamenny chants, trying to connect the past with the present. But still, in his musical and artistic essence, he belonged to his era and practiced polyphony.

Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called “new direction” in Russian sacred music. Typical for him are, on the one hand, excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing, and on the other hand, a tendency towards great emotional openness in the expression of religious feelings, even to the point of direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics. The latter is especially typical for sacred works for voice and choir that are now very popular.

Modern musicians note the interesting musical language of Pavel Chesnokov, who created over 500 choral pieces.

“There are a lot of garlic sounds in churches, and this is not by chance,” says Marina Nasonova, regent of the Church of the Holy Silverless Cosmas and Damian in Moscow, candidate of art history. - This is a unique figure among composers of church music, because he combined a very good academic composition education with the highest compositional technique. At the same time, coming from a family of hereditary regents, he had been in church since childhood, served as a chanter and knew very well the applied church tradition. He had a keen sense of worship. His music is extremely deep in its spirituality.”

Valentin Maslovsky, director of the church choir of the Moscow Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, says: “He was an extraordinary person. He was the last regent of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the former Moscow Cathedral that was blown up during Stalin's time. When the temple was destroyed, Pavel Chesnokov was so shocked by this that he stopped writing music. He took a kind of vow of silence.

As a composer, he died with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The most magnificent musician, Pavel Chesnokov very subtly felt every word, every verse, every prayer. And all this was reflected in the music.”

One of the composer’s best creations, “May my prayer be corrected...” became such a crystal-clear reflection.

CD cover Panikhida CD -

In the constellation of names of famous composers of Russian sacred music, there is one name, when uttered, many Russians feel warmth and bliss in their hearts. This name has not been overshadowed by others, sometimes very famous names; it has stood the test of the strictest court - the impartial Court of Time. This name - Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov.

Chesnokov was born on October 25, 1877 in the village of Ivanovskoye, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province. Already in childhood, he discovered a wonderful voice and bright musical abilities. At the age of five, Pavel began singing in the church choir, of which his father was the choir director. This helped him enter the famous Synodal School of Church Singing, which became the cradle of many outstanding figures of Russian choral culture. Here his teachers were the great V.S. Orlov and the wise S.V. Smolensky. After graduating from college with a gold medal (in 1895), Chesnokov studied composition privately with S.I. for four years. Taneyev, simultaneously working as a teacher of choral singing in women's boarding schools and gymnasiums. In 1903, he became the choir director at the Church of the Trinity on Pokrovka (“on Gryazi”). This choir soon gained fame as one of the best in Moscow: “They didn’t pay the singers, but the singers paid to be accepted into Chesnokov’s choir,” one of the Moscow regents later recalled.

For many years, Chesnokov, while continuing to work in Moscow (during these years he also presided over the Church of Cosmas and Damian on Skobelevskaya Square), often traveled around Russia: he acted as a conductor of spiritual concerts, conducted classes at various regency and regency-teacher courses, and participated in the work of regency congresses. It was the regency business that was central to the life and work of the renowned master of church singing. But he himself was never satisfied with himself, and therefore in 1913, being already widely known throughout singing Russia, the 36-year-old composer of sacred music entered the Moscow Conservatory. Here he studied composition and conducting with M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov and instrumentation with S.I. Vasilenko. Chesnokov marked his fortieth birthday in 1917 by graduating from the conservatory in the free composition class (with a silver medal), having in his creative portfolio about 50 opuses of sacred and secular music. And in the same year, it was Chesnokov and his choir who received the honor of participating in the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon.

The master's subsequent activities were filled with painful attempts to find a place for himself in a new, radically changed life: conductor and artistic director of various Moscow choirs (but nowhere for a long time), teacher at a music school and the People's Choral Academy (formerly the Synodal School), professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Until 1931, he was regent at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and in 1932 he became the first head of the department of choral conducting at the conservatory. In 1933, Chesnokov’s book “The Choir and Its Management” was completed and in 1940 published (and sold out within a few hours) - the only major methodological work of the famous choral figure. It summarized the many years of invaluable experience of the author himself and his fellow synodals. For many years, this work (though without the chapter on regency practice removed by the author at the request of the publisher) remained the main manual for the training of domestic choirmasters. All this time he continued to compose sacred music, but no longer for performance or publication, but only for himself.

The last years of the composer's life were the most dramatic. Mental suffering was increasingly drowned out by alcohol. In the end, the heart could not stand it, and one of the most soulful lyricists of Russian sacred music found rest in the old Moscow Vagankovsky cemetery...

Assessing Chesnokov’s multifaceted, original talent, contemporaries noted in him a unique combination of various qualities, both musical and “great human”: strict professionalism and deep respect for his work, enormous musicality, brilliant artistic talent, a magnificent refined ear and, also, spiritual purity , sincerity, deep humanity and respect for people. And all these qualities were reflected in one way or another in his music, just as his characteristics as a choirmaster, conductor, and performer were reflected in it.

Among Chesnokov’s works there are romances and children’s songs (just remember the charming cycle “Galina’s Songs”), there is piano music, and among student works there are instrumental works and symphonic sketches. But most of his opuses were written in the genre of choral music: choirs a sarella and with accompaniment, arrangements of folk songs, transcriptions and editions. The most important part of his legacy is sacred music. In it the composer's talent and soul found the most perfect, deepest, most intimate embodiment.

Entering the galaxy of composers of the so-called new Moscow school of church music, Chesnokov is still noticeably different from them. Like Kastalsky, who constructed a special (partly speculative) “folk-modal system” and applied it in his secular and spiritual compositions, Chesnokov “built”, or rather, intoned his own system, built on easily recognizable melodic and harmonic turns of Russian urban song and everyday romance of the late 19th century. Unlike Grechaninov, who created a special monumental temple-concert style of sacred music, based on the vocal-instrumental polyphony of orchestral writing, Chesnokov creates the no less rich polyphony of his compositions exclusively on the unique originality of the singing voices a sarella, imperceptibly dissolving the dome “echoes” of the temple into the choral sonority acoustics. Unlike Shvedov, who imbued his spiritual compositions with the “delights” of romantic harmony and rational design of form, Chesnokov never succumbs to the temptation to compose for the sake of demonstrating authorship, but always follows his lyrical, sincere, childish, slightly naive musical instinct. Unlike Nikolsky, who often complicated the church-singing style by using brightly concert, purely orchestral writing techniques, Chesnokov always preserves in purity the unique, entirely Russian vocal-choral style of temple sonority. And yet he approaches the text like an astute playwright, finding in it monologues, dialogues, lines, summaries and many stage plans. Therefore, already in his Liturgy, Op. 15 (1905), he discovered and brilliantly applied all those dramatic techniques that Rachmaninov would use 10 years later in the famous “Vespers.”

And there is, among many others, one fundamental feature of Chesnokov’s vocal-choral writing. Whether a soloist sings or a choral part sounds, this statement is always personal, i.e., essentially, solo in nature. Chesnokov's melodic talent is not characterized by developed melodies (with the exception of quoting everyday tunes), his element is a short motive, less often a phrase: sometimes of a recitative-ariot nature, sometimes in the spirit of an urban romance song. But any melody requires accompaniment, and the role of such accompaniment is played by all other choral voices. Their task is to highlight, interpret, decorate the melody with beautiful harmony - and it is precisely admiring the beautiful, “spicy”, romantically refined harmony that is characteristic of Chesnokov’s music. All these features indicate that Chesnokov’s music belongs to the genre of lyricism - often sentimental, expressive in its improvisational and everyday origins, and personal in the nature of the statement.

Most of all, this statement becomes romantically moving and artistically convincing when the composer uses the concerto genre by entrusting the solo part to a separate voice. Chesnokov's legacy includes many choral concerts for all types of voices. Particularly notable among them is the six-concert opus 40 (1913), which brought the author truly boundless fame and glory (especially thanks to the unique concert for bass-octavist accompanied by a mixed choir). At the same time, much more often one can observe in Chesnokov’s works diverse manifestations of the principle of concert performance, based on the maximum identification of the group performing capabilities of the parts that make up the choir. Opus 44, “The Most Important Hymns of the All-Night Vigil” (1913), can be classified as works of this kind. It is significant that both of these opuses, completed in the year their author began studying at the Moscow Conservatory, not only demonstrate a new level of Chesnokov’s compositional skills, but also testify to his unique attitude to the genres of sacred music, built on the creative combination of domestic church singing traditions and the latest achievements musical art.

A remarkable feature of Chesnokov’s music is its simplicity and accessibility, its recognition and heartfelt closeness. She delights and elevates, cultivates taste and corrects morals, awakens souls and inspires hearts. Having gone through a long and difficult path together with the land that gave birth to it, this music still sounds bright and sincere today. Because, as it was said in the obituary of the composer’s memory, published in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate” in April 1944, “without striving for any external effects, Chesnokov inspired the words of prayer petitions and doxologies with the simplest melodies, sounding from the depths of pure and perfect harmony. (...) This wonderful composer conceptualized church music as prayer wings on which our soul easily ascends to the throne of the Most High.”

Konstantin NIKITIN

P. G. CHESNOKOV

AND MANAGING IT

for choral conductors

Third edition

STATE MUSIC PUBLISHING HOUSE

Moscow 1 9 6 1

INTRODUCTORY ARTICLE BY K. BIRD

NOTES BY S. POPOV

P. G. CHESNOKOV AND HIS BOOK

"CHORUS AND ITS MANAGEMENT"

IN For many centuries, choral singing was the main path along which the development of the musical culture of our people took place. The exceptional poetic and musical talent of the Russian people found its expression in the images of song creativity, and the most favorite form of musical performance, organically inherent to the people, became choral singing. It was in this area that they were created

V first of all, those artistic values ​​that brought our people worldwide recognition in the field of musical art and established their fame song-creator people. On the basis of folk song culture, the mighty Russian professional musical art arose and rose. In the process of development of national choral culture, choir groups were created that have no equal in performing skills. The artistic education and subsequent creativity of the most gifted Russian musicians was invariably associated, to a greater or lesser extent, with folk songs and choral singing.

The field of folk singing art attracted all those musicians in whose work the best traditions of Russian musical culture lived and were established.

IN at the same time, the deep originality of Russian choral music was always capable of exerting a strong influence both on the emerging creative image of the musician and on his very character. Over the course of several generations, many talented Russian musicians and performers have devoted themselves entirely and confidently to choral work. Among them were outstanding musical figures who left a noticeable mark on the history of Russian music: D. S. Bortnyansky(1751-1825), M. S. Berezovsky (1745-1777),

G. Ya. Lomakin (1812-1885), V. S. Orlov (1856-1907), A. D. Kastalsky (1856-1926)

and many others.

IN galaxy of wonderful Russians Among choir musicians, the name of Professor Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov, whose entire life was devoted to serving the Russian choral art, takes pride of place.

Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov is one of the largest figures of Russian choral culture of the first half of our century, a versatile choral figure - composer, conductor, teacher, deeply national and original in his creative appearance.

As a composer, Chesnokov enjoys wide, worldwide fame. He wrote many vocal works (over 60 opuses), mainly for mixed choirs without instrumental accompaniment, over 20 women's choirs with piano accompaniment, several arrangements of Russian folk songs, romances and songs for solo voice. The most characteristic feature of his work is poetic sincerity, filled with deep lyrical reflection, contemplation and grace.

These are precisely his famous choirs, written for a mixed composition of voices - “Dawn is Warming”, “Forest”, “Night”, etc. All of Chesnokov’s works are imbued with the spirit and influence of Russian folk song creativity, and at the same time they bear the features of his bright creative individuality. In those works where the influence of folk songs is most strong, Chesnokov’s work reaches great dramatic intensity (“Dubinushka”, “Not a flower in a field withers”, an arrangement of the Russian folk song “A little girl walked along the bollard”).

His vocal and choral flair, understanding of the nature and expressive capabilities of the singing voice have few equals not only in the works of domestic but also foreign choral literature.

He knew and felt the “secret” of vocal and choral expressiveness. Perhaps the strict ear and keen eye of a professional critic will note in his scores the salon quality of individual harmonies, the sentimental sweetness of some turns and sequences. It is especially easy to come to this conclusion when playing the score on the piano, without a sufficiently clear idea of ​​​​its sound in the choir. But listen to the same piece performed live by a choir. The nobility and expressiveness of the vocal sound greatly transforms what was heard on the piano; the same music appears in a completely different form and is capable of attracting, touching the soul, and sometimes delighting the listener. “You can go through all the choral literature over the last hundred years and you will find few equal to Checheskov’s mastery

mastery of choral sound,” said the prominent Soviet choral figure G. A. Dmitrevsky in conversations with us.

Many of Chesnokov's choral works have become firmly established in the concert repertoire of Soviet choirs and in the curricula of conducting and choral classes. Some of them can rightly be classified as works of Russian choral classics.

Love for choral creativity in all its manifestations was the meaning of P. G. Chesnokov’s whole life. However, the most striking aspect of his artistic aspirations was, perhaps, his love for choral performance. If the passion and need for composition was capable of cooling with age, then he retained his love for working with the choir until the end of his days. “Egorushka, let me stand in front of the choir for an hour,” he asked his beloved chapel assistant at the Moscow State Philharmonic, G. A. Dmitrevsky, when he came to the choir rehearsal, still not recovering from his illness. In the difficult year of 1943, shortly before his death, when the decision was made to organize a professional choir at the Moscow Conservatory, Chesnokov, sick and almost incapacitated, touchingly asked N. M. Danilin, who was scheduled to be the artistic director of the choir, to give him the opportunity to work with the choir.

Without exception, all choirs headed by Chesnokov during his many years of creative activity achieved excellent artistic results. In a number of cases, choirs led by him achieved exceptionally high vocal technical skill and vivid expressiveness.

Chesnokov went through an excellent Russian music school - the Synodal School and the Moscow Conservatory. His teachers were S. V. Smolensky, S. I. Taneyev, V. S. Orlov, S. N. Vasilenko, M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. His friends and comrades in art were the wonderful Russian artists A. V. Nezhdanova, L. V. Sobinov, D. A. Smirnov, M. D. Mikhailov, who willingly communicated creatively with him and happily sang in choirs under his direction. Chesnokov was one of the prominent representatives of Russian musical performance, preserving and continuing the best traditions of Russian vocal and choral art, transforming them with the power of his original and great talent.

In his work with the choir, Chesnokov presented himself as an excellent connoisseur of choral singing, an excellent educated musician and a talented, highly professional

direction leading the collective to an artistic goal predetermined by the conductor, as could be observed, for example, with N. M. Danilin. Nevertheless, every step of his work with the choir was deeply meaningful and consistent, every requirement was completely expedient and clear, in all the actions of the choir his leadership was felt - the ardent creative feeling and strong thought of a great artist and musician. All his activities with the choir, from rehearsal to concert inclusive, never had the character of everyday life and handicraft. He belonged to a glorious galaxy of wonderful artists - Russian choral conductors, such as V. S. Orlov, N. S. Golovanov, N. M. Danilin, A. V. Sveshnikov, A. V. Alexandrov, G. A. Dmitrevsky , for whom artistic activity at every moment was a kind of “sacred act.” They completely devoted all their spiritual strength to art, and they demanded this from others - their comrades in labor and creativity. And here, when working with the choir, he was invariably demanding and persistent, and even harsh at times, when the inattention of an individual singer disrupted the structure of his creative action, which began from the very moment when he stood at the podium and the choir inspector brought him the conductor’s baton. The system of classes had the character of solemnity, emanating from his state: it was enough to listen to Chesnokov’s introductory speech about the composer and the work with which he began the rehearsal work, and you immediately felt the seriousness of the conductor’s attitude to his work. He rarely took time off from work for a cheerful word or joke. True, he considered a well-timed joke to be a necessary mental release for the team at work, but he always did it with restraint, laconic, as if slightly embarrassed.

Chesnokov's performing appearance was characterized by many individual traits. His performance was always distinguished by its nobility and impeccable taste. His understanding of the content of the work was characterized by a wise and deep penetration into the author's intention. In the conductor's interpretation of works, he was organically characterized by an excellent artistic flair. One could argue about certain details of the performance; sometimes one could wish for greater brightness dynamically

___________________

* Perhaps the only case can be found in his book “The Choir and Its Management,” where Chesnokov confidently changed the dynamics in the “Anchar” choir by A. Arensky.

your spiritual purity. Never any falsehood in the interpretation, no “gags” designed for external success, to satisfy backward tastes. Creating easy success for himself was organically contrary to his nature. In this sense, his work with the choir and performance were an excellent pedagogical example for young people - student conductors.

Everyone who attended the rehearsals and concerts of the Moscow State Philharmonic Choir (1932-1933) was unforgettably impressed by Chesnokov’s work on Russian classics, filled with the conductor’s ardent love for the work being learned, the originality and accuracy of the performing interpretation.

Scene in the Streltsy Settlement from “Khovanshchina” by M. Mussorgsky, his “Joshua”, a cappella choirs (“Kovyl” by Yu. Sakhnovsky, “North and South” by A. Grechaninov, “Dubinushka” by P. Chesnokov, etc.), performed by the chapel under the direction of Chesnokov, they were remembered for a long time, almost for a lifetime. And, having retained these bright, first youthful impressions, his students were subsequently convinced of the correctness and accuracy of Chesnokov’s interpretation of the content of the work.

His artistic appearance was especially characterized by deep poetry and sincerity. The lack of grandiose climaxes and broad spontaneous epicness of the performance was compensated for by great subtlety and penetration of living human feeling, which always captivated the listener. He knew this power of his and used it skillfully. It is interesting to note that Chesnokov boldly took on some works that seemed not entirely typical of his artistic make-up, and, using his strong performing qualities, he often achieved great and well-deserved success. Such, for example, was the performance in the 1932/33 season in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory of A. Davidenko’s choral work “The Street is Worried.” The audience and the author enthusiastically accepted the artistically truthful, technically virtuoso performance of this choir, although its interpretation did not have the spontaneous scope that could be observed in the interpretation of other outstanding choral conductors (N. M. Danilina, A. V. Sveshnikova).

The power of Chesnokov’s artistic charm found its response primarily among

team leader. Cases of harshness in Chesnokov’s treatment of singers were very rare and were caused only by the most serious, in his opinion, violations of creative discipline. The discipline, both external and internal, in his classes was excellent. Everyone willingly sought to fulfill the leader’s demands.

It should be noted that Chesnokov did not demand the establishment of strict discipline and intense tempo in rehearsal work. He considered the rehearsal norm for the choir to be two hours of practice a day, that is, “singing for your own pleasure.” Nevertheless, Chesnokov knew how to work with the choir not only calmly, but also economically. Strict professionalism and deep respect for his work invariably accompanied his work with the choir. Many of Chesnokov's personal advantages served this ability - to work productively and, if necessary, spend time sparingly; there was tremendous musicality and excellent hearing, combined with clear thinking and will, which gave him the opportunity to accurately feel and understand the next need in the work being done, to set specific demands, achieving their fulfillment. There was also enormous practical experience in working with the choir, accumulated over many years and necessary for the proper quality of work. In his parting words to young choirmasters who graduated from the conservatory, he said: “Now, my dear friends, you will work with a choir for a dozen years and then you will begin to understand something about choral affairs.”

Chesnokov was an exceptional master in the field of leading a cappella choral singing. N. M. Danilin argued that there is no choir equal to Chesnokov in tuning in nature. And in fact, the structure of the choir, led by Chesnokov, was exceptionally pure. When a choral chord changed, the next one came intonationally precisely and simultaneously, which gave the impression of unusual peace and completely satisfied the ear. The most complex modulations were performed effortlessly and accurately in all voices and chords.

I remember how at one of the concerts in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, towards the end of a large program, the choir was tired, but its structure was still clear, its intonation was free. They sang “Dubinushka” and “Ditch” - the best of Chesnokov’s arrangements of Russian songs. Pavel Grigorievich, having given the tonal tuning, walked away from the choir and watched without controlling it. The choir sang freely and easily. The intonation was impeccable. After finishing the piece, Pavel Grigorievich checked the tone on the piano for the audience. The choir held the formation absolutely precisely.

In the performance of works a cappella, Chesnokov's artistic talent developed with particular force. His creative range in this genre was

especially wide. Composer B. S. Shekhter recalls the performance of his beautiful, deeply dramatic work - the choral miniature “Beyond the Dniester”: “I have never heard such a soulful and subtle performance of this choir as that of P. G. Chesnokov.” The opposite Russian folk song “Ditch” enjoyed enormous success with the public, where Chesnokov’s unique artistic nature emerged both in the treatment of the beautiful humorous theme and in its performance.

He was an excellent expert and practitioner of the vocal nature and performing capabilities of the human voice. Having an excellent command of the theoretical foundations and techniques of the art of singing, Chesnokov, as a true master of his craft, considered working on vocals in a choir to be the most difficult task, requiring a special approach in the performance of each given piece. He spoke with restraint about voice production, but was very attentive to choral and solo singing sound; I always knew and took into account the vocal laws both in working with the choir and in composition. He told how A.V. Nezhdanova, who had ideally pure intonation, sang the solo written for her by Chesnokov insufficiently accurately. Having carefully examined the work and deeply thought through the reasons for the impure intonation, he noticed an abundance of transitional notes. I changed the key, a few sounds, and the solo sounded perfect.

To form a fairly clear and complete picture of the artist’s appearance and his work, it is necessary to know the main features that characterize personal qualities.

Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov was a man of deep decency, who retained the naive simplicity and gullibility of his poetic and sensitive soul until his old age. The sublime ideas of humanism, humanity and goodness certainly attracted him, although their actual value in combination with the public good was understood by him in a unique way and was not always defined correctly.

He had a persistent and persistent character; reluctantly abandoned previously formed opinions: in his judgments and statements he was straightforward and completely alien to hypocrisy; internally focused; in the manifestation of feelings he is restrained and taciturn, only occasionally revealing significant inner strength; prone to subtle and intelligent humor; in all his actions he is always unhurried and punctual; in dealing with people, as a rule, he is attentive, correct and discreetly affectionate, filled with great human charm;

true to his friendly feelings; it harmoniously combined the features of mental and physical purity.

The social and musical activity of P. G. Chesnokov was divided by the border of two historical eras - the Great October Socialist Revolution. He started

And lived approximately half of his adult life in social conditions directly opposite to those in which its second half took place. Naturally, his life, worldview and artistic creativity were directly dependent on these circumstances.

P. G. Chesnokov was born on October 25, 1877 in a workers’ village near the city of Voskresensk, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province, into the family of a church regent.

WITH At the age of five, in his father's choir, his singing education began. The outstanding musical abilities and excellent singing voice that soon emerged gave the seven-year-old boy the opportunity to enter the Moscow Synodal School. In 1895 he graduated from college and was awarded a gold medal. Already in high school, the young man enthusiastically devoted many hours to choral composition under the guidance of the brilliant teacher and musician S. V. Smolensky. “At that time,” Pavel Grigorievich recalled in a conversation with his students, “I first knew inspiration. I wrote my first big concerto for choir with love and diligence. But every time, at the next composition and theory lesson, S. V. Smolensky calmly crossed out what he had written with a pencil and said: “This is not it.” In the end I was close to despair. But then one day I was walking down the street, thinking about my unsuccessful essay, and suddenly it dawned on me! It was as if a closed door had opened in front of me. I stood there for a moment and then started running. Muscovites probably looked with surprise at the lanky young man running with a happy face along the Kuznetsky Bridge. I wrote all night. And the next morning S.V. Smolensky, having carefully played through what I had done, stood up, hugged me, kissed me and said: “Congratulations to you.” And indeed, it was one of my best compositions!”

The desire for musical creativity led Chesnokov to S.I. Taneyev, with whom he studied for four years. In 1913, already a famous composer and conductor, he entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he graduated in 1917 in the free composition class with a silver medal.

All pre-revolutionary activities of P. G. Chesnokov - performing, composing

And pedagogical - deployed in Moscow. The most significant works