Arkhangelsk composer biography. Alexander Arkhangelsky
Alexander Andreevich (10/11/1846, village of St. Tezikovo, Penza province - 11/16/1924, Prague), Russian. choral conductor, composer, teacher. Genus. in the family of a priest, graduated from the Penza DS. He studied music theory with N. M. Potulov. Since 1862, regent of the bishop's choir in Penza. From 1870 he lived in St. Petersburg. In 1870-1871 volunteer student of the surgical department of the Military Medical Academy, in 1871-1873. student of the Faculty of Chemistry of the Technological Institute. In 1872 he passed the exam to become a court singer. chapel for the title of regent. In 1873-1878. regent of the choirs of the Sapper Battalion, Horse Guards Regiment, Court Stables Church. He taught solo and choral singing to women. Patriotic Institute (1885-1908), Alexander Lyceum (1891-1897), Catherine's Women. school (1893-1898, 1904-1906), Music Institute (1913-1919), etc. educational institutions. In 1902-1908. director and teacher of the free choral singing courses he organized.
In 1880, A. created a mixed choir (initially of 20, later up to 90 people) and headed it until 1923 (since 1917 Labor Communal Choir). In 1887, A. reformed the composition of the choir, completely replacing the voices of boys with women's. The first programs of the choir (1883-1885) included Russian, Slavic. and Western European folk songs. Since 1886, the choir's repertoire has been supplemented by Russian. church and secular music of the 17th-19th centuries, Western Europe. music different eras and styles; pl. The choir performed works in Russia for the first time. The performing level of the choir was extremely high. In 1897-1901. The choir toured Russia (more than 50 cities), Poland, Finland in 1907 and 1913. performed in Germany, participated in concerts of the RMO, Russian symphony concerts M. P. Belyaev, in public symphony concerts of A. D. Sheremetev, in private enterprises of A. I. Ziloti, S. A. Kusevitsky, in performances Mariinsky Theater and others. In 1901, A. created the St. Petersburg Choir. a charitable society (existed until 1918), uniting all the choirs of St. Petersburg. In 62 concerts of the united choir consisting of up to 600 people. 125 compositions were performed. Since 1906, A. was the chief inspector of the Holy Synod for the organization and inspection of church choirs, in 1923 he headed the General Student Russian. choir in Prague, which later bore his name.
A.'s works demonstrate knowledge of the possibilities of combining individual voices and choral groups; polyphonic episodes are often encountered. A. was one of the first to interpret the chants of the liturgy and all-night vigil as a single cycle with harmonic and intonation connections. The melody of his compositions is close to everyday chants and folk song. The transcriptions of ancient chants are made in a strict diatonic style of harmony with limited dissonances. Certain cycles of A. were recommended for parish schools and theological studies. establishments.
Music Op.: No. 1: Singing the Divine Liturgy. St. Petersburg, 1886; No. 2: All-night vigil. [B. G.]; No. 3-13: “Lord, have mercy” and “Like the Cherubim” No. 1, “Like the Cherubim” No. 2, “Like the Cherubim” No. 3, “Diligent to the Mother of God”, “Quench the disease”, “Guardian Cross”, “Mercy” peace" No. 1, "Mercy of the world" No. 2, "Mercy of the world" No. 3, "Mercy of the world" No. 4, Hymn in memory of the miraculous deliverance from the danger that threatened the Sovereign Emperor and His August Family during the train crash of October 17. 1888 1888; No. 14: “Lord, have mercy” and “Now the powers of heaven.” 1889; No. 15-16: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (funeral), Panikhida. 1891; No. 17: Singing church services on the days of St. Great Friday, Holy Easter and Twelve Feasts. 1892; No. 18-19: "Mercy of the World" No. 5, Great Doxology. 1893; No. 20-29: Many years, “I will pour out a prayer,” “You have rejected me,” “To whom I cry, O Lady,” “Like the Cherubim” No. 4, “Like the Cherubim” No. 5, “Like the Cherubim” No. 6, “Lord , hear my prayer”, “We praise God to you”, Imitation of the chants of the Orthodox Church (kants) for homogeneous voices. 1894; No. 30-33: “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “The door of mercy”, “Praise the Lord from heaven”, Singing the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the spirit of the ancient melodies of the Orthodox Church. 1895; No. 34-39: “Inspire, O God”, “I cried out to the Lord with my voice”, “Imams have no other help”, “Mercy of the world” No. 6, “It is worthy to eat” No. 1, Singing of the All-Night Vigil. 1896; [No. 40 omitted]; No. 41-47: “God, in your name save me”, “Oh, All-Singing Mother”, “I think of a terrible day”, “Mercy of the world” No. 7, “Like the cherubim” No. 7, “It is worthy to eat” No. 2, “Now you let go.” 1898; No. 48-51: “God is our refuge and strength,” “Mercy of the World” No. 8, “Like the Cherubim” No. 8, “It is Worthy to Eat” No. 3 and “Many Years” No. 2. 1900; No. 52-54: Singing the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, “Like the Cherubim” No. 9, “Like the Cherubim” No. 10. 1905; No. 55: Singing from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: “Lord, have mercy” and “Only Begotten Son.” 1905; No. 56: “Come, let us worship”, “Lord, save the pious” and the Trisagion; No. 57-59: “Like the Cherubim” No. 11, “I Believe,” “Mercy of the World” No. 9. 1905; No. 60: “It is Worthy to Eat” No. 4, “Our Father” and “One is Holy.” 1905; No. 61: “Looking from on high,” “Blessed is He who is Coming,” “We have seen the true light,” “Let our lips be filled,” “Be the name of the Lord.” 1905; No. 62-66: “Never shall I mourn”, “The highest of heaven”, “O sweet and all-generous Jesus”, “On the rivers of Babylon”, “The Sea of Life”. 1905; No. 67: “Lord, have mercy” on the Great Litany, “Only Begotten Son”, “Come, let us worship”, Trisagion, “Lord, have mercy”, “Give, Lord”. 1905; No. 68-70: “Mercy of the World” No. 10, “It Is Worthy to Eat” No. 5, “Praise the Lord from Heaven” No. 2. 1905; No. 71: “Praise the name of the Lord.” 1905; No. 72: “Blessed is the man” (tenor solo). 1909; No. 73-76: “Bless the Lord, my soul” (preliminary psalm), “Blessed is the man” No. 2 (tenor solo), “Quiet Light”, “Now you let go” (tenor or soprano solo). 1909; No. 77: “Now you let go.” [B. G.]; No. 78: “I Believe” (bass solo). 1911; No. 79: “Blessed is he who considers the poor and wretched” (tenor solo). ; No. 80: Service on Holy and Great Easter. Pg., 1915 (No. 72 - published by the Church Singing Charitable Society (St. Petersburg), the rest - published by the author).
N. Yu. Plotnikova
Alexander Arkhangelsky, whose biography spans two eras at once, is a famous TV show host, literary critic, writer and publicist. His opinion is considered authoritative in wide circles - from culture and education to politics.
Childhood
Arkhangelsky Alexander Nikolaevich was born in Moscow on April 27, 1962. His mother, Lyudmila Tikhonovna, separated from his father and raised his only son together with his great-grandmother, who lived to a ripe old age. My mother worked as a radio typist, my great-grandmother was a teacher. primary classes. Despite life in the simplest Soviet family, he is in early age decided on his future destiny. Alexander himself calls this “finding a collar around the neck,” referring to the Russian writer M. Prishvin.
Find yourself
He found his “collar” quickly enough, in school years actively showed interest in subjects related to literature. Decisive role His life was influenced by his studies in the literary circle at the House of Pioneers, where Alexander acquired like-minded people and friends. The head of the circle, Zinaida Novlyanskaya, had a huge influence on him, who brought up a real literary man. After graduating from school, he enters the Moscow pedagogical institute named after Lenin at the Faculty of Russian Language and Literature. There he received his candidate's degree philological sciences, having defended a dissertation dedicated to the poet and writer A. S. Pushkin.
Job
Despite studying at a pedagogical institute, the career of a teacher did not attract the future writer. While studying in his first year, Alexander got a job at the Palace of Pioneers as the head of a literary circle, where he worked for about 4 years. After which he had an unloved job at the USSR State Television and Radio in the children's editorial office of "Pionerskaya Zorka", from which he left after 9 months, guided, among other things, by the understanding that he needed to do what he really liked.
During the period of perestroika, Alexander Arkhangelsky worked in the magazine “Friendship of Peoples”. Already at the age of 24, he held the position of editor-in-chief and spent a lot of time traveling and on business trips. The difficult political situation of that time allowed him to form his own point of view on history as a whole and understand what it consists of.
Then Alexander Arkhangelsky was invited as a scientific consultant to the journal “Problems of Philosophy”. Around the same time, he completed an internship at the University of Bremen and the Free University of Berlin. After which, as a visiting professor, he lectured at the University of Geneva and taught cultural history at the Moscow State Conservatory. Tchaikovsky. He also worked as a columnist and deputy editor-in-chief of Izvestia magazine and a columnist for Profile magazine. His articles are known in the magazines “Znamya”, “ New world", as well as in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, " Literary newspaper», « Literary Review" In the early 90s, Alexander Arkhangelsky began his work on television.
A television
His first television project became the author's television program “Against the Current,” aired on the RTR channel. Then he hosted the Chronograph program. From 2002 to this day he has been the author, presenter and director of the information and analytical television show “Meanwhile” on the “Culture” channel. The television program is dedicated to the main cultural, economic and political events in the format of an informational and analytical review. It was this project that brought him victory in IV All-Russian competition media workers and a multiple TEFI award.
Since 2007, Alexander Arkhangelsky became a member of the Academy Russian television. Later in 2013, by presidential decree, he was awarded the Order of Friendship “For great services in the development of domestic television and radio broadcasting, culture and many years of fruitful work.”
The authorship of Alexander Arkhangelsky is a series of interesting documentaries “Memory Factory: The Largest Libraries of the World” on the “Culture” channel. The project tells about the most significant libraries of four continents, their history and place in the modern world.
Also under his leadership were filmed documentaries: “Intellectual. Vissarion Belinsky", "Exile. Alexander Herzen", "Idealist. Vladimir Korolenko", "Department", "Heat".
Literary activity
Since 1991, Alexander has been awarded membership in Russian Union writers. He is the author of more than a dozen books. Among them dedicated to creativity A. S. Pushkin: “A poetic story by A. S. Pushkin” Bronze Horseman"" (1990), "Pushkin's Heroes. Essays on Literary Characterology" (1999). There are literary critical and popular science works: "At the Main Entrance" (1991), "Conversations about Russian Literature. The End 18th - first half of the 19th century" (1999). Dedicated to the Russian Emperor the book “Alexander I” was reprinted several times and translated into several languages.
Selected articles by Alexander Arkhangelsky, published in different time in the Izvestia magazine, included in the collection books “Political Correction” (2001) and “Humanitarian Policy” (2006). Weekly columns from the RIA-Novosti website became the basis for the work “Terrible Foshists and Creepy Jews” (2008), which is called the chronicle of modernity. And the conversations within the walls of the television studio ended up on the pages of Alexander Arkhangelsky’s book “Meanwhile” (2009)
Lyrical story “1962. Epistle to Timothy", addressed to his son, brought Alexander Arkhangelsky the prize "For best book, written by a journalist in 2007." And the novel "Museum of the Revolution" won the "Book of the Year - 2013" competition.
Family
Alexander Arkhangelsky (see photo in the article) lives in a marriage and has four children - two daughters and two sons from different wives.
His first wife is Julia. Her work is related to church activities. From this union there were two children left - son Timofey and daughter Lisa. Now Timofey is 25 years old, he is a teacher high school economy. Lisa is 22 years old, after graduating from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, she is studying for a master's degree and works at a news agency.
Alexander's current wife, Maria, is a journalist by profession. Their daughter Sophia turned 14 years old, their son Tikhon - 2 years old. Alexander developed good, trusting relationships with all the children, despite the severity of their upbringing. In his opinion, the choice of occupation, future profession, religions should be made by the child himself without pressure from parents, so that they independently find their “collar”.
Religion
Religion occupies a special place in Alexander's life. There were clergymen in his family, but with the change of generations this connection was broken. In addition, life in a Soviet atheist family left its mark. Alexander came to the church on his own after an infatuation eastern religions and philosophy. In 1981, already a student, he was baptized in the Church of the Prophet Elijah, where at sacred liturgies he often met people well-known in the cultural and scientific community. The theme of the search for God by the intelligentsia Soviet era reflected in Alexander Arkhangelsky's film "Heat".
Arkhangelsky Alexander Nikolaevich - Russian writer and poet, literary critic, publicist, representative of the modern intelligentsia, candidate of philological sciences, famous TV presenter, familiar to viewers from the information and analytical program “Meanwhile,” dedicated to economic and political topics, as well as the main cultural events weeks.
Alexander Arkhangelsky: biography
A native Muscovite was born on April 27, 1962, and grew up in an ordinary family with his mother and great-grandmother. They lived on the outskirts of the capital, not rich; Mom worked as a radio typist. At school I studied brilliantly in all subjects related to literature. I very quickly gave up doing mathematics, not because of lack of ability, but because I did not like to waste time on things that did not arouse interest.
At some point in his life, he was incredibly lucky: the boy went to the Palace of Pioneers to enroll in a drawing club and, by chance, in company with some guys, became a member of a literary club. It was there that the young psychologist and teacher Zinaida Nikolaevna Novlyanskaya had a huge influence on him. For this young woman, who worked for a meager salary, the profession was something more - a calling; she made literary savvy people out of her charges, giving Soviet schoolchildren many bright and good examples. And today Alexander Arkhangelsky communicates closely with the now grown children - participants in the circle back in 1976.
Life goal set
After school, Alexander, who clearly understood what he wanted from life, made up his mind right away and entered the Pedagogical Institute at the Faculty of Russian Language and Literature. His student years coincided with work at the Palace of Pioneers, where Alexander got a job as the head of a literary circle. Because teaching activity did not interest Alexander, and he had absolutely no intention of realizing himself in in this direction, then he falsified a medical report stating that he could not teach due to asthma.
The next step in the fate of the young writer was work on the radio, where his colleagues were women retirement age. Alexander could not tolerate such a neighborhood for a long time: after 9 months he ran away from there. Then he got a job as a senior editor of the magazine “Friendship of Peoples”; Moreover, at that time it seemed to Arkhangelsky that this was the ceiling of his career - there was nowhere to grow further. He liked the work at the magazine: it was interesting, with a lot of business trips. During that period, Alexander visited Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, where for the first time he witnessed youth performances with national slogans and felt like a participant historical process aimed at changing the situation in the country.
Author's achievements
In the 90s, the writer worked in Switzerland and fell in love with this country very much. There he lectured at the University of Geneva, and the money he earned in three months was enough for him to live for a year in Moscow without poverty. In the capital, Arkhangelsky taught Humanities Department Moscow Conservatory.
Alexander Arkhangelsky went through all the stages at the Izvestia newspaper: first he worked as a columnist, then as deputy editor-in-chief and columnist. From 1992 to 1993 he hosted the “Against the Current” program on RTR, in 2002 - “Chronograph”, is a member of the Union Russian writers, Member of the jury for 1995. Founding academician and president of the Academy of Russian Contemporary Literature.
IN family life Alexander was married twice and has four children from two marriages. Current wife Maria works as a journalist.
Arkhangelsky's television experience
A large number of different opinions evokes “Heat” - a reflective film telling about a unique period in the history of the country and the Church, a tragic, meaningful and deep period.
Watching a film authored by Arkhangelsky evokes very conflicting feelings. On the one hand, the author introduces the audience to the religious searches of the 70-80s of the 20th century, on the other hand, the film shows only a small part of what happened in those years around the Orthodox Church, and tries to convince the viewer that in the USSR the real church existed secretly, and the true Christians were scientists and intellectuals. The rest of the inhabitants of the country of the Soviets simply survived in the created conditions.
Literature in the life of Alexander Arkhangelsky
Arkhangelsky as a writer grew up reading the works of many authors, but Pasternak had a huge influence on him, in whose work future writer plunged headlong. The writer strongly remembers his meeting with Dmitry Nikolaevich Zhuravlev, who had manuscripts of this great writer, donated by the author himself. Then Pushkin opened up for Arkhangelsky at the institute, and after that the whole world literature. Alexander Arkhangelsky has a luxurious library with more than 3,000 books. This is all world classic, and the books are arranged according to the principle of chronology (from ancient oriental and ancient to modern) and according to the principle of having a desire to re-read each one again.
Alexander Arkhangelsky: books by the author
What is literature for Alexander Arkhangelsky? This is the only subject that allows you to rise from a cognitive and practical level to an emotional one.
After all, literature is about the heart, the mind, the mystery of life and death, trials, the past and what surrounds people. It is in her that everything comes to life: from household items to animals. Literature is an important school subject, so Arkhangelsky wrote a textbook on this subject for tenth grade. The purpose of teaching this school subject- teach children to look for and find humanity in a person. Arkhangelsky is also the author and presenter of the series of documentary films “Memory Factories: Libraries of the World.” He has published such works as “The Epistle to Timothy”, “The Price of Cutting Off” and others.
In the Cathedrals of Voronezh and Lipetsk saints, as well as new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church
Since then, he has been a priest in the village of Lipovka (not far from the town of Liski), Voronezh province, where he served for two and a half years.
Since one year he has been a priest in the village of Mechetka, Voronezh province. In the village of Mechetka, Father Alexander served as the second priest. The rector of the church was Father Peter Sokolov, with whom Father Alexander was family friends.
In the year he was elevated to the rank of archpriest, appointed rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Buturlinovka, Voronezh province, and dean of the Buturlinovsky district.
April 8, Commissioner secret department The OGPU summoned Father Alexander for interrogation and asked how the priest felt about Soviet power. “I recognize the Soviet workers’ and peasants’ government as people’s power and I submit to it unquestioningly,”- Father Alexander answered. The investigator began asking about other people who had already been arrested in the Voronezh case, and about church literature. Father Alexander answered: “I don’t know Dulov and this is the first time I’ve heard his name, I saw priest Butuzov at the liturgy in Sergievsky Church, but he didn’t have one and didn’t have any conversations with him. Brochure "What you should know" Orthodox Christian“I didn’t receive it, but I heard that it supposedly exists.”
Soon Father Alexander was arrested on charges of "belonging to a church-monarchist organization whose goal was to raise an uprising against Soviet power and restore the monarchy." He was involved in the group case "The Case of Bishop Alexy (Buya). Voronezh, 1930."
The investigator began asking him about the prayer service for the Pope and about the brochures. Father Alexander answered:
“As for the proposed question about my serving a prayer service for the Pope of Rome and about reading some brochure about Orthodoxy in the presence of priest Ivan Markin and other persons, I have the duty, out of purely priestly conscience, to declare: I did not serve any prayer service for the Pope of Rome and could not serve , since to our Orthodox Church it has no relation... Also, regarding reading some brochure, I must say: I did not have or read any brochure. This rumor is completely ridiculous and was started, probably, to harm me in the eyes of the authorities, before which I am clear in my conscience.”
“I did not know any nuns-preachers, and I never visited them in Buturlinovka, I heard their names only here, in the OGPU. I did not give any directives to any women or men for any kind of preaching, especially absurd ones against the authorities , which I myself, first of all, fundamentally recognize as power given from God. I cannot believe in one thing and say another... Collective farm construction in Buturlinovka was carried out and passed very successfully, painlessly, and I could not and cannot do that to anyone -or to speak against him... no one asked me about this in Buturlinovka... The notice of the Pope’s speech became known after the first week of Lent, I did not serve any prayer service for the Pope and could not serve, because it was contrary to the canons Orthodox Church... The prayer service was ordinary, and it did not have any political themes, and I only greeted with the communion of the Holy Mysteries and closeness with the Savior.”
“Arkhangelsky listened to those mysterious verbs,
which sound in the human soul, overwhelmed by the waves of the sea of \u200b\u200blife.
In their best works he leads us into the recesses of the suffering soul
and seeking humility in God."
Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky is an outstanding Russian spiritual composer and choral conductor. Although he lived more than 20 years in the 20th century, he still remains a prominent representative St. Petersburg school of composers late XIX V.
Arkhangelsky's works demonstrate knowledge of the possibilities of combining individual voices and choral groups; polyphonic episodes are often encountered. Alexander Andreevich was one of the first Russian composers to interpret the chants of the Liturgy and the All-Night Vigil as a single cycle with harmonic and intonation connections. The melody of his compositions is close to everyday chants and folk songs. The transcriptions of ancient chants are made in a strict diatonic style of harmony with limited dissonances.
According to researchers, it will probably never be possible to create a complete “picture” of Alexander Andreevich’s life: unfortunately, part of Arkhangelsky’s archive was lost during the looting of his St. Petersburg apartment in 1924.
“I have rarely met people who embraced life so joyfully until the end of their days. Anyone who, like me, saw the gentle light in the eyes of Alexander Andreevich during a sad time of illness will understand why he never ended a musical thought with a sad verse of a psalm, but always led it to a soothing resolution. Therefore, it does not seem an accident that Alexander Andreevich began many of his works with a simple and touching prayer: “Lord, I have called to You, hear me”” (from the memoirs of contemporaries).
Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky born on October 11 (23), 1846 in the village of Staroye Tezikovo, Narovchatsky district, Penza province, in the family of priest Andrei Ivanovich Arkhangelsky. Mother, Elizaveta Fedorovna, organized home concerts at home in moments of rest. Except younger Alexander there were two more children in the family.
Peasant life and the sudden loss of his father early childhood taught the future regent and composer to constant hard work. In childhood, Alexander's main interest began to manifest itself - in music.
At the age of ten, the boy entered the Krasnoslobodsky Theological School. By the end of the first year of study, Bishop Varlaam (Uspensky) of Penza and Saransk arrived at the school. The singing abilities of young Alexander attracted the attention of the Bishop - in the fall of 1859, the talented young man was immediately transferred to the second grade of the Penza provincial school religious school and enrolled him as a singer-soloist in the bishop's choir. And after successfully graduating from school in 1862, Arkhangelsky was transferred to the Penza Theological Seminary.Arkhangelsky quickly acquired the necessary professional skills and already at the age of sixteen successfully replaced the ill regent, but despite this, he acutely felt a lack of knowledge. In order to fill the gaps, he actively educated himself and spent his modest earnings on lessons in music theory, composition and harmony; for seven years he studied violin with an accompanist opera house Rubinovich. At the same time he met the famous Penza musical figure and composer of sacred music Nikolai Mikhailovich Potulov. In the summer of 1870, in the 24th year of his life, the young regent went to St. Petersburg and in the fall of the same year he became a volunteer student in the surgical department of the Military Medical Academy. But he did not forget about music, at the same time accumulating and deepening his musical and professional knowledge. He took private piano lessons and solo singing. Arkhangelsky believed that the regent-conductor should sing professionally himself, know the rules of voice production, so as not to “spoil” the voices of the singers. Without studying even a year at the Medical Academy, Alexander Arkhangelsky transferred to the Institute of Technology. But even then he realized that such a life did not correspond to his spiritual interests and physical abilities. And then the 26-year-old student submitted a petition to the director Singing Chapel Nikolai Ivanovich Bakhmetev about passing the external examination for the title of regent. After receiving an advanced certificate, Arkhangelsky got a job as regent of the Sapper Battalion, then of the Horse Guards Regiment, and finally of the Court Stable Church. Due to difficult material conditions, the regency had to be combined with public service accountant at the Control Chamber of the Ministry of Railways.
Since the mid-1870s. Arkhangelsky thought about organizing his own choir. Thanks to the help of his fellow countryman, Minister of Railways F. Neronov, in 1880 Arkhangelsky created his own choir of 16 people 4, and three years later his first public performance took place, which immediately attracted attention. -mania of the public and musical figures.
In 1885, Alexander Andreevich implemented a long-planned decision - he made changes in the choir, replacing the boys with a female cast, which was an innovation in the practice of performing choral works. This made it possible to have permanent staff choir and reach the heights of performing skills.
With the beginning concert activities The choir is also connected with Arkhangelsky’s successes as a composer. Spiritual works occupied a significant place in his work. Researchers life path note that he, along with such authors as Dmitry Bortnyansky, Alexey Lvov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, took a “major step forward” towards creating his own original Russian church music. Arkhangelsky's spiritual works (and this is the main thing in his work - about a hundred) were distinguished by a high professional level.
The concert activity of the Arkhangelsky Choir has become a bright page in the history of the world musical art. The best samples hymns of the Orthodox Church were open to the general public. Thanks to his talent and organizational skills, Arkhangelsky led the choir for 43 years - a unique phenomenon in the history of Russian art. Alexander Andreevich paid a lot of attention to the directors of church choirs, helping them expand and enrich their repertoire.
The Arkhangelsky Choir traveled both throughout Russia and abroad, its popularity was extraordinary. Alexander Andreevich was called the best choral conductor peace. From the reviews of that time you can read: “Mr. Arkhangelsky is not only a serious musician, but also a wonderful expert in the field, which he serves with love and rare energy... All of Russia loves to pray to the music of A.A. Arkhangelsky".
Alexander Andreevich accepted the revolutionary events as an Orthodox Christian - with humility, sharing the sorrowful lot of his people. In 1918, the composer’s small estate in the Kostroma village of Kalikino was plundered. The “people's” government announced that the musician was deprived of rights to his property. The choir's repertoire was now approved by the People's Commissariat of Education, expelling all Orthodox music, and the choir itself was renamed the State choir group. Despite everything, Arkhangelsky continued to work and in the winter of 1921, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Arkhangelsky’s choral activity, he, the first of the choral conductors, was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Republic.
I can’t say anything special about my life in Petrograd; My choir (in a reduced composition) is functioning, but everything around me is so burdensome... What should I do? The devastation is complete and general...”
In connection with the renaming of the St. Petersburg court singing chapel In the State Academic Chapel, the existence of two state choirs in one city was considered “incompatible”; Arkhangelsky was offered to organize the State Chapel in Moscow. However, Arkhangelsky refused this proposal, citing illness and old age.
In 1923, through Alexander Grechaninov, the composer received an invitation to work in Prague. Together with his wife Pelageya Andreevna, he moved to Czechoslovakia. Here Alexander Andreevich successfully worked with the All-Student Russian Choir7. Rehearsals of the newly created team were interrupted due to the illness of the leader. In the summer of 1924, Arkhangelsky was invited to Italy for treatment. Feeling better, he returned to Prague. At the same time, the consequences of the October revolution in his homeland left a heavy mark on the composer’s soul. On November 16, 1924, he scheduled the next choir rehearsal, but an hour before it began, the great composer’s heart stopped forever...
In October 1925, the ashes of Alexander Andreevich, according to his expressed will, were transported by his wife to Leningrad, and there, after a conciliarly celebrated funeral Liturgy in the Kazan Cathedral, with the singing of the “former” choir of the beloved regent of Russia, he was given burial on Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. On the tombstone are inscribed the words: “Inspire, O God, my prayer.”
Natalia Kuzina, director of the Tallinn choir “Rainbow”, described the work of Alexander Andreevich Arkhangelsky in the following words: “ Musical language Arkhangelsky is natural, just as human speech is natural and expressive. His compositions are distinguished by their extraordinary softness, clarity, warmth in music, and prayerfulness.”
According to the observation of one of Alexander Arkhangelsky’s contemporaries, “the person praying is fascinated not only by the beauty of the voice, but, most importantly, under the influence of Arkhangelsky’s music, he lights up with an even stronger religious feeling. The reason for this influence is the deep religious feeling of the author himself...”
