Russian Music Society

Introduction

The Russian Music Society was a musical and educational organization that operated in Russia from the second half of the nineteenth century until 1917 (moscsp.ru).

According to its statutes, the society set itself the goal of promoting the dissemination of music education in Russia, promoting the development of all branches of musical art, and encouraging competent Russian artists, such as writers and performers, and teachers of musical subjects. For this, they organized concerts, founded educational institutions and established competitions (Rubinstein and the Russian Music Company. Russian Music Society (RMO)).

Although such goals seem to be rather unrealistic and cannot be achieved within a short period of time, history has shown that the Society made a significant contribution to the development of music in Imperial Russia (‘Presentation for the Russian Musical Society - 2206 Words | Free Paper Example’).

The idea of creating a musical society on a pan-Russian scale arose in the living room of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. As a result, a society emerged that played a decisive role in the emergence of the entire national musical culture. Society emerged during the period of social upsurge in the late 1850s on the initiative of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Grigoryevich, Rubinstein, Fedorovna and other musicians and public figures in Russia (moscsp.ru). Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich were patrons of different cultural associations and organizations, whose purpose was to contribute to the cultural progress of the country (Moses; Glushkova).

In the early years, the conservatory's teaching staff consisted of Western musicians, which provoked reactions, mainly from the critic, Vladimir Stasov (Romanou). In his writings he popularized the importance of creating "purely Russian music", and proposed the work of the Five as a model. He carried out an attack on Rubinstein, the Russian Music Company and those associated with or supported it (Romanou). Nevertheless, the success of the conservatory led to the establishment of a branch in Moscow, headed by Rubinstein (moscsp.ru). The main reason for the success of the Association was the remarkable contribution of its founders to the implementation of the organization's initiatives. These individuals were not only inspirers and supporters of musical trends in Russian society, but also sponsors who supported the realization of important ideas in the world of national music. They had an impact not only on cultural circles, but also on political ones. This factor contributed significantly to the development of the Society as an important force in the cultural life of the country (Sargeant 59). (Моисеев; ‘Presentation for the Russian Musical Society - 2206 Words | Free Paper Example’).

Stasov's criticism included the conservatory's high fees, which prevented talents of popular origin from studying music. Balakirev agreed with Stasov's criticism, and in 1862, together with choir director Lomakin, founded the Free School of Music, which had very low tuition fees and provided free studies to talented musicians. However, financial difficulties limited courses that included only the basics such as vocal and basic music theory. Balakirev's idea flourished in 1905, during the period of popular discontent and uprisings. Rimsky-Korsakov, Lyandov, Taneyev and Auer founded, in large cities, the State Conservatories and People's Conservatories. At the same time, a significant number of private conservatories were founded, such as the Gnieszin School. These conservatories were very successful and continued to operate under the Soviet regime now as public (Romanou).

The Company received further criticism from various prominent Russian musicians, who opposed the establishment of official academies for the study of music. They argued that formal music instruction would corrupt innate musical talent and genius. The conservatory debate was marred with anti-Jewish aim. The society's critics accused conservatories of trying to import foreign models of culture into Russia (YIVO | Musical Education and Musical Societies).

Starting Point

The Russian Music Company it was created in 1859 in St. Petersburg. Since the creation of the Company, there have been serious organizational and material difficulties. The difficulties were overcome thanks to the help of the patrons and the imperial family. This, however, made the Society dependent on senior officials who were conservative. This is partly reflected in the Society's concert programs (moscsp.ru; Who Was the Creator of the Russian Musical Society. Russian Musical Society (RMO)).

The first concert of the Society was held as part of a practice and was given by Rubinstein in 1859 in the hall of the General Assembly. By 1867, Rubinstein was directing the concerts. After leaving the post, Balakirev took his place, who updated the concert repertoire in many respects (moscsp.ru).

Rubinstein's death

After Rubinstein's death, The position of conductor was successively assumed by Ermanstopher (1882-1889), Safonov (1889-1905) and Ipolitov-Ivanov (1905-1917). On average, there are 10-12 scheduled concerts per year. "Emergency" concerts were also organized in which exceptional performers participated (moscsp.ru).

Despite the many difficulties of existence, conservatism and the reactionary character of its management Russian Music Society, reflecting the educational aspirations of previous generations, the Society played a progressive role in the development of Russian art music and played an important role in spreading culture and promoting Russian music.  It marked the beginning of systematic music education throughout the country. In particular, many institutions were founded such as in Kiev (1863), Kazan (1864), Kharkiv (1871), Tbilisi (1883), Odessa (1884) and Astrakhan (1891) (moscsp.ru). In the early years, societies in St. Petersburg and Moscow were independent, however, with its spread Russian Music Society Throughout the country, societies, both older and new, began to be called branches (Who Was the Creator of the Russian Musical Society. Russian Musical Society (RMO)).

In some cases, music lessons were opened in many departments of the Russian Music Society Gradually, they evolved into schools and in the larger centers they were transformed into conservatories. In the new charter of 1878, special attention was paid to the status and rights of educational institutions. Provincial branches mostly suffered from a chronic shortage of skilled musicians and venues for concerts and lessons. The state subsidy given to the Society was grossly inadequate and was given mainly to metropolitan offices. The work of the departments was poorly coordinated, which negatively affected the organization of teaching in schools and music classes (Who Was the Creator of the Russian Musical Society. Russian Musical Society (RMO)).

Moreover, from the late 1880s, due to an increasingly democratic audience, the Russian Music Society began to gradually lose its monopoly on music. In the period 1915-1917, various attempts were made to democratize it Russian Music Society, which were unsuccessful. After the October Revolution in 1917, the Russian Music Company ceased to exist (moscsp.ru).

At the end of the nineteenth century, the state and various aristocrats began to strengthen the Russian Music Company economics. Various wealthy industrialists began sponsoring music and other arts. For example, Belyayev financed a series of concerts of Russian music and made sure that the funding continued after his death. He founded a music publishing house. He gave substantial sums of money to annual composition competitions such as the Glinka Prize. He personally helped many composers such as Glazunov and Scriabin (Romanou).

Arts

As far as Russian literature is concerned, during the reign of Nicholas the 1st the intelligentsia was closely controlled by the police and censorship. Literature fought against totalitarianism and serfdom (Romanou).

There were two opposite directions in the Russian intelligentsia, although they were often followed successively by the writer himself: one direction was atheistic and trans-European. He believed that all the country's problems stemmed from Russia's drift away from the West. The second, on the contrary, considered that the reforms since the time of Peter the Great were out of place and sought the strength and spiritual roots of the country through its traditions, orthodoxy and the character of the simple and uneducated peasants. The Russian novel flourished in the period 1855-1880. Novelists delved into psychology and sociology and prioritized the study of his character and environment over the premise of the novel (Romanou).

Writers

Some of the most important writers of the time were Alexander Pushkin, Nikolas Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Lev Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov. Pushkin (1799-1837) in his poems he emphasized the struggle for freedom and human rights. Gogol (1809–1852) turned to writing novels and plays after failing as a poet, actor, and history teacher. Dostoevsky (1821-1881) joined a political group of utopian revolutionaries. Lev Tolstoy (1828-1910) hoped to improve the lives of the peasants. He considered that the Europeanization of Russia was not necessary. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) combined brevity with attention to detail in his short stories.  In his plays the plot was of secondary importance. The characterization of people and their environment prevailed. He impressed without explicitly expressing a social philosophy, in which he described the empty life of the then wealthy Russians, daily boredom, and sometimes touched on prophecy. For example, in the play the Three Sisters (1899), Vershinin, who had never worked in his life, said that "within 20 or 30 years from now, everyone will work; everyone!" Other famous plays by Chekhov are: the Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1902) and The Cherry Orchard (1904) (Romanou).

Music

As far as Russian musical culture is concerned, the foundation of Russian Music Society 1859 brought dramatic changes. He played the most essential role in the development of national schools of composition and performance as well as traditions in music education (Glushkova).

At the beginning of the 20th century, the work of the Society was crowned with great success: Russian musical art was celebrated worldwide. As the first Russian educational institutions specializing in the training of performers, composers, music teachers opened, the new profession of a musician appeared in the country. Representatives of the new profession were provided with social benefits: they could have political classes, receive state awards and a pension, move up the career ladder, enjoy immunity from compulsory military service, etc. In addition to this, the Russian Music Company It created meaningful music instruction by which students acquired skills from beginners to proficiency levels and learned general compulsory courses that serve to broaden their horizons and teach them to think in a historical and scientific way (Glushkova).

In the performances, the orchestra included musicians mainly from the imperial theaters. Some of the representatives of society were the Russians Rubinstein, Glazunov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, but also Europeans such as Berlioz, Mahler and Strauss (Rubinstein and the Russian Music Company. Russian Music Society (RMO)).

There were also premieres of symphonic and chamber compositions by its composers Group of Five. Russian music was given an important place, which was represented mainly by the works of Glinka and Dargominsky (Who Was the Creator of the Russian Musical Society. Russian Musical Society (RMO)).

In the concert program, the music of the classical period and the romantic period had a prominent place. Works by Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Schumann were played. Later works by Brahms, Reger, Strauss and Debussy were performed (moscsp.ru).

 Bibliography

Glushkova, Olga. N.P. Troubetskoy - an Outstanding Leader of the Moscow Branch of the Russian Musical Society. 2016. ResearchGate, https://doi.org/10.2991/icadce-16.2016.50.

moscsp.ru. Russian Music Society. Russian Music Society (RMO) What year The Russian Music Society was founded. 2019, https://moscsp.ru/el/russkoe-muzykalnoe-obshchestvo-russkoe-muzykalnoe-obshchestvo.html.

‘Presentation for the Russian Musical Society - 2206 Words | Free Paper Example’. EduFixers, https://edufixers.com/presentation-for-the-russian-musical-society/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.

Romanou, Katy. 'RUSSIAN MUSIC I IN THE RUSSIA OF THE TSARS'. Notes for students DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS 2001, Jan. 2001. www.academia.edu, https://www.academia.edu/38664175/%CE%A1%CE%A9%CE%A3%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%97_%CE%9C%CE%9F%CE%A5%CE%A3%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%97_%CE%91_%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%97%CE%9D_%CE%A1%CE%A9%CE%A3%CE%99%CE%91_%CE%A4%CE%A9%CE%9D_%CE%A4%CE%A3%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%A9%CE%9D.

Russian Musical Society 19th Century. Russian Musical Society (RMO). All-Russian Choral Society. https://thestrip.ru/en/pencil/russkoe-muzykalnoe-obshchestvo-19-vek-russkoe-muzykalnoe-obshchestvo-rmo/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.

Who Was the Creator of the Russian Musical Society. Russian Musical Society (RMO). https://ilovs.ru/en/relationship/kto-byl-sozdatelem-russkogo-muzykalnogo-obshchestva-russkoe-muzykalnoe.html. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.

YIVO | Musical Education and Musical Societies. https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/musical_education_and_musical_societies. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.

Rubinstein and the Russian Music Society. Russian Music Society (RMO). https://mylandrover.ru/el/salon/rubinshtein-i-russkoe-muzykalnoe-obshchestvo-russkoe-muzykalnoe.html. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.

Моисеев, Г. А. ‘The Opening Ceremony of Moscow Conservatory (September 1, 1866). An Attempt of Reconstruction’. Научный вестник Московской консерватории, no. 3(38), Sept. 2019, pp. 46–93. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.26176/mosconsv.2019.38.3.003.