Glinka's Romances
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka. This eminent composer is rightly called the pride of Russian classical music, since it was he who laid the foundations of Russian opera and symphonic music. However, there is another musical genre in which the maestro left a generous legacy to his descendants, many know him as the author of remarkable chamber-vocal works. Glinka's romance creativity is priceless. In it, he was able to summarize the best that was previously created in this genre, and bring it to true perfection. Glinka's vocal miniatures are not only a kind of creative journal, to which he trusted the innermost secrets of his soul. In them, the composer unwittingly makes listeners to admire the natural landscapes, admire portrait sketches, and also make fascinating journeys through amazing countries.
The history of the creation of romances by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, as well as many interesting facts and musical content of the works, read on our page.
History of creation
Beginning of the history of the creation of stone-vocal heritage Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka coincides with the time he graduated from the St. Petersburg Noble Guest House. It was in 1822 that his first writing experience was marked. At the beginning of his creative activity, the composer tries his hand at various genres, and it is not surprising that the works of vocal lyricism occupied a special place in these undertakings.
His first romance on the poetic text of the playwright Konstantin Bakhturin "My harp“Glinka wrote shortly before the notorious destructive Petersburg flood in 1824. The composer, who was critical of his work, immediately labeled him“ unsuccessful attempt. ”After a short break, another chamber-vocal composition came out from the pen of Mikhail Ivanovich. This time the young poet Yevgeny Abramovich Baratynsky was chosen. A romance created in the winter of 1825Do not tempt"was immediately appreciated by the audience, and is still considered one of the most perfect works of vocal lyric Glinka. It is worth noting that in the same period the romantic nature of the composer, with her desire to indulge in dreamy dreams, found ecstasy in Zhukovsky's elegiac poems. Vasily Andreevich, bringing Mikhail Ivanovich to tears, in 1826 formed the basis of vocal compositions "Poor singer"and"Comfort". Then the young composer turned to the work of Konstantin Batiushkov ("Memory of the heart"), and a little later Sergey Golitsyn ("Say why") and Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov ("Autumn night, night kind").
An interesting story is the creation of another vocal piece by Glinka, which belongs to the early period of the composer's work - the romance "Do not sing, beautiful, with me"One day in the summer of 1828, Mikhail Ivanovich, meeting with the author of the famous comedy" Grief from the mind "Alexander Griboedov, spoke with great enthusiasm about music. During the conversation, Alexander Sergeevich played the motive of a Georgian song that so fascinated the composer that he laid it as a basis of his new instrumental play. Some time later, this composition was performed during a friendly meeting, at which Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was among the guests. The great poet liked the music of the work very much, and for a long time he did not thinking about it, he wrote poems for her.This was the first fusion of two great national talents, only one in poetry, and the other in music.
From 1830 to 1834, Glinka spent abroad. Traveling through Germany, Italy and Austria, he not only became acquainted with the culture of these countries, but also improved his knowledge of composer art. This time in the works of Mikhail Ivanovich is marked as the beginning of a mature period. It was then that the composer wrote wonderful chamber-instrumental compositions, as well as wonderful vocal miniatures, among which it is necessary to especially note romances "Venetian night"on the words of I. Kozlov and"Winner"verses by V. Zhukovsky.
Returning to his homeland in 1834, Glinka immediately began to implement his global creative plan - writing opera "Life for the Tsar", but nevertheless he did not stop composing vocal miniatures, in which he expressed his excitement with great enthusiasm. In 1835, the composer again appeals to the lyrics of Pushkin and creates a romance full of feelings "I'm here, Inesilla"The following eight romances to the verses of his brilliant contemporary Glinka wrote only after the death of the poet. 1838 was marked by the appearance of such vocal compositions as"Night marshmallows"and"Where is our rose". In 1839, Mikhail Ivanovich composed"The fire of desire burns in the blood", and in 1840, the year -"I remember a wonderful moment"and"Confession"Nine years later, for the anniversary of Pushkin, from the pen of the composer came out three more wonderful romance:"Zazdravny Cup", "Adele"and"Mary“Later, this period, characterized by the flourishing of Glinka’s chamber-vocal creativity, became known by musicologists as“ Pushkin’s time ”.
In addition to the poetry of Pushkin, in the central period of his creative activity, Mikhail Ivanovich, again addressing the poetry of Vasily Zhukovsky, wrote in 1836, the famous ballad, "Night show"In addition, having come close to the writer Nestor Kukolnik, the composer in his poems creates a number of remarkable works, including the romance"Doubt"(1838) and a cycle of 12 vocal miniatures, united by the name"Farewell to Petersburg" (1840).
Since the late forties, the character in Glinka’s chamber-vocal works has changed noticeably. Light images are replaced by sorrowful moods. Romances "Margarita's Song"(I.V. Goethe),"Prayer", "I hear your voice"(M.Yu. Lermontov), and"You will forget me soon"(Y. Zhadovskaya) can surely be regarded as dramatic monologues.
His last romance on the poetic text of the writer Nikolai Pavlov "Don't say your heart hurts"The composer wrote in 1856, shortly before his death.
Interesting Facts
- Glinka’s invaluable chamber-vocal heritage has more than eighty compositions composed by Mikhail Ivanovich into the poetic texts of twenty authors, who were mostly the composer’s contemporaries.
- There are cases when the music of Glinka's songs appeared before the words. For example, it was so with the famous romance on the poetic text of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin "Do not Sing, Beauty, in front of me", as well as "Passing Song" to the words of Nestor Kukolnik.
- The melody of the "Patriotic song" M.I. Glinka, which the composer composed to the verses of V. Zhukovsky "The Prayer of the Russians", is ten years old: from 1990 to 2000 was the official anthem of the Russian Federation.
- The first publication of the writings of M.I. Glinka was celebrated in 1829. Two composer romances: "Memory of the Heart" (K. Batyushkov) and "Tell Why" (S. Golitsyn) were included in a new edition called "Lyrical Album".
- Glinka wrote ten romances to the poems of Pushkin, but it is curious that the composer mainly chose the lyceum poet's poetry for his compositions.
- The story of the creation of the romance "I remember a wonderful moment" is amazing. Alexander Pushkin and Anna Kern met in 1819. The nineteen-year-old beauty, who made a strong impression on the poet, had been married to a fifty-four-year-old general Ermolai Kern for two years. Six years later, when Pushkin was languishing in exile in Mikhail, the meeting between Anna and the poet took place again. Being a great admirer of Alexander Sergeevich's talent and, being a guest of her relatives in the neighboring estate, Kern herself strongly wanted to see him. Once again amazed by the beauty of the young woman, Pushkin wrote this immortal masterpiece. Incredibly, the story with the author of the music of the romance repeated, only a little differently. When Glinka in 1838 met and fell in love with Anna Kern's daughter Catherine, he was married for three years. However, tender feelings so captured Mikhail Ivanovich, that he could not help it. It was then that the music to the poems appeared, which the brilliant Pushkin dedicated to Anne Kern, the mother of the composer’s beloved sweet Katya.
- In addition to the romance "I remember a wonderful moment," Glinka dedicated his famous Catherine Kern "Waltz fantasy", as well as the vocal miniature" If I Meet You, "written in verse by the poet Alexei Koltsov.
- Mikhail Ivanovich met Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin while studying at the Noble Pension. The poet often visited his younger brother Leo there.
- Contemporaries of Glinka noted that the composer was an outstanding vocal performer. However, initially by nature, having a hoarse voice with an unstable intonation, he enthusiastically began to sing with an Italian teacher living in St. Petersburg. As a result of diligent vocal lessons, Mikhail Ivanovich’s voice sounded beautiful. Subsequently, having carefully studied the potential of the human voice, the composer created his vocal methodology, which he worked with such outstanding opera singers as the soloists of the Imperial stage as Daria Mikhailovna Leonova, Andrei Petrovich Lodiy, Osip Afanasyevich Petrov, Anna Yakovlevna Petrova-Vorob'yova.
Content
Vocal art attracted Michael Glinka throughout his career. A variety of types of chamber-vocal genre, including serenades, elegies, ballads, songs, fantasies and, of course, romances, gave the composer the opportunity to reveal the secrets of the human soul, brightly draw everyday scenes and portraits of people, and colorfully depict natural landscapes. This is a kind of lyrical diary, reflecting the composer’s life impressions.
It is necessary to note that the melodies of Glinka's vocal compositions are distinguished not only by their charming beauty, but also by their surprising convenience for performance. This is the result of composer's careful research of the features and capabilities of the human voice.
It is also important to pay attention to the fact that while writing romances on the texts of different poets, Mikhail Ivanovich, while maintaining the unity of style, skillfully reflected in the music the characteristic features of the literary language of each author. In addition, the composer could precisely determine which poem should be taken as the basis for one or another romance, therefore his vocal miniatures are distinguished by genuine realism in displaying the entire spectrum of human feelings, clarity and objectivity of the world view, harmoniousness of sense of life, as well as shape and balance of form.
Many vocal miniatures of Glinka became widely known, but the following works are especially popular:
"Do not tempt me needlessly." The romance written by Glinka in 1825 to the poem by Yevgeny Baratynsky refers to the early period of the composer’s creative journey. This elegy with a smooth and expressive melodic line, tells about the feelings and doubts of a person disappointed in love, but feeding a secret hope for its resurrection. The composition clearly feels the psychological undertones of the poetic text: in spite of apparent restraint, there is tremulous excitement in the music.
"Do not tempt me needlessly" (listen)
"I'm here, Inesilla." This is a romantic song - serenade, which is based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. In it, a scene from the life of sunny Spain is vividly recreated: a passionate recognition of the ardent lover of his chosen one. In an expressive melody, shaded by three-quarter size, the composer emphasized the national Spanish flavor, as well as expressively and dynamically embodied, created in a poetic text, the image of a noble and bold knight who does not intend to retreat from his thoughts.
"I'm here, Inesilla" (listen)
"I remember a wonderful moment." This true masterpiece of vocal lyricism, written by Glinka on Pushkin’s poetic text, has an interesting story of creation, which to some extent can be called mystical. Initially, Alexander Sergeevich dedicated his creation to the famous St. Petersburg beauty Anna Petrovna Kern, and after a while Mikhail Ivanovich was fascinated by her daughter Ekaterina. The composer, inspired by acquaintance and communication with a girl with whom he felt spiritual kinship, composed a captivating romance for that poem, reflecting the tender feelings of both the poet and the composer.
"I remember a wonderful moment" (listen)
"Passing Song". This composition, included in the cycle "Farewell to Petersburg", was written by Mikhail Ivanovich in 1840 on the verses of Nestor Kukolnik. This colorful genre sketch vividly reflects the composer’s impressions, which he received after visiting the railroad for the first time, which opened in 1837 and connected Petersburg with Pavlovsk. The cheerful miniature vividly depicts everything that is connected with the surprising for that time innovation: the station hustle, the loud noise from the voices, the clatter of the wheels, the expectation of the desired meetings and new impressions.
"Passing Song" (listen)
"Lark". This romance, as well as The Passing Song, was composed by Glinka based on the words of Nestor Kukolnik and is included in the vocal cycle Farewell to Petersburg. The intimate, tinged with light lyrics composition not only picturesquely recreates a picture of Russian nature, but also expresses the tender feelings of a lyrical hero. The romance with a beautiful melody melody, besides filled with amazing trills of a small spring bird, fascinates not only with its vocal perfection, but also with its simplicity.
"Lark" (listen)
"Doubt". ROmans - an elegy written by the composer in the poetic text of N. Kukolnik is a vivid example of the composer's mature lyrics. The vocal miniature, which can be described as the romantic "poetry of sorrow," reflects the complex struggle of human feelings that arise in the soul of the lyrical hero. He seeks peace, but his heart is torn from the pangs of jealousy.
"Doubt" (listen)
"Night View". Poetic text, which formed the basis of this vocal work by Glinka, became the ballad of Vasily Zhukovsky. In France, at one time there was a legend about Napoleon: the commander rose from the grave at night, and inspected his troops. The poet and then the composer painterly displayed a picture of an unusual, ghostly parade. The vocal part, permeated with marching rhythm, musical declamation, as well as the extremely pictorial piano part - all contribute to the figurative disclosure of the content of the poetic text, and give the work a majestically elevated character.
"Night Review" (listen)
Chamber and vocal creativity Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka - This is an invaluable contribution to the Russian musical culture. The enchanting beauty of melodies, restraint in expressing moods and feelings, impeccability of style, but the most important thing is the absolute fusion of poetic text and music — all this makes romances and songs by the composer pearls of creation that have won the exorbitant love of listeners and performers.
Leave Your Comment