I like beautiful things.
I not only listen to beautiful music, but I also love looking at beautiful works of art, I love collecting beautiful clothes and tableware to the point where people are amazed, and I love reading books written in beautiful sentences and I also like reading manga with beautiful illustrations.
What I mean by “beautiful” is probably classical, meaning nothing complicated. The colors are beautiful, the chords are beautiful, the design is beautiful, and the word choice in the sentences is beautiful. I like “beautiful things”, and no matter what I choose, I judge and choose things based on whether or not they are “beautiful.”
When I was in college, I was obsessed with Rachmaninoff and Scriabin.
He was captivated by the music’s rolling chromatic scales, heavy or deep resonance, beautiful melodies, and dramatic developments.
I especially like this endless melodic line. This is very “like song”. This is difficult to play well on the piano. lol
The development of Russian music was limited to vocal music until around the 18th century, due to the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, and this may be due to the fact that even instrumental music has a sense of song. There are many works with beautiful melodic lines.
It is said that the development of instrumental music was delayed, but what would Russian music be like today if instrumental music had developed at the same speed as in Western European countries? I think.
In the 18th century, as part of the modernization policy, musicians were invited from abroad, opportunities to perform mainly Italian music increased, and the foundation of a musical culture was established. Music conservatories were established in the 19th century, and Russia’s leading musicians such as Tchaikovsky played an active role. What modern people call “Russian music” is probably music from this era (19th to 20th century). Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich… just to name a few shows how fulfilling the era was. This was the golden age of Russian music.
I took a break from Russian music, which I was deeply immersed in, for a while.
My university graduation thesis topic was on “Czech musical culture,” so for about a year until my graduation, I was preoccupied with Czech music.
(Now that I think about it, I think the Czech Republic and Russia are inseparable, but please forgive the students for their lack of study.)
Of course, it goes without saying that encountering Czech music has broadened my horizons and made my musical life even more enjoyable. I came to appreciate the music of the “national music” period, which was popular even outside of the Czech Republic.
Finally, it was Nikolai Myaskovsky‘s (1881-1950) 〈Violin Sonata in F major op.70〉 that brought me back to Russian music for the first time in a while.
The piano accompaniment at the beginning sounds like it’s coming down from heaven. The violin, which comes in later, plays a long, breathy melody that spans 23 bars, mostly made up of quarter notes. Even if it’s in a major key, it’s a melody that exudes a faint darkness and sadness. A chilling shift. I remembered my old feelings of being attracted to such shadowy beauty.
It’s such a good piece that it’s strange that it’s not included in the concert repertoire.
Compared to his contemporary composers such as Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, Myaskovsky is far less well-known. (For some reason, there are surprisingly many recordings. Although there aren’t many piano pieces…)
He has written 27 symphonies and nine piano sonatas. During his lifetime, he was active and highly acclaimed in Russia, but this lack of recognition is probably due to the fact that he spent his entire life in Russia. I think that the history of a composer who travels to America and other countries, gains fame abroad, and becomes active (conspicuous) around the world will have an impact on how well known he becomes later on.
He is also responsible for “the dawn of Russian music that led from Glinka to the Russian Quintuplets”, and “the golden age when Rachmaninov, Kabalevsky, Stravinsky, and others were active, and Russian music was performed and appreciated overseas”, it is just a bridging presence. His lack of popularity is probably due to the fact that he was active during this difficult-to-define period.
If you look at some of the scores for piano pieces, you will find that they are basically composed based on classical/romantic techniques. However, some of the scores are rather complex, suggesting that music was created through trial and error in an era of constant movement.
How about this cello sonata? Don’t you think it’s great that it has the same popularity as movie music?
Ironically, much of the music that I love that has a strong ethnic flavor was born out of past wars, conflicts with foreign countries, and invasions. In the face of invasions from other countries, one’s sense of nationality becomes stronger (or in order to strengthen that sense) and is sublimated into music. They expand their territory to other countries through invasions and wars, and incorporate indigenous music from surrounding countries (regions) into their own music as “exotic tastes.”
When I play and study music, I feel that it is only when I come face-to-face with other countries and ethnic groups that I become acutely aware of my own ethnicity. Even though it is our own culture, I think that the “deep” things come out when we are involved (and rather “negative”) with other countries and ethnic groups.
(I dare to say this in times like these, but this does not mean I approve of wars and conflicts. The above is merely the result of the flow of history.)
When I write about ethnic groups, it reminds me of my college days. Because he had thoughts from far, far away in the Far East…
As a large country with many borders with neighboring countries, Russia has always had to deal with other countries. That is still the case today.
Along with a growing sense of national identity with questions such as:Where does Russian music stand? What is Russian music? , the group developed with a desire to create top-notch Russian-born music that would be popular in other countries. I think the appeal of Russian music during this period stems from the fact that, while it was rooted in Russian culture, it aimed to create high-level artistic music that could be accepted around the world.
Russian music is beautiful after all.