Russian
Folk Music
Russia has always had a rich culture
that many find very interesting. The music of Russia extends to many areas such
as ballet, modern music, and folk music. Folk music has been a large part of
Russian culture, spanning the centuries to its revival in modern times. Its
reach into modern culture is unknown to many, but an example of this would be Коробейники
(Korobushka), which was used to create the theme song for the popular game
Tetris ("Korobeiniki," 2012).
As the Slavic tribes began to settle into
the area that is now part of Russia, the beginnings of Russian folk music would
take hold. These tribes had a great love and pride for music in all its forms.
The music of ancient Russia had much of its roots based in paganism but altered
by the impression of Christianity. Because of the wide variety of tribes and
people living in the area, Russian folk music has its own distinctive features
based on its origin in the country ("Russian folk music," 2007).
Russian folk music began evolving as the
centuries passed. In the late 18th century, Russia had a resurgence, as groups
of citizens began working to preserve historical music. During this period of
time the Russian Music Society was formed, dedicated to preserving folk music,
and composers of the time took an active part in the continuation of folk music
(McGraw-Hill, 2001). The classical composers of that time began to organize and
create collections of folk music, as well as compose their own versions. These
composers created masterpieces of classical music, in what is commonly thought
to be melding of traditional folk music, “town-music”, and Western influences,
brought to Russia by Peter the Great. Michael Glinka’s 'Kamarinskaya Fantasy’ was one of the first compositions in this new
music. ("Russian folk music," 2007). Another revival came again
during the Soviet era of Russia, as musicians were encouraged to go and learn
music from the people of the Russian countryside, to learn what folk music was
about. The Soviets, however, also created their own music based off the
traditional folk music, often referred to as ‘fakelore,’ to be used for
propaganda purposes. These songs were
often performed by the Red Army Choir (McGraw-Hill, 2001).
The genres of Russian folk music
encompass all facets of life. Most folk music could be broken down into two
main categories: calendar rite songs, consisting of seasonal, work and the
harvest songs, and family ritual songs, such as weddings and death. Epic ballads are another facet of folk
music, telling tales of heroic deeds and historical events ("Russian folk
music," 2007). Another part of the
genre is the lyrical song, or choral singing, in which a multitude of voices
are heard creating a melody; this type will also sometimes have solos scattered
throughout the song. A popular song style for entertaining is the chatushka.
These songs are quick-paced and use humor to cover many topics. (McGraw-Hill,
2001).
Although the vocal forms of folk music
are in the majority, a range of instruments are used in instrumental music. The
common instruments are some form of
guitar, accordion, and tambourine.
The common string instruments, or chordophones as they are also called, are the
gusli, the gudok, and the balalaika. The common wind instruments, or
aerophones, are the kyvliky, the zheilika (rozhok), the doudka, and the bayan. Idiophones,
or instruments that create sound through the vibration of the instruments own
body, that are commonly used are forms of the tambourine. (“Ethnic Russian
Music,” 2012)
Russian folk music has evolved
throughout the centuries into many forms. Songs that were once unique to an
area have now become popular throughout all of Russia. Because of this, Russian
folk music is a huge part of the Russian culture.
References
Ethnic Russian
music. (2012). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_Russian_music
Korobeiniki.
(2012). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korobeiniki
McGraw-Hill.
(2001). Russian folk music. Retrieved from http://spotlightonmusic.macmillanmh.com/n/teachers/articles/folk-and-traditional-styles/russian-folk-music
Russian folk
music. (2007, February 14). Retrieved from
http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/music/393/
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