Alexander sergeevich dargomyzhsky biography. Composer A

Russian composer Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky was born on February 14 (2 according to the old style) February 1813 in the village of Troitskoye, Belevsky district, Tula province. Father - Sergei Nikolaevich served as an official in the Ministry of Finance, in a commercial bank.
Mother - Maria Borisovna, nee Princess Kozlovskaya, composed plays for stage performance. One of them - "Chimney sweep, or a good deed will not remain without a reward" was published in the magazine "Blagonamerenny". Petersburg writers, representatives of the "Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and Art" were familiar with the composer's family.

In total, the family had six children: Erast, Alexander, Sophia, Lyudmila, Victor, Herminia.

Until the age of three, the Dargomyzhsky family lived on the Tverdunovo estate in the Smolensk province. A temporary move to the Tula province was associated with the invasion of Napoleon's army in 1812.

In 1817, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where Dargomyzhsky began to study music. His first teacher was Louise Wolgenborn. In 1821-1828 Dargomyzhsky studied with Adrian Danilevsky, who was an opponent of composing music by his student. In the same period, Dargomyzhsky began to master playing the violin together with the serf musician Vorontsov.

In 1827 Dargomyzhsky was enrolled as a clerk (without salary) in the staff of the Ministry of the Court.

From 1828 to 1831 Franz Schoberlechner became the composer's teacher. To develop vocal skills, Dargomyzhsky also works with teacher Benedict Tseibikh.

In the early period of his creative work, a number of pieces for piano were written ("March", "Counterdance", "Melancholic Waltz", "Kazachok") and some romances and songs ("The Moon Shines in the Cemetery", "Amber Cup", "I Loved You" , "Night Marshmallow", "Youth and Maiden", "Vertograd", "Tear", "The fire of desire burns in the blood").

The composer takes an active part in charity concerts. At the same time, he met the writers Vasily Zhukovsky, Lev Pushkin (brother of the poet Alexander Pushkin), Pyotr Vyazemsky, Ivan Kozlov.

In 1835 Dargomyzhsky got acquainted with Mikhail Glinka, according to whose notebooks the composer began to study harmony, counterpoint and instrumentation.

In 1837 Dargomyzhsky began work on the opera Lucrezia Borgia, based on the drama of the same name by the French writer Victor Hugo. On the advice of Glinka, this work was abandoned and the composing of a new opera "Esmeralda", also based on the subject of Hugo, began. The opera was first staged in 1847 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

In 1844-1845 Dargomyzhsky went on a trip to Europe and visited Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, where he met many famous composers and performers (Charles Beriot, Henri Vietan, Gaetano Donizetti).

In 1849, work began on the opera "Mermaid" based on the work of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere of the opera took place in 1856 at the St. Petersburg Circus Theater.

Dargomyzhsky during this period focused on developing a natural recitation of melody. The compositor's method of creativity is finally formed - "intonation realism". For Dargomyzhsky, the main means of creating an individual image was the reproduction of the living intonations of human speech. In the 40s-50s of the 19th century, Dargomyzhsky wrote romances and songs ("You will soon forget me," quiet, quiet, ti "," I will light a candle "," Mad, no reason ", etc.)

Dargomyzhsky became close with composer Miliy Balakirev and critic Vladimir Stasov, who founded the creative association "The Mighty Handful".

From 1861 to 1867, Dargomyzhsky wrote successively three symphonic overtures-fantasies: "Baba-Yaga", "Ukrainian (Mal-Russian) Cossack" and "Fantasia on Finnish Themes" ("Chukhonskaya Fantasy"). During these years, the composer worked on chamber-vocal compositions "I remember deeply", "How often I listen", "We parted proudly", "What is in my name", "I don't care". The oriental lyrics, presented earlier by the romances "Vertograd" and "Oriental Romance", were replenished with the aria "O maiden rose, I am in chains". A special place in the composer's work was taken by songs of social and everyday content "Old Corporal", "Worm", "Titular Counselor".

In 1864-1865 Dargomyzhsky's second trip abroad took place, where he visited Berlin, Leipzig, Brussels, Paris, London. The composer's works were performed on the European stage ("Little Russian Cossack", overture to the opera "Mermaid").

In 1866 Dargomyzhsky began work on the opera The Stone Guest (based on the little tragedy of the same name by Alexander Pushkin), but did not manage to finish it. According to the author's will, the first picture was completed by Caesar Cui, the opera was orchestrated and an introduction to it was made by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Since 1859, Dargomyzhsky was elected to the Russian Musical Society (RMO).

Since 1867, Dargomyzhsky was a member of the directorate of the St. Petersburg branch of the RMO.

On January 17 (5 old style), January 1869, Alexander Dargomyzhsky died in St. Petersburg. The composer did not have a wife or children. Buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Necropolis of Artists).

On the territory of the Arsenyevsky District of the Tula Region, the world's only monument to Dargomyzhsky, made by the sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov, has been erected.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

1. Fyodor Chaliapin performs "Melnik's Aria" from Dargomyzhsky's opera "Mermaid". Recorded 1931.

2. Fyodor Chaliapin in the scene "Aria of the Miller and the Prince" from Dargomyzhsky's opera "Mermaid". Recorded 1931.

3. Tamara Sinyavskaya performs Laura's song from Dargomyzhsky's opera "The Stone Guest". Orchestra of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. Conductor - Mark Ermler. 1977 year.

Dargomyzhsky Alexander Sergeevich was born on November 14, 1813 in the Troitskoye estate of the Belevsky district of the Tula province. From 1817 he lived in the capital, St. Petersburg. As a child, he received an excellent musical education. In addition to the basic piano, he played the violin well and was successful in vocal performance. Contemporaries noted that the boy's high hoarse voice "touched him to tears."

The future composer's teachers in different periods were Louise Wolgeborn, Franz Schoberlechner and Benedict Zeibig. In his youth, Dargomyzhsky follows in his father's footsteps, up the civil service career ladder, and for some time forgets about composition.

Acquaintance with. Since 1835, Dargomyzhsky has been studying music theory from his notes, and has repeatedly traveled to European countries. By the age of forty, Dargomyzhsky's work reaches its peak. In 1853, a concert consisting only of his works was held in St. Petersburg with great success. In parallel with the composition, Dargomyzhsky is published in the popular satirical magazines Iskra and Budilnik, and takes an active part in the creation of the Russian Musical Society. In 1867 he became the head of the St. Petersburg branch of the Society.

"The Mighty Handful" and the work of Dargomyzhsky

Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky is one of the inspirers and organizers of The Mighty Handful. Like other members of society, he professed the principles of nationality, national character and tone of music. His work is characterized by ardent sympathy for simple, "small" people, the disclosure of the spiritual world of man. Not only in music, but also in the life of A.S. Dargomyzhsky followed his principles. One of the first nobles in Russia, he freed his peasants from serfdom, left them all the land and forgave debts.

The foundation for the emergence of new techniques and means of musical expression was the main aesthetic principle of Dargomyzhsky: “I want the sound to directly express the word. I want the truth. "

The principle of "musical truth" is most clearly seen in the recitatives of Dargomyzhsky's works. Flexible, melodic musical techniques convey all the shades and colors of human speech. The famous "Stone Guest" not only became the embodiment of the declamatory form of singing, but also played a significant role in the development of Russian classical music.

They were appreciated by both contemporaries and descendants. Another Russian musical classic, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, summed up the work of Alexander Sergeevich very accurately:

"Dargomyzhsky is a great teacher of musical truth!"

Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky passed away on January 17, 1869, having made a long foreign tour before that (Berlin, Leipzig, Brussels, Paris, London). He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, not far from M. Glinka.

Dargomyzhsky.The most famous compositions:

• the opera Esmeralda (1838-1841);
• the opera-ballet The Triumph of Bacchus (1848), The Mermaid (1856), The Stone Guest (1866-1869, the work was completed after the death of the composer C. Cui and N. Rimsky-Korsakov in 1872);
• unfinished operas Rogdana and Mazepa;
• fantasies "Baba Yaga, or from the Volga nach Riga", "Little Russian Cossack", "Chukhonskaya fantasy";
• works for piano "Brilliant Waltz", "Tobacco Waltz", Two Mazurkas, Polka, Scherzo and others;
• vocal works. Dargomyzhsky is the author of more than a hundred songs and romances, including "Both boring and sad", "Sixteen years", "I am here, Inesilya", "Miller," Old corporal "and others, choral works.

A.S. Dargomyzhsky. "The Stone Guest". Broadcast from the Mariinsky Theater

Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky was born on February 2, 1813 in a small estate in the Tula province. The early childhood years of the future composer were spent on the estate of his parents in the Smolensk province. In 1817 the family moved to St. Petersburg. Despite the modest income, the parents gave their children a good home upbringing and education. In addition to general education, children played various musical instruments and learned to sing. In addition, they composed poems and dramatic plays, which they themselves acted in front of the guests.

This cultural family was often visited by famous writers, musicians at that time, and children took an active part in literary and musical evenings. Young Dargomyzhsky began playing the piano at the age of 6. And at the age of 10-11 he already tried to compose music. But his first creative attempts were suppressed by the teacher.

After 1825, the position of his father was shaken and Dargomyzhsky had to start serving in one of the departments of St. Petersburg. But official duties could not interfere with his main hobby - music. His studies with the outstanding musician F. Schoberlechner date back to this time. Since the beginning of the 30s, the young man has been visiting the best literary and art salons in St. Petersburg. And everywhere young Dargomyzhsky is a welcome guest. He plays a lot on the violin and piano, participates in various ensembles, performs his romances, the number of which is rapidly increasing. He is surrounded by interesting people of that time, he is accepted into their circle as an equal.

In 1834 Dargomyzhsky met with Glinka, who was working on his first opera. This acquaintance turned out to be decisive for Dargomyzhsky. If earlier he did not give serious importance to his musical hobbies, now in the person of Glinka he saw a living example of artistic feat. Before him was a man not only talented, but also devoted to his work. And the young composer reached out to him with all his heart. With gratitude, he accepted everything that an older friend could give him: his knowledge of composition, notes on music theory. The communication of friends also consisted in joint music-making. They played and analyzed the best pieces of classical music.

In the mid-30s, Dargomyzhsky was already a well-known composer, author of many romances, songs, piano pieces, and the symphonic work "Bolero". His early romances are still close to the type of salon lyrics or urban song that existed in the democratic strata of Russian society. Glinka's influence is also noticeable in them. But gradually Dargomyzhsky realizes the growing need for a different self-expression. He has a particular interest in the clear contrasts of reality, the clash of its various sides. This was most clearly manifested in the romances "Night Marshmallow" and "I Loved You".

In the late 1930s, Dargomyzhsky planned to write an opera based on the plot of the novel by V. Hugo "Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris". Work on the opera lasted 3 years and was completed in 1841. At the same time, the composer composes the cantata "Triumph of Bacchus" on the verses of Pushkin, which he soon remade into an opera.

Gradually Dargomyzhsky is gaining more and more fame as a major, original musician. In the early 40s, he headed the St. Petersburg Society of Lovers of Instrumental and Vocal Music.

In 1844, Alexander Sergeevich went abroad, to major musical centers - Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Paris. The main destination of the trip was Paris, a recognized center of European culture, where the young composer could satisfy his thirst for new artistic experiences. There he introduces his works to the European public. One of the best works of that time is the lyric confession "Both boring and sad" on the verses of Lermontov. This romance conveys a deep sorrowful feeling. The trip abroad played a big role in the formation of Dargomyzhsky as an artist and a citizen. Upon his return from abroad, Dargomyzhsky conceived the opera "Mermaid". At the end of the 40s, the composer's work reached the greatest artistic maturity, especially in the field of romance.

At the end of the 50s, great social changes were ripe in Russia. And Dargomyzhsky did not stay away from public life, which had a noticeable influence on his work. Elements of satire are reinforced in his art. They are manifested in the songs: "Worm", "Old Corporal", "Titular Counselor". Their heroes are humiliated and insulted people.

In the mid-60s, the composer undertook a new trip abroad - it brought him great creative satisfaction. There, in European capitals, he heard his works, which were accompanied by great success. In his music, as noted by critics, there was "a lot of originality, great energy of thought, melodiousness, sharp harmony ...". Some concerts, composed entirely of works by Dargomyzhsky, caused a real triumph. It was a joy to return to his homeland - now, on the decline of his life, Dargomyzhsky was recognized by a wide mass of music lovers. These were the new, democratic strata of the Russian intelligentsia, whose tastes were determined by love for everything Russian, national. Interest in the composer's work instilled in him new hopes, awakened new ideas. The best of these ideas was the opera The Stone Guest. Written to the text of one of Pushkin's "little tragedies", this opera was an unusually bold creative search. All of it is written in recitative, there is not a single aria in it, and only two songs - like islands among recitative monologues and ensembles. Dargomyzhsky did not finish the opera The Stone Guest. Feeling imminent death, the composer instructed his young friends Ts.A. Cui and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov to finish it. They completed it and then staged it in 1872, after the death of the composer.

The role of Dargomyzhsky in the history of Russian music is very great. Continuing the assertion of the ideas of nationality, realism, begun by Glinka in Russian music, with his work he anticipated the achievement of subsequent generations of Russian composers of the 19th century - members of the Mighty Handful and PI Tchaikovsky.

The main works of A.S. Dargomyzhsky:

Opera:

- Esmeralda. Opera in four acts on its own libretto based on the novel Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo. Written in 1838-1841. First production: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater, 5 (17) December 1847;

- "Triumph of Bacchus". Opera-ballet based on the poem of the same name by Pushkin. Written in 1843-1848. First production: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater, 11 (23) January 1867;

- "Mermaid". Opera in four acts on its own libretto based on the unfinished play of the same name by Pushkin. Written in 1848-1855. First production: St. Petersburg, May 4 (16), 1856;

- "The Stone Guest". Opera in three acts on the text of the eponymous "Little Tragedy" by Pushkin. Written in 1866-1869, completed by C.A. Cui, orchestrated by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. First production: St. Petersburg, Mariinsky Theater, 16 (28) February 1872;

- "Mazepa". Sketches, 1860;

- "Rogdan". Fragments, 1860-1867.

Works for orchestra:

- "Bolero". Late 1830s .;

- "Baba-Yaga" ("From the Volga to Riga"). Completed in 1862, first performed in 1870;

- "Kazachok". Fantasy. 1864

- "Chukhonskaya fantasy". Written in 1863-1867, first performed in 1869.

Chamber vocal works:

Songs and romances for one voice and piano to the verses of Russian and foreign poets: "Old Corporal" (words by V. Kurochkin), "Paladin" (words by L. Uhland, translated by V. Zhukovsky), "Worm" (words by P. Beranger in translation by V. Kurochkin), “Titular Counselor” (words by P. Weinberg), “I loved you ...” (words by A. Pushkin), “I'm sad” (words by M. Yu. Lermontov), ​​“I am sixteen years old "(Words by A. Delvig) and others to the words of Koltsov, Kurochkin, Pushkin, Lermontov and other poets, including two inserted romances of Laura from the opera" The Stone Guest ".

Works for piano:

Five Pieces (1820s): March, Contrdance, "Melancholic Waltz", Waltz, "Cossack";

- "Brilliant Waltz". Around 1830;

Variations on a Russian Theme. Early 1830s .;

- "Esmeralda's Dreams". Fantasy. 1838

Two mazurkas. Late 1830s .;

Polka. 1844

Scherzo. 1844

- "Tobacco Waltz". 1845

- "Ardor and composure." Scherzo. 1847 year;

Fantasy on themes from Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar (mid-1850s);

Slavic tarantella (four hands, 1865);

Transcriptions of symphonic excerpts from the opera "Esmeralda" and others.

Opera "Mermaid"

Characters:

Miller (bass);

Natasha (soprano);

Prince (tenor);

Princess (mezzo-soprano);

Olga (soprano);

Swat (baritone);

Hunter (baritone);

Singer (tenor);

The Little Mermaid (no singing).

History of creation:

The idea of ​​"Mermaid" based on the plot of Pushkin's poem (1829-1832) arose at Dargomyzhsky in the late 1840s. The first musical sketches date back to 1848. In the spring of 1855, the opera was completed. A year later, on May 4 (16), 1856, the premiere took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

The production of Rusalka was carelessly, with large cuts, which reflected the hostile attitude of the theatrical management to the new, democratic direction in opera work. I ignored Dargomyzhsky's opera and "high society". Nevertheless, "Rusalka" has withstood many performances, gaining recognition from the general public. Leading musical criticism in the person of A. N. Serov and C. A. Cui welcomed her appearance. But real recognition came in 1865. Upon its resumption on the St. Petersburg stage, the opera met with an enthusiastic reception from a new audience - the democratic-minded intelligentsia.

Dargomyzhsky left most of Pushkin's text intact. He introduced only the final scene of the death of the Prince. The changes also affected the interpretation of images. The composer freed the image of the Prince from the features of hypocrisy with which he is endowed in the literary source. Developed in the opera is the Princess's emotional drama, barely outlined by the poet. The image of the Miller was somewhat ennobled, in which the composer strove to emphasize not only greed, but also the power of love for his daughter. Following Pushkin, Dargomyzhsky shows profound changes in Natasha's character. He consistently displays her feelings: hidden sadness, thoughtfulness, stormy joy, vague anxiety, a presentiment of impending disaster, emotional shock and, finally, protest, anger, a decision to take revenge. Affectionate, loving girl turns into a formidable and vindictive Mermaid.

Opera characteristic:

The drama underlying "Mermaid" was recreated by the composer with great life truth, deep penetration into the spiritual world of the heroes. Dargomyzhsky shows characters in development, conveys the subtlest shades of experiences. The images of the main characters, their relationships are revealed in tense dialogical scenes. Because of this, ensembles, along with arias, occupy a significant place in opera. The events of the opera unfold against a simple and artless everyday background.

The opera opens with a dramatic overture. The music of the main (fast) section conveys the passion, impetuosity, determination of the heroine and, at the same time, her tenderness, femininity, purity of feelings.

A significant part of the first act consists of expanded ensemble scenes. Melnik's comedy aria “Oh, that's it, all of you young girls” is warmed with a warm feeling of caring love in moments. The music of terzet vividly conveys Natasha's joyful excitement and sadness, the Prince's soft, soothing speech, and Melnik's grumpy remarks. In the duet of Natasha and the Prince, bright feelings gradually give way to anxiety and growing excitement. The music achieves a high drama with Natasha's words "You are getting married!" The following episode of the duet is psychologically subtly resolved: short, as if unspoken melodic phrases in the orchestra depict the heroine's confusion. In the duet between Natasha and Melnik, confusion is replaced by bitterness, decisiveness: Natasha's speech becomes more and more abrupt, agitated. The act ends with a dramatic choral finale.

The second act is a colorful everyday scene; choirs and dances occupy a large place here. The first half of the act has a festive flavor; the second is filled with worry and anxiety. The majestic choir "As in the upper room, at an honest feast" sounds solemnly and widely. The intimate aria of the Princess "Friends of the Childhood" is marked with sadness. Aria turns into a light, joyful duet of the Prince and Princess. Dances follow: "Slavic", which combines light elegiacity with sweep and daring, and "Gypsy", mobile and temperamental. The melancholy, sad song of Natasha "Over the pebbles, over the yellow sand" is close to peasant lingering songs.

There are two pictures in the third act. In the first - the Princess's aria "Days of Past Delights", which creates the image of a lonely, deeply suffering woman, imbued with sorrow and mental pain.

The prince's cavatina "Involuntarily to these sad shores", which opens the second picture, is distinguished by the beauty and plasticity of the melodic melody. The duet of the Prince and the Miller is one of the most dramatic pages of the opera; sadness and entreaty, rage and despair, caustic irony and unreasonable gaiety - comparing these contrasting states reveals the tragic image of the mad Miller.

In the fourth act, fantastic and real scenes alternate. The first picture is preceded by a small colorfully pictorial orchestral introduction. Natasha's aria "The long-desired hour has come!" sounds majestic and menacing.

The Princess's aria in the second film "For Many Years Already in Heavy Suffering" is full of hot, sincere feelings. A charmingly magical shade is given to the melody of the Mermaid's call "My Prince". Tercet is imbued with anxiety, a presentiment of impending disaster. In the quartet, the tension reaches its highest limit. The opera ends with the enlightened sound of the melody of the call of the Mermaid.

Women's choir "Svatushka »

In it, the composer very colorfully conveyed the comic and everyday scene of the wedding ceremony. The girls sing a song in which they make fun of the hapless matchmaker.

Libretto by A. Dargomyzhsky based on the drama by A. Pushkin

Svatushka, svatushka, stupid svatushka;

They drove around the bride, drove into the garden,

They spilled a barrel of beer, watered all the cabbage.

They bowed to Tynu, prayed to faith;

Vereya l vereyushka, show the path,

Show the path for the bride yakhati.

Svatushka, guess, get down to the scrotum

The money moves in the bag, strives for red girls,

The money moves in the bag, strives for red girls,

Strives, strives for red girls, strives for red

girls, strives.

The Svatushka choir is humorous. This wedding song is played in act 2.

Piece genre: comic wedding song, accompanied by accompaniment. The Svatushka choir is close to folk songs, as chants can be found here.

Musical theoretical analysis

The piece is performed with accompaniment.

Musical form:

The form of the piece is 2-part verse, the 2nd part is 2 verses, between which there is a gap. The verses are exactly the same melodiously.

1 part

1st verse - 12 tons; loss 2nd verse - 12 tons.

1 pound 2 tablespoons 1 pound 2 tablespoons

4 v. 8 v. 4 v. 8 v.

Part 2

12 vol. 10 vol. 12 vol.

The texture of the presentation of the work is homophonic-harmonic. The main theme is soprano, while altos and accompaniment provide harmonic support.

The main key is B-dur. But in part 2 there is a deviation in g-minor, then E-dur, and then again a return to B-dur.

The harmony in the work is simple

The size in the product is 2/4. It does not change throughout the entire piece.

There are many short durations in the work, which gives a light and playful character.

The tempo is “Moderato” (moderately) constant throughout the piece.

The accompaniment plays a supporting role, it also emphasizes the liveliness of the stage, the girls' joke and the awkwardness of a drunk matchmaker. The dynamics of the accompaniment vary from p to f. Sometimes a pictorial moment is included in the accompaniment. So, for example, in the play between the verses, the accompaniment resembles the playing of a flute, which accompanies a festivities (wind instruments are played in the orchestra). Self-accompaniment in the play recreates the mood, connects the parts, serves as a "thematic bridge".

Vocal and choral analysis.

The score "Svatushka" was written for a female 3-voice choir: soprano I and II and alto.

Choir type: homogeneous female.

The Svatushka choir is performed in a moderate manner, the method of sound science is non legato. The main type of attack is soft, non legato, it assumes clear diction, clear, close articulation.

Breathing in a work runs through phrases, and in a network of phrases - chain breathing, it is intended to get the continuous sounding of the phrase and to achieve development in the phrases, and, therefore, to accurately convey the concept of the work, the population.

The tempo ensemble will depend on the conductor. He must clearly show with the conductor's gesture the removal and overs, especially overs to the second beat, as well as at the end of the piece, where the syncopated rhythm is used. The tempo ensemble is continuously linked to the rhythmic ensemble. Its difficulty is in the movement of rhythm. The tempo is moderate, but small durations visually accelerate it, you need to develop accurate intonation, the diction ensemble depends on it, you need to clearly pronounce and pronounce all the words, you can work on diction using tongue twisters. You can also use the text of the work itself. The dynamics are mainly mf and f. The general climax, which is at the end of the piece, is expressed in ff. There are also private climaxes in the work. In a dynamic ensemble, it is important to show development, although it is narrow, there must be contrast.

The timbre ensemble assumes performance with a light, light sound. The low sounds of the alto should be sung in a high position without “loading” the sound. It should be noted that the tessitura of the piece is very convenient.

The melodic line of the parties is peculiar. The predominance of jumps brings their own difficulties in performance. There are jumps at ch 4, ch 5, m 6, b6, ch 8. And not only in the lead voice, but also in the soprano 2 and altos.

In addition to the horizontal melodic structure, it is necessary to create, build in the work a vertical harmonic structure, which is the correct intonation of consonances, chords in their sequential movement. The parties should listen, “adjust” to each other, align the chords, that is, create a harmonic ensemble. In order for the parts in a piece to work, you can sing with your mouth closed or to the syllable "lyu", so that all parts are well heard.

The creation of a unison ensemble is somewhat difficult. In the work "Svatushka" there are few such places and nevertheless one should not turn a blind eye to this. When all parts are singing in unison, try to remove the sound of all parts, because otherwise this sound will stand out from the general sound.

There are others in the parties vocal difficulties except those discussed above.

So, for example, a performer must remember that in a melody the same sound is repeated at the same pitch, it must be formed positionally higher than the previous one, as if intoned upwards. This helps maintain altitude.

Another vocal difficulty is chromaticism, which occurs in part 2. You need to pay attention to them. The semitones should be intoned as closely as possible. The difficulty lies in the fact that semitones are intoned next to whole tones, you need to switch your hearing in time.

A jump to ch8 in viola should be chanted actively, but in one position. The altos should not "fill up", sing low low sounds, they need to sing them in a high vocal position, then there will be no gap between the lower sound and the upper one, the jump will be smoothed out.

Diction: The Svatushka choir is light, playful; to emphasize this, a clear diction is needed. Good, understandable pronunciation of words, active articulation is required for all parties.

Singing correctly involves drawing out the vowels and pronouncing the consonants quickly. In the work "Svatushka" there are such words as "bowed down", "prayed", "get started", "move", "strive". Instead of the syllable "sya" it is necessary to sing the syllable "sa", and instead of the combination "tsya" - "tsa".

It is also necessary to exaggerate some consonants in the words "take", "red".

The work is performed in moderation, but the text should be pronounced clearly, although in character - softly.

It is necessary to focus the attention of the chorus on the intonation of the consonants, they are pronounced in a high position, at the height of the vowels to which they are adjacent.

Dynamics: the complexity will represent the dynamic development in the work, since the dynamics in the work "Svatushka" is very flexible and varied from p to ff. The most striking dynamics is in 2 parts. ffpfpf, this alternation makes the piece brighter. The climax of the piece sounds in 2 movements on ff after the introduction to the 2nd beat. The conductor must lead the choir, clearly show the development in the phrases and towards the climax, the choir must simultaneously do cresc and dim, i.e. create a dynamic ensemble.

Conducting difficulties: The successful performance of this work depends mainly on the conductor, on how the chorus will understand his gesture.

The gesture should be light, nonlegato, in line with the character and mood of the piece. Particular attention should be paid to overrides and withdrawals. Overrides and withdrawals are given in the character gently, calmly, at the climax with a more elastic gesture.

Output:

The end result of the work on this work is the disclosure of the ideological concept to the audience, the reflection of the mood of the work and the scene in the opera.

The piece "Svatushka", in addition to being performed in the opera, can be performed at creative evenings, at thematic evenings dedicated to the opera or the works of composers. The performance of the "Svatushka" choir is within the power of both a highly professional choir and an amateur, amateur choir.

Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (February 2/14 ( 18130214 ) , the village of Troitskoye, Belevsky district, Tula province - January 5 (17), St. Petersburg) - Russian composer, whose work had a significant impact on the development of Russian musical art of the 19th century. One of the most notable composers of the period between the work of Mikhail Glinka and The Mighty Handful, Dargomyzhsky is considered the founder of the realistic trend in Russian music, followed by many composers of subsequent generations.

Biography

Dargomyzhsky was born on February 2, 1813 in the village of Troitskoye, Tula province. His father, Sergei Nikolaevich, was the illegitimate son of a wealthy nobleman Vasily Alekseevich Ladyzhensky. Mother, nee Princess Maria Borisovna Kozlovskaya, got married against the will of her parents; According to the musicologist M.S.Pekelis, Princess M. B. Kozlovskaya inherited from her father (the composer's grandfather) the ancestral Smolensk estate of Tverdunovo, now in the Vyazemsky district of the Smolensk region, where the Dargomyzhsky family returned from the Tula province after the expulsion of the Napoleonic army in 1813. In the Smolensk estate of Tverdunovo, Alexander Dargomyzhsky spent the first 3 years of his life. Subsequently, he repeatedly came to this parental estate: in the late 1840s - mid 1850s to collect Smolensk folklore while working on the opera "Mermaid", in June 1861 to free his Smolensk peasants from serfdom.

The composer's mother, MB Kozlovskaya, was well educated, wrote poetry and small dramatic scenes that were published in almanacs and magazines in the 1820s - 1830s, and was keenly interested in French culture. The family had six children: Erast (), Alexander, Sophia (), Victor (), Lyudmila () and Herminia (1827). All of them were brought up at home, in the traditions of the nobility, received a good education and inherited from their mother a love for art. Dargomyzhsky's brother, Victor, played the violin, one of the sisters played the harp, and he himself was interested in music from an early age. Warm friendly relations between brothers and sisters have been preserved for many years, for example, Dargomyzhsky, who did not have his own family, subsequently lived for several years with the family of Sophia, who became the wife of the famous cartoonist Nikolai Stepanov.

Until the age of five, the boy did not speak, his late-formed voice remained forever high and slightly hoarse, which did not prevent him, however, later to touch to tears with the expressiveness and artistry of vocal performance. In 1817, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where Dargomyzhsky's father got a job as ruler of the chancellery in a commercial bank, and he himself began to receive a musical education. His first piano teacher was Louise Wolgeborn, then he began to study with Adrian Danilevsky. He was a good pianist, but did not share the young Dargomyzhsky's interest in composing music (his small piano pieces from this period have survived). Finally, for three years Dargomyzhsky's teacher was Franz Schoberlechner, a student of the famous composer Johann Gummel. Having achieved a certain skill, Dargomyzhsky began performing as a pianist at charity concerts and in private collections. At this time, he also studied with the famous singing teacher Benedict Zeibig, and from 1822 he mastered playing the violin, played in quartets, but soon lost interest in this instrument. By that time, he had already written a number of piano compositions, romances and other works, some of which were published.

In the fall of 1827, Dargomyzhsky, following in his father's footsteps, entered the civil service and, thanks to his diligence and conscientious attitude to work, quickly began to move up the career ladder. During this period, he often played music at home and visited the opera house, whose repertoire was based on the works of Italian composers. In the spring of 1835, he met Mikhail Glinka, with whom he played the piano in four hands, and analyzed the works of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Glinka also gave Dargomyzhsky the synopsis of music theory lessons he had received in Berlin from Siegfried Dehn. After attending rehearsals of Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar, which was being prepared for the production, Dargomyzhsky decided to write a major stage work on his own. The choice of the plot fell on the drama Lucrezia Borgia by Victor Hugo, but the creation of the opera progressed slowly, and in 1837, on the advice of Vasily Zhukovsky, the composer turned to another work by the same author, which in the late 1830s was very popular in Russia - “ Notre Dame Cathedral ". Dargomyzhsky used an original French libretto written by Hugo himself for Louise Bertin, whose opera Esmeralda had been staged shortly before. By 1841 Dargomyzhsky completed the orchestration and translation of the opera, for which he also took the name "Esmeralda", and handed the score to the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters. The opera, written in the spirit of French composers, had been waiting for its premiere for several years, since Italian productions were much more popular with the public. Despite the good dramatic and musical decision of Esmeralda, this opera left the stage some time after the premiere and was practically never staged in the future. In his autobiography, published in the newspaper Music and Theater, published by A. N. Serov in 1867, Dargomyzhsky wrote:

Esmeralda lay in my briefcase for eight whole years. It was these eight years of vain waiting and in the most ebullient years of my life that laid a heavy burden on my entire artistic activity.

Manuscript of the first page of one of Dargomyzhsky's romances

Dargomyzhsky's worries about the failure of Esmeralda were aggravated by the growing popularity of Glinka's works. The composer begins to give singing lessons (his students were exclusively women, while he did not charge them) and writes a number of romances for voice and piano, some of which were published and became very popular, for example, "The fire of desire burns in the blood ...", "I am in love, maiden-beauty ...", "Lileta", "Night marshmallow", "Sixteen years" and others.

"Mermaid" occupies a special place in the composer's work. Written on the plot of the tragedy of the same name in the verses of A.S. Pushkin, it was created in the period 1848-1855. Dargomyzhsky himself adapted Pushkin's poems into the libretto and composed the ending of the plot (Pushkin's work is not finished yet). The premiere of "Mermaid" took place on May 4 (16), 1856 in St. Petersburg. The largest Russian music critic of that time, Alexander Serov, responded to it with a large-scale positive review in the "Theatrical Musical Bulletin" (its volume was so large that it was published in parts in several numbers), which helped this opera to stay in the repertoire of leading Russian theaters for some time and added creative confidence to Dargomyzhsky himself.

After some time, Dargomyzhsky became close to the democratic circle of writers, took part in the publication of the satirical magazine Iskra, wrote several songs to the verses of one of its main participants, the poet Vasily Kurochkin.

Returning to Russia, inspired by the success of his works abroad, Dargomyzhsky with renewed vigor takes on the composition of "The Stone Guest". The language he chose for this opera - almost entirely based on melodic recitatives with simple chord accompaniment - interested the composers of The Mighty Handful, and especially Caesar Cui, who was looking for a way to reform Russian opera at that time. However, the appointment of Dargomyzhsky to the post of head of the Russian Musical Society and the failure of the opera The Triumph of Bacchus, written by him back in 1848 and having not seen the stage for almost twenty years, weakened the composer's health, and on January 5 (17), 1869, he died, leaving the opera unfinished. According to his will, "The Stone Guest" was completed by Cui and orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Dargomyzhsky's innovation was not shared by his younger colleagues, and was condescendingly considered an oversight. The harmonic vocabulary of the late Dargomyzhsky style, the individualized structure of consonances, their typical characteristic were, as in an ancient fresco recorded by the later layers, beyond recognition "ennobled" by Rimsky-Korsakov's editorship, brought into line with the requirements of his taste, like Mussorgsky's operas "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina", also radically edited by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Dargomyzhsky was buried in the Necropolis of the Artists of the Tikhvin Cemetery, not far from Glinka's grave.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

• autumn 1832-1836 - Mamontov's house, Gryaznaya street, 14.
• 1836-1840 - Koenig's house, 8th line, 1.
• 1843 - September 1844 - apartment house of A.K. Esakova, Mokhovaya street, 30.
• April 1845 - January 5, 1869 - A.K. Esakova's apartment building, 30 Mokhovaya street, apt. 7.

Creation

For many years, the name of Dargomyzhsky was associated exclusively with the opera "The Stone Guest" as a work that had a great influence on the development of Russian opera. The opera was written in an innovative style for those times: there are no arias or ensembles in it (not counting Laura's two small inserted romances), it is entirely built on "melodic recitatives" and recitations set to music. As the goal of choosing such a language, Dargomyzhsky set not only the reflection of the "dramatic truth", but also the artistic reproduction of human speech with all its shades and bends with the help of music. Later, the principles of Dargomyzhsky's operatic art were embodied in the operas by M. P. Mussorgsky - "Boris Godunov" and especially vividly in "Khovanshchina". Mussorgsky himself respected Dargomyzhsky and, in initiations of several of his romances, called him "a teacher of musical truth."

Its main advantage is a new, never used style of musical dialogue. All melodies are thematic, and the characters "speak the notes." This style was later developed by M.P. Mussorgsky. ...

The development of Russian musical culture cannot be imagined without The Stone Guest. It was three operas - "Ivan Susanin", "Ruslan and Lyudmila" and "The Stone Guest" that were created by Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin. "Susanin" is an opera where the main character is the people, "Ruslan" is a mythical, deeply Russian plot, and "Guest", in which the drama surpasses the sweet beauty of the sound.

Another opera by Dargomyzhsky - "Mermaid" - also became a significant phenomenon in the history of Russian music - this is the first Russian opera in the genre of everyday psychological drama. In it, the author embodied one of the many versions of the legend about a deceived girl turned into a mermaid and taking revenge on her abuser.

Two operas from a relatively early period of Dargomyzhsky's work - "Esmeralda" and "Triumph of Bacchus" - had been waiting for their first performance for many years and were not very popular with the public.

The chamber-vocal compositions of Dargomyzhsky are very popular. His early romances are sustained in a lyrical spirit, composed in the 1840s - they are influenced by Russian musical folklore (later this style will be used in PI Tchaikovsky's romances), finally, later ones are filled with deep drama, passion, truthfulness of expression, being such way, the forerunners of the vocal works of M. P. Mussorgsky. In a number of works, the composer's comic talent was clearly manifested: "Worm", "Titular Counselor", etc.

Dargomyzhsky wrote four compositions for the orchestra: Bolero (late 1830s), Baba Yaga, Kazachok and Chukhonskaya Fantasy (all - early 1860s). Despite the originality of the orchestral writing and good orchestration, they are rarely performed. These works are a continuation of the traditions of Glinka's symphonic music and one of the foundations of the rich heritage of Russian orchestral music created by composers of later times.

Essays

• Esmeralda. Opera in four acts on its own libretto based on the novel Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo. Written in 1838-1841. First production: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater, 5 (17) December 1847.
• "Triumph of Bacchus". Opera-ballet based on the poem of the same name by Pushkin. Written in 1843-1848. First production: Moscow, Bolshoi Theater, 11 (23) January 1867.
• "Mermaid". Opera in four acts on its own libretto based on the unfinished play of the same name by Pushkin. Written in 1848-1855. First production: St. Petersburg, May 4 (16), 1856.
• Mazepa. Sketches, 1860.
• "Rogdan". Fragments, 1860-1867.
• "The Stone Guest". Opera in three acts on the text of the eponymous "Little Tragedy" by Pushkin. Written in 1866-1869, completed by C. A. Cui, orchestrated by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. First production: St. Petersburg, Mariinsky Theater, 16 (28) February 1872.

• "Bolero". End of the 1830s.
• "Baba Yaga" ("From the Volga to Riga"). Completed in 1862, first performed in 1870.
• "Kazachok". Fantasy. The year is 1864.
• "Chukhonskaya fantasy". Written in 1863-1867, first performed in 1869.

• Songs and romances for two voices and piano to verses by Russian and foreign poets, including "Petersburg Serenades", as well as fragments of unfinished operas "Mazepa" and "Rogdan".
• Songs and romances for one voice and piano to the verses of Russian and foreign poets: "Old Corporal" (words by V. Kurochkin), "Paladin" (words by L. Uland in the translation of V. Zhukovsky, "Worm" (words by P. Beranger in translation Kurochkin), “Titular Counselor” (words by P. Weinberg), “I loved you ...” (words by A. Pushkin), “I'm sad” (words by M. Yu. Lermontov), ​​“I am sixteen years old” (words by A. Delvig) and others to the words of Koltsov, Kurochkin, Pushkin, Lermontov and other poets, including two inserted romances by Laura from the opera The Stone Guest.

• Five Pieces (1820s): March, Contrdance, "Melancholic Waltz", Waltz, "Cossack".
• "Brilliant Waltz". Around 1830.
• Variations on a Russian Theme. Early 1830s.
• Esmeralda's Dreams. Fantasy. 1838
• Two mazurkas. End of the 1830s.
• Polka. 1844
• Scherzo. 1844
• "Snuffbox Waltz". 1845
• "Spiritedness and composure." Scherzo. 1847 year.
• Song without Words (1851)
• Fantasy on themes from Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar" (mid-1850s)
• Slavic tarantella (four hands, 1865)
• Transcriptions of symphonic excerpts from the opera "Esmeralda" and others.

Tribute to the memory

• Monument on the grave of A.S.Dargomyzhsky, erected in 1961 in the Necropolis of Artists on the territory of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. Sculptor A. I. Khaustov.
• The musical school located in Tula bears the name of A.S. Dargomyzhsky.
• Not far from the homeland of the composer, in the village of Arsenyevo, Tula Region, his bronze bust was installed on a marble column (sculptor V.M.Klykov, architect V.I.Snegirev). This is the only monument to Dargomyzhsky in the world.
• The composer's museum is located in Arsenyev.
• The streets in Lipetsk, Kramatorsk, Kharkov, Nizhny Novgorod and Alma-Ata are named after Dargomyzhsky.
• A memorial plaque is installed at 30 Mokhovaya Street in St. Petersburg.
• The name of AS Dargomyzhsky is the Children's Art School in Vyazma. There is a memorial plaque on the facade of the school.
• Personal belongings of A.S.Dargomyzhsky are kept in the Vyazemsky Museum of History and Local Lore.
• The name "Composer Dargomyzhsky" was named a motor ship of the same type as "Composer Kara Karaev".
• In 1963, a postage stamp of the USSR was issued, dedicated to Dargomyzhsky.
• By the decision of the Smolensk Regional Executive Committee No. 358 of June 11, 1974, the village of Tverdunovo in the Isakovsky village council of the Vyazemsky district was declared a historical and cultural monument of regional significance, as the place where the composer A.S.Dargomyzhsky spent his childhood.
• In 2003, in the former family estate of A.S.Dargomyzhsky - Tverdunovo, now a tract in the Vyazemsky district of the Smolensk region, a memorial sign was erected in his honor.
• In the village of Isakovo, Vyazemsky District, Smolensk Region, a street is named after A.S.Dargomyzhsky.
• On the highway Vyazma - Temkino, in front of the village of Isakovo, in 2007 a road sign was installed showing the way to the former estate of A.S.Dargomyzhsky - Tverdunovo.

Notes (edit)

Literature

• Karmalina L. I. Memoirs of L. I. Karmalina. Dargomyzhsky and Glinka // Russian antiquity, 1875. - T. 13. - No. 6. - P. 267-271.
• A.S.Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869). Autobiography. Letters. Memoirs of Contemporaries. Petrograd: 1921.
• Drozdov A. N. Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky. - M .: 1929.
• Pekelis M. S. A. S. Dargomyzhsky. - M .: 1932.
• Serov A. N. Mermaid. Opera by A.S.Dargomyzhsky // Izbr. articles. T. 1. - M.-L .: 1950.
• Pekelis M.S.Dargomyzhsky and folk song. On the problem of nationality in Russian classical music. - M.-L .: 1951.
• Shlifshtein S.I. Dargomyzhsky. - Ed. 3rd, rev. and add. - M .: Muzgiz, 1960 .-- 44, p. - (Music Lover's Library). - 32,000 copies
• Pekelis M.S.Dargomyzhsky and his entourage. T. 1-3. - M .: 1966-1983.
• Medvedeva I.A.Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky. (1813-1869). - M., Music, 1989 .-- 192 p., Incl. (Russian and Soviet composers). - ISBN 5-7140-0079-X.
• Ganzburg G. I. A. Pushkin's poem "October 19, 1827" and the interpretation of its meaning in the music of A. S. Dargomyzhsky. - Kharkov, 2007. ISBN 966-7950-32-8
• Samokhodkina N. V. Opera style of A. S. Dargomyzhsky: Textbook. - Rostov n / a: Publishing house RGK im. S.V. Rachmaninova, 2010 .-- 80 p. - (Library of methodological literature).
• Stepanov P.A. Glinka and Dargomyzhsky. Concerning the reviews of A.S. Dargomyzhsky // Russian antiquity, 1875. - T. 14. - No. 11. - P. 502-505.
• Dissinger B. Die Opern von Aleksandr Dargomyzskij. Frankfurt am Main: Lang, 2001.
• Budaev D.I. A page from the biography of the composer A.S. Dargomyzhsky // Smolensk region in the history of Russian culture.- Smolensk, 1973. Pp. 119 - 126.
• Pugachev A. N. Smolenshchina in the life and creative biography of A. S. Dargomyzhsky. Smolensk, 2008.
• Tarasov L. M. Dargomyzhsky in St. Petersburg. Lenizdat. 1988.240 pp.

Links

• Dargomyzhsky Alexander Sergeevich- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Biography of Dargomyzhsky on the site Musical Directory
• Biography of the composer on the website of the Tula Regional Universal Scientific Library

I do not intend to condescend ... music to fun. I want the sound to express the word directly. I want the truth.
A. Dargomyzhsky

At the beginning of 1835, a young man appeared in the house of M. Glinka, who turned out to be a passionate lover of music. Not tall, outwardly unremarkable, he was completely transformed at the piano, delighting those around him with his free playing and excellent sight-reading. It was A. Dargomyzhsky, in the near future the largest representative of Russian classical music. The biographies of both composers have a lot in common. Dargomyzhsky's early childhood was spent on his father's estate not far from Novospassky, and he was surrounded by the same nature and peasant way of life as Glinka. But he came to St. Petersburg at an earlier age (the family moved to the capital when he was 4 years old), and this left its mark on artistic tastes and determined his interest in the music of urban life.

Dargomyzhsky received a home, but broad and versatile education, in which poetry, theater, and music took the first place. At the age of 7 he was taught to play the piano, violin (later he took singing lessons). The craving for musical composition was revealed early, but it was not encouraged by his teacher A. Danilevsky. Dargomyzhsky completed his pianistic education with F. Schoberlechner, a student of the famous I. Gummel, studying with him in 1828-31. During these years he often performed as a pianist, took part in quartet evenings and showed an increasing interest in composition. Nevertheless, Dargomyzhsky still remained an amateur in this area. There was not enough theoretical knowledge, moreover, the young man plunged headlong into the whirlpool of social life, "was in the heat of youth and in the claws of pleasure." True, even then there was not only entertainment. Dargomyzhsky attends musical and literary evenings in the salons of V. Odoevsky, S. Karamzina, is in the circle of poets, artists, actors, musicians. However, an acquaintance with Glinka made a complete revolution in his life. “The same education, the same love for art immediately brought us closer together ... We soon became friends and became sincerely friends. ... For 22 years in a row we were constantly with him in the shortest, most friendly relations, "Dargomyzhsky wrote in his autobiographical note.

It was then that for the first time before Dargomyzhsky the question of the meaning of composer's work really arose. He was present at the birth of the first classical Russian opera "Ivan Susanin", took part in its stage rehearsals and was personally convinced that music is designed not only to delight and entertain. Music-making in the salons was abandoned, and Dargomyzhsky began to fill in the gaps in his musical theoretical knowledge. For this purpose, Glinka handed over to Dargomyzhsky 5 notebooks containing the notes of the lectures of the German theoretician Z. Dena.

In his first creative experiments, Dargomyzhsky already showed great artistic independence. He was attracted by the images of "humiliated and insulted", he seeks to recreate various human characters in music, warming them with his sympathy and compassion. All this influenced the choice of the first opera plot. In 1839 Dargomyzhsky finished the opera Esmeralda to the French libretto by V. Hugo based on his novel Notre Dame Cathedral. Its premiere took place only in 1848, and “this eight years in vain expectation, "wrote Dargomyzhsky," laid a heavy burden on my entire artistic career. "

Failure also accompanied the next major work - the cantata "Triumph of Bacchus" (at the station of A. Pushkin, 1843), reworked in 1848 into an opera-ballet and staged only in 1867 "Esmeralda", which was the first attempt to embody the psychological drama " Little People ", and" The Triumph of Bacchus ", where it took place for the first time in the framework of a large-scale composition of the windy with the genius of Pushkin's poetry, with all the imperfections were a serious step towards the" Mermaid ". Numerous romances also paved the way to her. It was in this genre that Dargomyzhsky somehow at once easily and naturally reached the top. He loved vocal music making, until the end of his life he was engaged in pedagogy. “... Addressing constantly in the society of singers and singers, I practically managed to study both the properties and curves of human voices, and the art of dramatic singing,” wrote Dargomyzhsky. In his youth, the composer often paid tribute to the salon poetry, but even in his early romances he comes into contact with the main themes of his work. Thus, the lively vaudeville song "I Confess, Uncle" (Art. A. Timofeev) anticipates the satirical song-scenes of the later times; The burning theme of the freedom of human feeling is embodied in the ballad "Wedding" (art. A. Timofeev), so beloved later by V. I. Lenin. In the early 40s. Dargomyzhsky turned to Pushkin's poetry, creating such masterpieces as the romances "I Loved You", "The Young Man and the Maiden", "Night Zephyr", "Vertograd". Pushkin's poetry helped to overcome the influence of the sensitive salon style, stimulated the search for more subtle musical expressiveness. The interrelation of words and music became ever closer, requiring the renewal of all means, and first of all - melody. Musical intonation, fixing the bends of human speech, helped to sculpt a real, living image, and this led to the formation of new varieties of romance in the chamber vocal work of Dargomyzhsky - lyric and psychological monologues ("I am sad", "I am both bored and sad" at Art. Lermontov), ​​theatrical genre-everyday romances-scenes ("The Miller" at the station. Pushkin).

An important role in the creative biography of Dargomyzhsky was played by a trip abroad at the end of 1844 (Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Paris). Its main result is an irresistible need to "write in Russian", and over the years this desire is acquiring an ever clearer social orientation, echoing the ideas and artistic quests of the era. The revolutionary situation in Europe, the tightening of political reaction in Russia, the growing peasant unrest, anti-serfdom tendencies among the advanced part of Russian society, the growing interest in popular life in all its manifestations - all this contributed to serious shifts in Russian culture, primarily in literature, where by the middle of the 40s. the so-called "natural school" was formed. Its main feature, according to V. Belinsky, was "in closer and closer rapprochement with life, with reality, in greater and greater proximity to maturity and maturity." The themes and plots of the "natural school" - the life of the common class in its unadorned ordinariness, the psychology of a little man - were very consonant with Dargomyzhsky, and this was especially evident in the opera "Mermaid", accusatory romances of the late 50s. ("Worm", "Titular Counselor", "Old Corporal").

"Mermaid", on which Dargomyzhsky worked intermittently from 1845 to 1855, opened a new direction in Russian operatic art. This is a lyrical and psychological drama of everyday life, its most remarkable pages are detailed ensemble scenes where complex human characters enter into acutely conflictual relationships and are revealed with great tragic force. The first performance of "Mermaid" on May 4, 1856 in St. Petersburg aroused the interest of the public, but the high society did not honor the opera with their attention, and the management of the imperial theaters reacted to it with hostility. The situation changed in the mid-60s. Renewed under the direction of E. Napravnik, "Rusalka" was a truly triumphant success, noted by critics as a sign that "the views of the public ... have changed radically." These changes were caused by the renewal of the entire social atmosphere, the democratization of all forms of social life. The attitude towards Dargomyzhsky has changed. Over the past decade, his authority in the musical world has greatly increased, a group of young composers headed by M. Balakirev and V. Stasov have united around him. The composer's musical and social activities also intensified. In the late 50s. he took part in the work of the satirical magazine "Iskra", from 1859 he became a member of the Committee of the RMO, participated in the development of the draft charter of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. So when in 1864 Dargomyzhsky undertook a new trip abroad, the foreign public in his person greeted a major representative of Russian musical culture.