Characteristics of French folk music. Music of France What is the French accordion

26.06.2020

Chernyshev A.F. Organ grinder.

Now hardly anyone remembers the barrel organ, but once upon a time it was very common. An old man would enter the yard with a colorfully painted box on his shoulder, often with a monkey sitting on it. It was an organ grinder. He took his burden off his shoulder, began to steadily rotate the handle of the organ, and with hissing and sobbing the sounds of waltzes and polkas, often discordant and out of tune, were heard.

There is a legend that already in the 6th century BC. Confucius spent seven days continuously enjoying the sound of melodies on the “ribs of the tiger” (metal plates that produce sounds of different pitches), it is believed that this mechanism was invented in 1769 by the Swiss mechanic Antoine Favre.

Henry William Bunbury. 1785

IN Western Europe this mechanical musical instrument appeared at the end of the 17th century. At first it was a “bird organ” for training songbirds, and then it was adopted by wandering musicians.

Emil Orlik. 1901

This is how a musical instrument appeared for those who cannot play. You turn the knob and music plays. The hit song of that time “Lovely Katarina” (in French “Charmant Katarina” in French) was most often heard. The name of the instrument came from the name of the song - the barrel organ.

One of the first masters involved in the manufacture of barrel organs was the Italian Giovanni Barberi (hence the French name for this instrument - orgue do Barbarie, literally “organ from the country of the barbarians”, distorted orgue do Barbcri). The German and English names for this instrument also include the root morpheme "organ". And in Russian, “organ” often acts as a synonym for “organ grinder”: “In the room there was also an organ grinder boy with a small hand-held organ...” (Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment).

The barrel organ came to Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, and the acquaintance of Russians with the new instrument began with the French song “Charman Catherine”. Everyone immediately liked the song, and the name “Katerinka”, Ukrainian “katernika”, Belarusian “katzerynka”, Polish “katarynka”, or “Lee organ” firmly stuck to the instrument.

There is also an assumption that the primary name was not hurdy-gurdy, but shirmanka.

“... And it came from the screens, from behind which Pulcinella, the organ grinder’s almost always companion, calls on onlookers and the curious with his ringing voice. The organs that appeared among us were inseparable from the puppet comedy” (essay “Petersburg organ grinders” from “Physiology of Petersburg” by D.V. Grigorovich).

V.G. Perov. Organ grinder.

The Dutch claim that the first barrel organ appeared in their homeland. And this was 500 years ago. However, the only physical evidence they have is a drawing from the late 15th century - so dilapidated that it is difficult to make out anything on it. Of the samples that have come down to us, the oldest was made in France at the beginning of the 17th century.

R. Zink.The Farandole. 1850

It often seems to us that a barrel organ is just a big music box and the melody is born in it with the help of a roller with pins and an iron plate with “tails”. The roller rotates, the pins arranged in the right order touch the “tails” - here you have “On the Hills of Manchuria”. However, not all so simple. Yes, there are barrel organs with such a mechanism and even with a xylophone mechanism, when the pins of the roller touch musical hammers that strike metal keys, but these are already derivatives.

A real barrel organ is almost an organ, and its structure is much more complex than we think. In order for the organ to start playing, you must first turn its handle - the gate. This handle sets two mechanisms in motion at once: a pin that pumps air into the bellows at the bottom of the instrument, and a musical roller with indentations called pins. The roller, rotating, sets in motion the levers, which, clinging to the pins, move up and down in a given order. In turn, the levers move the reeds, which open and close the air valves. And the valves control the flow of air into the pipes, similar to organ pipes, thanks to which the melody sounds.

By turning the handle, the organ grinder could play 6-8 melodies recorded on the roller. Such “cam devices” have been known since antiquity: small protrusions called “cams” are attached to rotating cylinders or disks, alternating the sound of one note or another. Only one melody was recorded on one roller, but the roller was easy to replace.

In the 20th century, instead of rollers, perforated paper tapes began to be used, on which each sound corresponds to a specific hole. Often, a barrel organ is equipped with a device that makes the sound intermittent and trembling, so that it is better possible to “squeeze a tear” out of listeners. But there were also reed organs - now they are found as children's toys. Over time, the pegs of the barrel organ wore out, the sound became indistinct and intrusive - hence “Well, I started my barrel organ again!..”

The repertoire of barrel organs consisted of the most popular songs of the old time, for example: “Mother Dove”, “Along the Piterskaya Street”. But the hit song of the beginning of the last century was the song “Marusya was poisoned.” The song was released in 1911 on a record by Nina Dulkevich, with the authorship of Yakov Prigozhey, pianist and arranger of the Moscow restaurant "Yar".

The song remained popular for decades. There is a recording of the 1919 circus clownery "Hurdy Organ", where the song "Marusya Poisoned" is performed by the famous clown-acrobat Vitaly Lazarenko.

I'm tired of jumping

And, citizens, I confess to you,

I took on something else:

I walk around the yards with a barrel organ.

The sounds of barrel organs are sad,

And sometimes they are bravura.

The motives are familiar to all of you

She plays everywhere!

For their performances, puppeteers teamed up with organ grinders, and from morning to evening they walked from place to place, repeating the adventures of Petrushka many times. The organ grinder also acted as a “prompter” - he introduced Petrushka to the audience, argued with him, suggested, warned or tried to dissuade him from doing bad things, played the organ grinder or other musical instruments.

100-200 years ago, organ grinders walked around the courtyards and played popular romances, waltzes, or songs loved by the masses like “Separation.” Residents of the surrounding houses listened to street music and threw small coins from the windows to the organ grinder. Sometimes the organ grinder had a monkey sitting on his shoulder and participating in the performance - she made faces, tumbled on the ground and even danced to the music.

Or the companion was a large parrot or a trained white mouse, who, for a penny, took out of the box rolled up tickets “with happiness” - on the piece of paper it was written what awaits the person in the future. Often a very small boy would walk along with the organ grinder and sing plaintive songs in a thin voice (about the fate of street musicians, it is best to read Hector Malo’s novel “Without a Family”).

From I. T. Kokorev’s story “Savvushka” we learn about those musical plays that were part of the organ grinders’ repertoire: “The Daring Troika”, “You Won’t Believe It”, (Nightingale), “The Lady”, “Polka”, “Valets”. Another extremely popular melody is mentioned here - it was performed by the famous organ-organ Nozdryov in “Dead Souls.” As Gogol said, “The organ-organ played not without pleasantness, but in the middle of it, it seems, something happened, for the mazurka ended with the song: “ “Malbruk went on a hike,” and “Malbruk went on a hike” unexpectedly ended with some long-familiar waltz.” Nozdryov tries to sell the organ to Chichikov along with the dead souls, while claiming that it is made “of mahogany.”

Later, other melodies were included in the organ grinder’s repertoire: sensitive romances “In the evening of a stormy autumn” and “Open the window, open” [memoirs of I. A. Belousov “Gone Moscow”]. And the barrel organ with which the heroes of Kuprin's " White poodle”, played the “dull German waltz” by composer I. F. Lanner and a gallop from the opera “Journey to China”.

"Hurdy organ" is mentioned more than once in the works of F. M. Dostoevsky. The hero of the story “Poor People,” Makar Devushkin, meets an organ grinder on Gorokhovaya Street in St. Petersburg, and the artist not only plays the organ grinder, but also shows the audience dancing dolls: “One gentleman passed by and threw some small coin to the organ grinder; the coin fell straight into that box with the little garden in which the Frenchman is represented dancing with the ladies.”

Organ grinders were very popular in France, Germany, Russia and Italy. A detailed description of the St. Petersburg organ grinder can be read from Dmitry Grigorovich: “A torn cap, from under which long, pitch-black hair bursts out in disarray, overshadowing a thin tanned face, a jacket without color and buttons, a garus scarf carelessly wrapped around a dark neck, canvas trousers, mutilated boots and, finally, a huge organ that bent this figure into three deaths, all this belongs to the most unfortunate of St. Petersburg artisans - the organ grinder."

Korzukhin Alexey Ivanovich. Parsley.

- “Herr Volodya, look at the notebook!”

- “Are you not reading again, deceiver?

Wait, he won't dare to play

Nimmer mehr this nasty organ grinder!”

Golden day rays

The grass was warmed with a warm caress.

- “Ugly boy, learn verbs!”

Oh, how difficult it is to study in April!..

Leaning over, looking out the window

Governess in a purple cape.

Fräulein Else is sad today,

Even though she wants to seem harsh.

In her past dreams are fresh

These responses of ancient melodies,

And the tears have been trembling for a long time

On the eyelashes of the sick Volodya.

Jan Michael Ruyten

The instrument is clumsy, unsightly:

After all, it was paid for with a small sum!

Everyone is free: a high school student tenant,

And Natasha and Doric with a shovel,

And a peddler with a heavy tray,

Who sells pies downstairs...

Fräulein Else covered with a scarf

And glasses, and eyes under glasses.

The blind organ grinder does not leave,

A light wind blows the curtain,

And it changes to: “Sing, birdie, sing”

The daring challenge of the Toreador.

Fräulein cries: the game excites!

The boy moves his pen across the blotter.

- “Don’t be sad, lieber Junge, it’s time

We should take a walk along Tverskoy Boulevard.

Hide your notebooks and books!”

- “I’ll ask Alyosha for candy!”

Fräulein Else, where is the little black ball?

Where are my, Fräulein Else, galoshes?

Can't resist the melancholy of candy!

ABOUT great life bait!

Outside there is no hope, no end

The organ-organ plays mournfully.

Marina Tsvetaeva. Evening album.

Makovsky Vladimir Egorovich. Organ grinder. 1879

Rupert Bunny. Artist in Paris.

Valery Krylatov. Parisian organ grinder. 1995

Nikolai Blokhin. Seller of happiness.

Carl Henry d'Unker.

Fritz von Uhde.

Makovsky Vladimir Egorovich.

François-Hubert Drouais.

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French music is one of the most interesting and influential European musical cultures, which draws its origins from the folklore of the Celtic and Germanic tribes that lived in ancient times in what is now France. With the emergence of France during the Middle Ages, French music merged the folk musical traditions of numerous regions of the country. French musical culture developed, also interacting with the musical cultures of other European nations, in particular Italian and German. Since the second half of the 20th century, the French music scene has been enriched by the musical traditions of people from Africa. She does not remain aloof from world musical culture, incorporating new musical trends and giving a special French flavor to jazz, rock, hip-hop and electronic music.

French musical culture began to take shape on a rich layer of folk songs. Although the oldest reliable recordings of songs that have survived to this day date back to the 15th century, literary and art materials indicate that since the times of the Roman Empire, music and singing have occupied a prominent place in people's daily lives. With Christianity, church music came to French lands. Originally Latin, it gradually changed under the influence folk music. The church used material in its services that was understandable to local residents. One of the significant layers of French musical culture was church music, which became widespread along with Christianity. Hymns penetrated into church music, their own singing customs developed, and local forms of liturgy appeared. French musical tradition composer

folk music

The works of French folklorists examine numerous genres of folk songs: lyrical, love, complaint songs (complaintes), dance songs (rondes), satirical, craft songs (chansons de metiers), calendar songs, for example Christmas songs (Noel); labor, historical, military, etc. Songs associated with Gallic and Celtic beliefs also belong to folklore. Among lyrical genres, pastorals (idealization of rural life) occupy a special place. In works of love content, themes of unrequited love and separation predominate. Many songs are dedicated to children - lullabies, games, counting rhymes (fr. comptines). There are a variety of labor (songs of reapers, plowmen, winegrowers, etc.), soldier and recruit songs. A special group consists of ballads about the Crusades, songs exposing the cruelty of feudal lords, kings and courtiers, songs about peasant uprisings (researchers call this group of songs “the poetic epic of the history of France”).

And although French music has been widely known since the time of Charlemagne, only in the Baroque era did composers of world significance appear: Jean-Philippe Rameau, Louis Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Lully.

Jean-Philippe Rameau. Having become famous only in his mature years, J. F. Rameau recalled his childhood and youth so rarely and sparingly that even his wife knew almost nothing about it. Only through documents and fragmentary memories of contemporaries can we reconstruct the path that led him to the Parisian Olympus. His birthday is unknown, but he was baptized on September 25, 1683 in Dijon. Ramo's father worked as a church organist, and the boy received his first lessons from him. Music immediately became his only passion.

Jean-Baptis Lully. This outstanding musician-composer, conductor, violinist, and harpsichordist went through a life and creative path that was extremely unique and in many ways characteristic of his time. At that time, unlimited royal power was still strong, but the already begun economic and cultural ascent of the bourgeoisie led to the emergence of people from the third estate as not only “masters of thought” in literature and art, but also influential figures in bureaucratic and even court circles.

Kupren. François Couperin is a French composer and harpsichordist; as an unsurpassed master of the harpsichord, he was awarded the title “Le Grand” - “The Great” by his contemporaries. Born on November 10, 1668 in Paris, in hereditary musical family. His father was Charles Couperin, a church organist.

French classical music reached its peak in the 19th century. The era of Romanticism in France is represented by the works of Hector Berlioz, primarily his symphonic music. In the mid-19th century, works by composers such as Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Cesar Franck became famous. And at the end of this century, a new direction in classical music appears in France - impressionism, which is associated with the names of Claude Debussy, Eric Satia Maurice, Ravel

In the 20s of the 20th century, it spread in France jazz, of which Stéphane Grappelli was a prominent representative.

In French pop music, the genre of chanson has developed, where the rhythm of the song follows the rhythm French, the emphasis is on both the words and the melody. Thanks to Mireille Mathieu, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, French chanson music has become extremely popular and loved all over the world. I want to tell you about Edith Piaf. December 19, 2014 marks exactly 99 years since the singer Edith Piaf was born in Paris. She was born in the most difficult times, lived blind for several years and began to sing in the worst taverns. Gradually, thanks to her talent, Piaf conquered France, America, and then the whole world...

Early 30s. Paris. A strange creature in a dirty sweater and a shabby skirt emerges from a small cinema on the outskirts of the city after an evening screening. The lips are unevenly smeared with bright red lipstick, round eyes look defiantly at the men. She watched a film with Marlene Dietrich. And she has hair exactly like a movie star! Wagging her skinny hips, a self-confident little girl walks into a smoky bar and orders two glasses of cheap wine - for herself and the young sailor with whom she sat down at the table... This vulgar street girl will soon become Edith Piaf.

In the second half of the 20th century, pop music became popular in France. famous performers which includes Patricia Kaas, Joe Dassin, Dalida, Mylene Farmer. Patricia Kaas (French Patricia Kaas; born December 5, 1966, Forbak, Moselle department, France) - French pop singer and actress. Stylistically, the singer's music is a mixture of pop music and jazz. Since the release of Kaas's debut album Mademoiselle chante le blues in 1988, more than 17 million recordings of her performances have been sold worldwide. Particularly popular in French-speaking and German-speaking countries, as well as in Russia. An essential part of her success formula is constant touring: Kaas is on tour abroad almost all the time. She represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 and finished in 8th place.

One of the pioneers of electronic music was the French composer Jean-Michel Jarre; his album Oxygene became a classic of electronic music. In the 90s of the 20th century, other genres of electronic music developed in France, such as house, trip-hop, new age, and others.

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Drums

There is probably no civilization that has not invented a musical instrument similar to a drum. A dried skin stretched over a pot, or a hollowed out log - that's a drum. However, although drums have been known since the times of Ancient Egypt, they were used little in the early Middle Ages. Only since the Crusades did mention of drums (tambour) become regular, and starting from the 12th century. Under this name appear instruments of a wide variety of shapes: long, double, tambourines, etc. By the end of the 12th century. this instrument, which sounds on the battlefield and in the banquet hall, already attracts the attention of musicians. Moreover, it is so widespread that in the 13th century. Trouvères, who claim to preserve ancient traditions in their art, complain about the “dominance” of drums and tambourines, which are crowding out “more noble” instruments.

Tambourines and drums accompany not only the singing and performances of trouvères, but also traveling dancers, actors, and jugglers; women dance, accompanying their dances by playing tambourines. The tambourine (tambour, bosquei) is held in one hand, and the other, free, is struck rhythmically. Sometimes minstrels, playing the flute, accompanied themselves on a tambourine or drum, which they secured on their left shoulder with a belt. The minstrel played the flute, accompanying her singing with rhythmic blows to the tambourine, which he made with his head, as can be seen in the 13th century sculpture. from the facade of the House of Musicians in Reims (Fig. 17).

Saracen, or double, drums are also known from the sculpture of the House of Musicians (Fig. 18). During the era of the Crusades, they became widespread in the army, as they were easily installed on both sides of the saddle.

Another type of percussion musical instrument, common in the Middle Ages in France, was the timbre (cembel) - two hemispheres, and later - cymbals, made of copper and other alloys, used to beat time and rhythmic accompaniment of dances. In the Limoges manuscript of the 12th century. from the National Library of Paris, the dancer is depicted with exactly this instrument (Fig. 14). By the 15th century refers to a fragment of a sculpture from the altar from the abbey church in O, on which the timbre is used in the orchestra (Fig. 19).

The timbre should include the cymbal (cymbalum) - an instrument that was a ring with bronze tubes soldered to it, at the ends of which bells ring when shaken; the image of this instrument is known from a 13th-century manuscript. from the Abbey of Saint-Blaise (Fig. 20). The dulcimer was common in France during the early Middle Ages and was used both in secular life and in churches - they were given a sign for the beginning of worship.

Medieval percussion instruments also include bells (chochettes). They were very widespread, bells sounded during concerts, they were sewn onto clothes, hung from the ceiling in homes, not to mention the use of bells in churches... Dances were also accompanied by the ringing of bells, and there are examples of this - images on miniatures, dating back to the beginning of the 10th century! In Chartres, Sens, and Paris, on the portals of cathedrals you can find bas-reliefs in which a woman striking hanging bells symbolizes music in the Liberal Arts family. King David was depicted playing bells. As can be seen in the miniature from the 13th century Bible, he plays them with hammers (Fig. 21). The number of bells could vary - usually from five to ten or more.

Turkish bells - a military musical instrument - were also born in the Middle Ages (some call the Turkish bells a dulcimer).

In the 12th century. The fashion for bells or bells sewn to clothes became widespread. They were used by both ladies and men. Moreover, the latter did not part with this fashion for a long time, until the 14th century. It was then customary to decorate clothes with thick gold chains, and men often hung bells from them. This fashion was a sign of belonging to the high feudal nobility (Fig. 8 and 22) - the wearing of bells was prohibited for the petty nobility and bourgeoisie. But already in the 15th century. the bells remain only on the clothes of the jesters. The orchestral life of this percussion instrument continues to this day; and he has changed little since then.

Bowed strings

Of all the medieval bowed string instruments, the viol is the noblest and most difficult for the performer. According to the description of the Dominican monk Jerome of Moravia, in the 13th century. the viol had five strings, but earlier miniatures show both three- and four-stringed instruments (Fig. 12 and 23, 23a). In this case, the strings are tensioned both on the “ridge” and directly on the soundboard. Judging by the descriptions, the viol did not sound loud, but very melodious.

An interesting sculpture from the façade of the House of Musicians depicts a life-size musician (Fig. 24) playing a three-string viol. Since the strings are stretched in one plane, the bow, extracting sound from one string, could touch the others. “Modernized” for the middle of the 13th century deserves special attention. bow shape.

By the middle of the 14th century. in France, the shape of the viol is close to the modern guitar, which probably made it easier to play it with a bow (Fig. 25).

In the 15th century large violas appear - viola de gamba. They played them with the instrument held between their knees. By the end of the fifteenth century, the viola de gamba became seven-stringed. Later, the viola de gamba will be replaced by the cello. All types of viols were very widespread in medieval France; playing them accompanied both celebrations and intimate evenings.

The viol was distinguished from the crouth by the double fastening of the strings on the soundboard. No matter how many strings there are on this medieval instrument (on the oldest circles there are three strings), they are always attached to the “ridge”. In addition, the soundboard itself has two holes located along the strings. These holes are through and serve so that you can thread left hand, whose fingers alternately press the strings to the soundboard and then release them. IN right hand the performer usually held the bow. One of the most ancient images of a krut is found on a manuscript of the 11th century. from the Limoges Abbey of St. Martial (Fig. 26). However, it must be emphasized that the kurt is primarily an English and Saxon instrument. The number of strings on a circle increases over time. And although it is considered the progenitor of all bowed string instruments, the kurt never took root in France. Much more often after the 11th century. Ruber or jig is found here.

The jig (gigue, gigle), apparently, was invented by the Germans; it resembles a viol in shape, but it does not have an interception on the soundboard. The jig is a favorite instrument of minstrels. The performing capabilities of this instrument were significantly poorer than those of the viol, but it also required less skill in performance. Judging by the images, the musicians played the jig (Fig. 27) like a violin, placing the era to the shoulder, as can be seen in the vignette from the manuscript “The Book of the Wonders of the World,” dating from the beginning of the 15th century.

Rubère is a bowed string instrument reminiscent of the Arabic rebab. Similar in shape to a lute, the ruber has only one string stretched on a “ridge” (Fig. 29), which is how it is depicted in a miniature in a manuscript from the Abbey of St. Blasius (IX century). According to Jerome of Moravia, in the XII - XIII centuries. The ruber is already a two-stringed instrument; it is used in ensemble playing, and always leads the “lower” bass line. Zhig, accordingly, is the “top”. Thus, it turns out that the monocord (monocorde), a bowed string instrument that served to some extent as the ancestor of the double bass, is also a kind of ruber, since it was also used in the ensemble as an instrument that sets the bass tone. Sometimes the monocord could be played without a bow, as can be seen in the sculpture from the facade of the abbey church at Vaselles (Fig. 28).

Despite its widespread use and numerous varieties, the ruber was not considered an instrument equal to the viol. His sphere is rather the street, popular holidays. It is not entirely clear, however, what the sound of the ruber actually was, since some researchers (Jerome Moravsky) talk about low octaves, while others (Aymeric de Peyrac) claim that the sound of the ruber is sharp and “noisy”, similar to “female” squeal." Perhaps, however, we are talking about instruments from different times, for example, the 14th or 16th centuries...

Plucked strings

Probably, discussions about which instrument is older should be considered irrelevant, since the emblem of music was, after all, a string instrument, the lyre, with which we will begin the story about plucked string instruments.

The ancient lyre is a stringed instrument with three to seven strings stretched vertically between two stands mounted on a wooden soundboard. The strings of the lyre were either plucked with fingers or played using a resonator-plectrum. In a miniature from a manuscript of the 10th-11th centuries. (Fig. 30), kept in the National Library of Paris, you can see a lyre with twelve strings, collected in groups of three and stretched at different heights (Fig. 30a.) Such lyres usually have beautiful sculpted handles on both sides, which could be fasten the belt, which obviously made it easier for the musician to play.

The lyre was confused in the Middle Ages with the sitar (cithare), which also appeared in ancient Greece. Originally it was a six-string plucked instrument. According to Jerome of Moravia, the sitar in the Middle Ages was triangular in shape (more precisely, it had the shape of the letter “delta” of the Greek alphabet) and the number of strings on it varied from twelve to twenty-four. A sitar of this type (9th century) is depicted in a manuscript from the Abbey of St. Vlasiya (Fig. 31). However, the shape of the instrument could vary; there is a known image of a sitar of irregular rounded shape with a handle to show the playing (Fig. 32). However, the main difference between the sitar and the psalterion (see below) and other string instruments plucked instruments consists in the fact that the strings are simply tensioned on the frame, and not on some kind of “sounding container”.

The medieval guiterne also has its origins in the sitar. The shape of these instruments is also varied, but usually resembles either a mandolin or a guitar (zither). Mentions of such instruments begin to appear in the 13th century, and both women and men play them. The gitern accompanied the performer’s singing, and they played it either with the help of a resonator-plectrum or without it. In the manuscript “The Romance of Troy” by Benoit de Saint-Maur (13th century), the minstrel sings while playing the hytern without a mediator (Fig. 34) . In another case, in the novel “Tristan and Isolde” (mid-13th century), there is a miniature that depicts a minstrel accompanying the dance of his comrade by playing the hyterna (Fig. 33). The strings on the guitar are stretched straight (without a “filly”), but there is a hole (rosette) on the body. The mediator was a bone stick, which was held with the thumb and forefinger, which is clearly visible in the sculpture of a musician from the abbey church in O (Fig. 35).

Gitern, judging by the available images, could also be an ensemble instrument. There is a well-known lid from a casket from the collection of the Cluny Museum (14th century), where the sculptor carved a charming genre scene on ivory: two young men playing in the garden, delighting the ears; one has a lute in his hands, the other has a gittern (Fig. 36).

Sometimes the gittern, like the sitar earlier, was called a rote in medieval France; it had seventeen strings. Richard the Lionheart played in captivity.

In the XIV century. There is also a mention of another instrument similar to the gittern - the lute. By the 15th century its shape is already finally taking shape: a very convex, almost semicircular body, with a round hole on the deck. The “neck” is not long, the “head” is located at a right angle to it (Fig. 36). The mandolin and mandora, which were used in the 15th century, belong to the same group of instruments. the most varied form.

The harp (harpe) can also boast of its antiquity of origin - its images are already found in Ancient Egypt. Among the Greeks, the harp is just a variation of the sitar; among the Celts, it is called sambuk. The shape of the harp is constant: it is an instrument with strings of varying lengths stretched across a frame in a more or less open angle. Ancient harps are thirteen-stringed, tuned in a diatonic scale. They played the harp either standing or sitting, with two hands and strengthening the instrument so that its vertical stand was at the performer's chest. In the 12th century, small harps with different numbers of strings appeared. A characteristic type of harp is represented in a sculpture from the façade of the House of Musicians in Reims (Fig. 37). Jugglers used only them in their performances, and entire ensembles of harpists could be created. The Irish and Bretons were considered the best harpists. In the 16th century the harp practically disappeared in France and appeared here only centuries later, in its modern form.

Special mention should be made of two plucked medieval instruments. These are the psaltery and siphony.

The ancient psalterion is a triangular-shaped string instrument, vaguely reminiscent of our harp. In the Middle Ages, the shape of the instrument changed - square psalterions are also shown in miniatures. The player held it on his lap and plucked twenty-one strings with his fingers or a plectrum (the range of the instrument is three octaves). The inventor of the psalterion is considered to be King David, who, according to legend, used a bird's beak as a plectrum. A miniature from the manuscript of Gerard of Landsberg in the Strasbourg Library depicts the biblical king playing his brainchild (Fig. 38).

In medieval French literature, psalterions began to be mentioned from the beginning of the 12th century; the shape of the instruments could be very different (Fig. 39 and 40); they were played not only by minstrels, but also by women - noble ladies and their retinue. By the 14th century The psalterion gradually leaves the stage, giving way to the harpsichord, but the harpsichord could not achieve the chromatic sound that was characteristic of psalterions with double strings.

To some extent, another medieval instrument, which practically disappeared already in the 15th century, is also similar to the plasterion. This is a siphonie (chifonie) - a Western version of the Russian wheel harp. However, in addition to the wheel with a wooden brush, which, when the handle is rotated, touches three straight strings, the siphony is also equipped with keys that also regulate its sound. There are seven keys on the siphony, and they are located at the end opposite to the one on which the wheel rotates. The siphonia was usually played by two people, and the sound of the instrument was, according to sources, harmonious and quiet. A drawing from a sculpture on the capital of one of the columns in Bocheville (12th century) demonstrates a similar method of play (Fig. 41). Siphony became most widespread in the 11th-12th centuries. In the 15th century The small siphon, played by one musician, was popular. In the manuscript “The Romance of Gerard de Nevers and the Beautiful Ariana” from the National Library of Paris there is a miniature depicting the main character dressed as a minstrel, with a similar instrument at his side (Fig. 42).

Archaeologists were the first to talk about the existence of musical instruments in ancient times, finding pipes, tweeters and other objects for playing music in almost all excavations. Moreover, similar finds were discovered in those territories where archaeologists managed to excavate sites of primitive people.

Archaeologists attribute some of the found musical instruments to the Upper Paleolithic era - in other words, these instruments appeared 22-25 thousand years BC.

In addition, ancient people knew how to not only make musical instruments, but also music for them, writing down musical notes on clay tablets. The oldest musical notation to date was written in the 18th century BC. Archaeologists found it in the Sumerian city of Nippur they excavated, which was once located in the territory of modern Iraq. University of California scientists who deciphered the music tablet in 1974 said it contained the words and music of an Assyrian love ballad for string lyre.

The most ancient musical instrument

In 2009, archaeologists discovered in one of the caves located in southwestern Germany the remains of a tool that strongly resembles a modern one. Analyzes and studies have shown that the age of the ancient flute is more than 35 thousand years. Five perfectly round holes were made in the body of the flute, which should be closed with the fingers when playing, and at its ends there were two deep V-shaped cuts.

The length of the musical instrument was 21.8 centimeters, and the thickness was only 8 millimeters.

The material from which the flute was made turned out to be not wood, but a bird's wing. This instrument is by far the oldest, but not the first in the history of archaeological finds - bone pipes, hollow animal horns, shell pipes, stone and wooden rattles, as well as drums made from animal skins have also been repeatedly found at excavations.

There are many legends about the origin of music. The ancient Greeks believed that the great gods of Olympus gave it to them, but modern scientists have conducted a number of ethnographic and archaeological studies. As a result of these studies, it was found that the first music appeared in primitive society and was used as a lullaby to lull

Wind instruments are the oldest type of musical instrument that came to the Middle Ages from antiquity. However, in the process of development and formation of medieval Western civilization, the scope of use of wind instruments greatly expanded: some, such as the oliphant, belong to the courts of noble lords, others - flutes - are used both among the people and among professional musicians, others, such as the trumpet, become exclusively military musical instruments.

Separately, it should be said about the oliphant (alifant) - a huge horn with metal rings made specifically so that the oliphant could be suspended from the right side of its owner. Olifants were made from elephant tusks. Used during hunting and during military operations to signal the approach of the enemy. A distinctive feature of the oliphant is that it could only belong to a sovereign lord, under whose subordination are the barons. The honorable nature of this musical instrument is confirmed by sculpture from the 12th century. from the abbey church in Vaselles, where an angel is depicted with an oliphant on his side, announcing the Nativity of the Savior (Fig. 13).

The organ (orgue) stands somewhat apart from the family of wind instruments. This keyboard-pedal instrument with a set of several dozen pipes (registers), set to sound by air forced by bellows, is currently associated only with large stationary organs - church and concert organs (Fig. 14). However, in the Middle Ages, perhaps, another type of this instrument was more widespread - the manual organ (orgue de main). This is basically a “Pan flute”, set to sound using compressed air, which enters the pipes from a tank with holes closed by valves. However, already in antiquity, in Asia, Ancient Greece and Rome, large organs with hydraulic control were known. In the West, these instruments appeared only in the 8th century, and even then as gifts presented to Western monarchs from the Byzantine emperors (Constantine V Copronymus sent such an organ as a gift to Pepin the Short, and Constantine Kuropolat - to Charlemagne and Louis the Good).

Hand organs became widespread among traveling musicians, who could sing while accompanying themselves on the instrument. They sounded in city squares, at village holidays, but never in churches.

Drums

Turkish bells - a military musical instrument - were also born in the Middle Ages (some call the Turkish bells a dulcimer).

Bowed strings

By the middle of the 14th century. in France, the shape of the viol is close to the modern guitar, which probably made it easier to play it with a bow (Fig. 25).

The viol was distinguished from the crouth by the double fastening of the strings on the soundboard. No matter how many strings there are on this medieval instrument (on the oldest circles there are three strings), they are always attached to the “ridge”. In addition, the soundboard itself has two holes located along the strings. These holes are through and serve so that you can put your left hand through them, the fingers of which alternately press the strings to the soundboard and then release them. The performer usually held a bow in his right hand. One of the most ancient images of a krut is found on a manuscript of the 11th century. from the Limoges Abbey of St. Martial (Fig. 26). However, it must be emphasized that the kurt is primarily an English and Saxon instrument. The number of strings on a circle increases over time. And although it is considered the progenitor of all bowed string instruments, the kurt never took root in France. Much more often after the 11th century. Ruber or jig is found here.

Plucked strings

The lyre was confused in the Middle Ages with the sitar (cithare), which also appeared in ancient Greece. Originally it was a six-string plucked instrument. According to Jerome of Moravia, the sitar in the Middle Ages was triangular in shape (more precisely, it had the shape of the letter “delta” of the Greek alphabet) and the number of strings on it varied from twelve to twenty-four. A sitar of this type (9th century) is depicted in a manuscript from the Abbey of St. Vlasiya (Fig. 31). However, the shape of the instrument could vary; there is a known image of a sitar of irregular rounded shape with a handle to show the playing (Fig. 32). However, the main difference between the sitar and the psalterion (see below) and other plucked string instruments is that the strings are simply pulled onto a frame, and not onto some kind of “sounding container”.

Sometimes the gittern, like the sitar earlier, was called a rote in medieval France; it had seventeen strings. Richard the Lionheart played in captivity.

Special mention should be made of two plucked medieval instruments. These are the psaltery and siphony.

Origins of French music.

The folk origins of French music go back to the early Middle Ages: in the 8th-9th centuries there were dance tunes and songs of different genres - labor, calendar, epic and others.
By the end of the 8th century it was established Gregorian chant.
IN In the 11th-12th century, the knightly musical and poetic art of troubadours flourished in the south of France.
IN In the 12th and 13th centuries, the successors of the troubadour tradition were the knights and townspeople of Northern France - the trouvères. Among them, the most famous is Adam de la Al (died 1286).

Adam de la Al "The Game of Robin and Marion".

In the 14th century, the New Art movement emerged in French music. The head of this movement was Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361) - a musical theorist and composer, author of many secular motets. However, towards the end of the 16th century, during the time of Charles 9, the nature of the music of France changed. The era of ballet began, when music accompanied the dance. During this era, the following instruments became widespread: flute, harpsichord, cello, violin. And this time can be called the time of birth of real instrumental music

Philippe de Vitry "Lord of Lords" (motet).

17th century is - new stage development of French music. The great French composer Jean Baptiste Lully (Jean-Baptiste de Lully 11/28/1632, Florence - 3/22/1687, Paris) creates his operas. Jean Baptiste is an excellent dancer, violinist, conductor and choreographer of Italian origin, considered the recognized creator of the French national opera. Among them are such operas as: Theseus (1675), Isis (1677), Psyche (1678, Perseus (1682), Phaethon (1683), Roland (1685) and Armida. (1686) and others. In his operas, which were called “tragédie mise en musique” (“tragedy on music”), Jean Baptiste Lully sought to enhance dramatic effects with music. Thanks to the skill of staging and the effectiveness of the ballet, his operas lasted on the stage for about 100 years. At the same time, singers in operas began to perform without masks for the first time, and women began to dance in ballet on a public stage.
Rameau Jean Philippe (1683-1764) - French composer and music theorist. Using the achievements of French and Italian musical cultures, he significantly modified the style of classicist opera and prepared the operatic reform of Christophe Willibaldi Gluck. He wrote the lyrical tragedies “Hippolytus and Arisia” (1733), “Castor and Pollux” (1737), the opera-ballet “Gallant India” (1735), harpsichord plays and others. His theoretical works are a significant stage in the development of the doctrine of harmony.
Francois Couperin (1668-1733) - French composer, harpsichordist, organist. From a dynasty comparable to the German Bach dynasty, since there were several generations of musicians in his family. Couperin was nicknamed "the great Couperin" partly due to his sense of humor and partly due to his character. His work is the pinnacle of French harpsichord art. Couperin's music is distinguished by melodic inventiveness, grace, and precision of detail.

1. Jean Baptiste Lully sonata in A minor, 4th movement "Gigue".

2. Jean Philippe Rameau "Chicken" - played by Arkady Kazaryan.

3. Francois Couperin "Alarm Clock" - played by Ayan Sambueva.

In the 18th century - the end of the 19th century, music became a real weapon in the fight for one’s beliefs and desires. A whole galaxy of famous composers appears: Maurice Ravel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, (1760-1836) French military engineer, poet and composer. He wrote hymns, songs, romances. In 1792, he wrote the composition “La Marseillaise,” which later became the anthem of France.

Anthem of France.

Gluck Christoph Willibald (1714-1787) - famous Franco-German composer. His most famous activities are associated with the Parisian opera stage, for which he wrote his best works with French words. That's why the French consider him a French composer. Numerous of his operas: "Artaserse", "Demofonte", "Fedra" and others were given in Milan, Turin, Venice, Cremona. Having received an invitation to London, Gluck wrote two operas for the Hay-Market Theater: "La Caduta de Giganti" (1746) and "Artamene" and a medley opera (pasticcio) "Pyram"

Melody from the opera "Orpheus and Eurydice".

In the 19th century - composers Georges Bizet, Hector Berlioz, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and others.

In the 20th century, real professional performers appeared. It was they who made French songs so famous, creating a whole direction of French chansonnier. Today their names stand outside of time and fashion. These are Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kass, Joe Dassin, Dalida, Vanessa Paradis. All of them are known for their beautiful lyrical songs, which have won not only listeners in France, but also in other countries. Many of them have been covered by other performers.

To prepare this page, materials from the site were used:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki, http://www.tlemb.ru/articles/french_music;
http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc1p/14802
http://www.fonstola.ru/download/84060/1600x900/
Material from the book "The Musician's Companion" Editor - compiler A. L. Ostrovsky; publishing house "MUSIC" Leningrad 1969, p.340

French music- one of the most interesting and influential European musical cultures, which draws its origins from the folklore of Celtic and Germanic tribes that lived in ancient times in what is now France. With the emergence of France during the Middle Ages, French music merged the folk musical traditions of numerous regions of the country. French musical culture developed, also interacting with the musical cultures of other European nations, in particular Italian and German. Since the second half of the 20th century, the French music scene has been enriched by the musical traditions of people from Africa. She does not remain aloof from world musical culture, incorporating new musical trends and giving a special French flavor to jazz, rock, hip-hop and electronic music.

Story

Origins

French musical culture began to take shape on a rich layer of folk songs. Although the oldest reliable recordings of songs that survive to this day date back to the 15th century, literary and artistic materials indicate that since the times of the Roman Empire, music and singing have occupied a prominent place in people's daily lives.

With Christianity, church music came to French lands. Originally Latin, it gradually changed under the influence of folk music. The church used material in its services that was understandable to local residents. Between the 5th and 9th centuries, a unique type of liturgy developed in Gaul - the Gallican rite with Gallican singing. Among the authors of church hymns, Hilary of Poitiers was famous. The Gallican rite is known from historical sources, indicating that it was significantly different from the Roman one. It did not survive because the French kings abolished it, seeking to obtain the title of emperors from Rome, and the Roman Church tried to achieve the unification of church services.

Polyphony gave rise to new genres of church and secular music, including conduction and motet. The conduct was initially performed primarily during a festive church service, but later became a purely secular genre. Among the authors of the conduct is Perotin.

Based on a conductor at the end of the 12th century. In France, the most important genre of polyphonic music was formed - the motet. Its early examples also belong to the masters of the Paris School (Pérotin, Franco of Cologne, Pierre de la Croix). The motet allowed the freedom to combine liturgical and secular tunes and texts, a combination that led to the birth of the motet in the 13th century. a playful motet. The motet genre received a significant update in the 14th century in the conditions of the direction ars nova, whose ideologist was Philippe de Vitry.

In the art of ars nova, great importance was attached to the interaction of “everyday” and “scientific” music (that is, song and motet). Philippe de Vitry created a new type of motet - the isorhythmic motet. Philippe de Vitry's innovations also affected the doctrine of consonance and dissonance (he announced the consonances of thirds and sixths).

The ideas of ars nova and, in particular, the isorhythmic motet continued their development in the work of Guillaume de Machaut, who combined the artistic achievements of knightly musical and poetic art with its unanimous songs and polyphonic urban musical culture. He owns songs with a folk style (lays), virele, rondo, and he was the first to develop the genre of polyphonic ballad. In the motet, Machaut used musical instruments more consistently than his predecessors (probably the lower voices were previously instrumental). Machaut is also considered the author of the first French polyphonic mass (1364).

Renaissance

At the end of the 15th century. Renaissance culture is established in France. The development of French culture was affected by such factors as the emergence of the bourgeoisie (15th century), the struggle for the unification of France (ended by the end of the 15th century) and the creation of a centralized state. Continuous development was also essential folk art and the activities of composers of the Franco-Flemish school.

The role of music in social life is increasing. French kings created large chapels at their courts, organized musical festivals, the royal court became the center professional art. The role of the court chapel was strengthened. Henry III established the position of “Chief Intendant of Music” at court, the first to hold this post was the Italian violinist Baltazarini de Belgioso. Along with the royal court and the church, aristocratic salons were also important centers of musical art.

The heyday of the Renaissance, associated with the formation of French national culture, occurred in the mid-16th century. At this time, the secular polyphonic song - chanson - became an outstanding genre of professional art. Her polyphonic style gets new interpretation, consonant with the ideas of French humanists - Rabelais, Clément Marot, Pierre de Ronsard. The leading author of chansons of this era is considered to be Clément Janequin, who wrote more than 200 polyphonic songs. Chansons became famous not only in France, but also abroad, largely thanks to music printing and the strengthening of ties between European countries.

During the Renaissance, the role of instrumental music increased. The viol, lute, guitar, and violin (as a folk instrument) were widely used in musical life. Instrumental genres penetrated both everyday and professional music, partly church music. Lute dance pieces stood out among the dominant ones in the 16th century. polyphonic works with rhythmic plasticity, homophonic composition, transparency of texture. A characteristic feature was the combination of two or more dances based on the principle of rhythmic contrast into unique cycles, which became the basis of the future dance suite. Organ music also acquired a more independent meaning. The emergence of the organ school in France (late 16th century) is associated with the work of organist J. Titlouz.

Education

17th century

French music of the 17th century was strongly influenced by the rationalistic aesthetics of classicism, which put forward the requirements of taste, balance of beauty and truth, clarity of design, harmony of composition. Classicism, which developed simultaneously with the Baroque style, appeared in France in the 17th century. complete expression.

At this time, secular music in France prevails over spiritual music. With the establishment of the absolute monarchy, court art acquired great importance, determining the direction of development of the most important genres of French music of that time - opera and ballet. The years of the reign of Louis XIV were marked by the extraordinary splendor of court life, the desire of the nobility for luxury and refined amusements. In this regard, a large role was assigned to court ballet. In the 17th century Italian trends intensified at court, which was especially facilitated by Cardinal Mazarin. Getting to know Italian opera served as an incentive to create her own national opera, the first experience in this area belongs to Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (“The Triumph of Love”).

At the end of the 17th - first half of the 18th century, composers such as N. A. Charpentier, A. Campra, M. R. Delalande, A. K. Detouch wrote for the theater. Lully's successors have the convention of a courtier theatrical style intensifies. In their lyrical tragedies, decorative-ballet, pastoral-idyllic aspects come to the fore, and the dramatic beginning is increasingly weakened. Lyrical tragedy gives way to opera-ballet.

In the 17th century in France, various instrumental schools developed - lute (D. Gautier, who influenced the harpsichord style of J.-A. d'Anglebert, J. C. de Chambonnière), harpsichord (Chambonnière, L. Couperin), viol (M. Marin , who for the first time in France introduced a double bass into an opera orchestra instead of a double bass viol). Highest value acquired by the French school of harpsichordists. The early harpsichord style developed under the direct influence of lute art. Chambonnière's works reflected the manner of melody ornamentation characteristic of French harpsichordists. The abundance of decorations gave the works for the harpsichord a certain sophistication, as well as greater coherence, “melody,” “length,” and the abrupt sound of this instrument. IN instrumental music widely used since the 16th century. the unification of paired dances (pavane, galliard, etc.), which led in the 17th century to the creation of an instrumental suite.

XVIII century

In the 18th century, with the growing influence of the bourgeoisie, new forms of musical and social life took shape. Gradually, concerts go beyond the boundaries of palace halls and aristocratic salons. In A. Philidor (Danican) organized regular public “Spiritual Concerts” in Paris, in Francois Gossec founded the “Amateur Concerts” society. The evenings of the academic society “Friends of Apollo” (founded in 1977) were more secluded; annual series of concerts were organized by the “Royal Academy of Music”.

In the 20-30s of the 18th century. The harpsichord suite reaches its highest peak. Among French harpsichordists, the leading role belongs to F. Couperin, the author of free cycles based on the principles of similarity and contrast of plays. Along with Couperin, J. F. Dandré and especially J. F. Rameau also made a great contribution to the development of the program-characteristic harpsichord suite.

The system also underwent radical transformations music education. Metrises were cancelled; but it opened School of Music National Guard for training military musicians, and in - the National Music Institute (with - the Paris Conservatory).

The period of the Napoleonic dictatorship (1799-1814) and the Restoration (1814-15, 1815-30) did not bring significant achievements to French music. By the end of the Restoration period, there was a revival in the field of culture. In the struggle against the academic art of the Napoleonic Empire, French romantic opera took shape, which in the 20-30s took a dominant position (F. Aubert). During these same years, the genre of grand opera with historical, patriotic and heroic plots emerged. French musical romanticism found its most vivid expression in the work of G. Berlioz, the creator of programmatic romantic symphonism. Berlioz, along with Wagner, is also considered the founder of a new school of conducting.

An important event in the life of public France in the 1870s was the Paris Commune of 1870-1871. This period gave rise to many working songs, one of which, “The Internationale” (music by Pierre Degeyter with lyrics by Eugene Pothier) became the anthem of the communist parties, and in 1944 - the anthem of the USSR.

XX century

In the late 80s - 90s of the 19th century, a new movement arose in France, which became widespread at the beginning of the 20th century - impressionism. Musical impressionism revived certain national traditions - the desire for concreteness, programmaticity, sophistication of style, transparency of texture. Impressionism found its most complete expression in the music of C. Debussy and influenced the work of M. Ravel, P. Dukas and others. Impressionism also introduced innovations into the field of musical genres. In Debussy's work, symphonic cycles give way to symphonic sketches; V piano music software thumbnails predominate. Maurice Ravel was also influenced by the aesthetics of impressionism. His work intertwined various aesthetic and stylistic trends - romantic, impressionistic, and in later works - neoclassical tendencies.

Along with impressionistic trends in French music at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The traditions of Saint-Saëns continued to develop, as well as Frank, whose work is characterized by a combination of classical clarity of style with bright romantic imagery.

France played a significant role in the development of electronic music - it was here that concrete music appeared in the late 1940s, a computer with graphical information input - UPI - was developed under the leadership of Xenakis, and in the 1970s the direction of spectral music was born in France. Since 1977, the center of experimental music has been IRCAM, a research institute opened by Pierre Boulez.

Modernity

Academic music

Its capital, Paris, remains the musical center of France. The State Opera of Paris operates in Paris (gives performances at the Opera Garnier and Opera Bastille theaters), concerts and opera performances are given at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, among the leading musical groups - National Orchestra France, Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Orchestra of Paris, Orchestra Colonna and others.

Among the specialized music educational institutions are the Paris Conservatory, Skola Cantorum, Ecole Normale - in Paris. The most important musical research center is the Institute of Musicology at the University of Paris. Books and archival materials are stored in the National Library (the department of music was created in), the Library and the Museum of Musical Instruments at the Conservatory.

In modern culture, chanson is popular French music that retains the specific rhythm of the French language, differing from songs written under the influence of English-language music. Among the outstanding chanson performers are Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, Joe Dassin, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Leo Ferret, Jean Ferrat, Georges Moustakis, Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kaas and others. Performers of French chanson are usually called chansonniers. In the 1960s, a popular variety of chanson was the yé-yé (yé-yé, yéyé) direction, represented mainly by female performers, among them France Gall, Sylvie Vartan, Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, Dalida, Michelle Torre.

France has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest three times - in and around the world. Five French musicians won the Eurovision Song Contest - Andre Clavier (), Jacqueline Boyer (), Isabelle Aubray (), Frida Boccara () and Marie Miriam (), after which the highest achievement of the French was second place in 2016.

Jazz

French house became a specific phenomenon, characterized by an abundance of phaser effects and frequency cuts inherent in the Eurodisco of the 1970s. The founders of this trend are considered to be Daft Punk, Cassius and Etienne de Crécy. In the 2000s, house DJ David Guetta became one of the highest paid French musicians.

Rock and hip-hop

Rock music in France began in the late 1950s with artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Richard Anthony, Dick Rivers and Claude Francois performing rock and roll in the spirit of Elvis Presley. Progressive rock was well established in France in the 1970s. Among the patriarchs of French rock of the 1960s and 70s are the progressive rock groups Art Zoyd, Gong, Magma, which are close in sound to German krautrock. The 1970s also saw a flourishing Celtic rock scene, particularly in the north-west, where Alan Stivell, Malicorne, Tri Yann and others hailed from. The key groups of the 80s were post-punks Noir Désir, metallers Shakin' Street and Mystery Blue. In the 1990s, an underground black metal movement was formed in France Les Légions Noires. The most successful groups last decade- metallers Anorexia Nervosa and rapcore performers Pleymo.

Pleymo are also associated with the French hip-hop scene. This "street" style is very popular among non-indigenous people, Arab and African immigrants. Some performers from immigrant families have achieved mass fame, for example K.Maro, Diam's, MC Solaar, Stromae, Sexion d'Assaut.

France hosts such rock music festivals as Eurockéennes (since 1989), La Route du Rock (since 1991), Vieilles Charrues Festival (since 1992), Rock en Seine (since 2003), Main Square Festival (since 2004), Les Massiliades (since 2008).

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Literature

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Schneerson G., Music of France, M., 1958
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Marc Robine, Il était une fois la chanson française, Paris, Fayard/Chorus, 2004, (ISBN 2-213-61910-7).
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Damien Ehrhardt, Les relations franco-allemandes et la musique à program, Lyon, Symétrie, 2009 (collection Perpetuum mobile) (ISBN 978-2-914373-43-2)
Collectif (Auteur) Un Siècle de chansons françaises 1979-1989(Partition de musique), Csdem, 2009 (ISBN 979-0-231-31373-4)
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An excerpt characterizing the Music of France

All this news made me dizzy... But Veya, as usual, was surprisingly calm, and this gave me the strength to ask further.
– And who do you call an adult?.. If there are such people, of course.
- Well, of course! – the girl laughed sincerely. - Want to see?
I just nodded, because suddenly, out of fright, my throat completely closed up, and my “fluttering” conversational gift was lost somewhere... I understood perfectly well that right now I would see a real “star” creature!.. And, despite the fact that, as long as I could remember, I had been waiting for this all my adult life, now suddenly all my courage for some reason quickly “gone to the ground”...
Veya waved her palm - the terrain changed. Instead of golden mountains and a stream, we found ourselves in a marvelous, moving, transparent “city” (at least, it looked like a city). And straight towards us, along a wide, wetly shining silver “road”, a stunning man was slowly walking... He was a tall, proud old man, who could not be called anything else other than - majestic!.. Everything about him was somehow... sometimes very correct and wise - and thoughts as pure as crystal (which for some reason I heard very clearly); and long silver hair covering him with a shimmering cloak; and the same amazingly kind, huge purple “Vain’s” eyes... And on his high forehead there was a shining, marvelously sparkling gold, diamond “star”.
“Rest in peace, Father,” Veya said quietly, touching her forehead with her fingers.
“And you, the one who has left,” the old man answered sadly.
There was an air of endless kindness and affection from him. And suddenly I really wanted, like a little child, to bury myself in his lap and hide from everything for at least a few seconds, inhaling the deep peace emanating from him, and not think about the fact that I’m scared... that I don’t know where my home... and what I don’t know at all is where I am, and what’s really happening to me at the moment...
“Who are you, creature?..” I mentally heard his gentle voice.
“I’m a man,” I answered. - Sorry for disturbing your peace. My name is Svetlana.
The elder looked at me warmly and carefully with his wise eyes, and for some reason approval shone in them.
“You wanted to see the Wise One - you see him,” Veya said quietly. – Do you want to ask something?
– Please tell me, does evil exist in your wonderful world? – although ashamed of my question, I still decided to ask.
– What do you call “evil”, Man-Svetlana? - asked the sage.
– Lies, murder, betrayal... Don’t you have such words?..
– It was a long time ago... no one remembers anymore. Just me. But we know what it was. This is embedded in our “ancient memory” so that we never forget. Have you come from where evil lives?
I nodded sadly. I was very upset for my native Earth, and for the fact that life on it was so wildly imperfect that it forced me to ask such questions... But, at the same time, I really wanted Evil to leave our Home forever, because that I loved this house with all my heart, and very often dreamed that someday such a wonderful day would come when:
a person will smile with joy, knowing that people can only bring him good...
when a lonely girl will not be afraid to walk through the darkest street in the evening, without fear that someone will offend her...
when you can joyfully open your heart without fear that your best friend will betray you...
when you can leave something very expensive right on the street, without fear that if you turn your back, it will be stolen right away...
And I sincerely, with all my heart, believed that somewhere there really was such a wonderful world, where there is no evil and fear, but there is a simple joy of life and beauty... That is why, following my naive dream, I took the slightest opportunity to at least learn something about how it is possible to destroy this same, so tenacious and so indestructible, our earthly Evil... And also - so that I will never be ashamed to say to someone somewhere that I am a Man. ..
Of course, these were naive childhood dreams... But then I was still just a child.
– My name is Atis, Man-Svetlana. I have lived here from the very beginning, I have seen Evil... A lot of evil...
- How did you get rid of him, wise Atis?! Did someone help you?.. – I asked hopefully. – Can you help us?.. Give at least some advice?
- We found the reason... And killed her. But your evil is beyond our control. It is different... Just like others and you. And the good of others may not always be good for you. You must find your own reason. And destroy it,” he gently put his hand on my head and a wonderful peace flowed into me... “Farewell, Man-Svetlana... You will find the answer to your question.” May you rest...
I stood deep in thought, and did not pay attention to the fact that the reality around me had long ago changed, and instead of a strange, transparent city, we were now “swimming” through dense purple “water” on some unusual, flat and transparent device, which there were no handles, no oars - nothing at all, as if we were standing on a large, thin, moving transparent glass. Although no movement or rocking was felt at all. It slid across the surface surprisingly smoothly and calmly, making you forget that it was moving at all...
-What is this?..Where are we going? – I asked in surprise.
“To pick up your little friend,” Veya answered calmly.
- But how?!. She can't do it, can she?
- Will be able. “She has the same crystal as you,” was the answer. “We’ll meet her at the “bridge,” and without explaining anything further, she soon stopped our strange “boat.”
Now we were already at the foot of some shiny “polished” wall, black as night, which was sharply different from everything light and sparkling around, and seemed artificially created and alien. Suddenly the wall “parted”, as if in that place it consisted of dense fog, and in a golden “cocoon” appeared... Stella. Fresh and healthy, as if she had just gone out for a pleasant walk... And, of course, wildly happy with what was happening... Seeing me, her sweet little face shone happily and, out of habit, she immediately started babbling:
– Are you here too?!... Oh, how good!!! And I was so worried!.. So worried!.. I thought something had definitely happened to you. How did you get here?.. – the little girl stared at me, dumbfounded.
“I think the same as you,” I smiled.
“And when I saw that you were carried away, I immediately tried to catch up with you!” But I tried and tried and nothing worked... until she came. – Stella pointed her pen at Veya. – I am very grateful to you for this, girl Veya! – out of her funny habit of addressing two people at once, she thanked sweetly.
“This “girl” is two million years old...” I whispered in my friend’s ear.
Stella's eyes widened in surprise, and she herself remained standing in a quiet stupor, slowly digesting the stunning news...
“Huh, two million?.. Why is she so small?..” Stella gasped, stunned.
- Yes, she says that they live a long time... Maybe your essence is from the same place? – I joked. But Stella apparently didn’t like my joke at all, because she immediately became indignant:
- How can you?!.. I’m just like you! I’m not “purple” at all!..
I felt funny and a little ashamed - the little girl was a real patriot...
As soon as Stella appeared here, I immediately felt happy and strong. Apparently our common, sometimes dangerous, “floor walks” had a positive effect on my mood, and this immediately put everything in its place.
Stella looked around in delight, and it was clear that she was eager to bombard our “guide” with a thousand questions. But the little girl heroically held back, trying to seem more serious and mature than she actually was...
– Please tell me, girl Veya, where can we go? – Stella asked very politely. Apparently, she was never able to get her head around the idea that Veya could be so “old”...
“Wherever you want, since you’re here,” the “star” girl calmly answered.
We looked around - we were drawn in all directions at once!.. It was incredibly interesting and we wanted to see everything, but we understood perfectly well that we could not stay here forever. Therefore, seeing how Stella fidgeted in place with impatience, I invited her to choose where we should go.
- Oh, please, can we see what kind of “living creatures” you have here? – unexpectedly for me, Stella asked.
Of course, I would like to watch something else, but there was nowhere to go - I offered her to choose...
We found ourselves in something like a very bright forest, bursting with colors. It was absolutely amazing!.. But for some reason I suddenly thought that I wouldn’t want to stay in such a forest for a long time... It was, again, too beautiful and bright, a little oppressive, not at all like our soothing and fresh, green and light earthly forest.
It's probably true that everyone should be where they truly belong. And I immediately thought about our sweet “star” baby... How she must have missed her home and her native and familiar environment!.. Only now I was able to understand at least a little how lonely she must have been in our imperfect and at times dangerous Earth...
- Please tell me, Veya, why did Atis call you gone? – I finally asked the question annoyingly swirling in my head.
– Oh, that’s because once upon a time, a long time ago, my family voluntarily went to help other beings who needed our help. This happens to us often. And those who left never return to their home... This is the right of free choice, so they know what they are doing. That's why Atis took pity on me...
– Who leaves if you can’t come back? – Stella was surprised.
“Very many... Sometimes even more than necessary,” Veya became sad. “Once our “wise” people were even afraid that we wouldn’t have enough Viilis left to properly inhabit our planet...
- What is viilis? – Stella became interested.
- This is us. Just like you are people, we are Viilis. And our planet is called Viilis. – Veya answered.
And then I suddenly realized that for some reason we didn’t even think of asking about this earlier!.. But this is the first thing we should have asked!
– Have you changed, or have you always been like this? – I asked again.
“They changed, but only inside, if that’s what you meant,” Veya answered.
A huge, crazy bright, multi-colored bird flew over our heads... A crown of shiny orange “feathers” sparkled on its head, and its wings were long and fluffy, as if it was wearing a multi-colored cloud. The bird sat on a stone and stared very seriously in our direction...
- Why is she looking at us so carefully? – Stella asked, shivering, and it seemed to me that she had another question in her head – “has this “bird” already had lunch today?”...
The bird cautiously jumped closer. Stella squeaked and jumped back. The bird took another step... It was three times larger than Stella, but it did not seem aggressive, but rather curious.
- Did she like me, or what? – Stella pouted. - Why doesn’t she come to you? What does she want from me?..
It was funny to watch how the little girl could barely restrain herself from shooting away from here. Apparently the beautiful bird did not evoke much sympathy in her...
Suddenly the bird spread its wings and a blinding light came from them. Slowly, slowly, a fog began to swirl above the wings, similar to the one that fluttered over Veya when we saw her for the first time. The fog swirled and thickened more and more, becoming like a thick curtain, and from this curtain huge, almost human eyes looked at us...
“Oh, is she turning into someone?!..” Stella squealed. - Look, look!..
It really was something to look at, since the “bird” suddenly began to “deform”, turning either into an animal, with human eyes, or into a man, with an animal body...
-What is this? – my friend bulged her brown eyes in surprise. -What is happening to her?..
And the “bird” had already slipped out of its wings, and in front of us stood a very unusual creature. It looked like a half-bird, half-man, with a large beak and a triangular human face, very flexible, like a cheetah, with a body and predatory, wild movements... She was very beautiful and, at the same time, very scary.
- This is Miard. – Wei introduced the creature. – If you want, he will show you the “living creatures”, as you say.
The creature, named Miard, began to have fairy wings again. And he waved them invitingly in our direction.
- Why him? Are you very busy, “star” Wei?
Stella had a very unhappy face, because she was clearly afraid of this strange “beautiful monster,” but she apparently did not have the courage to admit it. I think she would rather go with him than admit that she was simply scared... Veya, having clearly read Stella’s thoughts, immediately reassured:
– He is very affectionate and kind, you will like him. You wanted to watch something live, and he knows this better than anyone.
Miard approached cautiously, as if sensing that Stella was afraid of him... But this time for some reason I wasn’t scared at all, rather the opposite - he interested me wildly.
He came close to Stella, who at that moment was almost squealing inside with horror, and carefully touched her cheek with his soft, fluffy wing... A purple fog swirled over Stella’s red head.
“Oh, look, mine is the same as Veiya’s!..” the surprised little girl exclaimed enthusiastically. - How did this happen?.. Oh-oh, how beautiful!.. - this already referred to the new area that appeared before our eyes with absolutely incredible animals.
We stood on the hilly bank of a wide, mirror-like river, the water in which was strangely “frozen” and, it seemed, one could calmly walk on it - it did not move at all. A sparkling fog swirled above the river surface, like a delicate transparent smoke.
As I finally guessed, this “fog, which we saw everywhere here, somehow enhanced any actions of the creatures living here: it opened up the brightness of their vision for them, served as a reliable means of teleportation, in general, it helped in everything they could at that moment these creatures were not engaged. And I think it was used for something else, much, much more, which we could not yet understand...
The river meandered like a beautiful wide “snake” and, smoothly going into the distance, disappeared somewhere between the lush green hills. And along both its banks amazing animals walked, lay and flew... It was so beautiful that we literally froze, amazed by this stunning sight...
The animals were very similar to unprecedented royal dragons, very bright and proud, as if they knew how beautiful they were... Their long, curved necks sparkled with orange gold, and on their heads there were red spiked crowns with teeth. The royal beasts moved slowly and majestically, with every movement shining with their scaly, pearlescent blue bodies, which literally burst into flames when exposed to the golden-blue rays of the sun.
- Beauty-and-and-more!!! – Stella barely exhaled in delight. – Are they very dangerous?
“Dangerous people don’t live here; we haven’t had them for a long time.” I don’t remember how long ago... - came the answer, and only then did we notice that Vaiya was not with us, but Miard was addressing us...
Stella looked around in fear, apparently not feeling too comfortable with our new acquaintance...
– So you have no danger at all? – I was surprised.
“Only external,” came the answer. - If they attack.
– Does this also happen?
“The last time it was before me,” Miard answered seriously.
His voice sounded soft and deep in our brains, like velvet, and it was very unusual to think that such a strange half-human creature was communicating with us in our own “language”... But we are probably already too accustomed to all sorts of wonderful miracles, because within a minute they were freely communicating with him, completely forgetting that he was not a person.
- And what - you never have any troubles?! – the little girl shook her head in disbelief. – But then you’re not at all interested in living here!..
She spoke of a real, unquenchable Earthly “thirst for adventure.” And I understood her perfectly. But I think it would be very difficult to explain this to Miard...
- Why isn’t it interesting? – our “guide” was surprised, and suddenly, interrupting himself, pointed upward. – Look – Saviya!!!
We looked at the top and were dumbfounded.... Fairy-tale creatures were smoothly floating in the light pink sky!.. They were completely transparent and, like everything else on this planet, incredibly colorful. It seemed as if marvelous, sparkling flowers were flying across the sky, only they were incredibly large... And each of them had a different, fantastically beautiful, unearthly face.
“Oh-oh.... Look... Oh, what a miracle...” for some reason Stella said in a whisper, completely stunned.
I don't think I've ever seen her so shocked. But there really was something to be surprised about... In no way, even the wildest fantasy, could it be possible to imagine such creatures! , spraying sparkling golden dust behind him... Miard made a strange “whistle”, and the fairy-tale creatures suddenly began to smoothly descend, forming above us a solid, huge “umbrella” flashing with all the colors of their crazy rainbow... It was so beautiful what was breathtaking!..
The first to “land” to us was pearl-blue, pink-winged Savia, who, having folded her sparkling wings-petals into a “bouquet”, began to look at us with great curiosity, but without any fear... It was impossible to calmly look at her whimsical beauty, which She attracted me like a magnet and I wanted to admire her endlessly...
– Don’t look too long – Savia is fascinating. You won't want to leave here. Their beauty is dangerous if you don’t want to lose yourself,” Miard said quietly.
- Why did you say that there is nothing dangerous here? So this isn't true? – Stella was immediately indignant.
“But this is not a danger that needs to be feared or fought against.” “I thought that’s what you meant when you asked,” Miard was upset.
- Come on! We, apparently, will have different concepts about many things. This is normal, right? – “nobly” the little girl reassured him. -Can I talk to them?
- Speak if you can hear. – Miard turned to the miracle Savia who had come down to us, and showed something.
The wondrous creature smiled and came closer to us, while the rest of his (or her?..) friends still floated easily right above us, sparkling and shimmering in the bright rays of the sun.
“I am Lilis...lis...is...” an amazing voice echoed. He was very soft, and at the same time very sonorous (if such opposite concepts can be combined into one).
- Hello, beautiful Lillis. – Stella joyfully greeted the creature. - I'm Stella. And here she is – Svetlana. We are people. And you, we know, Saviya. Where did you come from? And what is Saviya? – questions again rained down, but I didn’t even try to stop her, since it was completely useless... Stella simply “wanted to know everything!” And she always remained like that.
Lillis came very close to her and began to examine Stella with her bizarre, huge eyes. They were bright crimson, with gold specks inside, and sparkled like precious stones. The face of this wonderful creature looked amazingly tender and fragile, and had the shape of a petal of our earthly lily. She “spoke” without opening her mouth, at the same time smiling at us with her small, round lips... But, probably, the most amazing thing they had was their hair... It was very long, almost reaching the edge of the transparent wing, absolutely weightless and , not having a constant color, all the time flashed with the most different and most unexpected brilliant rainbows... The transparent bodies of Savius were sexless (like the body of a small earthly child), and from the back they turned into “petals-wings”, which really made them look like huge bright flowers...
“We flew from the mountains...” a strange echo sounded again.
- Or maybe you can tell us faster? – impatient Stella asked Miarda. - Who are they?
– They were brought from another world once upon a time. Their world was dying and we wanted to save them. At first they thought they could live with everyone, but they couldn’t. They live very high in the mountains, no one can get there. But if you look into their eyes for a long time, they will take you with them... And you will live with them.
Stella shivered and moved slightly away from Lilis who was standing next to her... - What do they do when they take it away?
- Nothing. They just live with those who are taken away. It was probably different in their world, but now they just do it out of habit. But for us they are very valuable - they “clean” the planet. Nobody ever got sick after they came.
- So you saved them not because you were sorry, but because you needed them?!.. Is it really good to use them? – I was afraid that Miard would be offended (as they say, don’t go into someone else’s house with boots...) and pushed Stella hard in the side, but she didn’t pay any attention to me, and now turned to Savia. – Do you like living here? Are you sad for your planet?
“No, no... It’s beautiful here, gray and willow...” whispered the same soft voice. - And good-osho...
Lillis suddenly raised one of her sparkling "petals" and gently stroked Stella's cheek.
“Baby... Nice one... Stella-la...” and fog sparkled over Stella’s head for the second time, but this time it was multi-colored...
Lilis smoothly flapped her transparent petal wings and began to slowly rise until she joined her own. The Savii became agitated, and suddenly, flashing very brightly, they disappeared...
-Where did they go? – the little girl was surprised.
- They are gone. Here, look... - and Miard pointed to the already very far away, towards the mountains, smoothly floating in the pink sky, marvelous creatures illuminated by the sun. - They went home...
Wei suddenly appeared...
“It’s time for you,” the “star” girl said sadly. “You can’t stay here for so long.” It's hard.
- Oh, but we haven’t seen anything yet! – Stella was upset. – Can we come back here again, dear Veya? Farewell, good Miard! You're good. I will definitely come back to you! – as always, addressing everyone at once, Stella said goodbye.
Veya waved her hand, and we again swirled in a frantic whirlpool of sparkling matter, after a short (or maybe it just seemed short?) moment, “throwing us out” onto our usual Mental “floor”...
“Oh, how interesting it is!” Stella squealed in delight.
It seemed that she was ready to endure the heaviest loads, just to return once again to the colorful Weiying world that she loved so much. Suddenly I thought that she really must have liked him, since he was very similar to her own, which she loved to create for herself here, on the “floors”...
My enthusiasm has diminished a little, because I have already seen this beautiful planet, and now I desperately wanted something else!.. I felt that dizzying “taste of the unknown”, and I really wanted to repeat it... I already knew that this “hunger” would poison my further existence, and that I would always this will be missed. Thus, wanting to remain at least a little happy person in the future, I had to find some way to “open” the door to other worlds for myself... But then I still hardly understood that opening such a door is not so easy just... And that many more winters will pass until I will be free to “walk” wherever I want, and that someone else will open this door for me... And this other will be my amazing husband.
- Well, what are we going to do next? – Stella pulled me out of my dreams.
She was upset and sad that she didn't get to see more. But I was very glad that she became herself again and now I was absolutely sure that from that day on she would definitely stop moping and would be ready again for any new “adventures.”
“Please forgive me, but I probably won’t do anything else today...” I said apologetically. - But thank you very much for helping.
Stella beamed. She really loved feeling needed, so I always tried to show her how much she meant to me (which was absolutely true).
- OK. “We’ll go somewhere else another time,” she agreed complacently.
I think she, like me, was a little exhausted, but, as always, she tried not to show it. I waved my hand at her... and found myself at home, on my favorite sofa, with a bunch of impressions that now needed to be calmly comprehended, and slowly, leisurely “digested”...

By the age of ten I had become very attached to my father.
I've always adored him. But, unfortunately, in my first childhood years he traveled a lot and was at home too rarely. Every day spent with him at that time was a holiday for me, which I later remembered for a long time, and piece by piece I collected all the words dad said, trying to keep them in my soul, like a precious gift.
From an early age, I always had the impression that I had to earn my father’s attention. I don't know where this came from or why. No one ever stopped me from seeing him or communicating with him. On the contrary, my mother always tried not to disturb us if she saw us together. And dad always gladly spent everything he had left over from work with me, free time. We would go into the forest with him, plant strawberries in our garden, go to the river to swim, or just talk while sitting under our favorite old apple tree, which is what I loved to do almost everything.

In the forest for the first mushrooms...

On the banks of the Nemunas River (Neman)

Dad was an excellent conversationalist, and I was ready to listen to him for hours if such an opportunity arose... Probably just his strict attitude towards life, the arrangement of life values, the never changing habit of not getting anything for nothing, all this created for me the impression that I must deserve it too...
I remember very well how, as a very small child, I hung on his neck when he returned home from business trips, endlessly repeating how much I loved him. And dad looked at me seriously and answered: “If you love me, you shouldn’t tell me this, but you should always show it...”
And it was these words of his that remained an unwritten law for me for the rest of my life... True, I probably wasn’t always very good at “showing”, but I always tried honestly.
And in general, for everything that I am now, I owe it to my father, who, step by step, sculpted my future “I”, never giving any concessions, despite how selflessly and sincerely he loved me. During the most difficult years of my life, my father was my “island of calm,” where I could return at any time, knowing that I was always welcome there.
Having lived a very difficult and turbulent life himself, he wanted to be sure that I could stand up for myself in any unfavorable circumstances for me and would not break down from any troubles in life.
Actually, I can say from the bottom of my heart that I was very, very lucky with my parents. If they had been a little different, who knows where I would be now, and whether I would be at all...
I also think that fate brought my parents together for a reason. Because it seemed absolutely impossible for them to meet...
My dad was born in Siberia, in the distant city of Kurgan. Siberia was not the original place of residence dad's family. This was the decision of the then “fair” Soviet government and, as has always been accepted, was not subject to discussion...
So, my real grandparents, one fine morning, were rudely escorted from their beloved and very beautiful, huge family estate, cut off from their usual life, and put into a completely creepy, dirty and cold carriage, heading in a frightening direction - Siberia...
Everything that I will talk about further was collected by me bit by bit from the memories and letters of our relatives in France, England, as well as from the stories and memories of my relatives and friends in Russia and Lithuania.
To my great regret, I was able to do this only after my father’s death, many, many years later...
Grandfather’s sister Alexandra Obolensky (later Alexis Obolensky) and Vasily and Anna Seryogin, who voluntarily went, were also exiled with them, who followed their grandfather by their own choice, since Vasily Nikandrovich for many years was grandfather’s attorney in all his affairs and one of the most his close friends.

Alexandra (Alexis) Obolenskaya Vasily and Anna Seryogin

Probably, you had to be truly a FRIEND in order to find the strength to make such a choice and go of your own free will to where you were going, as you go only to your own death. And this “death”, unfortunately, was then called Siberia...
I have always been very sad and painful for our beautiful Siberia, so proud, but so mercilessly trampled by the Bolshevik boots! ... And no words can tell how much suffering, pain, lives and tears this proud, but tormented land has absorbed... Is it because it was once the heart of our ancestral home that the “far-sighted revolutionaries” decided to denigrate and destroy this land, choosing it for their own devilish purposes?... After all, for many people, even many years later, Siberia still remained a “cursed” land, where someone’s father, someone’s brother, someone’s died. then a son... or maybe even someone's entire family.
My grandmother, whom I, to my great chagrin, never knew, was pregnant with my father at that time and had a very difficult time with the journey. But, of course, there was no need to wait for help from anywhere... So the young Princess Elena, instead of the quiet rustling of books in the family library or the usual sounds of the piano when she played her favorite works, this time she listened only to the ominous sound of wheels, which seemed to menacingly They were counting down the remaining hours of her life, so fragile and which had become a real nightmare... She sat on some bags by the dirty carriage window and incessantly looked at the last pathetic traces of the “civilization” that was so familiar and familiar to her, going further and further away...
Grandfather's sister, Alexandra, with the help of friends, managed to escape at one of the stops. By general agreement, she was supposed to get (if she was lucky) to France, where her entire family was currently living. True, none of those present had any idea how she could do this, but since this was their only, albeit small, but certainly last hope, giving it up was too great a luxury for their completely hopeless situation. Alexandra’s husband, Dmitry, was also in France at that moment, with the help of whom they hoped, from there, to try to help her grandfather’s family get out of the nightmare into which life had so mercilessly thrown them, at the vile hands of brutal people...
Upon arrival in Kurgan, they were placed in a cold basement, without explaining anything and without answering any questions. Two days later, some people came for my grandfather and said that they allegedly came to “escort” him to another “destination”... They took him away like a criminal, without allowing him to take any things with him, and without deigning to explain, where and for how long he is being taken. No one ever saw grandfather again. After some time, an unknown military man brought his grandfather’s personal belongings to the grandmother in a dirty coal sack... without explaining anything and leaving no hope of seeing him alive. At this point, any information about my grandfather’s fate ceased, as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth without any traces or evidence...
The tormented, tormented heart of poor Princess Elena did not want to come to terms with such a terrible loss, and she literally bombarded the local staff officer with requests to clarify the circumstances of the death of her beloved Nicholas. But the “red” officers were blind and deaf to the requests of a lonely woman, as they called her, “of the nobles,” who was for them just one of thousands and thousands of nameless “license” units that meant nothing in their cold and cruel world ...It was a real inferno, from which there was no way out back into that familiar and kind world in which her home, her friends, and everything that she had been accustomed to from an early age remained, and that she loved so strongly and sincerely... And there was no one who could help or at least give the slightest hope of survival.
The Seryogins tried to maintain presence of mind for the three of them, and tried by any means to lift the mood of Princess Elena, but she went deeper and deeper into an almost complete stupor, and sometimes sat all day long in an indifferently frozen state, almost not reacting to her friends’ attempts to save her heart. and the mind from final depression. There were only two things that briefly brought her back to real world- if someone started a conversation about her unborn child or if any, even the slightest, new details came about the supposed death of her beloved Nikolai. She desperately wanted to know (while she was still alive) what really happened, and where her husband was, or at least where his body was buried (or dumped).
Unfortunately, there is almost no information left about the lives of these two courageous and bright people, Elena and Nicholas de Rohan-Hesse-Obolensky, but even those few lines from Elena’s two remaining letters to her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, which were somehow preserved in Alexandra’s family archives in France, show how deeply and tenderly she loved her missing husband princess. Only a few handwritten sheets have survived, some of the lines of which, unfortunately, cannot be deciphered at all. But even what was successful screams with deep pain about a great human misfortune, which, without experiencing, is not easy to understand and impossible to accept.

April 12, 1927. From a letter from Princess Elena to Alexandra (Alix) Obolenskaya:
“I’m very tired today. I returned from Sinyachikha completely broken. The carriages are filled with people, it would be a shame to even carry livestock in them…………………………….. We stopped in the forest - there was such a delicious smell of mushrooms and strawberries... It’s hard to believe that it was there that these unfortunates were killed! Poor Ellochka (meaning Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna, who was related to my grandfather on the Hessian side) was killed nearby, in this terrible Staroselim mine... what a horror! My soul cannot accept this. Do you remember we said: “may the earth rest in peace”?.. Great God, how can such a land rest in peace?!..
Oh Alix, my dear Alix! How can one get used to such horror? ...................... ..................... I'm so tired of begging and humiliating myself... Everything will be completely useless if the Cheka does not agree to send a request to Alapaevsk...... I will never know where to look for him, and I will never know what they did to him. Not an hour goes by without me thinking about such a dear face to me... What a horror it is to imagine that he lies in some abandoned pit or at the bottom of a mine!.. How can one endure this everyday nightmare, knowing that he has already will I never see him?!.. Just like my poor Cornflower (the name that was given to my dad at birth) will never see him... Where is the limit of cruelty? And why do they call themselves people?..
My dear, kind Alix, how I miss you!.. If only I could know that everything is fine with you, and that Dmitry, dear to your soul, does not leave you in these difficult moments........ ................................... If I had even a drop of hope left to find my dear Nikolai, I would seems to have endured everything. My soul seems to have gotten used to this terrible loss, but it still hurts a lot... Everything without him is different and so desolate.”

May 18, 1927. An excerpt from Princess Elena’s letter to Alexandra (Alix) Obolenskaya:
“The same dear doctor came again. I can’t prove to him that I simply don’t have any more strength. He says that I should live for the sake of little Vasilko... Is this so?.. What will he find on this terrible earth, my poor baby? ........................................ The cough has returned, and sometimes it becomes impossible to breathe. The doctor always leaves some drops, but I’m ashamed that I can’t thank him in any way. ................................... Sometimes I dream about our favorite room. And my piano... God, how far it all is! And did all this even happen? ........................... and the cherries in the garden, and our nanny, so affectionate and kind. Where is all this now? ................................ (out the window?) I don’t want to look, it’s all covered in soot and only dirty boots are visible … I hate damp.”

My poor grandmother, from the dampness in the room, which was not warmed up even in summer, soon fell ill with tuberculosis. And, apparently weakened by the shocks she had suffered, starvation and illness, she died during childbirth, without ever seeing her baby, and without finding (at least!) the grave of his father. Literally before her death, she took the word from the Seryogins that, no matter how difficult it was for them, they would take the newborn (if he survived, of course) to France, to his grandfather’s sister. Which, at that wild time, to promise, of course, was almost “wrong”, since, unfortunately, the Seryogins had no real opportunity to do this... But they, nevertheless, promised her that at least somehow to ease the last minutes of her, so brutally ruined, very young life, and so that her soul, tormented by pain, could, at least with little hope, leave this cruel world... And even knowing that they will do everything possible to keep their word given to Elena , The Seryogins still didn’t really believe in their hearts that they would ever be able to bring this whole crazy idea to life...

Story

Origins

Renaissance

At the end of the 15th century. Renaissance culture is established in France. The development of French culture was affected by such factors as the emergence of the bourgeoisie (15th century), the struggle for the unification of France (ended by the end of the 15th century) and the creation of a centralized state. The continuous development of folk art and the activities of composers of the Franco-Flemish school were also significant.

The role of music in social life is increasing. French kings created large chapels at their courts, organized musical festivals, and the royal court became the center of professional art. The role of the court chapel was strengthened. Henry III established the position of “Chief Intendant of Music” at court, the first to hold this post was the Italian violinist Baltazarini de Belgioso. Along with the royal court and the church, aristocratic salons were also important centers of musical art.

The heyday of the Renaissance, associated with the formation of French national culture, occurred in the mid-16th century. At this time, the secular polyphonic song - chanson - became an outstanding genre of professional art. Her polyphonic style receives a new interpretation, consonant with the ideas of the French humanists - Rabelais, Clément Marot, Pierre de Ronsard. The leading author of chansons of this era is considered to be Clément Janequin, who wrote more than 200 polyphonic songs. Chansons became famous not only in France, but also abroad, largely thanks to music printing and the strengthening of ties between European countries.

Education

17th century

The rationalistic aesthetics of classicism had a strong influence on French music of the 17th century, which put forward the requirements of taste, balance of beauty and truth, clarity of design, harmony of composition. Classicism, which developed simultaneously with the Baroque style, appeared in France in the 17th century. complete expression.

At this time, secular music in France prevails over spiritual music. With the establishment of the absolute monarchy, court art acquired great importance, which determined the direction of development of the most important genres of French music of that time - opera and ballet. The years of the reign of Louis XIV were marked by the extraordinary splendor of court life, the desire of the nobility for luxury and refined amusements. In this regard, a large role was assigned to court ballet. In the 17th century Italian trends intensified at court, which was especially facilitated by Cardinal Mazarin. Acquaintance with Italian opera served as an incentive to create his own national opera; the first experience in this area belonged to Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (“The Triumph of Love”).

At the end of the 17th - first half of the 18th century, composers such as N. A. Charpentier, A. Kampra, M. R. Delalande, A. K. Detouch wrote for the theater. Among Lully's successors, the conventions of the court theatrical style intensified. In their lyrical tragedies, decorative-ballet, pastoral-idyllic aspects come to the fore, and the dramatic beginning is increasingly weakened. Lyrical tragedy gives way to opera-ballet.

XVIII century

In the 18th century, with the growing influence of the bourgeoisie, new forms of musical and social life took shape. Gradually, concerts go beyond the boundaries of palace halls and aristocratic salons. In A. Philidor (Danican) organized regular public “Spiritual Concerts” in Paris, in Francois Gossec founded the “Amateur Concerts” society. The evenings of the academic society “Friends of Apollo” (founded in 1980) were more secluded; annual series of concerts were organized by the “Royal Academy of Music”.

The system of music education has also undergone radical transformations. Metrises were cancelled; but in the National Guard a music school was opened to train military musicians, and in the National Institute of Music (with the Paris Conservatoire).

An important event in the life of public France in the 1870s was the Paris Commune of 1870-1871. This period gave rise to many work songs, one of which, “The Internationale” (music by Pierre Degeyter with lyrics by Eugene Potier) became the anthem of the communist parties, and in 1944 - the anthem of the USSR.

XX century

In the late 80s - 90s of the 19th century, a new movement arose in France, which became widespread at the beginning of the 20th century - impressionism. Musical impressionism revived certain national traditions - the desire for concreteness, programmaticity, sophistication of style, transparency of texture. Impressionism found its most complete expression in the music of C. Debussy and influenced the work of M. Ravel, P. Dukas and others. Impressionism also introduced innovations into the field of musical genres. In Debussy's work, symphonic cycles give way to symphonic sketches; program miniatures predominate in piano music. Maurice Ravel was also influenced by the aesthetics of impressionism. His work intertwined various aesthetic and stylistic trends - romantic, impressionistic, and in later works - neoclassical tendencies.

Along with impressionistic trends in French music at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The traditions of Saint-Saëns continued to develop, as well as Franck, whose work is characterized by a combination of classical clarity of style with vivid romantic imagery.

France played a significant role in the development of electronic music - it was here that concrete music appeared in the late 1940s, a computer with graphical information input - UPI was developed under the leadership of Xenakis, and in the 1970s the direction of spectral music was born in France. Since 1977, the center of experimental music has been IRCAM, a research institute opened by Pierre Boulez.

Modernity

Academic music

Its capital, Paris, remains the musical center of France. In Paris, there is the “Paris State Opera” (gives performances at the Opera Garnier and Opera Bastille theaters), concerts and opera performances are given at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, among the leading musical groups are the National Orchestra of France, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, the Orchestra of Paris, the Orchestra Colonna and other.

In modern culture, chanson is popular French music that retains the specific rhythm of the French language, differing from songs written under the influence of English-language music. Among the outstanding chanson performers are Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, Joe Dassin, Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Leo Ferré, Jean Ferrat, Georges Moustakis, Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kaas and others. Performers of French chanson are usually called chansonniers. In the 1960s, a popular variety of chanson was the direction and yé-yé (yé-yé, yéyé), presented predominantly by female performers, among them France Gall, Sylvie Vartan, Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, Dalida, Michelle Thorre.

France hosted the Eurovision Song Contest three times - in , and in the years. Five French musicians won the Eurovision Song Contest - Andre Clavier (), Jacqueline Boyer (), Isabelle Aubray (), Frida Boccara () and Marie Miriam (), after which the highest achievement of the French was second place in 2016.

Jazz

Rock and hip-hop

Rock music in France began in the late 1950s with artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Richard Anthony, Dick Rivers and Claude Francois performing rock and roll in the spirit of Elvis Presley. Progressive rock was well established in France in the 1970s. Among the patriarchs of French rock of the 1960s and 70s are the progressive rock groups Art Zoyd, Gong, Magma, similar in sound to German krautrock. The 1970s also saw a flourishing Celtic rock scene, particularly in the north-west of the country, where Alan Stivell, Malicorne, Tri Yann and others hailed from. The key groups of the 80s were post-punks Noir Désir, metallers Shakin' Street and Mystery Blue. In the 1990s, an underground black metal movement was formed in France Les Légions Noires. The most successful groups of the last decade are metallers Anorexia Nervosa and rapcore performers Pleymo.

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Literature

O. A. Vinogradova.// Musical Encyclopedia, M., 1973-82
T. F. Gnativ. Musical culture of France at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries / Textbook for music universities. - K.: Musical Ukraine, 1993. - 10.92 p.s.
French music of the second half of the 19th century (collection of art.), intro. Art. and ed. M. S. Druskina, M., 1938
Schneerson G., Music of France, M., 1958
Edith Weber, Histoire de la musique française de 1500 à 1650, Regards sur l'histoire, 1999 (ISBN 978-2-7181-9301-4)
Marc Robine, Il était une fois la chanson française, Paris, Fayard/Chorus, 2004, (ISBN 2-213-61910-7).
François Porcile, La belle époque de la musique française 1871-1940, Paris, Fayard, 1999, (Chemins de la musique) (ISBN 978-2-213-60322-3)
Damien Ehrhardt, Les relations franco-allemandes et la musique à program, Lyon, Symétrie, 2009 (collection Perpetuum mobile) (ISBN 978-2-914373-43-2)
Collectif (Auteur) Un Siècle de chansons françaises 1979-1989(Partition de musique), Csdem, 2009 (ISBN 979-0-231-31373-4)
Henri, Blog: 2010.
Paris A. Le nouveau dictionnaire des interprètes. Paris: R. Laffont, 2015. IX, 1364 p. ISBN 9782221145760.
Dictionnaire des Musiciens: les Interprètes. : Encyclopaedia universalis France, 2016. ISBN 9782852295582.

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An excerpt characterizing the Music of France

All this news made me dizzy... But Veya, as usual, was surprisingly calm, and this gave me the strength to ask further.
– And who do you call an adult?.. If there are such people, of course.
- Well, of course! – the girl laughed sincerely. - Want to see?
I just nodded, because suddenly, out of fright, my throat completely closed up, and my “fluttering” conversational gift was lost somewhere... I understood perfectly well that right now I would see a real “star” creature!.. And, despite the fact that, as long as I could remember, I had been waiting for this all my adult life, now suddenly all my courage for some reason quickly “gone to the ground”...
Veya waved her palm - the terrain changed. Instead of golden mountains and a stream, we found ourselves in a marvelous, moving, transparent “city” (at least, it looked like a city). And straight towards us, along a wide, wetly shining silver “road”, a stunning man was slowly walking... He was a tall, proud old man, who could not be called anything else other than - majestic!.. Everything about him was somehow... sometimes very correct and wise - and thoughts as pure as crystal (which for some reason I heard very clearly); and long silver hair covering him with a shimmering cloak; and the same amazingly kind, huge purple “Vain’s” eyes... And on his high forehead there was a shining, marvelously sparkling gold, diamond “star”.
“Rest in peace, Father,” Veya said quietly, touching her forehead with her fingers.
“And you, the one who has left,” the old man answered sadly.
There was an air of endless kindness and affection from him. And suddenly I really wanted, like a little child, to bury myself in his lap and hide from everything for at least a few seconds, inhaling the deep peace emanating from him, and not think about the fact that I’m scared... that I don’t know where my home... and what I don’t know at all is where I am, and what’s really happening to me at the moment...
“Who are you, creature?..” I mentally heard his gentle voice.
“I’m a man,” I answered. - Sorry for disturbing your peace. My name is Svetlana.
The elder looked at me warmly and carefully with his wise eyes, and for some reason approval shone in them.
“You wanted to see the Wise One - you see him,” Veya said quietly. – Do you want to ask something?
– Please tell me, does evil exist in your wonderful world? – although ashamed of my question, I still decided to ask.
– What do you call “evil”, Man-Svetlana? - asked the sage.
– Lies, murder, betrayal... Don’t you have such words?..
– It was a long time ago... no one remembers anymore. Just me. But we know what it was. This is embedded in our “ancient memory” so that we never forget. Have you come from where evil lives?
I nodded sadly. I was very upset for my native Earth, and for the fact that life on it was so wildly imperfect that it forced me to ask such questions... But, at the same time, I really wanted Evil to leave our Home forever, because that I loved this house with all my heart, and very often dreamed that someday such a wonderful day would come when:
a person will smile with joy, knowing that people can only bring him good...
when a lonely girl will not be afraid to walk through the darkest street in the evening, without fear that someone will offend her...
when you can joyfully open your heart without fear that your best friend will betray you...
when you can leave something very expensive right on the street, without fear that if you turn your back, it will be stolen right away...
And I sincerely, with all my heart, believed that somewhere there really was such a wonderful world, where there is no evil and fear, but there is a simple joy of life and beauty... That is why, following my naive dream, I took the slightest opportunity to at least learn something about how it is possible to destroy this same, so tenacious and so indestructible, our earthly Evil... And also - so that I will never be ashamed to say to someone somewhere that I am a Man. ..
Of course, these were naive childhood dreams... But then I was still just a child.
– My name is Atis, Man-Svetlana. I have lived here from the very beginning, I have seen Evil... A lot of evil...
- How did you get rid of him, wise Atis?! Did someone help you?.. – I asked hopefully. – Can you help us?.. Give at least some advice?
- We found the reason... And killed her. But your evil is beyond our control. It is different... Just like others and you. And the good of others may not always be good for you. You must find your own reason. And destroy it,” he gently put his hand on my head and a wonderful peace flowed into me... “Farewell, Man-Svetlana... You will find the answer to your question.” May you rest...
I stood deep in thought, and did not pay attention to the fact that the reality around me had long ago changed, and instead of a strange, transparent city, we were now “swimming” through dense purple “water” on some unusual, flat and transparent device, which there were no handles, no oars - nothing at all, as if we were standing on a large, thin, moving transparent glass. Although no movement or rocking was felt at all. It slid across the surface surprisingly smoothly and calmly, making you forget that it was moving at all...
-What is this?..Where are we going? – I asked in surprise.
“To pick up your little friend,” Veya answered calmly.
- But how?!. She can't do it, can she?
- Will be able. “She has the same crystal as you,” was the answer. “We’ll meet her at the “bridge,” and without explaining anything further, she soon stopped our strange “boat.”
Now we were already at the foot of some shiny “polished” wall, black as night, which was sharply different from everything light and sparkling around, and seemed artificially created and alien. Suddenly the wall “parted”, as if in that place it consisted of dense fog, and in a golden “cocoon” appeared... Stella. Fresh and healthy, as if she had just gone out for a pleasant walk... And, of course, wildly happy with what was happening... Seeing me, her sweet little face shone happily and, out of habit, she immediately started babbling:
– Are you here too?!... Oh, how good!!! And I was so worried!.. So worried!.. I thought something had definitely happened to you. How did you get here?.. – the little girl stared at me, dumbfounded.
“I think the same as you,” I smiled.
“And when I saw that you were carried away, I immediately tried to catch up with you!” But I tried and tried and nothing worked... until she came. – Stella pointed her pen at Veya. – I am very grateful to you for this, girl Veya! – out of her funny habit of addressing two people at once, she thanked sweetly.
“This “girl” is two million years old...” I whispered in my friend’s ear.
Stella's eyes widened in surprise, and she herself remained standing in a quiet stupor, slowly digesting the stunning news...
“Huh, two million?.. Why is she so small?..” Stella gasped, stunned.
- Yes, she says that they live a long time... Maybe your essence is from the same place? – I joked. But Stella apparently didn’t like my joke at all, because she immediately became indignant:
- How can you?!.. I’m just like you! I’m not “purple” at all!..
I felt funny and a little ashamed - the little girl was a real patriot...
As soon as Stella appeared here, I immediately felt happy and strong. Apparently our common, sometimes dangerous, “floor walks” had a positive effect on my mood, and this immediately put everything in its place.
Stella looked around in delight, and it was clear that she was eager to bombard our “guide” with a thousand questions. But the little girl heroically held back, trying to seem more serious and mature than she actually was...
– Please tell me, girl Veya, where can we go? – Stella asked very politely. Apparently, she was never able to get her head around the idea that Veya could be so “old”...
“Wherever you want, since you’re here,” the “star” girl calmly answered.
We looked around - we were drawn in all directions at once!.. It was incredibly interesting and we wanted to see everything, but we understood perfectly well that we could not stay here forever. Therefore, seeing how Stella fidgeted in place with impatience, I invited her to choose where we should go.
- Oh, please, can we see what kind of “living creatures” you have here? – unexpectedly for me, Stella asked.
Of course, I would like to watch something else, but there was nowhere to go - I offered her to choose...
We found ourselves in something like a very bright forest, bursting with colors. It was absolutely amazing!.. But for some reason I suddenly thought that I wouldn’t want to stay in such a forest for a long time... It was, again, too beautiful and bright, a little oppressive, not at all like our soothing and fresh, green and light earthly forest.
It's probably true that everyone should be where they truly belong. And I immediately thought about our sweet “star” baby... How she must have missed her home and her native and familiar environment!.. Only now I was able to understand at least a little how lonely she must have been in our imperfect and at times dangerous Earth...
- Please tell me, Veya, why did Atis call you gone? – I finally asked the question annoyingly swirling in my head.
– Oh, that’s because once upon a time, a long time ago, my family voluntarily went to help other beings who needed our help. This happens to us often. And those who left never return to their home... This is the right of free choice, so they know what they are doing. That's why Atis took pity on me...
– Who leaves if you can’t come back? – Stella was surprised.
“Very many... Sometimes even more than necessary,” Veya became sad. “Once our “wise” people were even afraid that we wouldn’t have enough Viilis left to properly inhabit our planet...
- What is viilis? – Stella became interested.
- This is us. Just like you are people, we are Viilis. And our planet is called Viilis. – Veya answered.
And then I suddenly realized that for some reason we didn’t even think of asking about this earlier!.. But this is the first thing we should have asked!
– Have you changed, or have you always been like this? – I asked again.
“They changed, but only inside, if that’s what you meant,” Veya answered.
A huge, crazy bright, multi-colored bird flew over our heads... A crown of shiny orange “feathers” sparkled on its head, and its wings were long and fluffy, as if it was wearing a multi-colored cloud. The bird sat on a stone and stared very seriously in our direction...
- Why is she looking at us so carefully? – Stella asked, shivering, and it seemed to me that she had another question in her head – “has this “bird” already had lunch today?”...
The bird cautiously jumped closer. Stella squeaked and jumped back. The bird took another step... It was three times larger than Stella, but it did not seem aggressive, but rather curious.
- Did she like me, or what? – Stella pouted. - Why doesn’t she come to you? What does she want from me?..
It was funny to watch how the little girl could barely restrain herself from shooting away from here. Apparently the beautiful bird did not evoke much sympathy in her...
Suddenly the bird spread its wings and a blinding light came from them. Slowly, slowly, a fog began to swirl above the wings, similar to the one that fluttered over Veya when we saw her for the first time. The fog swirled and thickened more and more, becoming like a thick curtain, and from this curtain huge, almost human eyes looked at us...
“Oh, is she turning into someone?!..” Stella squealed. - Look, look!..
It really was something to look at, since the “bird” suddenly began to “deform”, turning either into an animal, with human eyes, or into a man, with an animal body...
-What is this? – my friend bulged her brown eyes in surprise. -What is happening to her?..
And the “bird” had already slipped out of its wings, and a very unusual creature stood in front of us. It looked like a half-bird, half-man, with a large beak and a triangular human face, a very flexible, cheetah-like body and predatory, wild movements... She was very beautiful and, at the same time, very scary.
- This is Miard. – Wei introduced the creature. – If you want, he will show you the “living creatures”, as you say.
The creature, named Miard, began to have fairy wings again. And he waved them invitingly in our direction.
- Why him? Are you very busy, “star” Wei?
Stella had a very unhappy face, because she was clearly afraid of this strange “beautiful monster,” but she apparently did not have the courage to admit it. I think she would rather go with him than admit that she was simply scared... Veya, having clearly read Stella’s thoughts, immediately reassured:
– He is very affectionate and kind, you will like him. You wanted to watch something live, and he knows this better than anyone.
Miard approached cautiously, as if sensing that Stella was afraid of him... But this time for some reason I wasn’t scared at all, rather the opposite - he interested me wildly.
He came close to Stella, who at that moment was almost squealing inside with horror, and carefully touched her cheek with his soft, fluffy wing... A purple fog swirled over Stella’s red head.
“Oh, look, mine is the same as Veiya’s!..” the surprised little girl exclaimed enthusiastically. - How did this happen?.. Oh-oh, how beautiful!.. - this already referred to the new area that appeared before our eyes with absolutely incredible animals.
We stood on the hilly bank of a wide, mirror-like river, the water in which was strangely “frozen” and, it seemed, one could calmly walk on it - it did not move at all. A sparkling fog swirled above the river surface, like a delicate transparent smoke.
As I finally guessed, this “fog, which we saw everywhere here, somehow enhanced any actions of the creatures living here: it opened up the brightness of their vision for them, served as a reliable means of teleportation, in general, it helped in everything they could at that moment these creatures were not engaged. And I think it was used for something else, much, much more, which we could not yet understand...
The river meandered like a beautiful wide “snake” and, smoothly going into the distance, disappeared somewhere between the lush green hills. And along both its banks amazing animals walked, lay and flew... It was so beautiful that we literally froze, amazed by this stunning sight...
The animals were very similar to unprecedented royal dragons, very bright and proud, as if they knew how beautiful they were... Their long, curved necks sparkled with orange gold, and on their heads there were red spiked crowns with teeth. The royal beasts moved slowly and majestically, with every movement shining with their scaly, pearlescent blue bodies, which literally burst into flames when exposed to the golden-blue rays of the sun.
- Beauty-and-and-more!!! – Stella barely exhaled in delight. – Are they very dangerous?
“Dangerous people don’t live here; we haven’t had them for a long time.” I don’t remember how long ago... - came the answer, and only then did we notice that Vaiya was not with us, but Miard was addressing us...
Stella looked around in fear, apparently not feeling too comfortable with our new acquaintance...
– So you have no danger at all? – I was surprised.
“Only external,” came the answer. - If they attack.
– Does this also happen?
“The last time it was before me,” Miard answered seriously.
His voice sounded soft and deep in our brains, like velvet, and it was very unusual to think that such a strange half-human creature was communicating with us in our own “language”... But we are probably already too accustomed to all sorts of wonderful miracles, because within a minute they were freely communicating with him, completely forgetting that he was not a person.
- And what - you never have any troubles?! – the little girl shook her head in disbelief. – But then you’re not at all interested in living here!..
She spoke of a real, unquenchable Earthly “thirst for adventure.” And I understood her perfectly. But I think it would be very difficult to explain this to Miard...
- Why isn’t it interesting? – our “guide” was surprised, and suddenly, interrupting himself, pointed upward. – Look – Saviya!!!
We looked at the top and were dumbfounded.... Fairy-tale creatures were smoothly floating in the light pink sky!.. They were completely transparent and, like everything else on this planet, incredibly colorful. It seemed as if marvelous, sparkling flowers were flying across the sky, only they were incredibly large... And each of them had a different, fantastically beautiful, unearthly face.
“Oh-oh.... Look... Oh, what a miracle...” for some reason Stella said in a whisper, completely stunned.
I don't think I've ever seen her so shocked. But there really was something to be surprised about... In no way, even the wildest fantasy, could it be possible to imagine such creatures! , spraying sparkling golden dust behind him... Miard made a strange “whistle”, and the fairy-tale creatures suddenly began to smoothly descend, forming above us a solid, huge “umbrella” flashing with all the colors of their crazy rainbow... It was so beautiful what was breathtaking!..
The first to “land” to us was pearl-blue, pink-winged Savia, who, having folded her sparkling wings-petals into a “bouquet”, began to look at us with great curiosity, but without any fear... It was impossible to calmly look at her whimsical beauty, which She attracted me like a magnet and I wanted to admire her endlessly...
– Don’t look too long – Savia is fascinating. You won't want to leave here. Their beauty is dangerous if you don’t want to lose yourself,” Miard said quietly.
- Why did you say that there is nothing dangerous here? So this isn't true? – Stella was immediately indignant.
“But this is not a danger that needs to be feared or fought against.” “I thought that’s what you meant when you asked,” Miard was upset.
- Come on! We, apparently, will have different concepts about many things. This is normal, right? – “nobly” the little girl reassured him. -Can I talk to them?
- Speak if you can hear. – Miard turned to the miracle Savia who had come down to us, and showed something.
The wondrous creature smiled and came closer to us, while the rest of his (or her?..) friends still floated easily right above us, sparkling and shimmering in the bright rays of the sun.
“I am Lilis...lis...is...” an amazing voice echoed. He was very soft, and at the same time very sonorous (if such opposite concepts can be combined into one).
- Hello, beautiful Lillis. – Stella joyfully greeted the creature. - I'm Stella. And here she is – Svetlana. We are people. And you, we know, Saviya. Where did you come from? And what is Saviya? – questions again rained down, but I didn’t even try to stop her, since it was completely useless... Stella simply “wanted to know everything!” And she always remained like that.
Lillis came very close to her and began to examine Stella with her bizarre, huge eyes. They were bright crimson, with gold specks inside, and sparkled like precious stones. The face of this wonderful creature looked amazingly tender and fragile, and had the shape of a petal of our earthly lily. She “spoke” without opening her mouth, at the same time smiling at us with her small, round lips... But, probably, the most amazing thing they had was their hair... It was very long, almost reaching the edge of the transparent wing, absolutely weightless and , not having a constant color, all the time flashed with the most different and most unexpected brilliant rainbows... The transparent bodies of Savius were sexless (like the body of a small earthly child), and from the back they turned into “petals-wings”, which really made them look like huge bright flowers...
“We flew from the mountains...” a strange echo sounded again.
- Or maybe you can tell us faster? – impatient Stella asked Miarda. - Who are they?
– They were brought from another world once upon a time. Their world was dying and we wanted to save them. At first they thought they could live with everyone, but they couldn’t. They live very high in the mountains, no one can get there. But if you look into their eyes for a long time, they will take you with them... And you will live with them.
Stella shivered and moved slightly away from Lilis who was standing next to her... - What do they do when they take it away?
- Nothing. They just live with those who are taken away. It was probably different in their world, but now they just do it out of habit. But for us they are very valuable - they “clean” the planet. Nobody ever got sick after they came.
- So you saved them not because you were sorry, but because you needed them?!.. Is it really good to use them? – I was afraid that Miard would be offended (as they say, don’t go into someone else’s house with boots...) and pushed Stella hard in the side, but she didn’t pay any attention to me, and now turned to Savia. – Do you like living here? Are you sad for your planet?
“No, no... It’s beautiful here, gray and willow...” whispered the same soft voice. - And good-osho...
Lillis suddenly raised one of her sparkling "petals" and gently stroked Stella's cheek.
“Baby... Nice one... Stella-la...” and fog sparkled over Stella’s head for the second time, but this time it was multi-colored...
Lilis smoothly flapped her transparent petal wings and began to slowly rise until she joined her own. The Savii became agitated, and suddenly, flashing very brightly, they disappeared...
-Where did they go? – the little girl was surprised.
- They are gone. Here, look... - and Miard pointed to the already very far away, towards the mountains, smoothly floating in the pink sky, marvelous creatures illuminated by the sun. - They went home...
Wei suddenly appeared...
“It’s time for you,” the “star” girl said sadly. “You can’t stay here for so long.” It's hard.
- Oh, but we haven’t seen anything yet! – Stella was upset. – Can we come back here again, dear Veya? Farewell, good Miard! You're good. I will definitely come back to you! – as always, addressing everyone at once, Stella said goodbye.
Veya waved her hand, and we again swirled in a frantic whirlpool of sparkling matter, after a short (or maybe it just seemed short?) moment, “throwing us out” onto our usual Mental “floor”...
“Oh, how interesting it is!” Stella squealed in delight.
It seemed that she was ready to endure the heaviest loads, just to return once again to the colorful Weiying world that she loved so much. Suddenly I thought that she really must have liked him, since he was very similar to her own, which she loved to create for herself here, on the “floors”...
My enthusiasm diminished a little, because I had already seen this beautiful planet for myself, and now I desperately wanted something else!.. I felt that dizzying “taste of the unknown”, and I really wanted to repeat it... I already I knew that this “hunger” would poison my future existence, and that I would miss it all the time. Thus, wanting to remain at least a little happy person in the future, I had to find some way to “open” the door to other worlds for myself... But then I still hardly understood that opening such a door is not so easy just... And that many more winters will pass until I will be free to “walk” wherever I want, and that someone else will open this door for me... And this other will be my amazing husband.
- Well, what are we going to do next? – Stella pulled me out of my dreams.
She was upset and sad that she didn't get to see more. But I was very glad that she became herself again and now I was absolutely sure that from that day on she would definitely stop moping and would be ready again for any new “adventures.”
“Please forgive me, but I probably won’t do anything else today...” I said apologetically. - But thank you very much for helping.
Stella beamed. She really loved feeling needed, so I always tried to show her how much she meant to me (which was absolutely true).
- OK. “We’ll go somewhere else another time,” she agreed complacently.
I think she, like me, was a little exhausted, but, as always, she tried not to show it. I waved my hand at her... and found myself at home, on my favorite sofa, with a bunch of impressions that now needed to be calmly comprehended, and slowly, leisurely “digested”...

By the age of ten I had become very attached to my father.
I've always adored him. But, unfortunately, in my first childhood years he traveled a lot and was at home too rarely. Every day spent with him at that time was a holiday for me, which I later remembered for a long time, and piece by piece I collected all the words dad said, trying to keep them in my soul, like a precious gift.
From an early age, I always had the impression that I had to earn my father’s attention. I don't know where this came from or why. No one ever stopped me from seeing him or communicating with him. On the contrary, my mother always tried not to disturb us if she saw us together. And dad always gladly spent all his free time left from work with me. We would go into the forest with him, plant strawberries in our garden, go to the river to swim, or just talk while sitting under our favorite old apple tree, which is what I loved to do almost everything.

In the forest for the first mushrooms...

On the banks of the Nemunas River (Neman)

Dad was an excellent conversationalist, and I was ready to listen to him for hours if such an opportunity arose... Probably just his strict attitude towards life, the arrangement of life values, the never changing habit of not getting anything for nothing, all this created for me the impression that I must deserve it too...
I remember very well how, as a very small child, I hung on his neck when he returned home from business trips, endlessly repeating how much I loved him. And dad looked at me seriously and answered: “If you love me, you shouldn’t tell me this, but you should always show it...”
And it was these words of his that remained an unwritten law for me for the rest of my life... True, I probably wasn’t always very good at “showing”, but I always tried honestly.
And in general, for everything that I am now, I owe it to my father, who, step by step, sculpted my future “I”, never giving any concessions, despite how selflessly and sincerely he loved me. During the most difficult years of my life, my father was my “island of calm,” where I could return at any time, knowing that I was always welcome there.
Having lived a very difficult and turbulent life himself, he wanted to be sure that I could stand up for myself in any unfavorable circumstances for me and would not break down from any troubles in life.
Actually, I can say from the bottom of my heart that I was very, very lucky with my parents. If they had been a little different, who knows where I would be now, and whether I would be at all...
I also think that fate brought my parents together for a reason. Because it seemed absolutely impossible for them to meet...
My dad was born in Siberia, in the distant city of Kurgan. Siberia was not the original place of residence of my father's family. This was the decision of the then “fair” Soviet government and, as has always been accepted, was not subject to discussion...
So, my real grandparents, one fine morning, were rudely escorted from their beloved and very beautiful, huge family estate, cut off from their usual life, and put into a completely creepy, dirty and cold carriage, heading in a frightening direction - Siberia...
Everything that I will talk about further was collected by me bit by bit from the memories and letters of our relatives in France, England, as well as from the stories and memories of my relatives and friends in Russia and Lithuania.
To my great regret, I was able to do this only after my father’s death, many, many years later...
Grandfather’s sister Alexandra Obolensky (later Alexis Obolensky) and Vasily and Anna Seryogin, who voluntarily went, were also exiled with them, who followed their grandfather by their own choice, since Vasily Nikandrovich for many years was grandfather’s attorney in all his affairs and one of the most his close friends.

Alexandra (Alexis) Obolenskaya Vasily and Anna Seryogin

Probably, you had to be truly a FRIEND in order to find the strength to make such a choice and go of your own free will to where you were going, as you go only to your own death. And this “death”, unfortunately, was then called Siberia...
I have always been very sad and painful for our beautiful Siberia, so proud, but so mercilessly trampled by the Bolshevik boots! ... And no words can tell how much suffering, pain, lives and tears this proud, but tormented land has absorbed... Is it because it was once the heart of our ancestral home that the “far-sighted revolutionaries” decided to denigrate and destroy this land, choosing it for their own devilish purposes?... After all, for many people, even many years later, Siberia still remained a “cursed” land, where someone’s father, someone’s brother, someone’s died. then a son... or maybe even someone's entire family.
My grandmother, whom I, to my great chagrin, never knew, was pregnant with my father at that time and had a very difficult time with the journey. But, of course, there was no need to wait for help from anywhere... So the young Princess Elena, instead of the quiet rustling of books in the family library or the usual sounds of the piano when she played her favorite works, this time she listened only to the ominous sound of wheels, which seemed to menacingly They were counting down the remaining hours of her life, so fragile and which had become a real nightmare... She sat on some bags by the dirty carriage window and incessantly looked at the last pathetic traces of the “civilization” that was so familiar and familiar to her, going further and further away...
Grandfather's sister, Alexandra, with the help of friends, managed to escape at one of the stops. By general agreement, she was supposed to get (if she was lucky) to France, where her entire family was currently living. True, none of those present had any idea how she could do this, but since this was their only, albeit small, but certainly last hope, giving it up was too great a luxury for their completely hopeless situation. Alexandra’s husband, Dmitry, was also in France at that moment, with the help of whom they hoped, from there, to try to help her grandfather’s family get out of the nightmare into which life had so mercilessly thrown them, at the vile hands of brutal people...
Upon arrival in Kurgan, they were placed in a cold basement, without explaining anything and without answering any questions. Two days later, some people came for my grandfather and said that they allegedly came to “escort” him to another “destination”... They took him away like a criminal, without allowing him to take any things with him, and without deigning to explain, where and for how long he is being taken. No one ever saw grandfather again. After some time, an unknown military man brought his grandfather’s personal belongings to the grandmother in a dirty coal sack... without explaining anything and leaving no hope of seeing him alive. At this point, any information about my grandfather’s fate ceased, as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth without any traces or evidence...
The tormented, tormented heart of poor Princess Elena did not want to come to terms with such a terrible loss, and she literally bombarded the local staff officer with requests to clarify the circumstances of the death of her beloved Nicholas. But the “red” officers were blind and deaf to the requests of a lonely woman, as they called her, “of the nobles,” who was for them just one of thousands and thousands of nameless “license” units that meant nothing in their cold and cruel world ...It was a real inferno, from which there was no way out back into that familiar and kind world in which her home, her friends, and everything that she had been accustomed to from an early age remained, and that she loved so strongly and sincerely... And there was no one who could help or at least give the slightest hope of survival.
The Seryogins tried to maintain presence of mind for the three of them, and tried by any means to lift the mood of Princess Elena, but she went deeper and deeper into an almost complete stupor, and sometimes sat all day long in an indifferently frozen state, almost not reacting to her friends’ attempts to save her heart. and the mind from final depression. There were only two things that briefly brought her back to the real world - if someone started talking about her unborn child or if any, even the slightest, new details came about the supposed death of her beloved Nikolai. She desperately wanted to know (while she was still alive) what really happened, and where her husband was, or at least where his body was buried (or dumped).
Unfortunately, there is almost no information left about the life of these two courageous and bright people, Elena and Nicholas de Rohan-Hesse-Obolensky, but even those few lines from Elena’s two remaining letters to her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, which were somehow preserved in Alexandra's family archives in France show how deeply and tenderly the princess loved her missing husband. Only a few handwritten sheets have survived, some of the lines of which, unfortunately, cannot be deciphered at all. But even what was successful screams with deep pain about a great human misfortune, which, without experiencing, is not easy to understand and impossible to accept.

Characteristics of French folk music. Music of France What is the French accordion

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