French pastoral. The meaning of the word pastoral

pastoral - genre variety modern European literature and art, associated with an idyllic worldview. Appeared in the XIV-XVII centuries. Usually reproduces a sweet, carefree shepherd's life, idyllic scenes of rural life or nature.

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PASTORAL

(lat. Pastoralis - shepherd) - a genre variety in fine arts, literature, music, which depicts rural landscape or the life of shepherds and shepherdesses in the lap of nature, their love and serene rural life. Pastoral became especially widespread in artistic culture Western Europe XIV–XVIII centuries. Its origins are the idylls of Theocritus and the bucolics of Virgil. The first pastorals were created by Italian poets of the Renaissance. However, Petrarch, unlike Theocritus and Virgil, glorifying serene nature, sought in it reassurance from his own loneliness, doubts and fears. The genre of the Renaissance pastoral novel was created by Boccaccio. His hero shepherd Ameto (“Ameto, or the Comedy of the Florentine Nymphs”) is transformed under the influence of love for seven beautiful nymphs. In the “Shepherd's Calendar” by the English poet of the 16th century. E. Spencer, shepherds and peasants have conversations and disputes about various moral problems. They do not in any way resemble the real villagers of their time, but are similar to Spencer and his friends. The turn to classicism is marked by the dramatic pastoral in the verses “Pastoral Scenes” French poet O. Rakan, praising the solitude, simplicity of morals and joys of the villagers. The pastorals of the German classicist poet M. Opitz (“Poems in praise of the life of the villagers”, “Pastoral about the nymph Hercynia”) glorified not only rural solitude, but also work as the source of life and its well-being. Pastorals became widespread in the court theater of the 17th–18th centuries. Pastoral comedies and ballets were created by Moliere (“Melicert”, “Comic pas-torale”). Their performance was accompanied by music, singing, and stage effects. Later, the pastoral became part of opera and ballet performances and court divertissements, being the predecessor of the opera.

Pastoral as a genre of art was especially popular in Italy in the early 16th century, when Sannazzaro's Arcadia was published. He described an idyllic world populated by nymphs and shepherds who left readers nostalgic for a simpler life. The source for his work was the works of Virgil. Pastoral surroundings literary works quickly migrated to painting. In Venice, Giorgione and the young Titian quickly enlivened poetic lines with pictorial equivalents.

Origins

Traditionally, the "Rural Concert" is attributed to Giorgione, but is now believed to be the work of Titian in his youth. This mysterious picture is intended to be an allegory of poetry, whose symbols—a flute and flowing water—are shared between two naked women of ideal beauty. These unreal nymphs exist only in the imagination of the two men they inspire. This explanation of the plot corresponded to the taste common in Italian painting simultaneous depiction of the visible and invisible.

Characteristics of the plot-thematic genre

Titian wanted to connect two worlds - the Venetian aristocracy on the one hand, and the nymphs and shepherds on the other, united by music. The theme of music in a calm landscape forms an allegory. Titian gives special meaning landscape in pastoral:

  • Nature is not used as mere decoration;
  • Landscape is a reflection of a certain state inner world, mood;
  • The colors are muted and slightly blurred;
  • The search for balance is shown through the integration of figures into a setting where man and nature must coexist in complete harmony, as in Virgil - happy life in a shady grove, shepherds with music and songs.

Giorgione and Titian - master and student - developed pastoralism in separate genre. From 1509 the two artists began to work closely together, so their style of painting is difficult to distinguish.

Types of landscape in painting

In the 15th century

In the early 15th century, landscape was created as a genre in Europe and showed where people lived or traveled. In the age of harmony and order, the Renaissance, pastoral paintings were more acceptable in society than a natural image of a forest or clearing. The complexity of the natural landscape or bad weather were not popular motives - pastoral features were added to dispel people's deep-rooted fears and prejudices of the unknown. natural phenomena, make the emotional message of the paintings positive.

In the 17th century

Among the 17th century artists working in Rome, Claude also created pastoral idylls. This genre became fashionable in Holland - an example is Rembrandt's portrait of Saskia van Uylenburch as Flora. The word "landscape" is translated from Dutch as "a piece of cultivated land."
A gentle lyrical pastoral showing mountains, valleys, trees, rivers and forests. The sky is almost always included in the story, and gorgeous weather is an element of the composition.

Household painting

Baroque

The favorite themes of baroque painting are the same pastoral:

  • Gallant ladies and gentlemen;
  • Incredibly beautiful landscapes;
  • Graceful rendering of human figures;
  • Courtesans and love.

Symbols such as Venus and love returned to the genre of painting and mixed into scenes of courtly life, giving the compositions a sensual, cheerful and fresh tone.

Pastoral during the Baroque and Rococo times was called a charming, gallant style. The name comes from the word "Galer" or "gallant".

The figure of a woman is a source of inspiration in painting. Woman with sensual and beautiful figure seduces or takes part in forbidden adventures - these scenes help the “ideal” society to identify itself with the characters in idyllic pastoral stories.

Romanticism

An attempt to combine the romantic style of unearthly carefree life and the mood of landscape traditions of the landscape genre continued in the 19th century under the strong influence of established painting traditions.

Allegory as a genre in painting

The pastorals of this period contain:

  • muted color palette,
  • soft atmosphere and indirect lighting of the work,
  • tranquility of the rural landscape,
  • an instructive historical context embedded in modern landscapes.

The evolution of paintings in academic pastoral art occurs slowly and imperceptibly over a long period of time.

In the 19th century

The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century forced people off farms and countryside. The growing reaction of painters against the philosophy of the Enlightenment was expressed in the romantic direction of art. Nostalgia for the rural idyll and nature was again firmly entrenched in the genres of painting. Pastorals radiated spirituality, freedom, virtue, as a counterbalance to the consequences of industrialization.

In the 20th century

Artists of the Romantic period and into the 20th century tried to convey these ideals in their work. They rejected the rationalism, rules, and orderliness that were characteristic of the neoclassical style. Like the Baroque artists, Romantic artists hoped to inspire an emotional response in their viewers. The pastoral of the romantic period was aimed at a nostalgic desire for rural life, knowledge of the secrets of life, the power and greatness of nature. Pastoral fits perfectly into modern life. Canvases contemporary artists with idyllic images can be seen in private collections and at exhibitions.

Pastoral is a genre in literature, music, painting and theater. What is the meaning of this word? What can be called pastoral? What examples of the word are used in literature? What is pastoral music? In the works of which composers are there works devoted to the depiction of rural life or nature?

The meaning of the word pastoral

This is, first of all, a genre that is used in various types arts (painting, music, literature and theater). It is used to depict and poeticize rural and peaceful life person. It also has the same meaning as a noun. He is characterized as quiet and peaceful. Translated from the French pastorale (pastoral) - this is pastoral, rural.

Pastoral is a unique genre

In Europe it has existed for many centuries. History confirms its longevity and indicates a specific figure - 23 centuries. At first he took shape in special genre poetry. But it quickly spread to other and then other arts: painting, music, drama, applied creativity. Each era created forms of its manifestation and variants. So, pastoral is both a generic and specific genre category. The musical component of the pastoral dates back to ancient origins. It was under her influence that pastoralism developed in European art. These were dances of satyrs and nymphs, songs of shepherds, and playing “shepherd’s” instruments (pipes and others).

Examples of the use of the word in literature

“He rode three kilometers among ghostly deserts and snow-capped volcanoes that had nothing in common with the pastoral sunrises of his valley.”

"The office was the same as before. Its walls were painted a single color green and there were no traces of any pastoral landscapes."

“Hired specialists sowed and fed the soil. For Jack, the pastoral task of trimming the grass was a kind of therapy.”

As you can see, in literature “pastoral” is a frequently used word that is used in various speech patterns to emphasize the desired meaning. Here are some more successful and diverse examples.

“The young man, who had just woken up from the pastoral sounds, was able to see a flash across the ceiling above his head.”

"He wandered through an amazing and enchanting forest, to which he dedicated an entire poem. In it, pastoral motifs are closely intertwined with mythological images and combined with political assessments."

“He turned a pastoral play into a real drama about suffering and tragic fate.”

Pastoral in music

To depict rural life or nature, works are created that can be small or large in form.

They also vary in scale. Pastoral music has characteristic features:

  • The movement of the melody is calm and smooth.
  • The most commonly used size is 6/8 or 12/8.
  • The melody often doubles the third.

Many composers turned to pastoral. Among them: J.S.Bach, A.Vivaldi, F.Cuperin, D.Scarlatti, L.Beethoven and others. Pastoral operas are found in the works of K. Gluck, J. Rameau, J. Lully, W. Mozart, M. Ravel and many other composers.

Beethoven's Sixth Symphony

The pastoral symphony in the composer's work belongs to the central period. The date of its creation is 1806. In this work there is no struggle with the villainous fate. Here the simple events of worldly life and glorification are in the foreground great power nature.

It is dedicated to Prince F. Lobkowitz (Viennese philanthropist), who was the composer’s patron. On December 22, 1808, the symphony was first performed at the Vienna Theater. Initially it was called "Memories of Rural Life".

The first premiere of the work was a failure. The orchestra consisted of combined performers and was of a low level. The hall was cold, the audience in fur coats did not perceive the work as a highly artistic example and did not appreciate it.

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony occupies a special place in the composer's work. Of the nine existing ones, only it is software. She has both common name, and the headings directly to each of the five parts. Their number and deviation from the traditional four-part cycle are also determined by the program. The dramatic picture of the thunderstorm contrasts with the simple-minded village dances and the peaceful finale.

This symphony is one of the most romantic. The composer himself wrote that it depicts the feelings that arise from contact with the natural world and rural life.

Thus, the considered genre is used in various types of art (painting, literature, music, theater). Many composers turned to pastoral. A special place is occupied by Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, which is a program composition. She conveys feelings filled with inspiration from the wonderful surrounding nature and rural life.

What is pastoral? Most vivid examples pastoral?

  1. If my memory serves me right, then this is music. work xiv-xvii in Europe about shepherds and shepherdesses. Idyllic rural image.
  2. Pastoral pastoral or pastoral poetry so-called. special kind poetry, where shepherds and shepherdesses act as heroes.
    Pastoral (pastorale French and Italian, pastoral, rural) in music is the name given to compositions of a peaceful, idyllic nature. This includes, for example. :
    a) pastoral music, a small piece mainly in 6/8, 9/8;
    b) shepherd's cheerful song (pastorello);
    c) a dance similar to musette or siciliano, but only at a slower tempo;
    d) a small opera, pantomime or ballet, where the main actors are shepherds or shepherdesses; finally,
    f) a symphony that depicts rural life, nature, for example. Beethoven's sixth (pastoral) symphony.
  3. Pastoral (from Latin pastoralis - shepherd).
    Poetry.
    Pastoral, or as it was previously called, bucolics, is actually pastoral poetry that originated in Sicily, and then, especially according to the word usage of modern times, generally rural rural poetry, depicting pictures also from the peaceful life of farmers and fishermen. The pastoral also includes rural idylls. The form of pastoral can be both dramatic and narrative, as well as mixed. This includes short poems (often in dialogues) and poems, and stage works, and novels. The oldest and best examples of pastoral poetry were given by the Greek poet Theocritus, Bion and Moschus. The Romans were famous for the bucolics of Virgil. Long wrote the famous shepherd romance Daphnis and Chloe, which caused numerous imitations; and the names of his heroes were used in poetry as common nouns, right up to new literature 19th century. Then in the era early Renaissance Ameto Boccaccio appears. The novel by Sannazzaro Arcadia had a particularly strong influence on pastoral literature. Arcadia's success was enormous; More than fifty editions of it in Italy, and its translations into many European languages.
    In Russian literature of the 18th century, pastorals were written by Kostrov, Bogdanovich, Sumarokov and others, who gave them the name eclogues. Later Delvig and Maikov. Pastorals include Zhukovsky’s excellent and still popular translations from Gebel.
    http://feb-web.ru/feb/slt/abc/lt1/lt1-5612.htm
    Theater.
    Pastoral is a genre of court theater that arose in Italy in the 16th century. and became widespread in Western European countries. The origins of the pastoral in the eclogue - literary genre rural poetry of antiquity (Theocritus, Virgil) and the early Renaissance (Petrarch, Boccaccio). The pastoral was a short play, often included in the program of court festivities. It idyllically depicted the conventional rural life of gallant shepherds and shepherdesses, endowed with the feelings, manners and language of court aristocrats. In Italy, among the first pastoral dramas were “Aigle” by Giraldi Cintio (1545), “Arethusa” by Lollio (1563). At first, pastorals were performed by amateur courtiers. Somewhat later, professional actors began to take part in the pastoral. The performances were accompanied by music and singing. Italian artists(S. Serlio and others) created an elegant, permanent landscape setting for pastoral productions.
    Music.
    A short opera, pantomime, ballet (or a separate scene of them), written on an idyllic plot from rural life. The first pastorals appeared in the 14th and 15th centuries. and were the predecessors of the opera (The Tale of Robin and Marion). Among the French authors of pastorals in the 17th and 18th centuries. - J. B. Lully, N. Dezed, A. Detouche and others. In the 18-19 centuries. Operas ("The Shepherd King" by Mozart, 1775) and ballets ("Sylvia" by Delibes, 1876) were created in the pastoral genre.
    Sometimes the term pastoral refers to a symphonic episode in piece of music painting a picture of nature (pastoral in the music of J. Bizet for the drama “La Arlesienne” by Daudet).

The concept of pastoral has several meanings - 1) it is one of the forms of bucolic, which actively developed in European literature and existed for a long time in ancient poetry; 2) small scene, which depicted the life of rural people: shepherds and shepherdesses; 3) opera, ballet or pantomime showing rural life.

Story

Pastoral called since ancient times genre in painting, music or theater, which imitated and showed the life of simple rural people.

The first pastorals arose in the 14th and 15th centuries and are... Pastoral in musical theater existed until the 18th and 19th centuries. Pastoral operas were written by: C. W. Gluck, W. A. ​​Mozart, J. B. Lully, J. F. Rameau.

Pastoral, as a genre of drive theater, originated in Italy in the 16th century and spread throughout Western Europe. The pastoral was then a small play, which was often introduced into entertainment program for court festivities. Such plays depicted the lives of shepherds and shepherdesses, who were endowed with the manners and vocabulary of the aristocracy.

Pastoral corresponded to the harmonious Renaissance worldview and, one might say, destroyed performing arts, transformed the performance into “living pictures”. Despite this, the pastoral genre played a big role in the history and theory of world theater.

IN XVII-XVIII centuries The fashion for pastoral plots and productions in theaters, which were of interest in courtly and aristocratic circles, became widespread. Large quantity pastoral scenes became the basis for ancient operas.

Pastoral themes were the reason for creating a program instrumental music from many composers. A series of pastoral paintings is represented by a program of a cycle of four orchestral concerts“The Seasons” by A. Vivaldi.

L. Beethoven called his 6th symphony “pastoral”. Each part of the symphony has its own proper name: “Awakening joyful feelings upon arrival in the village”, “Scene by the stream”, - “A cheerful gathering of peasants”, “Thunderstorm. Storm", "The Singing of the Shepherds. Joyful, grateful feelings after a thunderstorm.”

At the beginning of the twentieth century, M. Ravel, using the plot of Long's pastoral novel, created the ballet Daphnis and Chloe, suites from which are performed in symphony concerts.

Painting of the Rococo and Neoclassical eras

One of the brightest representatives of the pastoral genre was French painter Francois Boucher. His work was numerous, he painted pictures not only in the pastoral, but also in the mythological, allegorical, biblical stories, depicted Parisian life and village fairs, portraits created the scenery for Parisian theaters and performances, which the Marquise Jeanne Antoinette de Pompadour, the favorite of the French King Louis XV, loved to organize.