The composer and his works. Great Russian composers. Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin

Classical composers are known all over the world. Each name of a musical genius is a unique individuality in the history of culture.

What is classical music

Classical music is enchanting melodies created by talented authors who are rightly called classical composers. Their works are unique and will always be in demand by performers and listeners. Classical, on the one hand, is usually called strict, deeply meaningful music that is not related to the following genres: rock, jazz, folk, pop, chanson, etc. On the other hand, in historical development music there is a period of the late XIII - early XX centuries, called classicism.

Classic themes are distinguished by sublime intonation, sophistication, variety of shades and harmony. They have a positive effect on the emotional worldview of adults and children.

Stages of development of classical music. Their brief description and main representatives

In the history of the development of classical music, the following stages can be distinguished:

• Renaissance or Renaissance - early 14th - last quarter of the 16th century. In Spain and England, the Renaissance period lasted until the beginning of the 17th century.
• Baroque - replaced the Renaissance and lasted until the beginning of the 18th century. The center of the style was Spain.
• Classicism is the period of development of European culture from the beginning of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century.
• Romanticism is a direction opposite to classicism. Lasted until the mid-19th century.
• Classics of the 20th century - modern era.

Brief description and main representatives of cultural periods

1. Renaissance - a long period of development of all areas of culture. - Thomas Tallis, Giovanni da Palestina, T. L. de Victoria composed and left immortal creations for posterity.

2. Baroque - in this era new musical forms appeared: polyphony, opera. It was during this period that Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi created their famous works. Bach's fugues are built in accordance with the requirements of classicism: obligatory adherence to the canons.

3. Classicism. Viennese classic composers who created their immortal creations in the era of classicism: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. The sonata form appears and the composition of the orchestra increases. and Haydn differ from the ponderous works of Bach in the simple construction and elegance of the melodies. It was still a classic, a striving for perfection. Beethoven's works are the edge of contact between the romantic and classic styles. In the music of L. van Beethoven there is more sensuality and ardor than rational canon. Such important genres as symphony, sonata, suite, and opera emerged. Beethoven gave rise to the Romantic period.

4. Romanticism. Musical works are characterized by color and drama. Various song genres are being formed, for example, ballads. Piano works by Liszt and Chopin received recognition. The traditions of romanticism were inherited by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Schubert.

5. Classics of the 20th century - characterized by the authors’ desire for innovation in melodies; the terms aleatorics, atonalism arose. Works by Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Glass are classified in the classical format.

Russian classical composers

Tchaikovsky P.I. - Russian composer, musical critic, public figure, teacher, conductor. His compositions are the most performed. They are sincere, easily perceived, reflect the poetic originality of the Russian soul, picturesque pictures of Russian nature. The composer created 6 ballets, 10 operas, more than a hundred romances, 6 symphonies. World famous ballet " Swan Lake", opera "Eugene Onegin", "Children's Album".

Rachmaninov S.V. - works outstanding composer emotional and cheerful, and some are dramatic in content. Their genres are varied: from small plays to concerts and operas. The author's generally recognized works: operas " Stingy Knight", "Aleko" based on Pushkin's poem "The Gypsies", "Francesca da Rimini" based on a plot borrowed from Dante's "Divine Comedy", the poem "The Bells"; Suite “Symphonic Dances”; piano concerts; vocalise for voice with piano accompaniment.

Borodin A.P. was a composer, teacher, chemist, and doctor. The most significant creation is the opera “Prince Igor” by historical work“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” which the author wrote for almost 18 years. During his lifetime, Borodin did not have time to finish it; after his death, the opera was completed by A. Glazunov and N. Rimsky-Korsakov. Great composer is the founder of classical quartets and symphonies in Russia. The “Bogatyr” Symphony is considered the crown of world and Russian national-heroic symphony. The instrumental chamber quartets, the First and Second Quartets, were recognized as outstanding. One of the first to introduce heroic figures from ancient Russian literature into romances.

Great musicians

Mussorgsky M.P., about whom one can say, is a great realist composer, a brave innovator who touches on acute social problems, an excellent pianist and an excellent vocalist. The most significant musical works are the operas "Boris Godunov" by dramatic work A.S. Pushkin and “Khovanshchina” - folk music drama, main acting character these operas are a rebellious people from different social strata; creative cycle “Pictures at an Exhibition”, inspired by the works of Hartmann.

Glinka M.I. - famous Russian composer, founder of the classical movement in Russian musical culture. He completed the procedure for creating a school of Russian composers, based on the value of folk and professional music. The master’s works are imbued with love for the Fatherland and reflect the ideological orientation of the people of that historical era. The world-famous folk drama “Ivan Susanin” and the opera-fairy tale “Ruslan and Lyudmila” have become new trends in Russian opera. The symphonic works “Kamarinskaya” and “Spanish Overture” by Glinka are the foundations of Russian symphonism.

Rimsky-Korsakov N.A. is a talented Russian composer, naval officer, teacher, publicist. Two currents can be traced in his work: historical (“ The Tsar's Bride", "Pskovite") and fairy tales ("Sadko", "Snow Maiden", suite "Scheherazade"). Distinctive feature the composer's works: originality based on classical values, homophony in the harmonic structure of early works. His compositions have the author's signature: original orchestral solutions with unusually constructed vocal scores, which are the main ones.

Russian classical composers tried to reflect in their works the cognitive thinking and folklore characteristic of the nation.

European culture

Famous classical composers Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven lived in the capital of musical culture of that time - Vienna. Geniuses are united by masterful performance, excellent compositional solutions, and the use of different musical styles: from folk tunes to polyphonic developments musical themes. Great classics are characterized by comprehensive creative mental activity, competence, and clarity in the construction of musical forms. In their works, intellect and emotions, tragic and comic components, ease and prudence are organically linked together.

Beethoven and Haydn gravitated towards instrumental compositions, Mozart masterfully succeeded in both operatic and orchestral compositions. Beethoven was an unsurpassed creator heroic works Haydn appreciated and successfully used humor and folk genre types in his work; Mozart was a universal composer.

Mozart is the creator of the sonata instrumental form. Beethoven improved it and brought it to unsurpassed heights. The period became a period of quartet heyday. Haydn, followed by Beethoven and Mozart, made a significant contribution to the development of this genre.

Italian masters

Giuseppe Verdi - an outstanding musician of the 19th century, developed traditional Italian opera. He had impeccable skill. The culmination of his composing activities were the operatic works “Il Trovatore”, “La Traviata”, “Othello”, “Aida”.

Niccolo Paganini - born in Nice, one of the most musically gifted personalities of the 18th and 19th centuries. He was a master of the violin. He composed caprices, sonatas, quartets for violin, guitar, viola and cello. He wrote concertos for violin and orchestra.

Gioachino Rossini - worked in the 19th century. Author of sacred and chamber music, composed 39 operas. Outstanding works - " Barber of Seville", "Othello", "Cinderella", "The Thieving Magpie", "Semiramis".

Antonio Vivaldi is one of largest representatives violin art of the 18th century. Gained fame thanks to his most famous work- 4 violin concerts "The Seasons". Lived an amazingly fruitful life creative life, composed 90 operas.

Famous Italian classical composers left an eternal musical legacy. Their cantatas, sonatas, serenades, symphonies, operas will bring pleasure to more than one generation.

Peculiarities of a child’s perception of music

Listening to good music has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional development of a child, according to child psychologists. Good music introduces art and shapes aesthetic taste, teachers think so.

Many famous creations were created by classical composers for children, taking into account their psychology, perception and specifics of age, i.e. for listening, while others were composed for little performers various plays, easily perceived by ear and technically accessible to them.

“Children's Album” by P.I. Tchaikovsky. for little pianists. This album is a dedication to my nephew who loved music and was a very gifted child. The collection contains more than 20 plays, some of them based on folklore material: Neapolitan motifs, Russian dance, Tyrolean and French melodies. Collection “Children's Songs” by P.I. Tchaikovsky. designed for auditory perception by children. Songs of an optimistic mood about spring, birds, a blooming garden (“My Garden”), about compassion for Christ and God (“Christ had a garden as a child”).

Children's classics

Many classical composers worked for children, the list of whose works is very diverse.

Prokofiev S.S. "Peter and the Wolf" - symphonic tale for children. Thanks to this fairy tale, children get acquainted with musical instruments symphony orchestra. The text of the fairy tale was written by Prokofiev himself.

Schumann R. “Children's Scenes” are short musical stories with a simple plot, written for adult performers, memories of childhood.

Debussy's piano cycle "Children's Corner".

Ravel M. “Mother Goose” based on the fairy tales of C. Perrault.

Bartok B. “First steps at the piano.”

Cycles for children Gavrilova S. “For the little ones”; "Heroes of Fairy Tales"; "Guys about animals."

Shostakovich D. “Album of piano pieces for children.”

Bakh I.S. "The music book of Anna Magdalena Bach." While teaching his children music, he created special pieces and exercises for them to develop technical skills.

Haydn J. is the progenitor of the classical symphony. He created a special symphony called “Children’s”. The instruments used: a clay nightingale, a rattle, a cuckoo - give it an unusual sound, childish and playful.

Saint-Saëns K. came up with a fantasy for orchestra and 2 pianos called “Carnival of Animals”, in which musical means masterfully conveyed the clucking of chickens, the roar of a lion, the complacency of an elephant and its manner of movement, a touchingly graceful swan.

When composing compositions for children and youth, the great classical composers took care of interesting storylines work, the availability of the proposed material, taking into account the age of the performer or listener.

Listen to something from the classics - what could be better?! Especially on weekends, when you want to relax, forget about the worries of the day, the worries of the work week, dream about beautiful things, and just lift your spirits. Just think about it, classical works were created by brilliant authors so long ago that it’s hard to believe that something can survive so many years. And these works are still loved and listened to, arrangements and modern interpretations are created. Even in modern processing, works brilliant composers remain classical music. As Vanessa Mae admits, classic works are brilliant, and nothing brilliant can be boring. Probably all great composers have a special ear, a special sensitivity to tone and melody, which allowed them to create music that is enjoyed by dozens of generations not only of their compatriots, but also of classical music fans around the world. If you still doubt whether you love classical music, then you need to meet Benjamin Zander and you will see that in fact, you are already a long-time fan of beautiful music.

And today we will talk about the 10 most famous composers in the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach

First place deservedly belongs Johann Sebastian Bach. A genius was born in Germany. The most talented composer wrote music for harpsichord and organ. The composer did not create a new style in music. But he was able to create perfection in all the styles of his time. He is the author of more than 1000 essays. In his works Bach connected different musical styles, with whom he became acquainted throughout his life. Often musical romanticism was combined with the Baroque style. In life Johann Bach As a composer he did not receive the recognition he deserved, interest in his music arose almost 100 years after his death. Today he is called one of the greatest composers who ever lived on earth. His uniqueness as a person, teacher and musician was reflected in his music. Bach laid the foundations of the music of New and Contemporary times, dividing the history of music into pre-Bach and post-Bach. There is an opinion that music Bach gloomy and gloomy. His music is rather fundamental and thorough, restrained and focused. Like the reflections of a mature, world-wise person. Creation Bach influenced many composers. Some of them took cues from his works or used themes from them. And musicians all over the world play music Bach, admiring her beauty and perfection. One of the most sensational works - "Brandenburg Concerts"- excellent proof that music Bach can't be considered too gloomy:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is rightfully considered a genius. At the age of 4 he was already fluent in playing the violin and harpsichord, at the age of 6 he began composing music, and at 7 he was already skillfully improvising on the harpsichord, violin and organ, competing with famous musicians. Already at 14 years old Mozart- a recognized composer, and at the age of 15 - a member of the music academies of Bologna and Verona. By nature, he had a phenomenal ear for music, memory and the ability to improvise. He created an astonishing number of works - 23 operas, 18 sonatas, 23 piano concertos, 41 symphonies and much more. The composer did not want to imitate, he tried to create a new model that reflected the new individuality of music. It is no coincidence that in Germany music Mozart called “music of the soul”, in his works the composer showed traits of his sincere, loving nature. The Greatest Melodist special meaning gave to the opera. Operas Mozart- an era in the development of this type of musical art. Mozart widely recognized as one of the greatest composers: his uniqueness lies in the fact that he worked in all musical forms of his time and achieved the highest success in all of them. One of the most recognizable works - "Turkish March":

Ludwig van Beethoven

Another great German Ludwig van Beethoven was an important figure of the Romantic-Classical period. Even those who know nothing at all about classical music know about it. Beethoven is one of the most performed and respected composers in the world. The great composer witnessed the tremendous upheavals that occurred in Europe and redrew its map. These great upheavals, revolutions and military confrontations are reflected in the composer’s work, especially symphonic works. He embodied pictures of heroic struggle in music. IN immortal works Beethoven you will hear the struggle for freedom and brotherhood of people, the unshakable faith in the victory of light over darkness, as well as dreams of freedom and happiness for mankind. One of the most famous and amazing facts his life - the ear disease developed into complete deafness, but despite this, the composer continued to write music. He was also considered one of the the best pianists. Music Beethoven surprisingly simple and easy to understand wide circles listeners. Generations and even eras change, and music Beethoven still excites and delights the hearts of people. One of his best works - "Moonlight Sonata":

Richard Wagner

With the name of the great Richard Wagner most often associated with his masterpieces "Wedding Choir" or "Ride of the Valkyries". But he is known not only as a composer, but also as a philosopher. Wagner considered his musical works as a way of expressing a certain philosophical concept. WITH Wagner a new musical era of operas began. The composer tried to bring opera closer to life; music for him is only a means. Richard Wagner- creator of musical drama, reformer of operas and the art of conducting, innovator of the harmonic and melodic language of music, creator of new forms of musical expressiveness. Wagner- author of the world's longest solo aria (14 minutes 46 seconds) and the world's longest classical opera (5 hours and 15 minutes). In life Richard Wagner was considered a controversial person, who was either adored or hated. And often both together. Mystical symbolism and anti-Semitism made him Hitler's favorite composer, but closed the way for his music to Israel. However, neither supporters nor opponents of the composer deny his greatness as a composer. Wonderful music from the very first notes Richard Wagner absorbs you completely, leaving no room for disputes and disagreements:

Franz Schubert

Austrian composer Franz Schubert - musical genius, one of the best song composers. He was only 17 when he wrote his first song. In one day he could write 8 songs. During his creative life, he created more than 600 compositions, based on poems by more than 100 great poets, including Goethe, Schiller and Shakespeare. That's why Franz Schubert in the top 10. Although creativity Schubert very diverse in the use of genres, ideas and reincarnations, the predominant and defining thing in his music is vocal and song lyrics. Before Schubert the song was considered an insignificant genre, and it was he who elevated it to the level of artistic perfection. Moreover, he combined the seemingly incompatible song and chamber symphonic music, which gave rise to a new direction of lyrical-romantic symphony. Vocal and song lyrics are a world of simple and deep, subtle and even intimate human experiences, expressed not in words, but in sound. Franz Schubert lived very short life, only 31 years old. The fate of the composer's works is no less tragic than his life. After death Schubert many unpublished manuscripts remained, stored in bookcases and drawers of relatives and friends. Even those closest to him did not know everything he wrote, and for many years he was recognized mainly only as the king of song. Some of the composer's works were published only half a century after his death. One of the most beloved and famous works Franz Schubert - "Evening Serenade":

Robert Schumann

With no less tragic fate German composer Robert Schumann- one of best composers romantic era. He created music of amazing beauty. To get an idea about German romanticism XIX century, just listen "Carnival" Robert Schumann. He was able to break free from the musical traditions of the classical era, creating his own interpretation of the romantic style. Robert Schumann was gifted with many talents, and even for a long time could not decide between music, poetry, journalism and philology (he was a polyglot and translated fluently from English, French and Italian). He was also an amazing pianist. And yet the main calling and passion Schumann there was music. His poetic and deeply psychological music largely reflects the duality of the composer’s nature, a rush of passion and escape into the world of dreams, awareness of vulgar reality and the desire for the ideal. One of the masterpieces Robert Schumann, which everyone simply must hear:

Frederic Chopin

Frederic Chopin is perhaps the most famous Pole in the world of music. Neither before nor after the composer was a musical genius of this level born in Poland. The Poles are incredibly proud of their great compatriot, and in their creativity Chopin more than once he glorifies his homeland, admires the beauty of the landscapes, laments the tragic past, dreams of a great future. Frederic Chopin- one of the few composers who wrote music exclusively for piano. His creative heritage includes neither operas nor symphonies, but piano pieces are presented in all their diversity. Works Chopin- the basis of the repertoire of many famous pianists. Frederic Chopin is a Polish composer who is also known as a talented pianist. He lived only 39 years, but managed to create many masterpieces: ballads, preludes, waltzes, mazurkas, nocturnes, polonaises, etudes, sonatas and much, much more. One of them - "Ballad No. 1, G minor".

The World's Greatest Composers of All Time: Lists in Chronological and Alphabetical Order, Reference Books and Works

100 Great Composers of the World

List of composers in chronological order

1. Josquin Despres (1450 –1521)
2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 –1594)
3. Claudio Monteverdi (1567 –1643)
4. Heinrich Schütz (1585 –1672)
5. Jean Baptiste Lully (1632 –1687)
6. Henry Purcell (1658 –1695)
7. Arcangelo Corelli (1653 –1713)
8. Antonio Vivaldi (1678 –1741)
9. Jean Philippe Rameau (1683 –1764)
10. George Handel (1685 –1759)
11. Domenico Scarlatti (1685 –1757)
12. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 –1750)
13. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1713 –1787)
14. Joseph Haydn (1732 –1809)
15. Antonio Salieri (1750 –1825)
16. Dmitry Stepanovich Bortnyansky (1751 –1825)
17. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –1791)
18. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 –1826)
19. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 –1837)
20. Nicollo Paganini (1782 –1840)
21. Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 –1864)
22. Carl Maria von Weber (1786 –1826)
23. Gioachino Rossini (1792 –1868)
24. Franz Schubert (1797 –1828)
25. Gaetano Donizetti (1797 –1848)
26. Vincenzo Bellini (1801 –1835)
27. Hector Berlioz (1803 –1869)
28. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 –1857)
29. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 –1847)
30. Fryderyk Chopin (1810 –1849)
31. Robert Schumann (1810 –1856)
32. Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (1813 –1869)
33. Franz Liszt (1811 –1886)
34. Richard Wagner (1813 –1883)
35. Giuseppe Verdi (1813 –1901)
36. Charles Gounod (1818 –1893)
37. Stanislav Moniuszko (1819 –1872)
38. Jacques Offenbach (1819 –1880)
39. Alexander Nikolaevich Serov (1820 –1871)
40. Cesar Frank (1822 –1890)
41. Bedřich Smetana (1824 –1884)
42. Anton Bruckner (1824 –1896)
43. Johann Strauss (1825 –1899)
44. Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein (1829 –1894)
45. Johannes Brahms (1833 –1897)
46. ​​Alexander Porfirievich Borodin (1833 –1887)
47. Camille Saint-Saens (1835 –1921)
48. Leo Delibes (1836 –1891)
49. Mily Alekseevich Balakirev (1837 –1910)
50. Georges Bizet (1838 –1875)
51. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 –1881)
52. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 –1893)
53. Antonin Dvorak (1841 –1904)
54. Jules Massenet (1842 –1912)
55. Edvard Grieg (1843 –1907)
56. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 –1908)
57. Gabriel Fauré (1845 –1924)
58. Leos Janacek (1854 –1928)
59. Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (1855 –1914)
60. Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856 –1915)
61. Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857 –1919)
62. Giacomo Puccini (1858 –1924)
63. Hugo Wolf (1860 –1903)
64. Gustav Mahler (1860 –1911)
65. Claude Debussy (1862 –1918)
66. Richard Strauss (1864 –1949)
67. Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov (1864 –1956)
68. Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov (1865 –1936)
69. Jean Sibelius (1865 –1957)
70. Franz Lehár (1870 –1945)
71. Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin (1872 –1915)
72. Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninov (1873 –1943)
73. Arnold Schoenberg (1874 –1951)
74. Maurice Ravel (1875 –1937)
75. Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 –1951)
76. Bela Bartok (1881 –1945)
77. Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (1881 –1950)
78. Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky (1882 –1971)
79. Anton Webern (1883 –1945)
80. Imre Kalman (1882 –1953)
81. Alban Berg (1885 –1935)
82. Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev (1891 –1953)
83. Arthur Honegger (1892 –1955)
84. Darius Milhaud (1892 –1974)
85. Carl Orff (1895 –1982)
86. Paul Hindemith (1895 –1963)
87. George Gershwin (1898 –1937)
88. Isaac Osipovich Dunaevsky (1900 –1955)
89. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (1903 –1978)
90. Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906 –1975)
91. Tikhon Nikolaevich Khrennikov (born in 1913)
92. Benjamin Britten (1913 –1976)
93. Georgy Vasilievich Sviridov (1915 –1998)
94. Leonard Bernstein (1918 –1990)
95. Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (born in 1932)
96. Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933)
97. Alfred Garievich Schnittke (1934 –1998)
98. Bob Dylan (b. 1941)
99. John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (b. 1942)
100. Sting (born 1951)

MASTERPIECES OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

The most famous composers in the world

List of composers in alphabetical order

Melodies and songs of the Russian people inspired creativity famous composers second half of the 19th century century. Among them were P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.P. Mussorgsky, M.I. Glinka and A.P. Borodin. Their traditions were continued by a whole galaxy of outstanding musical figures. Russian composers of the 20th century are still popular.

Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin

Creativity of A.N. Scriabin (1872 - 1915), a Russian composer and talented pianist, teacher, and innovator, cannot leave anyone indifferent. In his original and impulsive music, mystical moments are sometimes heard. The composer is attracted and attracted by the image of fire. Even in the titles of his works, Scriabin often repeats words such as fire and light. He tried to find the possibility of combining sound and light in his works.

The composer's father, Nikolai Alexandrovich Scriabin, was a famous Russian diplomat and active state councilor. Mother - Lyubov Petrovna Skryabina (nee Shchetinina), was known as a very talented pianist. She graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Her professional activity began successfully, but soon after the birth of her son she died of consumption. In 1878, Nikolai Alexandrovich completed his studies and received an appointment to the Russian embassy in Constantinople. The future composer's upbringing was continued by his close relatives - his grandmother Elizaveta Ivanovna, her sister Maria Ivanovna and his father's sister Lyubov Alexandrovna.

Despite the fact that at the age of five Scriabin mastered playing the piano, and a little later began to study musical compositions, according to family tradition, received a military education. He graduated from the 2nd Moscow Cadet Corps. At the same time, he took private lessons in piano and music theory. Later he entered the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a small gold medal.

At the beginning of his creative activity, Scriabin consciously followed Chopin and chose the same genres. However, even at that time his own talent had already emerged. At the beginning of the 20th century, he wrote three symphonies, then “Poem of Ecstasy” (1907) and “Prometheus” (1910). It is interesting that the composer supplemented the Prometheus score with a light keyboard part. He was the first to use light music, the purpose of which is characterized by revealing music by the method of visual perception.

The composer's accidental death interrupted his work. He never realized his plan to create “Mystery” - a symphony of sounds, colors, movements, smells. In this work, Scriabin wanted to tell all of humanity his innermost thoughts and inspire them to create a new world, marked by the union of the Universal Spirit and Matter. His most significant works were only the preface to this grandiose project.

Famous Russian composer, pianist, conductor S.V. Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) was born into a wealthy noble family. Rachmaninov's grandfather was a professional musician. His first piano lessons were given to him by his mother, and later they invited music teacher A.D. Ornatskaya. In 1885, his parents sent him to a private boarding school with the professor of the Moscow Conservatory N.S. Zverev. Order and discipline in the educational institution had a significant influence on the formation of the future character of the composer. He later graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with a gold medal. While still a student, Rachmaninov was very popular among the Moscow public. He has already created his “First Piano Concerto”, as well as some other romances and plays. And his “Prelude in C sharp minor” became a very popular composition. Great P.I. Tchaikovsky drew attention to Sergei Rachmaninov’s graduation work - the opera “Oleko”, which he wrote under the impression of the poem by A.S. Pushkin "Gypsies". Pyotr Ilyich achieved its production in Bolshoi Theater, tried to help with the inclusion of this work in the theater’s repertoire, but unexpectedly died.

From the age of twenty, Rachmaninov taught at several institutes and gave private lessons. At the invitation of the famous philanthropist, theatrical and musical figure Savva Mamontov, at the age of 24 the composer became the second conductor of the Moscow Russian Private Opera. There he became friends with F.I. Chaliapin.

Rachmaninov's career was interrupted on March 15, 1897 due to the non-acceptance of his innovative First Symphony by the St. Petersburg public. Reviews of this work were truly devastating. But the composer’s biggest disappointment was the negative review left by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, whose opinion Rachmaninov greatly valued. After this, he fell into a prolonged depression, from which he managed to get out of it with the help of the hypnotist N.V. Dalia.

In 1901, Rachmaninov completed work on the Second Piano Concerto. And from this moment his active creative activity as a composer and pianist began. Rachmaninov's unique style combined Russian church chants, romanticism and impressionism. He considered melody to be the main leading principle in music. This found its greatest expression in the author’s favorite work, the poem “Bells,” which he wrote for orchestra, choir and soloists.

At the end of 1917, Rachmaninov and his family left Russia, worked in Europe, and then went to America. The composer had a hard time experiencing the break with his homeland. During the Great Patriotic War, he gave charity concerts, the proceeds of which he sent to the Red Army Fund.

Stravinsky's music is distinguished by its stylistic diversity. At the very beginning of his creative activity, it was based on Russian musical traditions. And then in the works one can hear the influence of neoclassicism, characteristic of the music of France of that period and dodecaphony.

Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), in 1882. The father of the future composer Fyodor Ignatievich is a famous opera singer, one of the soloists of the Mariinsky Theater. His mother was pianist and singer Anna Kirillovna Kholodovskaya. From the age of nine, teachers taught him piano lessons. After graduating from high school, at the request of his parents, he entered the law faculty of the university. For two years, from 1904 to 1906, he took lessons from N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, under whose guidance he wrote his first works - a scherzo, a piano sonata, and the suite “Faun and Shepherdess”. Sergei Diaghilev highly appreciated the composer's talent and offered him cooperation. The result collaboration There were three ballets (staged by S. Diaghilev) - “The Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”.

Shortly before the First World War, the composer left for Switzerland, then to France. A new period begins in his work. He studies music XVIII styles century, writes the opera “Oedipus the King” and music for the ballet “Apollo Musagete”. His author's handwriting changed several times over time. The composer lived in the USA for many years. His last famous work"Requiem". A special feature of the composer Stravinsky is the ability to constantly change styles, genres and musical directions.

Composer Prokofiev was born in 1891 in a small village in the Ekaterinoslav province. The world of music was opened to him by his mother, a good pianist who often performed works by Chopin and Beethoven. She became a real musical mentor for her son and, in addition, taught him German and French.

At the beginning of 1900, young Prokofiev managed to attend the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” and listen to the operas “Faust” and “Prince Igor”. The impression received from the performances of Moscow theaters was expressed in his own creativity. He writes the opera "The Giant" and then the overture to "Desert Shores". The parents soon realize that they cannot continue teaching their son music. Soon the aspiring composer, at the age of eleven, was introduced to the famous Russian composer and teacher S.I. Taneyev, who personally asked R.M. Gliera to study musical composition with Sergei. S. Prokofiev passed the entrance exams to the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 13. At the beginning of his career, the composer toured and performed a lot. However, his work caused misunderstanding among the public. This was due to the features of the works, which were expressed in the following:

• modernist style;
• destruction of established musical canons;
• extravagance and ingenuity of compositional techniques

In 1918, S. Prokofiev left and returned only in 1936. Already in the USSR, he wrote music for films, operas, and ballets. But after he was accused, along with a number of other composers, of “formalism”, he practically moved to live in the country, but continued to write musical works. His opera “War and Peace”, ballets “Romeo and Juliet”, “Cinderella” have become the property of world culture.

Russian composers of the 20th century, who lived at the turn of the century, not only preserved the traditions of the previous generation of creative intelligentsia, but also created their own unique art, for which the works of P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.I. Glinka, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

The work of Russian composers of the late 19th - first half of the 20th century is a holistic continuation of the traditions of the Russian school. At the same time, the concept of an approach to the “national” affiliation of this or that music was named; there is practically no direct quotation of folk melodies, but the intonation Russian basis, the Russian soul, remains.

Alexander Nikolaevich Scriabin is a Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. Scriabin's original and deeply poetic creativity stood out as innovative even against the backdrop of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in social life at the turn of the 20th century.
Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was raised by his aunt and grandfather, and from childhood showed musical abilities. At first he studied in the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, and after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S.V. Rachmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer he toured in Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.
The peak of Scriabin's compositional creativity was the years 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony (" Divine Poem"), symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works. "Poem of Ecstasy", consisting of several themes-images, concentrated creative ideas Sryabin is his brightest masterpiece. It harmoniously combines the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. The colossal vital energy, fiery passion, and strong-willed power embodied in the “Poem of Ecstasy” makes an irresistible impression on the listener and today retains the power of its impact.
Another masterpiece of Scriabin is “Prometheus” (“Poem of Fire”), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, was held without lighting effects.
The last unfinished “Mystery” was the plan of Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all of humanity and inspire it to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.

Quote from A.N. Scriabin: “I’m going to tell them (people) - so that they... do not expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves... I’m going to tell them that there is nothing to grieve about, that there is no loss So that they are not afraid of despair, which alone can give rise to real triumph. Strong and powerful is the one who has experienced despair and defeated it."

Quote about A.N. Scriabin: “Scriabin’s work was his time, expressed in sounds. But when the temporary, transient finds its expression in the work of a great artist, it acquires permanent meaning and becomes enduring.” G. V. Plekhanov

A.N. Scriabin "Prometheus"

7. Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov (1873 - 1943)

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the world's largest composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. Creative image Rachmaninoff the composer is often defined by the epithet “the most Russian composer,” emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg schools of composition and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in the world musical culture.
Born in the Novgorod province, at the age of four he began studying music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a large gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, and composed music. The disastrous premiere of the innovative First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg caused a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninov emerged in the early 1900s with a formed style that united Russian church song, outgoing European romanticism, modern impressionism and neoclassicism - and all this is full of complex symbolism. In that creative period his best works were born, including the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his most favorite work - the poem "Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.
In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the USA. For almost ten years after leaving, he composed nothing, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and a major conductor. For all his hectic activities, Rachmaninov remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the annoying attention of the public. He sincerely loved and missed his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, and helped financially. His last works - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) were the result creative path, incorporating all the best of his unique style and a mournful feeling of irreparable loss and longing for his homeland.

Quote from S.V. Rachmaninov:
“I feel like a ghost wandering alone in a world that is alien to me.”
"The most high quality All art is its sincerity."
"Great composers have always and first of all paid attention to melody as the leading principle in music. Melody is music, the main basis of all music... Melodic ingenuity, in the highest sense of the word, is the main life goal of the composer.... By This is the reason why the great composers of the past showed so much interest in folk melodies their countries."

Quote about S.V. Rachmaninov:
“Rachmaninoff was created from steel and gold: Steel is in his hands, gold is in his heart. I can’t think about him without tears. I not only admired the great artist, But I loved the person in him.” I. Hoffman
"Rachmaninov's music is the Ocean. Its waves - musical - begin so far beyond the horizon, and lift you so high and lower you so slowly... that you feel this Power and Breath." A. Konchalovsky

Interesting fact: during the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the proceeds from which he sent to the Red Army Fund to fight the Nazi occupiers.

S.V. Rachmaninov. Piano Concerto No. 2

8. Igor Fedorovich STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, a leader of neoclassicism. Stravinsky became a "mirror" musical era, his work reflects a multiplicity of styles, constantly intersecting and difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries musical history and subject to your own rules.
Born near St. Petersburg, studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was the only composer school Stravinsky, thanks to which he mastered the compositional technique to perfection. He began composing professionally relatively late, but his rise was rapid - a series of three ballets: “The Firebird” (1910), “Petrushka” (1911) and “The Rite of Spring” (1913) immediately brought him to the ranks of composers of the first magnitude.
In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out, almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having been forced to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and eventually stayed to live in the USA. His work is divided into three periods - “Russian”, “neoclassical”, American “mass production”, the periods are divided not by the time of his life in different countries, but according to the author's "handwriting".
Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person, with a wonderful sense of humor. His circle of acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, and statesmen.
Stravinsky's last highest achievement - "Requiem" (Funeral Hymns) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming the true apotheosis of the master's work.
One unique feature stands out in Stavinsky’s work - “unrepeatability”, it was not for nothing that he was called “the composer of a thousand and one styles”, a constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to designs in which Russian origin is visible, audible Russian roots.

Quote from I.F. Stravinsky: “I have been speaking Russian all my life, I have a Russian syllable. Maybe this is not immediately visible in my music, but it is inherent in it, it is in its hidden nature.”

Quote about I.F. Stravinsky: “Stravinsky is a truly Russian composer... The Russian spirit is indestructible in the heart of this truly great, multifaceted talent, born of the Russian land and closely connected with it...” D. Shostakovich

Interesting fact (fable):
Once in New York, Stravinsky took a taxi and was surprised to read his last name on the sign.
-Are you a relative of the composer? - he asked the driver.
- Is there a composer with such a surname? - the driver was surprised. - Hear it for the first time. However, Stravinsky is the name of the taxi owner. I have nothing to do with music - my last name is Rossini...

I.F. Stravinsky. Suite "Firebird"

9. Sergei Sergeevich PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev is one of the largest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist, and conductor.
Born in the Donetsk region, he became involved in music from childhood. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical “prodigies”, from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but they show a desire to create), at the age of 13 he passed the exams at St. Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and misunderstanding of his individual, fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style; the paradox is that, while destroying academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained faithful to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.
The country has changed and Prokofiev’s “free” creativity was forced to give in to the realities of new demands. Prokofiev's talent blossomed with renewed vigor - he wrote operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely precise music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera. In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: his first Spanish wife was arrested on suspicion of espionage and exiled to camps; a Resolution of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued, in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of “formalism” and the harm of their music; There was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health; he retired to his dacha and practically never left it, but continued to compose.
Some of the most striking works of the Soviet period were the operas “War and Peace” and “The Tale of a Real Man”; the ballets “Romeo and Juliet” and “Cinderella”, which have become a new standard of world ballet music; oratorio "Guardian of Peace"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano works.
Prokofiev's work is striking in its versatility and breadth of themes; the originality of his musical thinking, freshness and originality constituted an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.

Quote from S.S. Prokofiev:
“Can an artist stand aloof from life?.. I adhere to the conviction that a composer, like a poet, sculptor, painter, is called upon to serve man and the people... He, first of all, is obliged to be a citizen in his art, to sing human life and lead a person to a bright future..."
"I am a manifestation of life, which gives me the strength to resist everything unspiritual"

Quote about S.S. Prokofiev: "... all facets of his music are beautiful. But there is one completely unusual thing. Apparently, we all have some failures, doubts, just... Bad mood. And in such moments, even if I don’t play or listen to Prokofiev, but just think about him, I receive an incredible charge of energy, I feel a great desire to live and act.” E. Kissin

Interesting fact: Prokofiev loved chess very much, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, including the “nine” chess he invented - a 24x24 board with nine sets of pieces arranged on it.

S.S. Prokofiev. Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra

10. Dmitry Dmitrievich SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 - 1975)

Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most important and performed composers in the world, his influence on modern classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and chronicle of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and humanity, with the fate of his native country.
Born in St. Petersburg, the first music lessons received from his mother, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him to Mozart - so he amazed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and gift for composition. Already in the early 20s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers in the country. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International competition Chopin in 1927.
Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", Shostakovich worked as a free artist - an "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The severe demolition of this opera, organized in 1936, and the repressions of 1937 marked the beginning of Shostakovich’s subsequent constant internal struggle to express his views through his own means in the conditions of state imposition of trends in art. In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, he and his relatives were awarded and were on the verge of arrest.
A soft, intelligent, delicate person, he found his own form of expression creative principles in symphonies, where he could speak the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all Shostakovich’s extensive creativity in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy the central place; the most dramatically intense are the 5,7,8,10,15 symphonies, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich reveals himself in chamber music.
Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a “home” composer and practically never traveled abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world and was performed the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich’s talent is so immense that full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is still ahead.

Quote from D.D. Shostakovich: “True music is capable of expressing only humane feelings, only advanced humane ideas.”

D. Shostakovich. Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"