Abstract: (ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.)IN THIS FINAL INSTALLMENT of Russian vocal music songs of Rachmaninov will be presented along with vocal music from 20th century, Communist era. A word regarding spelling is in order. Since Russian alphabet consists of 30 letters (20 consonants, 10 vowels), spelling from Cyrillic to English cannot be specific. The spellings of both Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky are two excellent examples. In Cyrillic, Rachmaninov is spelled .... The final letter is sound of /v/, and I have chosen in writing to honor sound of Cyrillic letter. However, final /v/ sounds almost always migrate to /f/. German musicologists in 19th century were first to transliterate Russian into Western alphabet we share, and they chose double-f spelling, which stuck. Rachmaninov himself signed his name when in West. I have also seen it spelled Rakhmaninov. Similarly, Tchaikovsky is spelled .... The initial single letter represents /t∫/, or ch sound in English. German musicologists chose tch to represent this sound more than a century ago, and it has stuck. Current musicological practice (i.e., Oxford Dictionary et al.) spells name Chaikovsky or Chaykovsky, which changes alphabetical placement and to my mind is unsatisfactory for common usage. There is no right or wrong, only a difference in transliteration.RACHMANINOVThe early years of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943) were not unlike those of Tchaikovsky: born to landed gentry through his mother's side, within first ten years of her marriage five estates of her dowry been lost by her husband through bad business decisions and a somewhat profligate life. Both Sergei's parents played piano, as was customary for this social class at this time; his mother, daughter of a general, was his first piano teacher. His father no aptitude for cataclysmic changes wrought by emancipation of serfs; he simply no idea how to economically guide family through these difficult times of industrialization. Although emancipation of serfs occurred twelve years before Sergei's birth, and while that 1861 act clearly served to expand individual freedom in Russia, Emancipation also greatly contracted economic position of class into which Rachmaninoff was born, Russia's landed gentry.1 Now landless, family moved to St. Petersburg in 1881, and within a year Sergei was offered a scholarship to St. Petersburg Conservatory to study piano. His younger sister Sofiya died of diphtheria shortly after move.2 His parents separated and divorced soon thereafter, leaving his mother destitute. Sergei was not a good student during those tumultuous late childhood years; his grades were so poor in general academic studies he almost lost his scholarship. Consequently, following death of another sister, Yelena, he was sent same autumn to Moscow to live with and study piano under musical disciplinarian Nikolai Zverev. Sergei's older cousin Aleksandr Ziloti studied with Zverev and later with Franz Liszt; it was he who suggested discipline and unavoidable hard work would be good for 12 year old.3 These were very difficult years indeed, but through Zverev's Sunday afternoon musicales Rachmaninov was introduced to Anton Rubinstein, Vasily Safonov (soon to become new Moscow Conservatory head), Sergei Taneyev (with whom he studied counterpoint), Anton Arensky (harmony), and Pyotr Tchaikovsky, whom young Rachmaninov idolized and who was to become the most influential composer of [his] formative years.4 It is no surprise Rachmaninov thrived under these circumstances, despite very heavy hand employed by Zverev.Rachmaninov's fascination with probably went back to his early years in Oneg, last of family estates to be sold. By age of 16 his sister Yelena had developed a beautiful contralto voice and introduced him to Tchaikovsky's music, which was very popular at time. …
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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