The origins of
the Russian musical tradition go back to the folk music of the east
Slav tribes. Following Russia’s conversion to Orthodox Christianity
(988), it developed further through Orthodox Church liturgy that was
Byzantine in origin. Both forms placed great emphasis on choir
singing, and Russian church music rapidly assumed native Russian
characteristics evolving a distinct type of Eastern Orthodox hymn
singing.
In the 16th
and 17th centuries, strong secular influences on Russian music began
to manifest themselves, with everyday and lyrical songs receiving
special development. During the reign of Peter the Great, music
acquired special significance within court circles in imitation of
those in Western Europe, and soon Italian opera could be heard in
both St. Petersburg and Moscow. These events greatly helped the
development of native musicians.
In the late
18th century the Russian national school of music composition was
born thanks to the creative efforts of the composers Vasily
Pashkevich, Yevstignei Fomin, Alexei Verstovsky, Dmitry Bortnyansky,
and Maxim Berezovsky. By the end of that century a Russian national
opera had come into existence, and concerts of music composed by
Russians were regularly performed. In 1783, the
Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg
was opened.
In the first
half of the 19th century Mikhail Glinka opened a new chapter in the
history of Russian music. He is considered to be founder of modern
Russian classical music, whose work provided a powerful impetus to
the development of national music. His operas A Life for the
Tsar
and Ruslan and Lyudmila still enjoy worldwide popularity. In
1802 the Philharmonic Society was organized in St. Petersburg, and
the Bolshoi Theater was opened in Moscow
in 1825.
