Rudnev Russian style of playing the classical guitar. Sergey Rudnev (guitar). "Memory of Barrios"

The importance of the topic raised is obvious, since the Russian guitar repertoire plays a significant role in the programs of modern guitarists. And study and analysis historical materials on Russian guitar allow us to speak about the uniqueness of the Russian guitar school.

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RUSSIAN STYLE OF CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYING

Sokolova A.V.

INTRODUCTION

The guitar has been the favorite instrument of many famous musicians. By now, the guitar has become one of the favorite instruments in all countries. The level has increased performing skills. Information about the guitar, ways of playing, style features. But still, one of the main reasons for the popularity of the instrument is probably its guitar repertoire, which is unlike any other. Today, when the guitar has begun to widely reveal its capabilities, all over the world there is a tendency to use various proprietary techniques, which to one degree or another reflect the characteristics and achievements of national guitar schools. It is quite obvious, for example, the difference in the sound of Spanish, Hawaiian and Latin American guitars.

What about in Russia? We also have our own national instrument - the Russian seven-string guitar. The importance of the topic raised is obvious, since the Russian guitar repertoire plays a significant role in the programs of modern guitarists. And the study and analysis of historical materials on Russian guitar allow us to speak about the uniqueness of the Russian guitar school.

HISTORY OF FORMATION AND SOME MAIN FEATURES OF RUSSIAN GUITAR PERFORMANCE

Guitar performance in Russia has its own unique history.

The Russian guitar school took shape during the period when Western Europe classical guitar has already declared itself as an independent soloist concert instrument. It was especially popular in Italy and Spain. Appeared whole line performers and composers who created a new, now classical repertoire. The most famous of them are Aguado, Giuliane, Carulli, Carcassi. Later, the guitar was turned to and such wonderful moments were written for it by Schubert, Paganini, Weber and others.

The main difference between the Russian guitar and the classical one popular in Europe was the number of strings (seven, not six) and the principle of their tuning. It is the issue of system that has always been the cornerstone in the eternal dispute about the advantage of six- or seven string guitar. Understanding the special importance of this issue, it is necessary to return to the topic of the origin of the seven-string guitar and its appearance in Russia.

By the end of the 18th century. There were several types of guitars in Europe various designs, sizes, s different amounts strings and many ways to tune them (suffice it to mention that the number of strings varied from five to twelve). A large group of guitars was united according to the principle of tuning the strings in fourths with one major third in the middle (for convenience, we will call this tuning fourth). These instruments were widespread in Italy, Spain, and France.

In the UK, Germany, Portugal and Central Europe There was a group of instruments with the so-called third tuning, in which, when tuning the vocal strings, preference was given to thirds (for example, two major thirds were separated by a fourth).

What both of these groups of instruments had in common was that music written for one tuning could be performed using a small arrangement on an instrument of a different tuning.

Of interest to us is a guitar with four double strings, which came from England to Europe, and from Europe to Russia (St. Petersburg). The tuning of this guitar had two types: quart and third. The latter differed from the seven-string Russian guitar in size (it was significantly smaller), but practically surpassed the principles of its tuning in an expanded major triad (g, e, c, G, F, C, G). This fact seems very important to us.

The lack of historical evidence on the transformation of the guitar body, its size and the overall scale of the strings allows us only to speculate about options for their development. Most likely, the dimensions of the guitar neck were determined by the ease of play, and the tension of the strings and their tuning corresponded to the tessitura singing voice. Perhaps the improvements led to an increase in the body, the replacement of metal strings with gut strings, and therefore to a “decrease” in the tessitura of the sound, a “sliding” of the overall tuning down.

There is no reliable information confirming that this particular guitar served as the prototype of the Russian “seven-string”. But their relationship is obvious. The history of guitar performance in Russia is connected with the appearance during the reign of Catherine the Great (1780-90s) of foreign guitarists who played tertz and quart guitars. Among them are Giuseppe Sarti, Jean-Baptiste Guenglez. Publications of collections of pieces for 5-6-string guitar and guitar magazines appear.

Igraty von Geld publishes for the first time a manual entitled “ Easy method learning to play the seven-string guitar without a teacher.” Unfortunately, not a single copy of this first Russian school of guitar playing has survived, as well as information about the teaching methods of its author, the type of guitar, and the method of tuning it. There is only evidence from contemporaries that Held was a wonderful performer on the English guitar.

But the true founder of the Russian guitar school was who settled in Moscow at the end of the 18th century. Educated musician, magnificent harpist Andrei Osipovich Sihra. It was he who introduced the seven-string guitar with tuning d, h, g, D, H, G, D into practical music playing, which later became known as “Russian”.

We cannot know how familiar Sihra was with European experiments in creating guitars with different numbers of strings and methods of tuning them, or whether he used their results in his work on the “improvement” of the classic six-string guitar.

The important thing is that Sihra, being an ardent admirer of guitar performance, a brilliant teacher and a competent popularizer of his ideas, left a bright mark on the history of the development of Russian instrumental performance. Using the best achievements of the classical Spanish guitar school, he developed a method of teaching how to play the seven-string guitar, which he later outlined in his book, published in 1832 and 1840. “School.” Using classic shapes and genres, Sihra created a new repertoire specifically for the “Russian guitar” and trained a brilliant galaxy of students.

Thanks to the activities of Sihra and his associates, the seven-string guitar gained extraordinary popularity among representatives of different classes: the Russian intelligentsia and representatives of the middle classes were fond of it, professional musicians and amateurs of everyday music playing turned to it; contemporaries began to associate it with the very essence of Russian urban folk music. A description of the enchanting sound of a seven-string guitar can be found in the heartfelt lines of Pushkin, Lermontov, Chekhov, Tolstoy and many other poets and writers. The guitar began to be perceived as a natural part of Russian musical culture.

Let us remember that Sihra's guitar appeared in Russia in conditions when a seven-string guitar was almost never seen anywhere; it could not be purchased either in shops or from artisans. Now one can only be surprised at how quickly (in 2-3 decades) these masters, among whom were the largest violin players, were able to establish the production of “Russian” guitars. These are Ivan Batov, Ivan Arhuzen, Ivan Krasnoshchekov. The guitars of the Viennese master Scherzer were considered one of the best. According to contemporaries, the guitars of Savitsky, Eroshkin, and Paserbsky were distinguished by their unique individuality.

The national flavor of the seven-string guitar was also given by the arrangements written for it on Russian themes. folk songs. The influence of folk music on musical art is, of course, part of the traditions of many nations. In Russia, however, folk music became the subject of the most frantic passion of the people for their own music, perhaps one of the most remarkable movements of the Russian soul.

To be fair, it should be noted that Sihra’s works on Russian themes were written in the style classical variations and did not have such an original, purely Russian flavor that distinguishes the arrangements of other Russian guitarists. In particular, Mikhail Timofeevich Vysotsky, the creator of numerous compositions on the themes of Russian folk songs, made a huge contribution to the formation of the Russian guitar school as a unique national phenomenon. Vysotsky grew up in the village of Ochakovo (12 km from Moscow) on the estate of the poet Kheraskov, rector of Moscow University, in an atmosphere of love and respect for Russians folk traditions. The boy could listen to wonderful folk singers, take part in folk rituals. Being the son of a serf, Misha could only receive an education by attending meetings of the creative intelligentsia in the Kheraskov house, listening to poetry, debates, and impromptu performances of educated guests.

Among them was Vysotsky’s main teacher, Semyon Aksenov. He noticed the boy’s talent and began giving him lessons in playing the Russian guitar. And although these activities were not systematic, the boy made significant progress. It was thanks to the efforts of Aksenov that Vysotsky received his freedom in 1813 and moved to Moscow for further education. Later, Vysotsky provided significant assistance in mastering musical theoretical disciplines famous musician, composer Dubuc.

Vysotsky became a wonderful improvising guitarist and composer. Soon the fame of an unsurpassed guitar virtuoso came to him. According to contemporaries, Vysotsky’s playing amazed “not just with its extraordinary technique... but with its inspiration, the richness of musical imagination. He seemed to merge with the guitar: it was a living expression of his spiritual mood, his thoughts.”

This is how his student and colleague, guitarist Lyakhov, assessed Vysotsky’s playing: “His playing was incomprehensible, indescribable and left an impression that cannot be conveyed by any notes or words. Here the spinner’s song sounded plaintively, tenderly, sadly before you; a little fermato - and it was as if everything spoke in response to her; the basses say, sighing, the weeping voices of the trebles answer them, and this entire choir is covered with rich reconciling chords; but then the sounds, like tired thoughts, turn into smooth triplets, the theme almost disappears, as if the singer was thinking about something else; but no, he returns to the topic again, to his thought, and it sounds solemn and even, turning into a prayerful adagio. You hear a Russian song elevated to a sacred cult... All this is so beautiful and natural, so deeply soulful and musical, as you rarely find in other compositions of Russian songs. You won’t remember anything like this here: everything here is new and original. Before you is an inspired Russian musician, before you is Vysotsky.”

A distinctive feature of Vysotsky’s creativity was the reliance on powerful layers of folk song and partly instrumental creativity. This is what determined the development of the Russian guitar school and its Moscow branch. Vysotsky, perhaps, was less involved in systematizing recommendations for learning to play the seven-string guitar, although he gave a large number of lessons. But in his work, the Russian seven-string guitar became a truly national instrument, having its own special repertoire, special technical techniques and stylistic differences, performing style, patterns of development within musical forms(meaning the connection between the poetic content of the song and the process of variable development in musical composition). In this regard, Vysotsky for us is probably the most important figure in Russian guitar performance. His work lays the foundation for an original playing style, and also indicates the principle of obtaining a melodic sound and the techniques accompanying it.

Thus, the emergence of a distinctive guitar school in Russia is associated with the names of Sihra and Vysotsky, as well as their best students.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the widespread use of the guitar in Russia over a short historical period of time cannot be an accident. Rather, it is good proof of the validity of the tool. There are enough reasons to be proud of the achievements of the Russian guitar school. However, we can sadly state that we do not know the whole truth about our instrument and the legacy created for it.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE RUSSIAN STYLE OF GUITAR PLAYING

It is known that the design features of an instrument affect the quality of its sound. The design of a seven-string guitar uses a stiffer top, which results in a slightly longer sound duration. The traditional Russian guitar also had metal strings, unlike modern nylon, which also affected the duration of the sound.

These important factors contributed to obtaining a more melodic, cantilena sound, because on a “drawn-out” sound it is easier to create vibration, portamento sounds deeper and denser, and the “legato” stroke is easier to play. Strings tuned by thirds, moreover, more closely spaced, produce completely different overtones than on a guitar of quart tuning. When playing on open strings, the sounds easily merge with each other, forming a good “pedal”. In this case, the fingering of the first three strings in closed positions when moving to an octave lower remains the same. This symmetrical fingering works very well for playing long arpeggios, including passing sounds, providing harmonic support for the time pedal melody.

On a classical guitar, the fingering of different octaves, with rare exceptions, is different, and such a “pedal” is not formed. It can be stated with greater confidence that such a quality as “melody” is inherent in the very nature of the Russian seven-string guitar and is its natural property.

Melodism as the most important feature of the Russian style of playing is also due to a special attitude to certain technical techniques, in particular “legato”. The weaker tension of the first string, a whole tone lower compared to a classical guitar, allows you to perform this technique somewhat better. The long duration of the string, especially metal, often allows you to play “legato” at slower tempos, make smoother transitions from string to string, and makes it possible to pluck with one left hand large quantity sounds and even perform long passages. It must be said that without “legato” there is no Russian guitar, this is important component its general technology.

The peculiarity of the fret coloring of the Russian guitar is major, and not minor, as in the classical one. A lot of compositions for the seven-string guitar are made taking into account open positions, especially in G major, which cannot be transferred to the classical guitar. IN best case scenario you have to rebuild the bass “A” into “G”. It is not always good to raise the key one tone higher, although this is sometimes necessary. In addition, keys with flat signs are more common in the repertoire of the seven-string guitar.

Each of the keys used by Russian musicians has a set of so-called samples and cadences, based on the melodic playing of certain harmonic turns. Many technical aspects differ significantly from those accepted in Europe at that time. This useful and in many ways progressive method of mastering an instrument is the first step towards the ability to improvise, which later became characteristic feature Russian guitar school. It was natural and easy for the Russian seven-string guitarist to connect various harmonic turns, passages, “run” through the entire range of the guitar, suddenly go, say, to the bass or “freeze” on an unexpected chord. All this was included in the concept of “playing well”; these blanks were part of general equipment, were jealously guarded and were often transferred only best students. It seems that this teaching method was a purely Russian discovery, since in the schools of Western guitarists similar method training could not be detected.

However, the main advantage of the instrument was its melodic nature. All cantilena themes are very easy to perform, so they sound easy and natural on the Russian guitar. This is important to understand when transferring the repertoire of a seven-string guitar to the repertoire of a six-string, so that this naturalness is preserved as much as possible. It should be said that the simplicity of presentation of the theme was dictated by the original traditional material - the song. Aksenov was one of the first to see the kinship between the melody of Russian songs and the nature of the instrument. His compositions on folk themes surprisingly natural, organic and uncontrived. We can say with a greater degree of confidence that Aksenov laid the foundation for the future style of guitar playing, using the material of Russian folk songs. His manner of “singing” the theme of a melody on the guitar had no equal. He could play it for as long as he wanted on just one string, supporting it with rare beautiful chords. According to contemporaries, his presentation of the theme was surprisingly natural, akin to a voice into which a kind of harmonic accompaniment was “woven.” Later, he would pass on this principle of play to Vysotsky, who would develop it and color it with his own individuality. It was Vysotsky who “brought melodiousness to high degree technical development, leaving both Sihra and his teacher far behind.”

But still, we owe the basis of this discovery to Aksenov. He was also the first to play complex harmonics in numerous imitations, in particular, imitating the bassoon, cello, clarinet, various drums, etc. Thus, we can highlight Aksenov’s way of presenting a melody on one string using glissando and portamento as a sign of the Russian style of playing. This technique later became one of the favorites for many guitarists and was an example to follow.

Let's also consider the principles of approach to sound formation and presentation of the theme on the Russian guitar by some other famous guitarists. Sarenko had a “big” sound, as it is now commonly expressed. This musician's attention was focused on the clarity and intelligibility of sound extraction. The main thing in Sarenko’s method is to find a beautiful tone of sound and its timbre colors. His guitar “sang” especially beautifully in high positions. One may regret that most of his works, which were pointed out by his contemporaries, have not survived to this day. But the principles of the approach are clear and organically resonate with modern developments on the problem of sound production on the guitar.

A student of Sihra, he began to convert serious attention on the sound, the purity of its tone and worked a lot on the technique of obtaining it. He could combine phrases for hours, changing the timbre of the sound and enjoying various musical colors. According to the testimony of his friends, they could listen to his play without getting tired for as long as they wanted. Here it is worth focusing on the fact that the “tone” of the game, contained in the quality of sound, its density, overtones, was valued very highly and the technology for obtaining it on the instrument was known.

Noting the melodic nature of the instrument's sound, which is the most important factor, underlying the formation of the Russian style of play, it should be said that this is not enough to reveal the concept of “style”. It is quite obvious that the cantilena when played is only a means of expressing musical thought; the level of the repertoire is more important. One of best composers-guitarists are considered to be Vetrov. His compositions are distinguished by a talent for prelude and smooth legato combined with bold modulations, i.e. those components that make up the authentic Russian style of playing the guitar.

Knowledge of music theory and mastery of the violin allowed Vetrov to use the technical advantages of the instrument at a high-quality level, opening up new possibilities in the guitar. Vetrov's playing style was formed under the influence of his teacher, Vysotsky. For us, Vetrov is an important figure among Russian guitarists as a musician who embodied and developed best ideas his teacher and stepped even further as an artist and thinker.

Let us dwell on another prominent figure of the Russian guitar school. This is Fedor Zimmerman. He was one of the few who managed to expand the technical capabilities of the Russian guitar. Playing various instruments and knowing the cello well, Zimmerman put all his energy and experience into guitar performance. His technique, according to eyewitnesses, was simply phenomenal and beyond the reach of others. He managed to combine pure tone of sound with amazing fluency. The power of his playing was such that after playing a few chords, those around him would take their breath away with surprise - the dynamics and at the same time the purity of his playing were amazing. Stakhovich writes about the impression of Zimmerman’s performance: “... I was expecting an elegant, spectacular performance and met an unprecedented master who exceeded all my expectations. What strength, fluency and jealousy of tone! It seems that this skill was born with him.” And further: “Zimmerman’s talent is just as great and just as serious, and his virtuosity is far superior to Vysotsky... I am sure that Europe has never heard such a guitarist as Zimmerman.” Most of Zimmermanado's compositions have not survived to this day, but they brought him great fame. Another statement about his playing by Sokolovsky: “If we were to record everything he plays, his compositions would eclipse everything written so far for the guitar. Really, it seemed to me that if you tied all the guitarists together, not even one finger (Zimmerman) would come out of them.” This opinion belonged to an outstanding guitarist, who enjoyed great European fame, and also a six-string guitarist, who did not really praise his foreign-stringed brother. Sokolovsky valued Zimmerman's performance more than his own. Zimmerman laid a strong foundation for a beautiful and virtuosic playing style that was both exquisite musicality and melodic charm. Zimmerman's fame during his lifetime was so great that he was placed above Sihra and Vysotsky. Even taking into account the subjectivity of such an opinion, the very fact of comparison is very important. Glinka and Dargomyzhsky, who visited him on the estate, listened to Zimmerman play more than once.

The main thing for us that can be highlighted in Zimmerman’s playing style is his technical freedom. “Paganini of the guitar” - that’s what they called him during his lifetime. According to Zimmerman, the strength and independence of the fingers must be trained persistently and for a long time, and one’s technique must far exceed the level pieces performed. Technical freedom, in which virtuosity is not an end in itself, makes performance easy and perfect. One can only imagine how Zimmerman could embellish the main theme using his arsenal, which included everything from trills, chromatic passages to non-standard arpeggios using the entire range of the guitar. Zimmerman pioneered a beautiful and inventive style of play that was forever imitated and imitated by his many followers.

In conclusion, I would like to say one more important thing - this careful attitude and love for national culture, as well as respect for one's own national traditions, without understanding which it becomes impossible to talk about Russian national performance in general.

It is only necessary to highlight the most important components for the general playing technique of the Russian guitar school, namely: clarity of articulation and the development of a beautiful musical tone, focus on the melodic capabilities of the instrument and the creation of a specific repertoire, a progressive method of using “blanks” of samples and cadences that improve the ability to master the instrument.

Sokolova A.V.

"Russian style"

Sergey Rudnev

Russian seven-string and classical guitar

The original guitarist and composer Sergei Rudnev will perform at the Togliatti Philharmonic

January 30 at 19.00 Togliatti Philharmonic invites fans of guitar music. Will perform this evening Sergey Rudnev- unique and original guitarist, performer on the Russian seven-string and classical guitar, composer, excellent improviser, fluent different styles guitar playing, including jazz.

Before Sergei Rudnev, no one had yet managed to create a repertoire based on Russian folklore. The works of Sergei Rudnev are living musical pictures, where the starting point for the formation of the character of the images is the text of the lyrical and dance songs. And the most amazing thing is that all musical colors and techniques were found or invented in the technical arsenal and capabilities of the classical six-string guitar.

The name of Sergei Rudnev is widely known in the guitar world; his compositions are included in the programs of the most famous Russian and foreign performers. According to unofficial data, Sergei Rudnev is among the top ten

from the most performed composers writing for guitar. It is especially valuable that Sergei Rudnev, as a composer, deeply analyzed and used all the best in the technique of playing the Russian seven-string guitar. He managed to unite two different schools, while enriching his personal guitar technique. For this reason, Sergei Rudnev’s sound on the classical guitar “sings”, like on a seven-string, and the imitations are very bright and contrasting.

In the press you can read the following about him: “Overseas he is considered a Russian national guitarist - this is his official status, this is how he is addressed in letters from “there.” Tulyak Sergey Rudnev is the only musician in Russia who purposefully develops Russian guitar culture, devoting his life to it.” In one of his interviews, Sergei Rudnev admits: “...life gave me meetings with many interesting people, each of which left its mark in the formation of the principles of the approach for creating various musical images. In addition to those whom I have already named, there were our famous compatriots. These are Vladimir Spivakov, Mikael Tariverdiev, Igor Rekhin, almost all famous concert guitarists. Communicating with them, I always looked out for what I could adopt, supplement and enrich my compositional technique. There were meetings with Pepe Romero, Maria Louise Anido, Kazuhito Yamashita, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin. When I lived in Spain (1995) and taught a guitar class at the Tarragona Conservatory, I simultaneously studied flamenco. It’s always better to work with primary sources...Nevertheless, I was most attracted to our Russian musical tradition.”

Sergei Rudnev's guitar sounded in the most prestigious concert halls many large cities: Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Saratov, Kyiv, St. Petersburg, Moscow. Sergei Rudnev receives invitations to France, Poland, Hungary, Israel, Australia, and America. In 2002 it was published in Tula research Sergei Rudnev "Russian style of playing the classical guitar" According to reviews from the music community, this work has no analogues.

Sergei Rudnev is an excellent accompanist. A lot of time was devoted to this art. According to the composer, this is a difficult craft, especially in the genre of urban romance. Sergei Rudnev sought his path through analysis of the accompaniment of various pianists, such as Taskin, Ashkenazi, and S. Orekhova on guitar. Note that Sergei Rudnev was an accompanist with A. Pugacheva and A. Malinin, and is currently musical director trio " Yasnaya Polyana", working in the genre of Russian and gypsy romance. The team received First Prize and Grand Prix at the Russian and Gypsy romance competition in the city of Vladimir. His variety experience helps Sergei Rudnev find this or that solution in the arrangement. In addition to various VIAs, he worked as a musical director and arranger in the jazz-rock orchestra “Slides” (Rosconcert).

“Sergei Rudnev is artistic and handsome with an instrument in his hands, he plays effortlessly and is always original. Seeing him on stage is a pleasure,” notes the famous publicist and critic V. Popov.

The name of Sergei Rudnev is already included in modern history, and he stands among the best composers creating the modern guitar repertoire.

I department

Two musical portraits:

"Antique Sigismund"
"Russian"

From the suite "Characters from the fairy tales of A.S. Pushkin":

"The Princess's Dream"
"Pop and Balda"

From the suite "Four Seasons":

"Autumn"

"Memory of Barrios"

"Vivat Maestro"(imitation of Piazzolla)
"Image from a Dream"

From the suite "By countries and continents":

"Date with a Dream"(Italy)
"Brazilera"(Brazil)

Plays in style "Stride"

"Gone Day"
"Marcel Dadi"
"Moulin rouge"(Cabaret)

"Old photo"(jazz style medley)

II department

Russians folk songs and dancing:

"Across the wild steppes of Transbaikalia"
"Tula Round Dance"
"Beep"
"Luchina"
"Young girl"
"Trinity"
“The month turned crimson”
“Like ours at the gate”
"Creeples and curls"
"Night"
"Khutorok"
"The moon is shining"
“I was threshing on the stove”

RUSSIAN STYLE OF CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYING

Sokolova A.V.

INTRODUCTION

The guitar has been the favorite instrument of many famous musicians. By now, the guitar has become one of the favorite instruments in all countries. The level of performing skills has increased. Information about the guitar, playing methods, and style features has become more accessible. But still, one of the main reasons for the popularity of the instrument is probably its guitar repertoire, which is unlike any other. Today, when the guitar has begun to widely reveal its capabilities, all over the world there is a tendency to use various proprietary techniques, which to one degree or another reflect the characteristics and achievements of national guitar schools. It is quite obvious, for example, the difference in the sound of Spanish, Hawaiian and Latin American guitars.

HISTORY OF FORMATION AND SOME MAIN FEATURES OF RUSSIAN GUITAR PERFORMANCE

Guitar performance in Russia has its own unique history. The Russian guitar school took shape at a time when in Western Europe the classical guitar had already declared itself as an independent solo concert instrument. It was especially popular in Italy and Spain. A number of performers and composers appeared who created a new repertoire that has become classical. The most famous of them are Aguado, Giuliane, Carulli, Carcassi. Later, the guitar was turned to and such wonderful moments were written for it by Schubert, Paganini, Weber and others.

The main difference between the Russian guitar and the classical one popular in Europe was the number of strings (seven, not six) and the principle of their tuning. It is the question of tuning that has always been the cornerstone in the age-old debate about the superiority of a six- or seven-string guitar. Understanding the special importance of this issue, it is necessary to return to the topic of the origin of the seven-string guitar and its appearance in Russia.

By the end of the 18th century. In Europe, there were several types of guitars of different designs, sizes, with different numbers of strings and many ways to tune them (suffice it to mention that the number of strings varied from five to twelve). A large group of guitars was united according to the principle of tuning the strings in fourths with one major third in the middle (for convenience, we will call this tuning fourth). These instruments were widespread in Italy, Spain, and France.

In Great Britain, Germany, Portugal and Central Europe, there was a group of instruments with the so-called third tuning, in which, when tuning the vocal strings, preference was given to thirds (for example, two major thirds were separated by a fourth).

What both of these groups of instruments had in common was that music written for one tuning could be performed using a small arrangement on an instrument of a different tuning.

The lack of historical evidence on the transformation of the guitar body, its size and the overall scale of the strings allows us only to speculate about options for their development. Most likely, the size of the guitar neck was determined by the ease of play, and the tension of the strings and their tuning corresponded to the tessitura of the singing voice. Perhaps the improvements led to an increase in the body, the replacement of metal strings with gut strings, and therefore to a “decrease” in the tessitura of the sound, a “sliding” of the overall tuning down.

Igraty von Geld publishes for the first time a manual entitled “An Easy Method for Learning to Play the Seven-String Guitar Without a Teacher.” Unfortunately, not a single copy of this first Russian school of guitar playing has survived, as well as information about the teaching methods of its author, the type of guitar, and the method of tuning it. There is only evidence from contemporaries that Held was a wonderful performer on the English guitar.

The important thing is that Sihra, being an ardent admirer of guitar performance, a brilliant teacher and a competent popularizer of his ideas, left a bright mark on the history of the development of Russian instrumental performance. Using the best achievements of the classical Spanish guitar school, he developed a method of teaching how to play the seven-string guitar, which he later outlined in his book, published in 1832 and 1840. “School.” Using classical forms and genres, Sihra created a new repertoire specifically for the “Russian guitar” and trained a brilliant galaxy of students.

The seven-string guitar was also given a national flavor by the arrangements written for it on the themes of Russian folk songs. The influence of folk music on the art of music is, of course, part of the traditions of many nations. In Russia, however, folk music has become the subject of the most frantic passion of the people for their own music, perhaps one of the most remarkable movements of the Russian soul.

To be fair, it should be noted that Sihra’s works on Russian themes were written in the style of classical variations and did not have such an original, purely Russian flavor that distinguishes the arrangements of other Russian guitarists. In particular, Mikhail Timofeevich Vysotsky, the creator of numerous compositions on the themes of Russian folk songs, made a huge contribution to the formation of the Russian guitar school as a unique national phenomenon. Vysotsky grew up in the village of Ochakovo (12 km from Moscow) on the estate of the poet Kheraskov, rector of Moscow University, in an atmosphere of love and respect for Russian folk traditions. The boy could listen to wonderful folk singers and take part in folk rituals. Being the son of a serf, Misha could only receive an education by attending meetings of the creative intelligentsia in the Kheraskov house, listening to poetry, debates, and impromptu performances of educated guests.

Among them was Vysotsky’s main teacher, Semyon Aksenov. He noticed the boy’s talent and began giving him lessons in playing the Russian guitar. And although these activities were not systematic, the boy made significant progress. It was thanks to the efforts of Aksenov that Vysotsky received his freedom in 1813 and moved to Moscow for further studies. Later, Vysotsky received significant assistance in mastering musical theoretical disciplines from the famous musician and composer Dubuk.

A distinctive feature of Vysotsky’s work was its reliance on powerful layers of folk song and partly instrumental creativity. This is what determined the development of the Russian guitar school and its Moscow branch. Vysotsky, perhaps, was less involved in systematizing recommendations for learning to play the seven-string guitar, although he gave a large number of lessons. But in his work, the Russian seven-string guitar became a truly national instrument, having its own special repertoire, special technical techniques and stylistic differences, performing style, patterns of development within musical forms (meaning the connection of the poetic content of the song with the process of variable development in musical composition). In this regard, Vysotsky for us is probably the most important figure in Russian guitar performance. His work lays the foundation for an original playing style, and also indicates the principle of obtaining a melodic sound and the techniques accompanying it.

Thus, the emergence of a distinctive guitar school in Russia is associated with the names of Sihra and Vysotsky, as well as their best students.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE RUSSIAN STYLE OF GUITAR PLAYING

It is known that the design features of an instrument affect the quality of its sound. The design of a seven-string guitar uses a stiffer top, which results in a slightly longer sound duration. The traditional Russian guitar had metal strings, unlike modern nylon, which also affected the duration of the sound.

Melodism as the most important feature of the Russian style of playing is also due to a special attitude to certain technical techniques, in particular “legato”. The weaker tension of the first string, a whole tone lower compared to a classical guitar, allows you to perform this technique somewhat better. The long duration of a string, especially a metal one, often allows you to play “legato” at slower tempos, make smoother transitions from string to string, and makes it possible to string together more sounds with one left hand and even perform long passages. It must be said that without “legato” there is no Russian guitar; this is an important part of its general technique.

The peculiarity of the fret coloring of the Russian guitar is major, and not minor, as in the classical one. A lot of compositions for the seven-string guitar are made taking into account open positions, especially in G major, which cannot be transferred to the classical guitar. In the best case, you have to rebuild the bass “A” into “G”. It is not always good to raise the key one tone higher, although this is sometimes necessary. In addition, keys with flat signs are more common in the repertoire of the seven-string guitar.

Each of the keys used by Russian musicians has a set of so-called samples and cadences, based on the melodic playing of certain harmonic turns. Many technical aspects differ significantly from those accepted in Europe at that time. This useful and in many ways progressive method of mastering the instrument is the first step towards the ability to improvise, which later became a characteristic feature of the Russian guitar school. It was natural and easy for the Russian seven-string guitarist to connect various harmonic turns, passages, “run” through the entire range of the guitar, suddenly go, say, to the bass or “freeze” on an unexpected chord. All this was included in the concept of “playing well”; these blanks were part of the general technology, were jealously guarded and were often passed on only to the best students. It seems that this teaching method was a purely Russian discovery, since a similar teaching method could not be found in the schools of Western guitarists.

However, the main advantage of the instrument was its melodic nature. All cantilena themes are very easy to perform, so they sound easy and natural on the Russian guitar. This is important to understand when transferring the repertoire of a seven-string guitar to the repertoire of a six-string, so that this naturalness is preserved as much as possible. It should be said that the simplicity of presentation of the theme was dictated by the original traditional material - the song. Aksenov was one of the first to see the kinship between the melody of Russian songs and the nature of the instrument. His compositions on folk themes are surprisingly natural, organic and uncontrived. We can say with a greater degree of confidence that Aksenov laid the foundation for the future style of guitar playing, using the material of Russian folk songs. His manner of “singing” the theme of a melody on the guitar had no equal. He could play it for as long as he wanted on just one string, supporting it with rare beautiful chords. According to contemporaries, his presentation of the theme was surprisingly natural, akin to a voice into which a kind of harmonic accompaniment was “woven.” Later, he would pass on this principle of play to Vysotsky, who would develop it and color it with his own individuality. It was Vysotsky who “brought melodiousness to a high degree of technical development, leaving both Sihra and his teacher far behind him.”

Let's also consider the principles of approach to sound formation and presentation of themes on the Russian guitar by some other famous guitarists. Sarenko had a “big” sound, as it is now commonly expressed. This musician's attention was focused on the clarity and intelligibility of sound extraction. The main thing in Sarenko’s method is to find a beautiful tone of sound and its timbre colors. His guitar “sang” especially beautifully in high positions. It is regrettable that most of his works, which were pointed out by his contemporaries, have not survived to this day. But the principles of the approach are clear and organically resonate with modern developments on the problem of sound production on the guitar.

A student of Sihra, he began to pay serious attention to sound, the purity of its tone, and worked hard on the technique of producing it. He could combine phrases for hours, changing the timbre of the sound and enjoying various musical colors. According to the testimony of his friends, they could listen to his play without getting tired for as long as they wanted. Here it is worth focusing on the fact that the “tone” of the game, contained in the quality of sound, its density, overtones, was valued very highly and the technology for obtaining it on the instrument was known.

Noting the melodic nature of the sound of the instrument, which is the most important factor underlying the formation of the Russian playing style, it should be said that this is not enough to reveal the concept of “style”. It is quite obvious that the cantilena when played is only a means of expressing musical thought; the level of the repertoire is more important. Vetrov is considered one of the best composer-guitarists. His compositions are distinguished by a talent for prelude and smooth legato combined with bold modulations, i.e. those components that make up the authentic Russian style of playing the guitar.

Knowledge of music theory and mastery of the violin allowed Vetrov to use the technical advantages of the instrument at a high-quality level, opening up new possibilities in the guitar. Vetrov's playing style was formed under the influence of his teacher, Vysotsky. For us, Vetrov is an important figure among Russian guitarists as a musician who embodied and developed the best ideas of his teacher and stepped even further as an artist and thinker.

Let us dwell on another prominent figure of the Russian guitar school. This is Fedor Zimmerman. He was one of the few who managed to expand the technical capabilities of the Russian guitar. Playing various instruments and knowing the cello well, Zimmerman put all his energy and experience into guitar performance. His technique, according to eyewitnesses, was simply phenomenal and beyond the reach of others. He managed to combine pure tone of sound with amazing fluency. The power of his playing was such that after playing a few chords, those around him would take their breath away with surprise - the dynamics and at the same time the purity of his playing were amazing. Stakhovich writes about the impression of Zimmerman’s performance: “... I was expecting an elegant, spectacular performance and met an unprecedented master who exceeded all my expectations. What strength, fluency and jealousy of tone! It seems that this skill was born with him.” And further: “Zimmerman’s talent is just as great and just as serious, and his virtuosity is far superior to Vysotsky... I am sure that Europe has never heard such a guitarist as Zimmerman.” Most of Zimmermanado's compositions have not survived to this day, but it was they that brought him great fame. Another statement about his playing by Sokolovsky: “If we were to record everything he plays, his compositions would eclipse everything written so far for the guitar. Really, it seemed to me that if you tied all the guitarists together, not even one finger (Zimmerman) would come out of them.” This opinion belonged to an outstanding guitarist, who enjoyed great European fame, and also a six-string guitarist, who did not really praise his foreign-stringed brother. Sokolovsky valued Zimmerman's performance more than his own. Zimmerman laid a strong foundation for a beautiful and virtuosic playing style that was both exquisite musicality and melodic charm. Zimmerman's fame during his lifetime was so great that he was placed above Sihra and Vysotsky. Even taking into account the subjectivity of such an opinion, the very fact of comparison is very important. Glinka and Dargomyzhsky, who visited him on the estate, listened to Zimmerman play more than once.

The main thing for us that can be highlighted in Zimmerman’s playing style is his technical freedom. “Paganini of the guitar” - that’s what they called him during his lifetime. According to Zimmerman, the strength and independence of the fingers must be trained persistently and for a long time, and the technique must far exceed the level of the pieces being performed. Technical freedom, in which virtuosity is not an end in itself, makes performance easy and perfect. One can only imagine how Zimmerman could embellish the main theme using his arsenal, which included everything from trills, chromatic passages to non-standard arpeggios using the entire range of the guitar. Zimmerman pioneered a beautiful and inventive style of play that was forever imitated and imitated by his many followers.

In conclusion, I would like to say about one more important thing - this is a caring attitude and love for Russian culture, as well as respect for one’s national traditions, without understanding which it becomes impossible to talk about Russian national performance in general.