Chesnokov, Pavel Grigorievich. A touch to musical beauty, to the movements of the soul Pavel garlicsov short biography

Pavel Chesnokov (1877–1944) also wrote secular music, but he became famous primarily as an Orthodox church composer.

Last year, Russian music lovers celebrated the 135th anniversary of his birth, and 2014 will mark the 70th anniversary of his death. For the second century, his music inspires souls and awakens hearts, and his encyclopedic work "The Chorus and its Management" is still a reference book for choir conductors. So, get acquainted - Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov

Hereditary Regent

The future composer was born in 1877 in the village of Ivanovskoye, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province, in the family of a local choir director, a church choir conductor. The Lord rewarded the boy with a sonorous voice and an ear for music, thanks to which his singing "obedience" under the guidance of his father began at a very early age. At the age of seven, Pavel entered the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, where his mentors were the great choir conductors V.S. Orlov and S.V. Smolensky.

After graduating from college with a gold medal in 1895, the young regent worked in churches in Moscow, gave singing lessons in gymnasiums and women's boarding schools, and along the way studied composition with the master of polyphony S.I. Taneyev, who for many years was a professor and director of the Moscow Conservatory.

For about ten years, Chesnokov has been teaching choral conducting at the Synodal School, at the same time he holds the position of assistant regent of the Synodal Choir, and later conducts the chapel of the Russian Choral Society.

Under the leadership of Pavel Grigorievich, the choir at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Pokrovka became one of the best groups in Moscow: “They didn’t pay the singers, but the singers paid to be accepted into the Chesnokov choir,” recalled the oldest Moscow regent N.S. Danilov. In 1913, the magazine "Choral and Regency Affairs" enthusiastically wrote about the anniversary concerts dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the creative work of the famous maestro: "P.G. Chesnokov is a wonderful virtuoso in conducting the choir and a finest artist. The choir sang simply and seriously, humbly and sternly.

... All shades are given in such a way that the inner feeling and musical beauty of each performed work require.

Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek, where in the spring of 1944
the famous regent P.G. Chesnokov

From the beginning of the 1900s, Pavel Chesnokov became a recognized author of sacred music. He often goes on tour around the country, performing in concerts as a conductor, taking part in various regency courses and congresses.

Widespread fame in singing circles did not prevent the musician from continuing his education: in 1917, the 40-year-old composer and conductor received a diploma and a silver medal from the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated in the class of the legendary M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov.

"Choir and Management"

The revolution found the composer at the peak of his fame, in the prime of his life. The author of many spiritual and musical compositions, the choir director, who was honored to participate with his choir in the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and All Russia in 1917 - Chesnokov's entire life and work were inextricably linked with the Church. The October events turned the page of the history of Orthodox Russia, and in its new, atheistic chapter, the work of the illustrious master became unnecessary and objectionable.

The first time after the revolution, the works of Pavel Chesnokov are still heard in some places, but over the years the persecution of the servants of the Church only intensifies. The composer's creative activity is replaced by forced silence. Thoughts about emigration undoubtedly visited Chesnokov, especially after his younger brother Alexander moved to Paris, but Pavel Grigorievich, as a truly national artist, remained in Moscow.

From 1920 until the end of his life, Chesnokov taught choral conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory (from 1921 he was a professor), where he was invited by the composer M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. In addition, he leads several amateur and professional groups, works as the chief choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, and directs the choir of the Moscow Philharmonic.

At the same time, during these years, the maestro was working on the book "Chorus and its management" - the most important theoretical work of his life. “I sat down to write a big book because, having worked for twenty years in the field of my favorite choral work, I realized that there is no science in our art, and I set out with a bold idea - to create, if not science, then at least a true and solid foundation for it” , he explained. The book was not published for a long time - the composition of sacred music and the work of the regent was clearly not forgiven for the author! - and only in 1940 his fundamental research finally saw the light. The collection immediately became a bibliographic rarity: when it went out of print, the entire circulation sold out in a matter of hours.

The last years of the master's life were full of need and deprivation. The composer, whose work brought joy and light to life - it is on them that all Orthodox worship is built - died in the early spring of 1944 in war-hungry Moscow. The funeral service was performed in the church in Bryusov Lane, and Pavel Grigorievich was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

Soul chant

The legacy of Chesnokov, whose name is named next to such luminaries as Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, includes about five hundred choral works. Approximately one fifth of them is secular music: adaptations of folk songs, choirs and romances based on poems by Russian poets, and children's songs. But the main part of his work is spiritual works: author's chants and transcriptions of traditional chants of Orthodox worship. Among them are the complete cycles of the Liturgy and the All-Night Vigil, the opuses Praise the Name of the Lord, Great Glory, To the Blessed Lady, and other compositions included in the golden fund of church musical culture. In addition to hymns, the composer composed ekphonetics (chant reading, one of the ways of voicing the texts of Holy Scripture, not intended for singing), as well as lithic prayers and litanies for the deacon and mixed choir.

Chesnokov's music is deeply national and original, each of his melody helps to convey the words of prayer to believing hearts. Refined in beauty harmonies, the deepest emotional coloring, sincerity in expressing religious feelings - the inimitable style of his choral writing cannot be confused with anyone else. “This remarkable composer interpreted church music as wings of prayer, on which our soul easily ascends to the throne of the Almighty” - words from the obituary in memory of Pavel Chesnokov, published in the April issue of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate for 1944, best characterize the unique gift of the largest author of the spiritual music of the twentieth century.

That's what Chesnokov said

A choir is such a collection of singers, in the sonority of which there is a strictly balanced ensemble, a precisely adjusted system and artistic, clearly developed nuances.

The bad or good attitude of the choirmaster towards the singers and of the singers towards the choirmaster has a corresponding influence on the performance. After all, what is performance? This is the closest spiritual communion, the complete merging of the souls of the singers with the soul of the regent. The regent at the moment of performance is the sun, the singers are flowers. As flowers open and reach for the sun, absorbing its life-giving rays, so the singers at the moment of performance open their souls, receiving in them the radiation of inspiration of the regent and being inspired.

It is interesting

Polyphony, which is an integral part of modern Russian Orthodox sacred music, penetrated into Russian church singing only in the 17th century. And before that, from the moment of the Baptism of Russia in 988, in our country there was a monophonic, or unison performance, which came to us, like Christianity itself, from Byzantium. Singing in unison, rich and expressive in its own way, was called znamenny - from the ancient Slavic word "banner" (a sign with which a melody was recorded). Visually, these signs resembled hooks of various shapes, which is why Znamenny singing was also called hook singing. Such a recording of sounds had nothing in common with the usual musical notation - neither in terms of the principle of recording, nor in appearance. The culture of ancient singing manuscripts, which existed for more than 500 years, has long sunk into oblivion, but among modern musicians there are sometimes enthusiasts who seek out and decipher rare hook-making, gradually returning znamenny singing to church use.

P.G. Chesnokov - to the 30th anniversary of creative activity

Thank you for the orthodox story,

For the faith of native antiquity,

For a song consonant, glorious,

In the vision of the coming Spring.

Thank you for the burning flame -

Their prayer lives in silence.

Thanks for all the enjoyment

Our enthusiastic soul.

We welcome you for many years,

May the genius live forever

And the Eternal to us, many years,

He sings to the joy of Russia.

Clergy and parishioners of St. Nicholas Church on the Arbat

Born near the city of Voskresensk (now Istra) in the family of a rural regent. All the children in the family showed musical talent, and the five Chesnokov brothers at different times studied at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing (three choir directors were graduated - Mikhail, Pavel and Alexander).

In 1895 Chesnokov graduated with honors from the Synodal School. Subsequently, he took composition lessons from S. I. Taneyev, G. E. Konyus and M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools: in 1895-1904 he taught at the Synodal School, and in 1901-1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir. In 1916-1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society (on Kuznetsky Most in the house of Torletsky-Zakharyin).

In 1917, Chesnokov received a diploma from the Moscow Conservatory in composition and conducting classes.

From the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he led the choir of the Church of the Trinity on Gryazy (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Neokesarius on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave sacred concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs.

After the revolution, Pavel Grigorievich directed the State Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater. From 1920 until the end of his life he taught conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After 1928, he was forced to leave the regency and compose sacred music. In 1940 he published a monumental work on choral studies "Choir and its management".

Musical works

In total, the composer created about five hundred choral pieces: spiritual compositions and transcriptions of traditional chants (among them several complete cycles of the liturgy and the all-night vigil, a memorial service, the cycles "To the Blessed Lady", "In the days of battle", "To the Lord God"), arrangements of folk songs, choirs on verses of Russian poets. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called "new trend" in Russian sacred music; typical for him, on the one hand, is an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his transcriptions of chants), and on the other hand, a tendency to great emotional openness in expressing religious feelings, up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical of spiritual compositions for solo voice with choir that are still very popular).

CHESNOKOV, PAVEL GRIGORIEVICH(1877-1944), Russian composer, choir conductor, author of widely performed spiritual compositions. Born near Voskresensk (now Istra) Zvenigorod district of the Moscow province on October 12 (24), 1877 in the family of a rural regent. All the children in the family showed musical talent, and the five Chesnokov brothers at different times studied at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing (three choir directors were graduated - Mikhail, Pavel and Alexander). In 1895 Chesnokov graduated with honors from the Synodal School; subsequently took composition lessons from S.I. Taneev, G.E. Konyus (1862-1933) and M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov; much later (in 1917) he received a diploma from the Moscow Conservatory in composition and conducting classes. After graduating from the Synodal School, he worked in various Moscow colleges and schools; in 1895-1904 he taught at the Synodal School, in 1901-1904 he was assistant director of the Synodal Choir, in 1916-1917 he conducted the chapel of the Russian Choral Society.

From the 1900s, Chesnokov gained great fame as a regent and author of sacred music. For a long time he led the choir of the Church of the Trinity on Gryazy (on Pokrovka), from 1917 to 1928 - the choir of the Church of St. Basil of Neokesariysky on Tverskaya; He also worked with other choirs and gave sacred concerts. His works were included in the repertoire of the Synodal Choir and other major choirs. In total, Chesnokov created about five hundred choral pieces - spiritual compositions and arrangements of traditional chants (among them there are several complete cycles of the liturgy and the all-night vigil, a memorial service, cycles To the Holy Mother of God, In the days of battle, To the Lord God), adaptations of folk songs, choirs to verses by Russian poets. Chesnokov is one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called. "new direction" in Russian sacred music ( cm. RUSSIAN SPIRITUAL MUSIC); typical for him, on the one hand, is an excellent mastery of choral writing, excellent knowledge of various types of traditional singing (which is especially evident in his transcriptions of chants), and on the other hand, a tendency to great emotional openness in expressing religious feelings, up to a direct rapprochement with song or romance lyrics (especially typical of spiritual compositions for solo voice with choir that are still very popular).

After the revolution, Chesnokov led the State Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater; from 1920 until the end of his life he taught conducting and choral studies at the Moscow Conservatory. After 1928 he was forced to leave the regency and compose sacred music. In 1940 he published a book Choir and management. Chesnokov died in Moscow on March 14, 1944

Music lovers in Russia recently celebrated 125 years since the birth of Pavel Chesnokov. He wrote both secular and church music, but he was honored, first of all, as a church Orthodox composer and leader of many church choirs.

The works of Pavel Chesnokov are very advantageous in terms of concerts. They allow singers to demonstrate their vocal abilities in the best possible way, therefore the stars of Russian opera, for example, Irina Arkhipova, a former soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, often turn to the spiritual chants of Pavel Chesnokov. But this is not always good from the point of view of the church, because worship does not require showiness and bright colorful sound. On the contrary, they interfere with the depth and severity of prayer, and therefore are not very compatible with worship. However, this was the manifestation of the universality of Pavel Chesnokov's talent. He was cramped in a narrow framework and the composer, by the grace of God, argued with the regent of church choirs. And this dispute did not always end with an unambiguous solution to the issue.

The name of Pavel Chesnokov is called next to such famous names as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Taneyev, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. All of them belong to the so-called Moscow Composer School. The music of these composers is characterized by deep lyricism and psychology.

Pavel Chesnokov was born in 1877 in the Moscow region into a family of hereditary regents. In 1895 he graduated from the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, then took lessons from the composer and music theorist Sergei Taneyev, director of the Moscow Conservatory in those years. Sergei Taneyev entered the history of music as a master of choral polyphony, and he taught this art to Pavel Chesnokov.

Pavel Chesnokov was a high-class master of polyphony. Russian Orthodox sacred music, as it exists today, is predominantly polyphonic. Polyphony began to penetrate Russian sacred music in the 17th century. And before that, for six centuries, from the moment of the baptism of Ancient Russia in 988, there was a monophonic church singing that came to Russia, like Christianity itself, through Byzantium. The element of monophony was rich and expressive in its own way. Such singing was called Znamenny singing from the ancient Slavic word "banner", which means "sign". Even "banners" were called "hooks". With the help of "banners" or "hooks" in Russia, sounds were recorded, and these signs really looked like hooks of different shapes. Such a recording of sounds had nothing to do with musical notation, not only in appearance, but even in terms of the principle of recording. It was a whole culture that existed for more than 500 years and then, due to historical reasons, seemed to have sunk into the sand. Among modern musicians there are enthusiasts looking for ancient manuscripts in the archives and deciphering them. Znamenny singing is gradually returning to church life, but so far it is perceived more as a rarity, exotic.

To the credit of Pavel Chesnokov, it should be said that he also paid tribute to Znamenny singing, and this showed his sensitivity as a musician who felt the prospect of musical historical development. He made harmonizations of Znamenny chants, trying to connect the past with the present. But still, in its musical and artistic essence, he belonged to our era and practiced polyphony.

In 1917, Pavel Chesnokov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, he was a student of the composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. Pavel Chesnokov worked hard: he led a choral conducting class at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, taught choral singing in elementary and secondary schools, and, in addition, directed the choir of the Russian Choral Society and was a regent in several church choirs. The regency was for him the main thing in life. Could he have thought at a time when Russia was still an Orthodox state that the coming revolution would turn all the foundations of life upside down, and his noble cause would become objectionable in his own country?.. But this happened during the years of Soviet power, with which Pavel Chesnokov tense relations, although representatives of official state atheism in the Soviet Union could not help but see his great talent as a composer and choirmaster. The musical encyclopedia, published in the Soviet era, wrote about Pavel Chesnokov as follows: "He was one of the greatest masters of Russian Soviet choral culture. Possessing extensive teaching experience, Chesnokov, as a choir leader, achieved perfect performance technique, impeccable order and ensemble, and an accurate transfer of the composer's intention" .

Pavel Chesnokov also worked very actively under the new government, although there was not as much work as a conductor in church choirs, his favorite, as before. In addition to directing a number of choirs, the composer taught at the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, which was transformed by the new government into a secular institution and was called the Choir Chapel. Pavel Chesnokov also led the Moscow Academic Choir, was the choirmaster of the Bolshoi Theater, taught at the Moscow Conservatory and its school. And, of course, he wrote music.

According to experts, Pavel Chesnokov was a brilliant choir conductor. He wrote the book "The Chorus and its Administration". Now it is considered a reference book for major choral conductors. In the 1930s and 1940s, Pavel Chesnokov, after being unable to publish it for a long time, turned to Sergei Rachmaninov, who was then in exile in the United States, for help. Finally, Pavel Chesnokov's book was published in the Soviet Union, but with a disapproving preface. The permanent regency was never forgiven him ...

Pavel Chesnokov died in 1944 in Moscow. It was the time of the Second World War. The Moscow Conservatory, where he taught, was evacuated, but the composer refused to be evacuated. He did not want to part with the church, with the regency, which at that time was not possible everywhere. Church ministry Pavel Chesnokov revered above his own life.

Modern musicians note the interesting musical language of Pavel Chesnokov, who wrote over 500 choral works. Here is what the head of the church choir of the Moscow Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Valentin Maslovsky said: "He was an extraordinary person. He was the last regent of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the former Moscow Cathedral, blown up in Stalin's time. When the temple was destroyed, Pavel Chesnokov was so shocked by this, that he stopped writing music. He took a kind of vow of silence. As a composer, he died along with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The most magnificent musician, Pavel Chesnokov, very subtly felt every word, every verse, every prayer. And he reflected all this in music. "

“Chesnokov sounds a lot in churches, and this is no coincidence,” says Marina Nasonova, choir director of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Moscow, Ph.D. composition technique. At the same time, coming from a family of hereditary regents, he was in the church from childhood, served as a chorister and knew the applied church tradition very well. He subtly felt worship. His music is extremely deep in its spirituality. "

Vespers and Liturgy

The All-Night Vigil is an evening service that begins in the evening. Chin, the content of this service was formed in the first centuries of the adoption of Christianity. What is the meaning of the all-night service? Salvation of mankind in the Old Testament time (before the birth of Jesus Christ) through faith in the coming Messiah - Savior. The All-Night Vigil opens with a bell ringing - the Annunciation and combines the great Vespers with Litiya and the blessing of the loaves, Matins and the first hour. For centuries, the moral and instructive nature of readings and chants has evolved. During the service, the Holy Trinity is necessarily glorified. The main choral parts contain important events, they develop the plot outline of the story, and at the same time they are emotional, psychological and spiritual climaxes.
One of the first large numbers - "Bless, my soul, gentlemen" to the text of 103 psalms. This is a story about the creation of the world by God, the glorification of the Creator of everything earthly and heavenly. This is a solemn, joyful song about the harmony of the universe, everything that exists. But the man disobeyed the prohibition of God and was expelled from paradise for his sin.

After the reading of the Gospel and the choir "Seeing the Resurrection of Christ", a canon is read in honor of some saint and the feast of this service. Before canon 9, the deacon calls to magnify the Mother of God with singing, and the choir sings the song "My soul magnifies the Lord." This is a song on behalf of the Mother of God, Mary's own doxology, said at the meeting with the righteous Elizabeth. The Virgin Mary addresses her with words that reveal the delight and joy of Her soul. “And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord; and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior, that he looked upon the humility of his servant; for from now on all generations will please me; that the Mighty One has done greatness to me, and His name is holy ”(Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, st. 46-49).
Let us briefly compare the different versions - everyday and concert - of the four main choirs of the all-night vigil.
In the usual chant “Bless, my soul, the Lord”, despite the stinginess of expressive means in melody and harmony, an image is created sublime, pure, expressing the delight of the soul. In Rachmaninoff's Vespers, Bless the Lord, My Soul, is written for choir and alto soloist. The composer took the ancient Greek chant as the basis of the theme and retained the features of ancient chants in a complex choral arrangement. The image created by Rachmaninov is stern, ascetic, austere, and at the same time “written out” in the music in more detail, with subtle nuances of dynamics and tempo.
"Quiet light" - as a rule, deployed, large choirs. The Kyiv chant choir is soulful and lyrical, sublimely peaceful. Music conveys the essence of what is happening - immersion in perception, contemplation of a quiet, blessed light. The melody of the upper voice, as it were, sways smoothly and soars against the background of other voices, forming a barely noticeable, soft change of harmonic colors.

October 24 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Russian composer Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov, one of the brightest, most famous and beloved authors of church hymns. What are the features of his creative style, why did the sacred music of P. Chesnokov have not only admirers, but also opponents, what was the fate of his creative heritage? This is at the request of the journal "Orthodoxy and Modernity" tells the doctor of art history, professor at the Moscow State Conservatory. P. I. Tchaikovsky, leading researcher of the State Institute of Art History Natalya Plotnikova.

“Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov was a man of deep decency, who preserved until his advanced years the naive simplicity and trustfulness of his poetic and sensitive soul.<…>He had a persistent and stubborn character; he reluctantly renounced his earlier opinions: in his judgments and statements he was direct and completely alien to hypocrisy; internally focused; in the manifestation of feelings, he is restrained and laconic, only occasionally revealing significant inner strength; prone to subtle and clever humor; in all his actions he is always unhurried, punctual; in dealing with people, as a rule, he is attentive, correct and restrainedly affectionate, full of great human charm; true to his friendly feelings; it harmoniously combined the features of spiritual and physical purity.

These words were dedicated to Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov (1877-1944) by his younger contemporary and colleague K.B. Bird, rightly believing that "in order to draw up a sufficiently clear and complete picture of the appearance of the artist and his work, it is necessary to know the main features that characterize personal qualities." Reading the verbal portrait, peering into old photographs, one can try to understand what human qualities the remarkable composer, regent, choir conductor, teacher, one of the outstanding representatives of that very Moscow Synodal School, which was the highest pinnacle of the centuries-old development of domestic liturgical singing, possessed. The significance of this school is well known, and yet one cannot but be surprised at such a powerful movement, rise, takeoff, a brilliant constellation of authors: A. D. Kastalsky (1856-1926), Vic. S. Kalinnikov (1870-1927), A. V. Nikolsky (1874-1943), S. V. Rakhmaninov (1873-1943) ... Let's pay attention to the dates of their lives. Pavel Grigoryevich was, in fact, the last of the "synodals" who made up the glory of the school before the revolution of 1917, the largest composer who ended his journey in his homeland. For some time, the traditions continued to live in the works of N. S. Golovanov (1891-1953), written "on the table", in the foreign opuses of A. T. Grechaninov (1864-1956). The great era that gave Russian culture masterpieces of choral music was ending.

And it began in 1889, when S. V. Smolensky (1848-1909) was appointed director of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing. Thanks to him, a new direction in Russian sacred music has developed - a multifaceted cultural and artistic phenomenon that holistically embraces musical composition, scientific works on the history and theory of ancient and modern church singing, closely and directly connected with the Russian choral performing school. Already at the first lecture on October 5, Smolensky spoke about his ardent faith in the vitality of the ideas he developed “in the lessons on the monuments of our ancient church singing”, about the significance of this newly discovered source of knowledge for “the direction of his Russian music, to create his own counterpoint” . It is not known whether the eleven-year-old pupil of the Synodal School, third-grader Pasha Chesnokov heard this lecture, but Stepan Vasilyevich was always an indisputable authority for him, he trusted his opinion both in life and in creativity.

Six years later, by the end of the school, Chesnokov was the author of several spiritual hymns, and on February 18, 1896, his Antiphon of the 4th tone sounded at the home concert of the Synodal Choir conducted by V. S. Orlov. Two works by Chesnokov - "Cherubic" and "It is worthy to eat" - were included in the program of the concert on December 18, 1897, which became one of the starting points of the new school, about which Smolensky himself proudly wrote: "The spiritual concert on December 18 aroused unanimous approval in the press as pointing to the serious and lively direction of our activity. The first editions of Chesnokov's sacred music were published later, in 1904, but since that time they have become an integral part of both church life and concert programs throughout Russia.

From 1895 to 1904, Pavel Grigorievich was an assistant regent of the Synodal Choir, but the fame of an outstanding conductor - "both a wonderful virtuoso and the finest artist" - was brought to him by the management of the choir of singing lovers at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Gryazek near the Intercession Gate (1902-1914). The choir was "modest in size and in the quality of the vocal material of its members", but its performance was called "excellent", it was distinguished by "first-class virtues"; a contemporary believed that "it is difficult to imagine more control power and wise measure in comparing the sonority of not only individual groups, but also individual voices of the choir."

Before the revolution, Chesnokov's authority as a remarkable regent was confirmed by his activities in 1911-1916 at summer courses at the Regency School, founded by Smolensky. “The course choir annually after classes sang a funeral Liturgy and a memorial service for Smolensky under the direction of Chesnokov in the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg and aroused universal admiration among numerous worshipers.” Pavel Grigoryevich repeatedly left Moscow at the invitation of the places to conduct spiritual concerts (Kharkov, 1911; Nizhny Novgorod, 1914; Kineshma, 1925).

In the Soviet years, Chesnokov for five years (1922-1927) headed the State Academic Choir, the only large professional choir in Moscow, and the choir always sang, "like one person, like a real artist team." He also directed the choir of the Moscow Proletkult (1928-1932), the vocal and choral ensemble (1933-1938).

Chesnokov's heritage in the field of sacred music is enormous: it includes 38 opuses and 17 works without an opus, in total more than three hundred chants. Before the revolution, all of Chesnokov's works were published by P. Jurgenson's publishing house. In the second half of the 1920s, 17 chants were reproduced on a hectograph thanks to P. M. Kireev, the former owner of the publishing house. In the 1990s, several attempts were made to publish in Moscow. In 1992, the Russian Musical Publishing House issued a reprint of the Liturgy op. 42 as part of a series prepared on the basis of materials from the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate under the guidance of His Eminence Pitirim, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryevsky. In 1994-1995, Chesnokov’s “Collected Sacred and Musical Works” was planned, three notebooks with opuses 6, 33, 30, 19, 9 were published (the editors and authors of the introductory article in the first notebook were A. G. Muratov, D. G. Ivanov). Nowadays, the publication of all unpublished compositions was carried out by the publishing house "Life-giving source" in four editions of "Spiritual works for choir a cappella". A musical publication with accurate source comments was prepared by A.A. Naumov, a great connoisseur of the life and work of the composer; he also compiled a detailed "List of spiritual and musical works of P. G. Chesnokov", giving a clear and precise idea of ​​the chronology of his work from 1895 to 1927.

Chesnokov's largest opuses include: op. 12 (1906) Panikhida ("In memory of dear, unforgettable brother Nikolai Grigorievich Chesnokov"); op. 24 (1909) Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with the famous "May my prayer be corrected" (alto solo); op. 30 (1909) Lay funeral hymns; op. 39 (1912) Panikhida (No. 2) (“In memory of the dear, unforgettable teacher-friend Stepan Vasilyevich Smolensky); op. 39a (1912) Panikhida (No. 2), arranged by the author for male choir; op. 43 (1914) "To the Most Holy Lady"; op. 44 (1914-1915) "The main hymns of the All-Night Vigil".

Let us note that for a long time Chesnokov did not create complete cycles of the Liturgy. Yes, op. 9 is a collection: it opens with 17 numbers "From the Liturgy", followed by eight hymns "From the Vespers" and five hymns of Great Lent and the Liturgy. Opuses 15 and 16 (1907) are called "Chants from the Liturgy", they contain a selection of compositions, including those from previous opuses 7, 8, 9, 10.

And only in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom op. 42 (1913) for a small mixed choir, he implements the idea of ​​cyclicality, the creation of a single cycle in figurative and musical terms, which is especially noted in the author's preface: “I wanted to give the small choirs a Liturgy that is whole in mood, valuable in content and accessible in terms of performance. How much I have achieved this goal - the future will show. The last two cycles are the All-Night Vigil and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the usual tune, op. 50 were written in 1917.

The composer created mono-genre cycles: op. 22 (1908) Honors for the Lord's and Mother of God feasts, in znamenny chant, the last number is the famous "Angel crying out" with a soprano solo; op. 25 (1909) Ten communicants; as well as polyphonic arrangements of vowel tunes: op. 17 (1907) “Lord, I have cried”, “May my prayer be corrected” and the first stichera with the chant of eight voices, Kyiv chant; op. 18 (1908) Theotokos of the Mother of God in eight tones, in a large znamenny chant; op. 19 (1907) "God is the Lord" and Sunday troparia of eight tones; op. 47 (1915-1916) Irmos are Sunday in eight voices, for a small mixed choir.

At the beginning of the First World War, responding to the growth of religious and patriotic sentiments in society, Chesnokov wrote several cycles: op. 45 (1915) "In the days of battle", including special intensified prayers to the Mother of God ("To You, the invincible Wall" and "Mother of God"); op. 46 (1915) "Following prayer singing to the Lord God, sung during the battle against adversaries who are on us."

Other opuses of P. G. Chesnokov have a composite character, contain various liturgical chants. One of them certainly stands out - op. 40 (1913), containing the most famous works of the composer with solo voices: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (soprano solo), dedicated to A. V. Nezhdanova, in which “the singer’s pure and gentle voice rings, bursting literally like a lark against the background of luxurious sonority choir”, “Eternal Council” (alto solo and male choir), “Prudent robber” (tenor solo and male choir), “Now let go” (bass solo), “God is with us” (tenor solo), finally, “Do not reject me in old age ”with a unique solo of the lowest male voice - an octavist, or bass profundo, reaching the salt of the counteroctave.

The final points of Pavel Grigorievich's creative activity in the field of sacred music fall on 1927-1928. In December 1927, he wrote the last church hymn "Angel Cries" (No. 2) for a soloist (tenor) and a mixed choir, and on June 1, 1928, he ceased his regency activities. The fight against "churchism" was gaining momentum, composers were obliged not to distribute their cult compositions, the regent's activity began to be considered incompatible with the title of Soviet professor. But even during these years, Chesnokov's music was constantly heard at divine services. "Questionnaire on the performance of composers for the years 1927-1928" shows that in 446 churches in Russia, Chesnokov's chants sounded 5221 times.

What first of all attracted listeners in Chesnokov's music? Her beauty is the beauty of melody, harmony, choral sound. “Written with style and very beautiful,” notes a critic in 1898 of the hymn “Bless, my soul, the Lord.” “A beautiful and full-sounding work,” says another about the composition “The Highest of Heaven”. "Sweet singer, servant of God Pavel" was proclaimed many years by 22 Moscow protodeacons at a prayer service in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of his musical activity. Sweet-smelling is a pleasant, gentle, beautiful singing, coming from the soul, from the heart. Admirers of the talent of Pavel Grigorievich, parishioners of the church of St. Basil of Caesarea wrote: “It is impossible to perceive your wonderful works without spiritual trepidation,<…>which have always testified and testify not only to the inexhaustibility of your creativity and the strength of your composing skills, but also to your deep faith, your religious enthusiasm, which you poured out in the chants you created.

Chesnokov possessed an amazing melodic gift, the ability to compose embossed, memorable melodies, especially in hymns in honor of the Mother of God. How to convey in sounds the words of the Most Holy Lady “My soul magnifies the Lord”? Even theologians fall silent, reflecting, for example, on the mysterious events of the feast of the Dormition, giving way to singing: “A certain spiritual haze covers the disclosure of everything in the words about Her, not allowing the hidden understanding of the sacrament to be clearly expressed” (St. Andrew of Crete). And since it is not typical to talk about what is above words, then love for the Mother of God should be sanctified primarily with hymns.

The melody “Angel Vopiyashe” begins with the soloist with the words of the Arkhangelsk greeting “Pure Virgin, rejoice”: a small undulating movement with a graceful descent, then its repetition, and then take-off, a wide jump, enlargement of the rhythm (“and pack the river”). And finally, the climax: "Rejoice!" - coverage of the octave, sliding down to the third tone - stable, but also solemn. Here, the melodic drawing in the literal sense, that is, drawing with a melody, and the carefully calibrated musical embodiment of speech, and the subtle penetration into the meaning of each word, are striking.

In the soft three-part pattern of this Chesnokov chant, one can catch some distant resemblance to the beginning of F. Makarov's famous Paschal Zadostoynik, and the hymn in D major evokes Cherubim No. 7 by D. S. Bortnyansky. And at the same time, there is more freedom, space, joyful light in Chesnokov's creation. Building the form, the composer easily and imperceptibly overcomes the traditional school "squareness" of constructions (five lines of the chant have a length of 13-12-11-7-11 measures). The fugato characteristic of classical spiritual concerts is repeated twice (“Rejoice now”, “Shine, shine”), the ascending order of the entry of voices ends with a wide choral chant; these small sections do not stop or slow down the movement, but enhance the upbeat character of the chant. Is the influence of opera or salon music felt in this "Angel Crying", for which the composer was often reproached? It seems that the presence of such an aria with a choir would bring into the opera features of oratorio, and then critics should note the special sublimity, solemnity and even prayerfulness of this music, that is, the qualities inherent in spiritual chants.

Chesnokov was often reproached for excessive beauty, inappropriate in church singing, "romantic style", chromaticism in melody and harmony, luxurious "spicy" non-chords. But even K. B. Ptitsa wrote about the unusual “transformation” of the same means in choral performance: “Perhaps the strict ear and keen eye of a professional critic will notice in the scores the saloon of individual harmonies, the sentimental sweetness of some turns and sequences. It is especially easy to come to this conclusion when playing a score on the piano, without a sufficiently clear idea of ​​​​its sound in the choir. But listen to the same piece performed live by the choir. The nobility and expressiveness of the vocal sound to an enormous extent transform what was heard on the piano. The content of the work appears in a completely different form and is able to attract, touch, delight the listener.

Chesnokov's works demonstrate excellent composing technique; he masters a wide variety of ways of presenting and developing musical fabric, including polyphonic ones. It is known how stubbornly, persistently Pavel Grigorievich strove to get a real professional, namely, a composer's education; the learning process lasted almost until his fortieth birthday. After graduating from the Synodal School, “in 1895-1900 he studied privately with M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. Then, in search of a teacher, he thought and dreamed of studying with G. E. Konyus, A. T. Grechaninov, S. I. Taneev, S. V. Rakhmaninov. Konus, having become acquainted in the summer of 1902 with two published opuses by Chesnokov, gave the following assessment to the young composer: “I really like his work. He is undeniably talented. Sincere. He is sensitive to musical beauty, to spiritual movements and, moreover, possesses the ability of musical painting, knows how to give figurative relief to his thoughts. If he writes a lot and improves himself, he will go far. Taneyev also appreciated Chesnokov in 1900: "In the field of church music, he can do a lot." In 1917, being the author of fifty secular and spiritual opuses, Pavel Grigoryevich graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in the classes of special theory and free composition (with S. N. Vasilenko) with a small silver medal.

Many of Chesnokov's works are amazing examples of how in detail, step by step, he reveals and unfolds the content of the text. One of these samples, "Behold the Bridegroom" op. 6 No. 1, was analyzed in detail by the priest Mikhail Lisitsyn, the creator of the theory of the New Direction. For example, in the words “Behold the Bridegroom is coming”, in his opinion, “it turns out, as it were, a program picture”: “the news of the approach of the Bridegroom is transmitted in the crowd by word of mouth, which is expressed by Mr. Chesnokov through imitation” . Another explanation: on the words “watch out for my soul”, that is, “be attentive”, the melody is transferred to the soprano, the first bass enters in a second to her and with this blow, as it were, tries to arouse the mindfulness of the soul ".

Lisitsyn especially emphasizes the formation of new sound colors from unusual combinations of voices: “All this, like mixing instruments in an orchestra, each time gives new and new colors, so that choral pieces in the compositions of the New Direction in Russian sacred music become similar to orchestral ones. Because of this, the former term “to put”, or “shift”, something to the choir can now be replaced by the expression “orchestrate” something to the choir, which will be more in line with the essence of New Direction church music. This idea of ​​Father Mikhail Lisitsyn, which reveals one of the most important properties of the Moscow school, coincides with the ideas expressed by Chesnokov in the book "Chorus and its Management". Summarizing his many years of experience as a conductor, his finest knowledge of human voices, Pavel Grigorievich developed the idea of ​​choral timbrization (orchestration) of performed compositions, calling it "the science of the future". He wrote that “with the emergence of a science related to instrumentation, but studying human voices, their timbres, ranges, registers and using different combinations of voices according to register-timbre groups”, composers will no longer create four-part, but multi-line choral scores, making the most of the possibilities of the choir.

Chesnokov's music is distinguished by another valuable quality: the continuity of development, a special energy that links the various sections of the work into a single whole. Often the entire composition can be seen as one extended crescendo leading to a dramatic climax. So, at the beginning of the chant “To you, an invincible wall”, the concentration of prayer is emphasized by the unison of female voices in B minor (although the composer does not disregard the words “salvation affirmation”, marking them with the first major highlight). The next line, “Destroy the councils of the opposition, but make Your people sorrow for joy,” again starts from the minor key, gradually rushes up, but still lingers on the word “sorrow” with a sudden piano, and only at the end is the major. But the composer does not stop, continues to develop, switching his attention to the bass part: “Your city is fenced” - it sounds insistent, demanding. Here a dissonant chord with a second, beloved by Chesnokov, arises, reminiscent of the epic, heroic pages of Russian operas (for example, the prologue to Borodin's "Prince Igor"). The last section (18 measures) contains a gradual, with ledges, but purposeful rise to the brightest climax of the chant, marked by a wide chant and a powerful amplification of the texture of divisi sopranos, tenors and basses (“as thou art, Mother of God, hope, our hope”); then follows a slow decline with a triple repetition of the last words “our hope”, as if fading into pianissimo on the lips of those who pray. Dynamics, nuances, phrasing, strokes are dictated by the text, everything is thought out to the smallest detail and recorded in the score. That is why Chesnokov's chants were always listened to "with captivating attention."

Some of Chesnokov's later opuses contain many verbal comments that help express the author's will. For example, in the Six Psalms, op. 53 No. 1, in addition to the tempo designation “Moderately” and the nuance “Solemnly”, in the part of the canonarch (viola) several remarks are immediately given: “In one breath, rhythmically, in time, soon, sonorously, clearly.” With the introduction of solo voices (“Lord, open my mouth”), a new tempo was written out: “Slowly, but not very much”, new nuances: “Singular, prayerful, joyful, light”, and each soloist repeatedly wrote out the note “Softly”. Sometimes the composer is very categorical. So, in a commentary on his last composition “Angel Crying” (No. 2) with a tenor solo, he writes: “It is customary to sometimes assign solo tenor parts to soprano soloists and vice versa. I declare that this work is intended only for the tenor soloist. If the solo part is sung by a soprano, then the composition will be completely spoiled.

In the chant “Pomyannik” (op. 53 No. 4, to the text of the last three sections of morning prayers, dedicated to the community and the choir of the church of St. Basil of Caesarea, where the composer led the choir from the beginning of 1920 until July 1, 1928), 31 remarks are recorded. Here is a kind of author's preface: “The nuances must be precise and calm. The diction is clear and embossed, because if the words do not reach the listener, everything is lost. The general mood is reverent quietness and prayerfulness. Alt - bright and convex; sensitive, gifted penetration into the performed and complete sound completeness - the conditions under which only one can entrust the performance. A few pages later, he again gives extended instructions: “For the first part of the Commemoration Book (“Save”), a wide, massive, singsong alto is desirable, here - a strict, impassive (monastic) canonarch. It is better if these two parts will be performed by two different violas, each typical in its own way. Violas must be female, not childish. All recitative sections should be played a little faster than the bar sections; in all clocks there must be a certain speed of movement. This whole part (“Remember”) goes by the choir in a strict shaded sound. Viola is bright, impassive, humbly asking. It is impossible not to note the originality of the composer's vocabulary, for example, here: "In small nuances there should not be oversalting, pretentiousness." The prayer “Remember, Lord, from the life of this departed servant of Your ever-memorable, His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia” is accompanied by the remark “Strictness and impassivity in external design and deep inner expressiveness”, and above the female trio that enters further, the word “remember” is written "Gently (three candles)." The note “Verily, but not defiantly and not loudly, but with faith and confidence” on the words “I confess to You, Lord, all my sins” makes you think again about what a wide palette of sound colors, shades Pavel Grigorievich felt, felt in the choral sound.

Chesnokov became widely known for his compositions with the solo parts of the deacon. According to the memoirs of Hieromonk Daniel (Sarychev), a resident of the Danilov Monastery, Chesnokov eclipsed all church composers with his innovations. "Almost all the protodeacons - Mikhailov, Kholmogorov, Turikov - sang his litanies, 'God Save'". We are talking primarily about the "Great Litany" (deacon bass solo) from op. 37 (1911), dedicated to the great archdeacon Konstantin Rozov. Chesnokov’s opinion is known: “It always seemed to me that the litanies are performed in a completely different way, as it should be, that is, the deacon, in whom all the content is relegated to the background, and the choir, this humbly asking crowd, is in the foreground with its loud voice and monotony. This thought prompted me to write an ektenia in the proposed (reverse) form.

The new presentation - the deacon's melodious recitative against the backdrop of choral accompaniment - was received with great enthusiasm. “More solemn majesty is heard in prayer for the King's house and the hierarchs of the church, the exciting voice of earthly sorrow is heard in a humble prayer for the 'ill, suffering, captive'<…>It is with this form of writing that the Great Litany acquires significance corresponding to its significance in worship, each word is imprinted in the soul with the proper mood. This is confirmed by the greeting address dated November 16/29, 1925, signed by ten protodeacons and 12 deacons of the city of Moscow: “You are the first in your musical church works to pay attention to deacon service. The litanies that you clothed in melody showed us, deacons, a new understanding of our purpose as clergymen, who must not only accurately and clearly convey the text of liturgical prayers, but also combine the beauty of sound with transmission and take care of creating a high spiritual level in those who pray. moods. This is how Orthodox Russia understood your works for deacons, and why these works found such a wide reception throughout Russia.

It is worth noting that in 1917 the Moscow Council of Deans, “having heard the statements of some fathers of deans about the increasing and increasing recitation in some churches in Moscow of Chesnokov’s litanies, reminiscent of theatrical plays, devoid of a prayerful nature and generally alien to the Orthodox Church system, determined: to bring through fathers of the deans to the attention of the rectors of the churches that the recitation of such litanies should be completely prohibited. But from the memoirs of a contemporary, we learn about the actual permission to perform these compositions, given by Metropolitan Trifon (Turkestanov). Vladyka Tryphon, knowing about the complaints about Chesnokov's music, asked the famous Protodeacon Mikhail Kholmogorov to sing the litany at his Mass at the Androniev (Savior Andronikov) Monastery, and then at the table asked several of those present about the impression he had made. And when a monk from New Athos said: “When I listened to her, I had such a feeling, as if I were not on earth, but in heaven,” Vladyka supported him: “I had exactly the same feeling. Sing, father archdeacon, sing!” .

The 140th anniversary of Pavel Grigoryevich Chesnokov gives us a reason to draw some conclusions: what has been done to study his biography, to preserve, research, disseminate the heritage, to perpetuate his memory? The situation with the publication of his spiritual works is relatively favorable: they are all printed in the sum of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern editions, but there is no complete collection of Chesnokov's works in the truly scientific sense of the word. There is no complete set of all his works in audio recording, although individual compositions are constantly heard at divine services, in concerts, and recorded on discs. Of great value are the publications in various volumes of "Russian Sacred Music in Documents and Materials" of many documentary sources (correspondence, fragments of memoirs, periodicals, concert programs, etc.), mostly prepared and commented on by A. A. Naumov. But there is not a single monograph about Chesnokov... The basis of musicological research, laid down in the works of K. B. Ptitsa and K. N. Dmitrevskaya, is practically not developed. The first edition of the book "The Choir and its Management", which contained examples from spiritual and musical literature and analyzes of similar compositions, was not published, only a preface was published with a dedication to Russian regents, "seekers, striving to know their art" . There is not a single monument, a bust of Chesnokov, at the place of his burial at the Vagankovsky cemetery - a simple marble plaque. “Finally, it seems, the time has come for Chesnokov,” wrote A. A. Naumov on the 120th anniversary of Pavel Grigorievich. We hope to repeat this in 2017, paying tribute of respect and love to the outstanding Russian musician.

In the constellation of names of famous composers of Russian sacred music, there is one name, when pronouncing it, many Russians feel warm and blissful in their hearts. This name has not been eclipsed by other, sometimes very famous names, it has stood the test of the most severe court - the impartial Court of Time. This name - Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov.

Chesnokov was born on October 25, 1877 in the village of Ivanovsky, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province. Already in childhood, he showed a wonderful voice and bright musical abilities. At the age of five, Paul began to sing in the church choir, of which his father was the conductor. This helped him enter the famous Synodal School of Church Singing, which became the cradle of many outstanding figures of Russian choral culture. Here his teachers were the great V.S. Orlov and the wise S.V. Smolensky. After graduating from college with a gold medal (in 1895), Chesnokov studied composition privately with S.I. Taneyev, simultaneously working as a teacher of choral singing in women's boarding schools and gymnasiums. In 1903, he became choir director at the Trinity Church on Pokrovka (“on the Muds”). This choir soon acquired the fame of one of the best in Moscow: “They didn’t pay the singers, but the singers paid to be accepted into the Chesnokov choir,” one of the Moscow regents later recalled.

For many years, Chesnokov, continuing to work in Moscow (during these years he also regented at the Church of Cosmas and Damian on Skobelevskaya Square), often traveled around Russia: he acted as a conductor of spiritual concerts, conducted classes at various regency and regent-teacher courses, participated in the work of the regency congresses. It was the regency business that was the main thing in the life and work of the famous master of church singing. But he himself was never satisfied with himself, and therefore in 1913, being already widely known throughout the singing of Russia, the 36-year-old composer of sacred music entered the Moscow Conservatory. Here he studied composition and conducting with M.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov and instrumentation with S.I. Vasilenko. Chesnokov marked his fortieth birthday in 1917 by graduating from the conservatory in the class of free composition (with a silver medal), having about 50 opuses of sacred and secular music in his creative portfolio. And in the same year, it was Chesnokov with his choir who was honored to participate in the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon.

The subsequent activity of the master was filled with painful attempts to find a place for himself in a new, drastically changed life: conductor and artistic director of various Moscow choirs (but nowhere for a long time), teacher of the music school and the People's Choir Academy (former Synodal School), professor of the Moscow Conservatory. Until 1931, he was regent at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and in 1932 he became the first head of the department of choral conducting at the conservatory. In 1933, Chesnokov's book Chorus and Management was completed and published in 1940 (and sold out within a few hours), the only major methodological work of the famous choir figure. It summarized many years of invaluable experience of the author himself and his synodal colleagues. For many years, this work (albeit without the chapter devoted to regency practice removed by the author at the request of the publisher) remained the main manual for the training of domestic choirmasters. All this time he continued to compose spiritual music, however, not for performance or publication, but only for himself.

The last years of the composer's life were the most dramatic. Mental suffering was increasingly drowned out by alcohol. In the end, the heart could not stand it, and one of the most penetrating lyricists of Russian sacred music found his resting place in the old Moscow Vagankovsky cemetery...

Assessing the multifaceted, original talent of Chesnokov, contemporaries noted in him a unique combination of various qualities, both musical and "great human": strict professionalism and deep respect for his work, tremendous musicality, brilliant artistic talent, a magnificent refined ear and, moreover, spiritual purity , sincerity, deep humanity and respect for people. And all these qualities were reflected in his music in one way or another, just as his features as a choirmaster, conductor, and performer were reflected in it.

Among Chesnokov's works there are romances and children's songs (suffice it to recall the charming cycle "Galina's Songs"), there is piano music, and among student works - instrumental works and symphonic sketches. But most of the opuses were written in the genre of choral music: choirs a sarrella and with accompaniment, arrangements of folk songs, arrangements and editing. The main part of his heritage is sacred music. In it, the talent and soul of the composer found the most perfect, deepest, most intimate embodiment.

Entering the galaxy of composers of the so-called new Moscow school of church music, Chesnokov nevertheless noticeably differs from them. Like Kastalsky, who constructed a special (partly speculative) "folk-modal system" and applied it in his secular and spiritual compositions, Chesnokov "built", or rather, syntonized his system, built on the easily recognizable melodic and harmonic turns of the Russian urban song and everyday romance of the late 19th century. Unlike Grechaninov, who created a special monumental temple-concert style of sacred music, based on the vocal-instrumental polyphony of the orchestral type of writing, Chesnokov creates no less rich polyphony of his compositions exclusively on the unique originality of the singing voices of a sarrell, imperceptibly dissolving in the choral sonority the domed "echoes" of the temple acoustics. Unlike Shvedov, who saturates his spiritual compositions with the "frills" of romantic harmony and rational construction of form, Chesnokov never succumbs to the temptation to compose for the sake of demonstrating the author's skill, but always follows his lyrical, sincere, childishly slightly naive musical instinct. Unlike Nikolsky, who often complicated the church singing style by using brightly concert, purely orchestral writing techniques, Chesnokov always keeps the unique, entirely Russian vocal and choral style of church sonority in its purity. And in doing so, he approaches the text like a shrewd playwright, finding in it monologues, dialogues, lines, summaries, and many stage plans. Therefore, already in his Liturgy, Op. 15 (1905), he discovered and brilliantly applied all those dramatic techniques that Rachmaninov uses in the famous Vigil 10 years later.

And there is, among many others, one - fundamental - feature of Chesnokov's vocal and choral writing. Whether a soloist sings or a choral part sounds, this statement is always personal, i.e., in fact, a solo character. Chesnokov's melodic talent is not characterized by detailed melodies (with the exception of quoting everyday tunes), his element is a short motive, less often a phrase: either of a recitative-ariose character, or in the spirit of an urban song-romance. But any melody requires accompaniment, and all other choral voices play the role of such accompaniment. Their task is to shade, interpret, decorate the melody with beautiful harmony, and it is precisely the admiration of beautiful, “spicy”, romantically refined harmony that is characteristic of Chesnokov’s music. All these features indicate that Chesnokov's music belongs to the genre of lyrics - often sentimental, expressive in its improvisational and everyday origins, personal in the nature of the utterance.

Most of all, this statement becomes romantically agitated and artistically convincing when the composer uses the genre of the concerto by entrusting the solo part to a separate voice. Chesnokov's legacy includes many choral concertos for all types of voices. Particularly prominent among them is the six-concert opus 40 (1913), which brought the author truly boundless fame and glory (especially thanks to the unique concerto for bass octavist accompanied by a mixed choir). At the same time, one can more often observe in Chesnokov's compositions the diverse manifestations of the principle of concert quality, based on the maximum identification of the group performance capabilities of the parts that make up the choir. Opus 44 - "The Main Chants of the All-Night Vigil" (1913) can be fully attributed to works of this kind. It is significant that both of these opuses, completed in the year when their author began studying at the Moscow Conservatory, not only demonstrate a new level of Chesnokov's composing skills, but also testify to his peculiar attitude to the genres of sacred music, built on a creative combination of domestic church singing traditions and the latest achievements. musical art.

A remarkable feature of Chesnokov's music is its simplicity and accessibility, its recognizability and cordial closeness. It delights and elevates, cultivates taste and corrects morals, awakens souls and inspires hearts. Having gone along with the earth that gave birth to it, a long and difficult path, this music still sounds bright and sincere today. Because, as it was said in the obituary in memory of the composer, placed in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate in April 1944, “without striving for any external effects, Chesnokov inspired the words of prayer petitions and doxologies with the simplest melodies, sounding from the depths of pure and perfect harmony. (...) This wonderful composer interpreted church music as prayer wings, on which our soul easily ascends to the throne of the Most High.”

Konstantin NIKITIN