Foreign composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. The history of Russia from Rurik to Putin! To love your Motherland means to know it! Children's contemporary composers

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Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich

D. Shostakovich suffered from a kind of illness - the death of muscles. At his son's wedding on October 20, 1960, he went out onto the landing and suddenly fell: his legs gave out. During the fall, he broke his leg, and had to call an ambulance and take him to the hospital right from the holiday. But even there Shostakovich did not stop working: he wrote from memory, without a piano. The eighth quartet, dedicated to the memory of the victims of fascism, Shostakovich wrote very quickly, in three days, reflecting in it all the most important events of his life. In the work, he used the music of the First Symphony, the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the Second Trio in memory of I. Sollertinsky, as well as the music of the Tenth Symphony, written immediately after Stalin's death in 1953, and the First Cello Concerto in 1959, dedicated to M. Rostropovich. D. Shostakovich resorted in the quartet to the melody of his musical monogram D - S - C - H, which means the notes "re - mi-flat - do - si", as a link between fragments of the quartet, which were quotes from his early works

Contemporary composers. See a directory of contemporary composers at musikaneo.com Classical music has stood the test of time and we agree that if a piece is less than 100 years old it cannot be classical music. But what do conservatory graduates do, where are their works and how can they relate to classical music?

Classical music. In a narrow sense, the term refers to the period of classicism that dominated from 1750 to 1830. In a broad sense, classical is any serious music that makes you think, requires attention for listening and some emotional effort.

musical periods. Musical eras and authors creating music in different periods are beautifully represented on musikaneo.com

Great Russian composers of the 20th century. All these personalities are the brightest representatives of their century, they can be safely called the great modern composers of the 20th century. Listed are not just composers born at the turn of the 20th century. Their works during this period of time were already known, or their heyday of creativity fell on the 20th century.

• Pakhmutova Alexandra Nikolaevna Prokofiev Sergei Sergeevich. Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilievich. Sviridov Georgy Vasilievich. Skryabin Alexander Nikolaevich. Slonimsky Sergey Mikhailovich. Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich.

• Khachaturian Aram Ilyich. Shostakovich Dmitry Dmitrievich. Schnittke Alfred Garrievich. Shchedrin Rodion Konstantinovich.

Foreign composers of the 20th century.

• Alban Breg. Anton Webern. Arnold Schoenberg. Bela Bartok. Villa Lobos Heitor. Vitold Lutoslavsky. György Ligeti. John Cage. George Gershwin.

• Leonard Bernstein. Luigi Nono. Mikalojus Ciurlionis. Nadia Boulanger. Olivier Messiaen

• Paul Hindemith. Charles Ives. Edward Benjamin Britten. Edgar Varese. Janis Xenakis.

Russian composers of the 21st century It is impossible to attribute some music creators to a particular century. After all, many works by contemporary composers were published and deserved worthy attention both in the 20th century and in the 21st. This is especially true for living composers who managed to become famous for their highly artistic creations in the last century and continue to compose music in the present. We are talking about Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin, Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina and others.

However, there are also little-known Russian composers of the 21st century who created wonderful compositions, but their names did not have time to become popular.

• Batagov Anton. Bakshi Alexander. Ekimovskiy Victor. Karmanov Pavel. Korovitsyn Vladimir. Markelov Pavel. Martynov Vladimir. Pavlova Alla. Baker Mark. Savalov Yuri. Saveliev Yuri. Sergeeva Tatiana.

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

(1872 — 1915)

- Russian composer and pianist, one of the brightest personalities of Russian and world musical culture. The original and deeply poetic work of Scriabin stood out for its innovation even against the background of the birth of many new trends in art associated with changes in public life at the turn of the 20th century.

Born in Moscow, his mother died early, his father could not pay attention to his son, as he served as ambassador to Persia. Scriabin was brought up by his aunt and grandfather, from childhood he showed musical abilities. At first he studied at the cadet corps, took private piano lessons, after graduating from the corps he entered the Moscow Conservatory, his classmate was S.V. Rakhmaninov. After graduating from the conservatory, Scriabin devoted himself entirely to music - as a concert pianist-composer, he toured Europe and Russia, spending most of his time abroad.

The peak of Scriabin's composing work was 1903-1908, when the Third Symphony ("Divine Poem"), the symphonic "Poem of Ecstasy", "Tragic" and "Satanic" piano poems, 4th and 5th sonatas and other works were released.

"Poem of Ecstasy" , consisting of several themes-images, concentrated the creative ideas of Sryabin and is his bright masterpiece. It harmoniously combined the composer's love for the power of a large orchestra and the lyrical, airy sound of solo instruments. The colossal vital energy, fiery passion, strong-willed power embodied in the "Poem of Ecstasy" makes an irresistible impression on the listener and to this day retains the strength of its influence.

Another masterpiece of Scriabin is "Prometheus"(“The Poem of Fire”), in which the author completely updated his harmonic language, departing from the traditional tonal system, and for the first time in history, this work was supposed to be accompanied by color music, but the premiere, for technical reasons, was held without lighting effects.

Last unfinished "Mystery" was the idea of ​​Scriabin, a dreamer, romantic, philosopher, to appeal to all mankind and inspire him to create a new fantastic world order, the union of the Universal Spirit with Matter.

Quote by A. N. Scriabin: “I’m going to tell them (people) that they… don’t expect anything from life except what they can create for themselves… I’m going to tell them that there’s nothing to grieve about, that there is no loss. So that they are not afraid of despair, which alone can give rise to real triumph. Strong and mighty is he who has experienced despair and conquered it.

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

(1873 — 1943)

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov is the greatest world composer of the early 20th century, a talented pianist and conductor. The creative image of Rachmaninov as a composer is often defined by the epithet “the most Russian composer”, emphasizing in this brief formulation his merits in uniting the musical traditions of the Moscow and St. Petersburg composer schools and in creating his own unique style, which stands out in isolation in world musical culture.

Born in the Novgorod province, from the age of four he began to study music under the guidance of his mother. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, after 3 years of study he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory and graduated with a big gold medal. He quickly became known as a conductor and pianist, composing music.

The disastrous premiere of the groundbreaking First Symphony (1897) in St. Petersburg caused a creative composer's crisis, from which Rachmaninoff emerged in the early 1900s with a style that combined Russian church songwriting, fading European romanticism, contemporary impressionism and neoclassicism, all saturated with complex symbolism. During this creative period, his best works were born, including 2 and 3 piano concertos, the Second Symphony and his favorite work - the poem "The Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra.

In 1917, Rachmaninov and his family were forced to leave our country and settle in the United States. Almost ten years after his departure, he did not compose anything, but toured extensively in America and Europe and was recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the era and the greatest conductor.

For all the stormy activity, Rachmaninoff remained a vulnerable and insecure person, striving for solitude and even loneliness, avoiding the intrusive attention of the public. He sincerely loved and yearned for his homeland, wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving it. He was constantly interested in all the events taking place in Russia, read books, newspapers and magazines, helped financially. His last compositions - Symphony No. 3 (1937) and "Symphonic Dances" (1940) became the result of his creative path, absorbing all the best of his unique style and the mournful feeling of irreparable loss and homesickness.

Quotes by S.V. Rachmaninov:

“I feel like a ghost that wanders alone in a world that is alien to him.”

"The highest quality of any art is its sincerity."

“Great composers have always and above all paid attention to the melody as the leading principle in music. Melody is music, the main foundation of all music… Melodic ingenuity, in the highest sense of the word, is the composer’s main life goal…. For this reason, the great composers of the past showed so much interest in the folk melodies of their countries.”

Quote about S.V. Rachmaninov:

“Rakhmaninov was created from steel and gold: Steel in his hands, gold in his heart. I can't think of him without crying. I not only bowed before the great artist, But I loved the man in him. I. Hoffman

“The music of Rachmaninoff is the Ocean. Its waves - musical - start so far beyond the horizon, and lift you up so high and lower you so slowly ... that you feel this Power and Breath. A. Konchalovsky

Interesting fact: During the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninov gave several charity concerts, the money collected from which he sent to the Red Army fund to fight the Nazi invaders.

8. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky

(1882-1971)

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky is one of the most influential world composers of the 20th century, the leader of neoclassicism.

Stravinsky has become a "mirror" of the musical era, his work reflects the multiplicity of styles that constantly intersect and are difficult to classify. He freely combines genres, forms, styles, choosing them from centuries of musical history and subordinating them to his own rules.

Born near St. Petersburg, studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, independently studied musical disciplines, took private lessons from N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this was Stravinsky's only composing school, thanks to which he mastered the compositional technique to perfection. He began composing professionally relatively late, but the rise was swift - a series of three ballets: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913) immediately brought him to the number of composers of the first magnitude.

In 1914 he left Russia, as it turned out almost forever (in 1962 there were tours in the USSR). Stravinsky is a cosmopolitan, having been forced to change several countries - Russia, Switzerland, France, and ended up living in the USA.

His work is divided into three periods - "Russian", "neoclassical", American "serial production", the periods are divided not by the time of life in different countries, but by the author's "handwriting".

Stravinsky was a very highly educated, sociable person with a great sense of humor. The circle of his acquaintances and correspondents included musicians, poets, artists, scientists, businessmen, statesmen.

The last highest achievement of Stravinsky - "Requiem" (Chants for the Dead) (1966) absorbed and combined the composer's previous artistic experience, becoming a true apotheosis of the master's work.

In Stravinsky's work, one unique feature stands out - "uniqueness", it was not for nothing that he was called the "composer of a thousand and one styles", the constant change of genre, style, plot direction - each of his works is unique, but he constantly returned to constructions in which Russian origin is visible, heard Russian roots.

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

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

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

9. Sergei Petrovich Prokofiev

(1891-1953)

Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev is one of the greatest Russian composers of the 20th century, pianist and conductor.

Born in the Donetsk region, from childhood joined the music. Prokofiev can be considered one of the few (if not the only) Russian musical "wunderkinds", from the age of 5 he was engaged in composing, at the age of 9 he wrote two operas (of course, these works are still immature, but show a desire for creation), at the age of 13 he passed exams in St. Petersburg Conservatory, among his teachers was N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

The beginning of his professional career caused a storm of criticism and a misunderstanding of his individual fundamentally anti-romantic and extremely modernist style, the paradox is that, despite destroying academic canons, the structure of his compositions remained true to classical principles and subsequently became a restraining force of modernist all-denying skepticism. From the very beginning of his career, Prokofiev performed and toured a lot. In 1918, he went on an international tour, including visiting the USSR, and finally returned to his homeland in 1936.

The country has changed and Prokofiev's "free" creativity was forced to give in to the realities of the new demands. Prokofiev's talent flourished with renewed vigor - he writes operas, ballets, music for films - sharp, strong-willed, extremely accurate music with new images and ideas, laid the foundation for Soviet classical music and opera.

In 1948, three tragic events occurred almost simultaneously: on suspicion of espionage, his first Spanish wife was arrested and exiled to camps; the Decree of the Poliburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was issued in which Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others were attacked and accused of “formalism” and the dangers of their music; there was a sharp deterioration in the composer's health, he retired to the country and practically did not leave it, but continued to compose.

Some of the brightest works of the Soviet period were the operas "War and Peace", "The Tale of a Real Man"; the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, which have become a new standard in world ballet music; oratorio "On guard of the world"; music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan the Terrible"; symphonies No. 5,6,7; piano work.

Prokofiev's work is striking in its versatility and breadth of themes, the originality of his musical thinking, freshness and originality made up an entire era in the world musical culture of the 20th century and had a powerful impact on many Soviet and foreign composers.

Quote by S.S. Prokofiev: “Can an artist stand apart from life?.. I am of the conviction that a composer, like a poet, sculptor, painter, is called to serve man and the people… He, first of all, must be a citizen in his art, sing of human life and lead man to a brighter future...

“I am a manifestation of life, which gives me strength to resist all non-spiritual”

Quote about S.S. Prokofiev: “… all facets of his music are beautiful. But there is one completely unusual thing here. We all seem to have some failures, doubts, just a bad mood. And at such moments, even if I don’t play and don’t listen to Prokofiev, but just think about him, I get an incredible boost of energy, I feel a great desire to live, to act” E. Kissin

Interesting fact: Prokofiev was very fond of chess, and enriched the game with his ideas and achievements, among which he invented "nine" chess - a 24x24 board with nine sets of pieces placed on it.

(1906 — 1975)

Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich is one of the most significant and performed composers in the world, his influence on contemporary classical music is immeasurable. His creations are true expressions of the inner human drama and chronicle of the difficult events of the 20th century, where the deeply personal is intertwined with the tragedy of man and mankind, with the fate of his native country.

Born in St. Petersburg, he received his first musical lessons from his mother, graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, upon entering which its rector Alexander Glazunov compared him with Mozart - so he impressed everyone with his excellent musical memory, keen ear and composer's gift. Already in the early 1920s, by the end of the conservatory, Shostakovich had a baggage of his own works and became one of the best composers in the country. World fame came to Shostakovich after winning the 1st International Chopin Competition in 1927.

Until a certain period, namely before the production of the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Shostakovich worked as a freelance artist - an "avant-garde", experimenting with styles and genres. The harsh denunciation of this opera in 1936 and the repressions of 1937 marked the beginning of Shostakovich's subsequent internal struggle for the desire to express his views by his own means in the face of the state's imposition of trends in art.

In his life, politics and creativity are very closely intertwined, he was praised by the authorities and persecuted by them, held high positions and was removed from them, was awarded and was on the verge of arrest himself and his relatives.

A soft, intelligent, delicate person, he found his form of expression of creative principles in symphonies, where he could tell the truth about time as openly as possible. Of all the vast works of Shostakovich in all genres, it is the symphonies (15 works) that occupy a central place, the most dramatic are symphonies 5,7,8,10,15, which became the pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music. A completely different Shostakovich opens up in chamber music.

Despite the fact that Shostakovich himself was a "home" composer and practically did not travel abroad, his music, humanistic in essence and truly artistic in form, quickly and widely spread throughout the world, performed by the best conductors. The magnitude of Shostakovich's talent is so immense that the full comprehension of this unique phenomenon of world art is yet to come.

Quote by D. D. Shostakovich:"Real music is capable of expressing only humane feelings, only advanced humane ideas."

The 20th century was quite fruitful for music. Music underwent various changes and was influenced by many events that took place at that time. Wars and revolutions had a rather tangible effect on musical works. In addition, another important factor was the emergence of cinema. In this regard, many Soviet composers of the 20th century took up writing music for various films and achieved excellent results in this area. Many Soviet composers of the 20th century became true professionals in the field of writing music for films. True, they have not yet passed, for the most part, sufficient test of time to be classified as "classical music". At this time, the Soviet composer M. Tariverdiev worked. The composer wrote musical accompaniment for such films as, for example, "The Deer King", "Love", "Irony of Fate". Then Doga worked. E.D. Doga is a Moldovan Soviet composer who wrote music for many famous films. Among them: "The camp goes to the sky", "Boulevard novel" and others. However, composers of the 20th century are by no means only composers famous for film music. The names of such composers as Kalman, Khachaturian, Puccini, Prokofiev, Debussy, Rachmaninoff are known to many connoisseurs of good music.

Such a rich repertoire is available only in the theater of the Moscow Council, although other theaters are also okay.

Rachmaninov's talent manifested itself early and brightly. By the time he graduated from the conservatory, he was already the author of several compositions, among which are the famous Prelude in C-sharp minor, the First Piano Concerto, and the opera Aleko. The Fantasy Pieces that followed them, the Suite for Two Pianos, "Musical Moments", romances - confirmed the opinion of Rachmaninov as a strong, deep, original talent. Decisive and powerful in performance and creativity, Rachmaninoff was by nature a vulnerable person, often experiencing self-doubt. The severe shock caused by the failure of his First Symphony in 1897 led to a creative crisis. For several years Rachmaninoff did not compose anything, but his performing activity as a pianist intensified, and he made his debut as a conductor. Only in the early 1900s did Rachmaninov return to creativity. The new century began with the brilliant Second Piano Concerto. Contemporaries heard in him the voice of Time with its tension, explosiveness, and a sense of impending changes. A new stage begins in the life of Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov's pianistic and conducting activities are universally recognized in Russia and abroad; in 1909 he composed his brilliant Third Piano Concerto. At the end of 1917, Rachmaninov and his family left Russia, as it turned out, forever. He lived in the USA for more than a quarter of a century, and this period was mostly full of exhausting concert activity, subject to the cruel laws of the music business. The first years of his stay abroad, Rachmaninov did not leave the thought of the loss of creative inspiration: "Having left Russia, I lost the desire to compose. Having lost my homeland, I lost myself." Only 8 years after leaving abroad, Rachmaninov returns to creativity, creates the Fourth Piano Concerto, the Third Symphony, "Symphonic Dances". These works are the last, highest rise of Rachmaninoff. A mournful feeling of irreparable loss, a burning longing for Russia gives rise to an art of enormous tragic power, reaching its climax in the "Symphonic Dances". So through all the works of Rachmaninoff he carries the inviolability of his ethical principles, high spirituality, fidelity and inescapable love for the Motherland, the personification of which was his art.

Unlike many of his predecessors and contemporaries, Chopin composed almost exclusively for the piano. He left no opera, no symphony or overture. All the more striking is the talent of the composer, who managed to create so many bright, new things in the field of piano music.

The concept of "composer" first appeared in the 16th century in Italy, and since then it has been used to refer to a person who composes music.

19th century composers

In the 19th century, the Viennese School of Music was represented by such an outstanding composer as Franz Peter Schubert. He continued the tradition of romanticism and influenced a whole generation of composers. Schubert created over 600 German romances, taking the genre to a new level.

Franz Peter Schubert

Another Austrian, Johann Strauss, became famous for his operettas and light musical forms of dance character. It was he who made the waltz the most popular dance in Vienna, where balls are still held. In addition, his legacy includes polkas, quadrilles, ballets and operettas.

Johann Strauss

A prominent representative of modernism in the music of the late 19th century was the German Richard Wagner. His operas have not lost their relevance and popularity to this day.

Giuseppe Verdi

Wagner can be contrasted with the majestic figure of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, who remained true to operatic traditions and gave Italian opera a new breath.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Among the Russian composers of the 19th century, the name of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stands out. He is characterized by a unique style that combines European symphonic traditions with Glinka's Russian heritage.

Composers of the 20th century

Sergei Vasilyevich Rahmaninov

One of the brightest composers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries is rightfully considered Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov. His musical style was based on the traditions of romanticism and existed in parallel with the avant-garde movements. It was for his individuality and the absence of analogues that his work was highly appreciated by critics around the world.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky

The second most famous composer of the 20th century is Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky. Russian by origin, he emigrated to France, and then the United States, where he showed his talent to the fullest. Stravinsky is an innovator, not afraid to experiment with rhythms and styles. In his work, the influence of Russian traditions, elements of various avant-garde movements and a unique individual style can be traced, for which he is called "Picasso in Music".