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90-619: The Russian Musical Society (RMS) was an organization founded in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (a German-born aunt of Tsar Alexander II ) and her protégé, pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein , with the intent of raising the standard of music in the country and disseminating musical education. Rubinstein and the Grand Duchess's travels together in Europe a decade earlier had prompted them to set up

180-799: A Moscow branch of the RMS in Rubinstein's own house. This branch proved so successful that they eventually relocated it into larger quarters and expanded their work there. Troubetzkoy was the chairman of RMS for seventeen years. The RMS's formal successors were the St. Petersburg Conservatory , which opened (also under the auspices of Anton Rubinstein), in September 1862, and the Moscow Conservatory , founded by Nikolai Rubinstein and Prince Nikolai Petrovitch Troubetzkoy in September 1866. Following

270-551: A bayan). Troika ( Russian : Тройка) A dance with one man and two women, named after the traditional Russian carriage which is led by three horses. Bear Dance or dancing with bears ( Russian : Танец С Медведем) Dates back to 907 when Great Russian Prince Oleg, in celebration of his victory over the Greeks in Kiev, had as entertainment, 16 male dancers dress as bears and four bears dress as dancers. Dances with dancers dressed as bears are

360-591: A circular game type dance where the participants hold hands, sing, and the action generally happens in the middle of circle, and Plyaska ( Russian : Пляска or Плясовый), a circular dance for men and women that increases in diversity and tempo, according to Bob Renfield, considered to be the preeminent scholar on the topic. Other forms of Russian Folk Dance include Pereplyas ( Russian : Перепляс), an all-male competitive dance, Mass Dance ( Russian : Массовый пляс), an unpaired stage dance without restrictions on age or number of participants, Group Dance ( Russian : Групповая пляска)

450-445: A deep connection to literature and interest in creativity , society, politics and nationalism; cosmos and religion were other primary subjects. Notable philosophers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries include Vladimir Solovyov , Sergei Bulgakov , Pavel Florensky , Nikolai Berdyaev , Vladimir Lossky and Vladimir Vernadsky . In the 20th century Russian philosophy became dominated by Marxism . Russia owes much of its wit to

540-509: A journey of self-discovery, a process that led them to value themselves not as individuals, but rather as a necessary part of a common whole. The attitudes of such legendary characters paralleled the mindset that the Soviet government wished to instill in its citizens. He also pointed out the existence of many tales that showed members of the working class outsmarting their cruel masters, again working to prove folklore's value to Soviet ideology and

630-821: A leading dramatist. Other important 19th-century developments included the fabulist Ivan Krylov , non-fiction writers such as the critic Vissarion Belinsky , and playwrights such as Aleksandr Griboyedov and Aleksandr Ostrovsky . The beginning of the 20th century ranks as the Silver Age of Russian Poetry . This era had poets such as Alexander Blok , Anna Akhmatova , Boris Pasternak , Konstantin Balmont , Marina Tsvetaeva , Vladimir Mayakovsky , and Osip Mandelshtam . It also produced some first-rate novelists and short-story writers, such as Aleksandr Kuprin , Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin , Leonid Andreyev , Yevgeny Zamyatin , Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Andrei Bely . After

720-672: A lesser degree, the type of humor these use) parallels limericks . The name originates from the Russian word части́ть , meaning "to speak fast". As early as the 12th and 13th centuries Russia had its national masters who were free of all foreign influence, i. e. that of the Greeks on the one hand, and on the other hand that of the Lombard master-masons called in Andrei Georgievich to build the Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral in

810-575: A mixture of Russian stylization and Western European realism, and in a Western European manner very much like that of Catholic religious art of the time. The Stroganov movement and the icons from Nevyansk rank among the last important schools of Russian icon-painting. A lubok (plural Lubki , Cyrillic : Russian : лубо́к, лубо́чная картинка ) is a Russian popular print , characterized by simple graphics and narratives derived from literature, religious stories and popular tales. Lubki prints were used as decoration in houses and inns. Early examples from

900-505: A movement was initiated to put all arts to service of the dictatorship of the proletariat. The instrument for this was created just days before the October Revolution, known as Proletkult, an abbreviation for "Proletarskie kulturno-prosvetitelnye organizatsii" (Proletarian Cultural and Enlightenment Organizations). A prominent theorist of this movement was Alexander Bogdanov . Initially, Narkompros (ministry of education), which

990-472: A number of well-known poetical interpretations of classical Russian fairy tales, and in some cases, like that of Alexander Pushkin , also created fully original fairy tale poems that became very popular. Folklorists today consider the 1920s the Soviet Union 's golden age of folklore. The struggling new government, which had to focus its efforts on establishing a new administrative system and building up

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1080-664: A patron of several charitable organizations and of the arts. She founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire and co-founded (1854) a group of nursing sisters ( Society of the Sisters of Marcy  [ ru ] ) which would eventually become the forerunners of the Red Cross in Russia. During her time in Russia she became known as the "family intellectual", and was considered the most exceptional woman in

1170-509: A permanent society to encourage both the study and performance of music in Russia. The Grand Duchess was the provider and driving force for the RMS, successfully obtaining her nephew's Imperial approval. Rubinstein provided the musical leadership. His presence lent the RMS a further appearance of prestige, given both his international career as a pianist and his reputation as a composer of distinction—qualities uncommon at that time for any native-born musician in Russia. The RMS's inaugural concert

1260-545: A positive mindset, especially as their lives changed with the further development of Communism. Yuri Sokolov , the head of the folklore section of the Union of Soviet Writers also promoted the study of folklore by arguing that folklore had originally been the oral tradition of the working people, and consequently could be used to motivate and inspire collective projects amongst the present-day proletariat. Characters throughout traditional Russian folktales often found themselves on

1350-753: A reception held in her honor, she charmed all the guests with her conversations. On 17 December 1823, she was received into the Russian Orthodox Church and was given the name Elena Pavlovna. On 20 February 1824, the couple married in Saint Petersburg and settled in the Mikhailovsky Palace . When the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna died in 1828, the palace of Pavlovsk passed on to Mikhail and he and Elena visited it often. Their marriage

1440-493: A recurring theme, as seen a recording of the Omsk Russian Folk Chorus. One of the main characteristics of Russian furious dances is the vprisiadku elements. Until the 18th century, music in Russia consisted mainly of church music and folk songs and dances. In the 19th century, it was defined by the tension between classical composer Mikhail Glinka along with other members of The Mighty Handful , and

1530-658: A renaissance of the traditional Russian epic, today it is generally regarded as a period of restraint and falsehood. Russian literature is considered to be among the world's most influential and developed. It can be traced to the Middle Ages , when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed. By the Age of Enlightenment , literature had grown in importance, with works from Mikhail Lomonosov , Denis Fonvizin , Gavrila Derzhavin , and Nikolay Karamzin . From

1620-464: A school of art liberated from Academic restrictions. Leading realists include Ivan Shishkin , Arkhip Kuindzhi , Ivan Kramskoi , Vasily Polenov , Isaac Levitan , Vasily Surikov , Viktor Vasnetsov and Ilya Repin . By the turn of the 20th century and on, many Russian artists developed their own unique styles, neither realist nor avant-garde. These include Boris Kustodiev , Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin , Mikhail Vrubel and Nicholas Roerich . Many works by

1710-582: A special type of board that pictures were printed on. The Russian Academy of Arts was created in 1757 with the aim of giving Russian artists an international role and status. Notable portrait painters from the academy include Ivan Argunov , Fyodor Rokotov , Dmitry Levitzky , and Vladimir Borovikovsky . In the early 19th century, when neoclassicism and romanticism flourished, famous academic artists focused on mythological and Biblical themes, like Karl Briullov , Orest Kiprensky , Ivan Aivazovsky and Alexander Ivanov . Realism came into dominance in

1800-456: A table top. Many religious homes in Russia have icons hanging on the wall in the krasny ugol , the "red" or "beautiful" corner (see Icon Corner ). There is a rich history and elaborate religious symbolism associated with icons. In Russian churches, the nave is typically separated from the sanctuary by an iconostasis (Russian ikonostás ) a wall of icons. Icon paintings in Russia attempted to help people with their prayers without idolizing

1890-434: A type of mass dance employs simple round-dance passages, and improvisation, and types of Quadrilles ( Russian : Кадриль), originally a French dance brought to Russia in the 18th century. Ethnic Russian dances include khorovod ( Russian : Хоровод), barynya ( Russian : Барыня), kamarinskaya ( Russian : Камаринская), kazachok ( Russian : Казачок) and chechotka ( Russian : Чечётка) (a tap dance in bast shoes and with

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1980-427: A wooden figure which can be pulled apart to reveal another figure of the same sort but somewhat smaller inside. It has in turn another somewhat smaller figure inside, and so on. The number of nested figures is usually six or more. The shape is mostly cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom, but little else. The dolls have no extremities, (except those that are painted). The true artistry

2070-523: Is a source of inspiration for a number of popular folk bands , most prominent being Golden Ring , Ural's Nation Choir , Lyudmila Zykina . Russian folk songs , as well as patriotic songs of the Soviet era , constitute the bulk of repertoire of the world-renowned Red Army choir and other popular Russian ensembles. Russian folk dance ( Russian : Русский Народный Танец) can generally be broken up into two main types of dances. Khorovod ( Russian : Хоровод),

2160-498: Is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate. The theme is usually peasant girls in traditional dress, but can be almost anything; for instance, fairy tales or Soviet leaders. Other forms of Russian handicraft include khokhloma , Dymkovo toy , gzhel , Zhostovo painting , Filimonov toys , pisanka , Pavlovo Posad shawl , Rushnyk , and palekh . Russian icons are typically paintings on wood, often small, though some in churches and monasteries may be as large as

2250-479: Is one of the living members of the East Slavic languages ; the others being Belarusian and Ukrainian (and possibly Rusyn ). Written examples of Old East Slavic ( Old Russian ) are attested from the 10th century onwards. Over a quarter of the world's scientific literature is published in Russian. Russian is also applied as a means of coding and storage of universal knowledge—60–70% of all world information

2340-571: Is published in the English and Russian languages. The language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations . Russian folklore takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs , which is nowadays still represented in the Russian folklore . Epic Russian bylinas are also an important part of Slavic mythology . The oldest bylinas of Kievan cycle were recorded in

2430-538: Is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the individual republics the right to make their native language co-official next to Russian. Despite its wide dispersal, the Russian language is homogeneous throughout Russia. Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken Slavic language . Russian belongs to the Indo-European language family and

2520-753: The Grand Duchy of Moscow , which took full control of its own sovereignty under Ivan the Great . Ivan the Terrible transformed the Grand Duchy into the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. However, the death of Ivan's son Feodor I without issue in 1598 created a succession crisis and led Russia into a period of chaos and civil war known as the Time of Troubles , ending with the coronation of Michael Romanov as

2610-605: The Peredvizhniki group of artists have been highly sought after by collectors in recent years. Russian art auctions during Russian Art Week in London have increased in demand and works have been sold for record breaking prices. The Russian avant-garde is an umbrella term used to define the large, influential wave of modernist art that flourished in Russia from approximately 1890 to 1930. The term covers many separate, but inextricably related, art movements that occurred at

2700-613: The Rus' state in the north in the year 862, ruled by Varangians . In 882, Prince Oleg of Novgorod seized Kiev , uniting the northern and southern lands of the Eastern Slavs under one authority, moving the governance center to Kiev by the end of the 10th century, and maintaining northern and southern parts with significant autonomy from each other. The state adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning

2790-605: The Russian Enlightenment . Catherine's grandson, Alexander I , repulsed an invasion by the French Emperor Napoleon , leading Russia into the status of one of the great powers . Peasant revolts intensified during the nineteenth century, culminating with Alexander II abolishing Russian serfdom in 1861. In the following decades, reform efforts such as the Stolypin reforms of 1906–1914,

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2880-817: The Russian Musical Society led by composers Anton and Nikolay Rubinstein . The later tradition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era , was continued into the 20th century by Sergei Rachmaninoff , one of the last great champions of the Romantic style of European classical music. World-renowned composers of the 20th century include Alexander Scriabin , Alexander Glazunov , Igor Stravinsky , Sergei Prokofiev , Dmitri Shostakovich , Georgy Sviridov and Alfred Schnittke . Soviet and Russian conservatories have turned out generations of world-renowned soloists. Among

2970-666: The Russian North , especially in Karelia , where most of the Finnish national epic Kalevala was recorded as well. Many Russian fairy tales and bylinas were adapted for Russian animations , or for feature movies by famous directors like Aleksandr Ptushko ( Ilya Muromets , Sadko ) and Aleksandr Rou ( Morozko , Vasilisa the Beautiful ). Some Russian poets, including Pyotr Yershov and Leonid Filatov , created

3060-725: The Russian Revolution of 1917, the RMS was disbanded in the same year. The All-Russian Musical Society, which was established in 1987 is meant to be the legal successor of the Russian Musical Society traditions and cultural legacy. On February 18 of 2010 upon the decision of the All-Russian Music Society Fifth convention the society was renamed back to the original title of the Russian Music Society, which marked

3150-659: The Tartars in byliny. In these new stories, the Whites were incompetent, stagnant capitalists, while the Soviet citizens became invincible heroes. Once Stalin died in March 1953, folklorists of the period quickly abandoned the new folktales. Written by individual authors and performers, noviny did not come from the oral traditions of the working class. Consequently, today they are considered pseudo-folklore, rather than genuine Soviet (or Russian) folklore. Without any true connection to

3240-623: The Union of Soviet Writers in 1932. In order to continue researching and analyzing folklore, intellectuals needed to justify its worth to the Communist regime. Otherwise, collections of folklore, along with all other literature deemed useless for the purposes of Stalin's Five Year Plan, would be an unacceptable realm of study. In 1934, Maksim Gorky gave a speech to the Union of Soviet Writers arguing that folklore could, in fact, be consciously used to promote Communist values. Apart from expounding on

3330-562: The church architecture of Kievan Rus' . Following the Christianization of Kievan Rus' , for several centuries it was influenced predominantly by the Byzantine Empire . Aristotle Fioravanti and other Italian architects brought Renaissance trends into Russia. The 16th century saw the development of the unique tent-like churches ; and the onion dome design, which is a distinctive feature of Russian architecture. In

3420-540: The constitution of 1906 , and the State Duma (1906–1917) attempted to open and liberalize the economy and political system, but the emperors refused to relinquish autocratic rule and resisted sharing their power. A combination of economic breakdown, mismanagement over Russia's involvement in World War I , and discontent with the autocratic system of government triggered the Russian Revolution in 1917. The end of

3510-540: The 17th century, the "fiery style" of ornamentation flourished in Moscow and Yaroslavl , gradually paving the way for the Naryshkin baroque of the 1690s. After the reforms of Peter the Great, Russia's architecture became influenced by Western European styles. The 18th-century taste for Rococo architecture led to the splendid works of Bartolomeo Rastrelli and his followers. The most influential Russian architects of

3600-518: The 1940s. After the Great Patriotic War Soviet sculptors made multiple monuments to the war dead, marked by a great restrained solemnity. Russians have distinctive traditions of folk music . Typical ethnic Russian musical instruments are gusli , balalaika , zhaleika , balalaika contrabass, bayan accordion, Gypsy guitar and garmoshka . Folk music had great influence on the Russian classical composers, and in modern times it

3690-529: The 19th century, when it was defined initially by the opposition of Westernizers , advocating Russia's following the Western political and economical models, and Slavophiles , insisting on developing Russia as a unique civilization. The latter group includes Nikolai Danilevsky and Konstantin Leontiev , the early founders of eurasianism . In its further developments, Russian philosophy was always marked by

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3780-602: The 19th century. The realists captured Russian identity in landscapes of wide rivers, forests, and birch clearings, as well as vigorous genre scenes and robust portraits of their contemporaries. Other artists focused on social criticism , showing the conditions of the poor and caricaturing authority; critical realism flourished under the reign of Alexander II , with some artists making the circle of human suffering their main theme. Others focused on depicting dramatic moments in Russian history. The Peredvizhniki ( wanderers ) group of artists broke with Russian Academy and initiated

3870-588: The Fool (1853), The Siberian Hunters (1852), and Vengeance (1852/1853). Elena died in Saint Petersburg , at the age of 66. Russian culture Russian culture (Russian: Культура России , romanized : Kul'tura Rossii , IPA: [kʊlʲˈturə rɐˈsʲiɪ] ) has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and both Eastern and Western influence . Russian writers and philosophers have played an important role in

3960-656: The Russian Revolution of 1917, Russian literature split into Soviet and white émigré parts. In the 1930s, Socialist realism became the predominant trend in Russia. Its leading figure was Maxim Gorky , who laid the foundations of this style. Mikhail Bulgakov was one of the leading writers of the Soviet era. Nikolay Ostrovsky 's novel How the Steel Was Tempered has been among the most successful works of Russian literature. Influential émigré writers include Vladimir Nabokov , and Isaac Asimov ; who

4050-507: The Russians—notably Andrei Rublev and Dionisius —widened the vocabulary of iconic types and styles far beyond anything found elsewhere. The personal, improvisatory and creative traditions of Western European religious art are largely lacking in Russia before the seventeenth century, when Simon Ushakov 's painting became strongly influenced by religious paintings and engravings from Protestant as well as Catholic Europe. In

4140-538: The Soviet Union, eventually some of these performers became highly valued members of Soviet society. A number of them, despite their illiteracy, were even elected as members of the Union of Soviet Writers. These new Soviet fairy tales and folk songs primarily focused on the contrasts between a miserable life in old tsarist Russia and an improved one under Stalin's leadership. Their characters represented identities for which Soviet citizens should strive, exemplifying

4230-462: The Soviet government began to criticize and censor folklore studies. Stalin and the Soviet regime repressed folklore, believing that it supported the old tsarist system and a capitalist economy. They saw it as a reminder of the backward Russian society that the Bolsheviks were working to surpass. To keep folklore studies in check and prevent "inappropriate" ideas from spreading amongst the masses,

4320-509: The artistic value of folklore, he stressed that traditional legends and fairy tales showed ideal, community-oriented characters, which exemplified the model Soviet citizen. Folklore, with many of its conflicts based on the struggles of a labor-oriented lifestyle, was relevant to Communism as it could not have existed without the direct contribution of the working classes. Also, Gorky explained that folklore characters expressed high levels of optimism, and therefore could encourage readers to maintain

4410-521: The best known are violinists David Oistrakh and Gidon Kremer , cellist Mstislav Rostropovich , pianists Vladimir Horowitz , Sviatoslav Richter , and Emil Gilels , and vocalist Galina Vishnevskaya . The original purpose of the ballet in Russia was to entertain the imperial court. The first ballet company was the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg in the 1740s. The Ballets Russes

4500-626: The city of Vladimir. Russia's relations with the Greek world were hampered by the Mongol invasion, and it is to the isolation arising from this that we must attribute the originality of Slavo-Russian ornamentation, which has a character of its own, quite unlike the Byzantine style and the Romanesque . The history of Russian architecture begins with early woodcraft buildings of ancient Slavs, and

4590-573: The classes of the RMS, the Free Music School , which emphasised choral singing , was also formed. Both the classes and the school quickly became popular. As surprising as the number of students who enrolled was their extreme diversity. Bureaucrats, merchants, tradesmen and university students attended, as well as many young women who lacked the means to study privately. In 1860, helped and encouraged by his brother Anton, Nikolai Rubinstein and Prince Nikolai Petrovitch Troubetzkoy founded

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4680-521: The closing stages of World War II, helped the country become a superpower competing with fellow superpower the United States and other Western countries in the Cold War . Russia's 160 ethnic groups speak some 100 languages. According to the 2002 census, 142.6 million people speak Russian , followed by Tatar with 5.3 million and Ukrainian with 1.8 million speakers. Russian

4770-472: The development of European thought . The Russians have also greatly influenced classical music , ballet , sport , painting , and cinema . The nation has also made pioneering contributions to science and technology and space exploration . The history of Russia begins with the histories of the East Slavs . The traditional start date of specifically Russian history is the establishment of

4860-553: The early 1830s, during the Golden Age of Russian Poetry , literature underwent an astounding golden age in poetry, prose and drama. Romanticism permitted a flowering of poetic talent: Vasily Zhukovsky and later his protégé Alexander Pushkin came to the fore. Following Pushkin's footsteps, a new generation of poets were born, including Mikhail Lermontov , Nikolay Nekrasov , Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy , Fyodor Tyutchev and Afanasy Fet . The first great Russian novelist

4950-555: The early 20th century, Russian ballet dancers Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky rose to fame. Soviet ballet preserved the perfected 19th century traditions, and the Soviet Union's choreography schools produced one internationally famous star after another, including Maya Plisetskaya , Rudolf Nureyev , and Mikhail Baryshnikov . The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky in Saint Petersburg remain famous throughout

5040-444: The eighteenth century; Vasily Bazhenov , Matvey Kazakov , and Ivan Starov , created lasting monuments in Moscow and Saint Petersburg and established a base for the more Russian forms that followed. During the reign of Catherine the Great, Saint Petersburg was transformed into an outdoor museum of Neoclassical architecture . During Alexander I 's rule, Empire style became the de facto architectural style, and Nicholas I opened

5130-616: The figure in the painting. The most comprehensive collection of Icon art is found at the Tretyakov Gallery . The use and making of icons entered Kievan Rus' following its conversion to Orthodox Christianity from the Eastern Roman ( Byzantine ) Empire in 988 AD. As a general rule, these icons strictly followed models and formulas hallowed by usage, some of which had originated in Constantinople. As time passed,

5220-418: The first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty in 1613. During the rest of the seventeenth century, Russia completed the exploration and conquest of Siberia , claiming lands as far as the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century. Domestically, Russia faced numerous uprisings of the various ethnic groups under their control, as exemplified by the Cossack leader Stenka Razin , who led a revolt in 1670–1671. In 1721, in

5310-453: The gate of Eclecticism to Russia. The second half of the 19th century was dominated by the Neo-Byzantine and Russian Revival style. In the early 20th century, Russian neoclassical revival became a trend. Prevalent styles of the late 20th century were the Art Nouveau , Constructivism , and Socialist Classicism . Some notable Russian buildings include: Matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll. A set of Matryoshka dolls consist of

5400-449: The government created the RAPP – the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers . The RAPP specifically focused on censoring fairy tales and children's literature, believing that fantasies and "bourgeois nonsense" harmed the development of upstanding Soviet citizens. Fairy tales were removed from bookshelves and children were encouraged to read books focusing on nature and science. RAPP eventually increased its levels of censorship and became

5490-563: The great flexibility and richness of the Russian language, allowing for puns and unexpected associations. As with any other nation, its vast scope ranges from lewd jokes and silly word play to political satire . Russian jokes , the most popular form of Russian humour , are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line . Russian joke culture features a series of categories with fixed and highly familiar settings and characters. Surprising effects are achieved by an endless variety of plots. Russians love jokes on topics found everywhere in

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5580-449: The history of Russia essentially became the history of the Soviet Union . During this period, the Soviet Union was one of the victors in World War II after recovering from a surprise invasion in 1941 by Nazi Germany and its collaborators , which had previously signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's network of satellite states in Eastern Europe, which were brought into its sphere of influence in

5670-405: The imperial family since Catherine the Great ( r.  1762–1796 ). She founded the Russian Musical Society (1859) and the Russian Conservatoire (1862), and was liberal on serfdom . She helped to push her nephew Alexander II to abolish serfdom while he stayed with her. As a patroness of the composer Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), she commissioned some of his early operas : Fomka

5760-535: The late 17th and early 18th centuries were woodcuts , then engravings or etchings were typical, and from the mid-19th century lithography . They sometimes appeared in series, which might be regarded as predecessors of the modern comic strip . Cheap and simple books, similar to chapbooks , which mostly consisted of pictures, are called lubok literature or ( Cyrillic : Russian : лубочная литература ). Both pictures and literature are commonly referred to simply as lubki . The Russian word lubok derives from lub –

5850-400: The masses, there was no reason noviny should be considered anything other than contemporary literature. Specialists decided that attempts to represent contemporary life through the structure and artistry of the ancient epics could not be considered genuine folklore. Stalin's name has been omitted from the few surviving pseudo-folktales of the period. Instead of considering folklore under Stalin

5940-426: The mid-seventeenth century, changes in liturgy and practice instituted by Patriarch Nikon resulted in a split in the Russian Orthodox Church. The traditionalists, the persecuted "Old Ritualists" or " Old Believers ", continued the traditional stylization of icons, while the State Church modified its practice. From that time icons began to be painted not only in the traditional stylized and nonrealistic mode, but also in

6030-605: The modern musical and choreographic art in the country, as well to track and analyze cultural trends. Among major forms of the RMS involvement and its regional branches are organization of concerts, folklore holidays, master classes, music festivals and competitions. The RMS also assists Russian soloists and music groups in participation at the International festivals, competitions and concert tours. Princess Charlotte of W%C3%BCrttemberg Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (9 January 1807 – 2 February [ O.S. 21 January] 1873), later known as Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna ,

6120-408: The monarchy initially brought into office a coalition of liberals and moderate socialists, but their failed policies led to the October Revolution . In 1922, Soviet Russia , along with the Ukrainian SSR , Byelorussian SSR , and Transcaucasian SFSR signed the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR , officially merging all four republics to form the Soviet Union as a single state. Between 1922 and 1991

6210-582: The music classes offered by the RMS, open to all students, which eventually gave rise to professorial education. These classes were held at the Grand Duchess's home, the Mikhailovsky Palace . Until the inception of the RMS, there had been no music school in Russia to provide a basic professional training in music. Music instruction had been limited to the homes of the aristocracy and private schools. Consequently, native Russian musicians and performers were rare. Classical concerts were performed generally by foreign musicians, primarily from Germany. In addition to

6300-748: The nation's backwards economy, could not be bothered with attempting to control literature, so studies of folklore thrived. There were two primary trends of folklore study during the decade: the formalist and Finnish schools. Formalism focused on the artistic form of ancient byliny and faerie tales, specifically their use of distinctive structures and poetic devices. The Finnish school was concerned with connections amongst related legends of various Eastern European regions. Finnish scholars collected comparable tales from multiple locales and analyzed their similarities and differences, hoping to trace these epic stories' migration paths. Once Joseph Stalin came to power and put his first five-year plan into motion in 1928,

6390-441: The nation's society at large. Convinced by Gorky and Sokolov's arguments, the Soviet government and the Union of Soviet Writers began collecting and evaluating folklore from across the country. The Union handpicked and recorded particular stories that, in their eyes, sufficiently promoted the collectivist spirit and showed the Soviet regime's benefits and progress. It then proceeded to redistribute copies of approved stories throughout

6480-538: The new stories and songs As the performers of the day were often poorly educated, they needed to obtain a thorough understanding of Marxist ideology before they could be expected to impart folktales to the public in a manner that suited the Soviet government. Besides undergoing extensive education, many folk performers traveled throughout the nation in order to gain insight into the lives of the working class, and thus communicate their stories more effectively. Due to their crucial role in spreading Communist ideals throughout

6570-409: The official reincarnation of the original organization. The modern RMS is the public agency with functions of the creative union. It consolidates thousands of people that represent musical and choreographic culture of Russia and its nations on both professional and amateur levels. The Society has chapters in all Russian regions , which allows it to effectively influence the condition and development of

6660-464: The population. Meanwhile, local folklore centers arose in all major cities. Responsible for advocating a sense of Soviet nationalism, these organizations ensured that the media published appropriate versions of Russian folktales in a systematic fashion. Apart from circulating government-approved fairy tales and byliny that already existed, during Stalin's rule authors parroting appropriate Soviet ideologies wrote Communist folktales and introduced them to

6750-461: The population. These contemporary folktales combined the structures and motifs of the old byliny with contemporary life in the Soviet Union. Called noviny, these new tales were considered the renaissance of the Russian epic. Folklorists were called upon to teach modern folksingers the conventional style and structure of the traditional byliny. They also explained to the performers the appropriate types of Communist ideology that should be represented in

6840-480: The protagonist would be given advice from omniscient Stalin. If the character followed Stalin's divine advice, he could be assured success in all his endeavors and a complete transformation into the "New Soviet Man". The villains of these contemporary fairy tales were the Whites and their leader Idolisce, "the most monstrous idol", who was the equivalent of the tsar. Descriptions of the Whites in noviny mirrored those of

6930-525: The revolutionary ideas of the avant-garde clashed with the newly emerged conservative direction of socialist realism . In the 20th century many Russian artists made their careers in Western Europe, forced to emigrate by the Revolution. Wassily Kandinsky , Marc Chagall , Naum Gabo and others spread their work, ideas, and the impact of Russian art globally. During the Russian Revolution

7020-493: The synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated as a state due to the Mongol invasions in 1237–1240. After the 13th century, Moscow emerged as a significant political and cultural force, driving the unification of Russian territories . By the end of the 15th century, many of the petty principalities around Moscow had been united with

7110-413: The time; namely neo-primitivism , suprematism , constructivism , rayonism , and futurism . Notable artists from this era include El Lissitzky , Kazimir Malevich , Wassily Kandinsky , Vladimir Tatlin , Alexander Rodchenko , Pavel Filonov and Marc Chagall . The Russian avant-garde reached its creative and popular height in the period between the Russian Revolution of 1917 and 1932, at which point

7200-414: The traits of the " New Soviet Man ". The heroes of Soviet tales were meant to portray a transformed and improved version of the average citizen, giving the reader a clear goal for an ideal community-oriented self that the future he or she was meant to become. These new folktales replaced magic with technology, and supernatural forces with Stalin. Instead of receiving essential advice from a mythical being,

7290-530: The wake of the Great Northern War , Tsar Peter the Great renamed the state as the Russian Empire ; he is also noted for establishing St. Petersburg as the new capital of his Empire, and for his introducing Western European culture to Russia. In 1762, Russia came under the control of Catherine the Great , who continued the westernizing policies of Peter the Great, and ushered in the era of

7380-405: The world, be it politics, spouse relations, or mothers-in-law . Chastushka , a type of traditional musical Russian poetry , is a single quatrain in trochaic tetrameter with an ABAB or ABCB rhyme scheme . Usually humorous , satirical , or ironic in nature, chastushkas are often put to music as well, usually with balalaika or accordion accompaniment. The rigid, short structure (and to

7470-438: Was Nikolai Gogol . Then came Ivan Turgenev , who mastered both short stories and novels. Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy soon became internationally renowned. Ivan Goncharov is remembered mainly for his novel Oblomov . Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote prose satire, while Nikolai Leskov is best remembered for his shorter fiction. In the second half of the century Anton Chekhov excelled in short stories and became

7560-540: Was a ballet company founded in the 1909 by Sergey Diaghilev , an enormously important figure in the Russian ballet scene. Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes' travels abroad profoundly influenced the development of dance worldwide. The headquarters of his ballet company was located in Paris, France. A protégé of Diaghilev, George Balanchine , founded the New York City Ballet Company in 1948. During

7650-771: Was also in charge of the arts, supported Proletkult. Although Marxist in character, the Proletkult gained the disfavor of many party leaders, and by 1922 it had declined considerably. It was eventually disbanded by Stalin in 1932. De facto restrictions on what artists could paint were abandoned by the late 1980s. However, in the late Soviet era many artists combined innovation with socialist realism including Ernst Neizvestny , Ilya Kabakov , Mikhail Shemyakin , Igor Novikov , Erik Bulatov , and Vera Mukhina . They employed techniques as varied as primitivism , hyperrealism , grotesque , and abstraction . Soviet artists produced works that were furiously patriotic and anti-fascist in

7740-470: Was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers. Some writers dared to oppose Soviet ideology, such as Nobel Prize-winning novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn , who wrote about life in the Gulag camps. Some Russian writers, like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky , are known also as philosophers, while many more authors are known primarily for their philosophical works. Russian philosophy blossomed since

7830-729: Was given in November 1859, with Rubinstein playing one of his piano concertos . By the mid-1860s, concerts given by the RMS had introduced the general public to all the symphonies , piano concertos and overtures of Ludwig van Beethoven . Audiences had also heard oratorios by George Frideric Handel , cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach , operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck , as well as works by Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert . Russian music had also been performed. Operas by Russian composers which were presented included those of Mikhail Glinka , Alexander Dargomyzhsky and Anton Rubinstein , among others. Most important, however, were

7920-568: Was not a happy one: Mikhail's only passion was for the army, and he neglected Elena. Nevertheless, he and Elena had five daughters, only two of whom lived to mature adulthood: Elena became a close friend of her brother-in-law, Emperor Alexander I of Russia and of his wife the Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna . She was also quick to befriend the shy Maria Alexandrovna , who married the then Tsarevich Alexander in 1841. When Princess Charlotte's husband died, in 1849, she became

8010-434: Was quite modest by royal standards. In Paris , Charlotte came under the tutelage of several intellectuals. In 1822, she became engaged to Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia, her first cousin once removed (Mikhail's mother was her father's aunt). It was said that Charlotte was an exceptional girl, highly intelligent and mature for her age of 15. The Grand Duke was obviously impressed by her beauty and her poise, and during

8100-477: Was the wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia , the youngest son of Emperor Paul I of Russia and Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg . She was born in Stuttgart , as Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg and of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen . As a child, Charlotte lived in Paris with her father and her younger sister Pauline . Their home

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