Publications in the Music section

Two operas by Mikhail Glinka in 10 facts

Glinka's pen works opened a new stage in the development of Russian musical theater. There were two works - “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”) and “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, and both of them predetermined the future path of Russian national opera. We traced the fate of productions to the music of Mikhail Glinka and selected 10 little-known facts.

"Ivan Susanin" ("Life for the Tsar")

Ilya Repin. Portrait of Mikhail Glinka. 1887

Fedor Fedorovsky. Set design for the final scene of Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin". 1939

Set design for Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin". 1951. Illustration: art16.ru

1. The idea of ​​creating an opera about the feat of Ivan Susanin was suggested to Glinka by his friend Vasily Zhukovsky: “... as if by magic, a plan for an entire opera was suddenly created, and the idea of ​​contrasting Russian music with Polish music; finally, many themes and even details of development - all this flashed into my head at once,” the composer later recalled.

2. Working on an opera has its own canons: it is customary to write music based on the word. However, Glinka acted on the contrary, which created difficulties in creating the poetic text of the libretto. Nestor Kukolnik, Vladimir Sologub, Prince Vladimir Odoevsky and Zhukovsky himself tried to keep up with Glinka’s music. But for the most part only Baron Georg von Rosen succeeded. What Glinka most appreciated was his ability to compose words for ready-made music: “Rosen had already prepared poems laid out in his pockets, and I had to say what kind, that is, size, I needed and how many poems, he took out so many of each type, as much as necessary, and each variety from a special pocket. When the size and thought [did not] fit the music and [did not] agree with the course of the drama, then extraordinary stubbornness appeared in my piet. He defended each of his verses with stoic heroism.”

3. The audience did not appreciate Glinka’s music and even called it “peasant”, “coachman’s”, “common”. In the opera “Life for the Tsar,” the composer turns to the genre of Russian folk song, trying to show the national flavor. This was alien to court listeners, accustomed to numbers in the spirit of the Italian aria. But Nicholas I was very pleased with the opera and, as a sign of his admiration, gave Glinka a diamond ring.

4. After the revolution of 1917, attempts were made to change the plot of the opera and transfer it to Soviet realities: “The first edition was to transfer the time of action to the era of the Bolshevik revolution. In accordance with this, Ivan Susanin turned into a “chairman of the village council” - into an advanced peasant standing up for the Soviet homeland. Vanya was converted to a Komsomol member. The Poles remained in place because at that time there was a war with Poland, where Tukhachevsky advanced.” The final anthem was paraphrased: “Glory, glory, Soviet system” (Leonid Sabaneev. “Memories of Russia”).

Peter Williams. Sketch of the set "Dominino" for Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin". 1939. Illustration: tamart.ru

Drawing based on Mikhail Glinka’s opera “Ivan Susanin”. Illustration: intoclassics.net

Fedor Fedorovsky. Set design for Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin". Theater named after Kirov. 1940. Illustration: megabook.ru

5. However, another production of the opera became famous - in 1939, it was based on the libretto of the poet Sergei Gorodetsky. His version of the libretto greatly changed the plot: new characters “arrived” in the opera in the person of Minin and Pozharsky. King Sigismund sends a detachment to defeat the Russian militia. The army ends up near Kostroma, in the village where the peasant Ivan Susanin lives. The Poles demand that he show them the way to Minin’s camp. The new version did not say anything about the fact that Susanin saved Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, who was in a monastery near Kostroma. Moreover, in the text of the libretto there was no mention of the king at all. By decree of Stalin, the opera began to be called “Ivan Susanin”. With such a plot and title, the work was performed on all opera stages of the Soviet Union.

"Ruslan and Ludmila"

Nikolay Ge. "Ruslan and Ludmila". Second half of the 19th century

Ivan Bilibin. Chernomor Palace. Scenery sketch for Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila". 1900. Illustration: belcanto.ru

Konstantin Somov. Lyudmila in the Chernomor garden. Based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. 1897. Illustration: belcanto.ru

1. Alexander Pushkin knew about Glinka’s intention to create an opera based on his poem and was even going to help him write the libretto, because he believed that the text of “Ruslan and Lyudmila” needed to be changed. But Glinka never found out exactly what changes Pushkin wanted to make. The sudden death of the poet prevented their collaboration. Work on the opera and libretto dragged on for five years.

2. Glinka excluded ironic and frivolous scenes, focusing on the national Russian character. He gave his creation features of epic monumentality: paintings contrasting in content slowly replace each other.

3. Glinka came up with a new orchestral technique - imitation of the gusli in the sound of the pizzicato harp and piano. Later Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov used it in the operas “The Snow Maiden” and

Ivan Bilibin. Chernomor Gardens. Set design for Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila". 1913 Illustration: belcanto.ru

5. Nicholas I defiantly left the premiere without listening to the end of the opera. And all because in the play he saw a mockery of himself. In Act IV, Chernomor marches with his retinue to the sounds of a march performed by a brass military band on stage (everyone knew the emperor’s love for military parades); then in the Chernomor castle they dance the Caucasian dance - the Lezginka (under the leadership of the emperor, Russia waged a protracted and not always successful war in the Caucasus). Soon after the premiere, the theater management, “for the sake of economy,” abandoned the military orchestra on stage, and this was the reason for shortening the march in subsequent productions.

The name of the national hero Ivan Osipovich Susanin is known to any Russian child in grade 3. Many do not know his biography, but they know that he led someone somewhere into impassable jungle. Let's take a brief look at the biography of this famous person and try to understand what is reality and what is fiction.

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It must be said that not much is known about Ivan. He was born in the Kostroma region in the village of Derevenki. According to other sources, the place of birth is the village of Domnino, which was the patrimony of the Shestov nobles. Who I. Susanin was during his lifetime is also not very clear. According to different sources there are different ideas:

1. Generally accepted - a simple peasant;
2. Less accepted - village chief;
3. Little known - Ivan Osipovich acted as a clerk and lived at the court of the Shestov boyars.

They first learned about it in 1619 from the royal charter of Tsar Mikhail Romanov. From this letter we learn that in the fierce winter of 1612 a Polish-Lithuanian detachment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth appeared. The purpose of the detachment was to find the young Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov and destroy him. At this time, the king and his mother nun Martha lived in the village of Domnino.

A detachment of Poles and Lithuanians advanced along the road to Domnino and met the peasant Ivan Susanin and his son-in-law Bogdan Sobinin. Susanin was ordered to show the way to the court, where the young king lives. The peasant reluctantly agreed and led the enemy in the other direction. As the charter and legend testify, Ivan led them into swamps and impenetrable wilds. When the deception was discovered, the nobles tortured him and cut his body into small pieces. They were never able to get out of the wilds and froze in the swamps. Under the yoke of torture, Ivan Osipovich did not change his decision to destroy the enemy and did not show the right path.

History shows that that Susanin led the gentry, and son-in-law Sobinin went to Domnino to warn the tsar. The king and his mother took refuge in a monastery. Judging by the fact that Sobinin's son-in-law is mentioned, it is determined that Susanin's age was approximately 35-40 years. According to other sources, he was an old man of advanced years.

In 1619, the tsar granted a charter to his son-in-law Bogdan Sobinin to administer half the village and exempt him from taxes. In the future, there were still payments to Sobinin’s widow and Susanin’s descendants. Since then, the legend about the immortal feat of the Russian peasant Ivan Susanin has lived and been passed on from mouth to mouth.

The cult of Susanin in Tsarist Russia

In 1767, Catherine the Great traveled to Kostroma. After this, she mentions the feat that the hero accomplished and speaks of him as the savior of the Tsar and the entire Romanov family.

Before 1812, little was known about him. The fact is that this year the Russian writer S.N. Glinka wrote about Susanin as a national hero, about his feat, self-sacrifice in the name of the Tsar-Father and the Fatherland. It was from this time that his name became the property of the entire public of Tsarist Russia. He became a character in history textbooks, many operas, poems, and stories.

During the reign of Nicholas I, the cult of the hero's personality intensified. It was a political light image tsarist Russia, who advocated the ideals of self-sacrifice for the sake of the tsar and autocracy. The image of a peasant hero, a peasant defender of the Russian land. In 1838, Nicholas I signed a decree renaming the main square of Kostroma into Susaninskaya Square. A monument to the hero was erected on it.

A completely different perception of the image of Susanin was at the beginning of the formation of Soviet power. He was counted not among the heroes, but among the king's saints. All monuments to the tsars were demolished by Lenin's decree. In 1918, they began to demolish the monument in Kostroma. The square was renamed Revolution Square. In 1934, the monument was completely demolished. But at the same time, the rehabilitation of the image of Susanin as a national hero who gave his life for his homeland began.

In 1967, the monument to Ivan was re-erected in Kostroma. The photo of the monument reveals the image of an ordinary peasant in long clothes. The inscription on the monument reads: “To Ivan Susanin - patriot of the Russian land.”

31.03.2017

There are names that seem to be on everyone's lips, but at the same time we know very little about the person and his life, except for the name. These words can rightfully be attributed to the personality of Ivan Susanin. What do we know about him? What genuine interesting facts about the fate and feat of the national hero Ivan Susanin can we remember? It turns out that today a lot has already been hidden from us in the depths of centuries - and, alas, practically no sources have survived.

1. The feat of Ivan Susanin was voiced for a long time as “Life for the Tsar.” Was Mikhail Romanov already elected to the throne when Susanin saved the young man from the hands of the Polish interventionists? It is quite possible that not yet - Ivan Susanin led the Poles into the forest either at the end of 1612 or at the beginning of 1613. If the first date is correct, it turns out that Mikhail remained only Mr. Susanin, but not the All-Russian autocrat.
2. The middle name of Ivan Susanin was “attributed” in the 19th century - Osipovich. There are no reliable sources that would certify its authenticity. It is possible that historians and writers simply made it up.
3. According to a number of surviving documents, Susanin was the patrimonial headman of the Romanovs, and was in charge of their ancestral village of Domnino.
4. The reality of the feat of the Kostroma peasant, which began to be doubted, is confirmed by the fact that Susanin’s son-in-law Bogdan was granted a personal letter from Tsar Mikhail himself, which said something like the following: “For blood, for patience, for our salvation, we grant Bogdashka and his family half of the village, freeing him from all taxes." If there had been no feat, would a simple peasant (and, probably, a serf) have received such favors from the royal shoulder?
5. Susanin was most likely a widower, since there is no mention of his wife anywhere. All that is known for sure about his relatives is that he had a daughter, Antonida, and therefore the royal gratitude extended not to the male offspring, who did not exist, but to Susanin’s daughter and son-in-law.
6. It is still unknown where Ivan Susanin died. Some sources indicate forest thicket. Others call the village of Isupovo, the place near the church. According to the latest version, Ivan, leading the Poles away from the hiding place of the Romanov mother and son, led them in the opposite direction and brought them to Isupov, where he revealed his plan to the enemies. His death turned out to be terrible and painful: the enraged Poles tortured him and then executed him.
7. Few knew about Susanin’s feat until the 18th century. Catherine the Great contributed to the widespread dissemination of information about this amazing person. Arriving one day in Kostroma, she noted how very talented the speech of the Kostroma bishop Damaskin, who spoke about Susanin. Since that time, the name of a peasant who gave his life for the Tsar and the Fatherland began to appear more and more often in historical sources.
8. We all know Mikhail Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”. But it turns out that the first musical work on this topic was written 20 years earlier - this is an opera by the composer of Italian origin Cavos.

Ivan Susanin was a simple man - a peasant, hardly close to the struggle for the throne and court intrigues. His feat was not accomplished out of ambitious motives, not with the goal of distinguishing, if not himself, then at least his offspring, or raising his family to a higher level of the social ladder. It was the self-sacrifice of a man who consciously gave his life for the freedom of his homeland, in order to drive away the hated invaders. A low bow from us, descendants, to the national hero Ivan Susanin, and may his memory be forever preserved throughout the centuries.

Of course, every resident of our country has heard about Ivan Susanin. And in terms of the number of anecdotes, perhaps only Chapaev and Stirlitz can compare with Susanin. Who is Ivan Susanin really? Here are just a few stories, legends, and myths about the fate of this amazing man.

According to the official version, Ivan Susanin, a village headman (and not a serf at all) from the Kostroma province, in 1613 led a Polish detachment, looking for the new Tsar Mikhail Romanov, into impassable swamps, where the conquerors died, and Susanin himself was brutally killed.

To understand what the young king was doing in a remote village, let's go back to history. In 1605, Tsar Boris Godunov died, and the throne was taken by a series of one-day rulers, Fyodor Godunov, False Dmitry I, Vasily Shuisky... a period of “time of troubles” began in the country. After famine, a series of uprisings and lost battles, a period called the Seven Boyars began, since everything in the country ended, even the sovereigns. At this moment of crisis, the Zemsky Sobor (meeting of representatives of cities) was convened and the first representative of the Romanov family, Mikhail Romanov, was elected to reign. The Romanovs, who had previously been in disgrace, at that time lived in the patrimonial village of Domnina, where Ivan Susanin was the headman.

So why did the Poles need the Russian Tsar? It's simple - at that time, the Russian troops were bleeding from the war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the young Russian Tsar could become an excellent trump card for the enemies in negotiations on surrender.

Since then, the Romanovs have glorified the patriot-peasant in every possible way, who saved young Mikhail Romanov at the cost of his own life.

Nicholas the First made a special effort in the 19th century. It was during his reign that the main square of Kostroma received the name Susaninskaya, and a monument to the legendary hero was erected on it.

By the way, soon after Susanin’s death, his relatives reminded the tsar of their existence. The hero's son-in-law Bogdan Sobinin turned to Tsar Mikhail with a request not to bypass Susanin's descendants with royal favor. In 1619, Sobinin took possession of the village of Dominino, Kostroma district. Mikhail exempted him from all taxes: “For his service to us and for the blood and patience of his father-in-law Ivan Susanin.”

“By the grace of God, we, the Great Sovereign, the Tsar and the Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich, the autocrat of all Russia, according to our royal mercy, and on the advice and petition of our mother, the empress, the great old nun Marfa Ivanovna, granted us the Kostroma district, our village of Domnina, peasant Bogdashka Sobinin, for his service to us and for the blood and patience of his father-in-law Ivan Susanin: how we, the great sovereign, tsar and grand duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of all Rus' in the past 121 (that is, in 1613 from the Nativity of Christ!) year were in Kostroma, and at that time Polish and Lithuanian people came to the Kostroma district, and his father-in-law, Bogdashkov, Ivan Susanin at that time was taken away by the Lithuanian people and he was tortured with great, unmeasurable torture and tortured at his place where in those days we, the great the sovereign, the tsar and the Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of all Russia were, and he Ivan, knowing about us, the great sovereign, where we were at that time, suffering from those Polish and Lithuanian people unmeasurable torture, about us, the great sovereign, those Polish and Lithuanian He didn’t tell people where we were at that time, but the Polish and Lithuanian people tortured him to death.

And we, the Great Sovereign, the Tsar and the Grand Duke Mikhailo Fedorovich of All Russia, granted him, Bogdashka, for his father-in-law Ivan Susanin’s service to us and for the blood in the Kostroma district of our palace village of Domnina, half of the village of Derevnisch, where he, Bogdashka, now lives, one and a half quarters of land were ordered to be whitewashed from that semi-village, and one and a half quarters were to be whitewashed on him, on Bogdashka, and on his children, and on our grandchildren, and on our great-grandchildren, no taxes and feed, and carts, and all kinds of canteens and grain supplies , and for city crafts, and for bridging, and for other purposes, they were not ordered to take any taxes from them; They ordered them to whitewash half the village in everything, their children, their grandchildren, and the whole family without moving. And if our village of Domnino will be given away to which the monastery will be given, then half the village of Derevnischi, one and a half quarters of land will not be given to any monastery with that village, they will be ordered to own it, Bogdashka Sobinin, and his children and grandchildren according to our royal salary , and to their generation forever without moving. This royal charter of ours was given in Moscow in the summer of 7128 (from the Nativity of Christ - 1619) November on the 30th day.”

It is interesting that for another 200 years the hero’s descendants were given letters of grant confirming their benefits, modeled on the royal charter of 1619.

Little is known about the biography of Ivan Susanin himself. No one can even say how old the hero was at the time of his feat. As a rule, Susanin is portrayed as a sort of gray-haired old man, although there is information that Susanin’s daughter Antonida was 16 years old at that time, and Ivan Osipovich himself, according to some historians, was 35-40 years old.

For many years, researchers were interested in the question: where was that disastrous place where Susanin led his enemies, and was his grave preserved? Although, finding Susanin’s grave is an almost impossible task, because, according to legend, he died along with the Poles. However, at the beginning of this century in the Kostroma region there was a targeted search for the remains of the savior of the royal dynasty.

Historians, archaeologists, and criminologists conducted an enormous study: 360 remains were found and studied in the area of ​​the village of Isupovo, not the site of the supposed death of the national hero. A comparative DNA analysis of Susanin's descendants was carried out with finds from the 17th century. This may seem surprising, but the participants of this expedition are sure that Susanin was buried there. A medical and forensic analysis of the remains of one of the men confirms this.

It is interesting that not only streets and squares in our country are named after Susanin. For example, in St. Petersburg, a store... of navigators is named after the legendary hero.

The name of Ivan Susanin, who gave his life for the Tsar, is known to many history buffs, but this folk hero is especially appreciated by Kostroma residents. In the glorious city on the Volga there is a monument to a martyr who died a terrible death to save the life of the monarch. We invite you to find out what Ivan Susanin is famous for, as well as get acquainted with some interesting facts from his life journey.

Information about life

Since the hero of our material was a serf before he accomplished his feat, very little data about his childhood and life in general was preserved - no one was interested in the fate of an ordinary forced person. Therefore, in the biography of Ivan Susanin there are more blank spots than verified facts. However, researchers believe that this brave man was originally from the village of Derevnischi (another version is Derevenki), and lived in the village of Domnino, Kostroma region (which now belongs to the Susaninsky district).

It is believed that Susanin was not an ordinary serf, but the headman of the estate, however, this version is based on local legend and has no evidence. There is also an opinion that the future national hero lived at the boyar court and served as a clerk.

The next fact is that Ivan Susanin had a daughter, Antonida, who got married and gave birth to children. However, we have not received any information about the peasant’s wife, so researchers assumed that he was married, but widowed early.

Historical background

Speaking about what Ivan Susanin is famous for, it is necessary to characterize the historical situation that developed in Russia during the period of his life. It was a difficult time, the Time of Troubles, a time of fierce struggle for the throne on the one hand and Polish-Lithuanian attacks on the other. At the beginning of the 17th century, the country was struck by a horrific famine, the autocratic throne was temporarily occupied by an impostor, then the throne went to Prince Vasily Shuisky, who was king for about 4 years. The former monarch was overthrown, captured by the Poles and ended his life far from his native land.

The boyars came to power and tried to place a prince from Poland on the Russian throne. In these circumstances, Susanin’s feat takes on new meaning - the peasant not only saved a particular young monarch, but also prevented the fact that a Pole would be at the head of Russia.

Legend of the feat

What did Ivan Susanin do to immortalize his name forever? At the cost of his life, he saved Tsar Mikhail Romanov from an attack by a Polish-Lithuanian detachment. In 1613, the young monarch and his mother lived on their Kostroma estate in the village of Domnino, of which Susanin was the headman. The Polish invaders decided to get to the young king and kill him, but they needed a guide to show the way. The headman had to carry out this mission. Susanin managed to ask his son-in-law, Bogdan Sobinin, to warn Mikhail and advise him to take refuge behind the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery, which saved the Tsar’s life.

Death of a Hero

Threats and bribery had no effect. According to a popular legend, the brave peasant agreed, but led the enemy detachment into an impassable swamp, from which the strangers could not get out. Having exposed the deception, the Poles tortured the hero, but he did not give up and did not give up the tsar’s refuge. After this, the angry invaders brutally killed Ivan Susanin. Who was he, according to this concept? A true patriot who accepted martyrdom for the sake of Tsar Michael.

Another version of the feat

There is another legend explaining why Ivan Susanin is famous, more prosaic and therefore less popular. The point is this: Tsar Mikhail, while on his estate in Domnino, accidentally learned that a Polish detachment was approaching him to capture him. The monarch hastily fled and by chance ended up in the house of Ivan Susanin. He fed the tsar and hid him so well that the arriving Poles could not find Mikhail even with their dogs. They tortured the peasant, forcing him to reveal the location of the king, but the hero remained faithful to the ruler and accepted his death courageously.

After the detachment left, Mikhail left his refuge and hid behind the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery.

Historical facts

We got acquainted with the legend about the feat of Ivan Susanin. However, there is so little reliable information about this folk hero that some skeptics believe that he did not really exist. We invite you to find out some real historical information that has documentary evidence.

• Susanin entered the annals of history as a man who gave his life for the king. At the same time, some scientists question the formulation itself, because if this man led the Poles into impenetrable forests at the end of 1612 (and not in 1613, as is commonly believed), then young Mikhail was not yet a king.
• It is known for certain that the national hero was not a simple peasant, but a patrimonial headman of the Romanovs.
• Susanin's patronymic has not been preserved, despite the fact that, according to tradition, the full name Ivan Osipovich is attributed to him. We have not received information about the real name of the hero’s father.
• The sources do not contain information about the name of Susanin’s wife, but he had a daughter, Antonida, most likely his only descendant. The name of Antonida’s husband, Bogdan, is also known.

The key evidence that Ivan Susanin really existed is a personalized letter from the monarch, in which the hero’s son-in-law, Bogdan, and his descendants are exempt from taxes. Also, by the will of the king, half of the village was granted to Antonida’s husband. If we assume that the feat is nothing more than a legend, then it becomes incomprehensible why the king would grant such unprecedented favors to an ordinary peasant.

Controversial issues

We found out what Ivan Susanin is famous for, but there are a lot of blank spots in his biography. The very facts of the heroic feat of this patriot are also controversial:

• The place of the hero's death is unknown. Thus, some researchers believe that the Poles, angry at the deception, brutally tortured the unfortunate peasant and then killed him in the forest. This version, being more interesting, was used by writers and poets in literary works and is therefore more widespread. However, other historians believe that the national hero was killed near the village of Isupovo.
• The death of the Poles in the swamp. It is generally accepted that Ivan Susanin led the enemy detachment into an impassable swamp, where his plan was exposed, he himself was brutally tortured and killed. But the invaders could not get out of the swamp and died themselves. However, this fact is questioned by archaeological finds.
• Age. It is customary to portray Susanin as a very old man with long gray hair. In fact, his age was hardly more than 40 years. Most likely, Antonida was 16 years old at the time of her feat.
• Saved the king from what? Not all historians are sure that if captured by the Polish invaders, Mikhail would have been killed. It was suggested that a captive monarch would force Russia to be more accommodating and capitulate.

Despite these disagreements, the Romanov dynasty subsequently highly valued the feat of Ivan Susanin:

• Nicholas the First ordered to call the main square of the city of Kostroma Susaninskaya (this name has been preserved to this day). Also in the city on the Volga, a majestic monument to the national hero was erected.
• After the charter of 1619, for two hundred years, Susanin’s descendants received charters from subsequent monarchs confirming their privileges.

The legend of Ivan Susanin and his feat is widely popular; musical and literary works are dedicated to this man; many streets in Russian cities bear his name. There is a museum of the feat of this patriot; motor ships and an ice drift were named in his honor.

The meaning of the feat

Speaking about what Ivan Susanin is famous for, it is necessary to indicate the following points:

• After the national hero saved the tsar, the Romanov dynasty reigned in Russia, ending the difficult Time of Troubles for the country and its people. A certain stability appeared, still weak and illusory, but the monarch, God’s chosen one, was on the throne, instilling in people hope that life would get better.
• The very accession of Michael is associated with patriotism, a simple peasant gave his life for this monarch, his sacrifice was selfless, so the young king immediately earned special treatment.

Ivan Susanin is a significant figure; this peasant managed not only to save the Tsar, but also to demonstrate to the enemy the power of Russian patriotism.