Contemporary artistic culture reflects the life of modern man. Its creation, its structure, is refracted under the influence of new views, new rhythms, “new methods”, under the influence political regimes and historical patterns. In many ways, contemporary art subordinated to the idea of ​​influence and even pressure on human brain and signaling systems. Aggressive forms artistic culture, naturally developed or artificially introduced, influence the psyche with the help of bright contrasts, dissonances, and demonstrations of human insignificance. Why might a person who lives in a different, very fast rhythm, who does not pretend to be an idealist, who no longer challenges his own cruelty and pragmatism, need romance? What place does romance occupy among the variety of modern music?

The place of romance in any era is the sphere human feelings, since it is aimed at penetrating inner world person. The text of the romance is constructed in such a way as to evoke in the listener associations with his own experiences. Behind the simple words, a person hears his own story or identifies himself with the hero of the situation proposed by the romance. A story evoked in memory creates an impulse; a person imagines events as unexpectedly vivid, perhaps not as they actually were. And the romance becomes an illustration of it inner life. During the time that the romance is played, the listener manages to resurrect the situation in his memory, live it anew, but endows himself with traits that were not inherent in him in those circumstances, at that stage of development. This means that romance gives a person the opportunity to relive the situation in a new capacity, with a different attitude. And there is not a feeling of sad nostalgia, but peace, consciousness of the harmony of life; As long as a person makes mistakes and commits stupid things, he remains human. "Whatever happens will be nice." Romance is not a departure to an ideal world where everything is fine; no, it’s like existing in two worlds at the same time: the one in memory, and the one that exists in the present tense (“I’m infinitely sorry...”, “Oh, I’m not the same for a long time”).

The mechanism of action of romance on the human psyche is as follows: In romance poems, the situation is usually determined by several symbols. The situation itself is not specific, but the listener, having perceived the intonation, trusts the intonation of the romance and, as it were, completes the picture with episodes from own life. The basis for the perception of any romance is the personal experience of the listener. The perception of music has a pronounced aesthetic character, it intertwines emotional experiences and artistic and imaginative thinking. In its process, associations arise based on previous auditory experience, from which the individual’s aesthetic attitude to music stems. Structure work of art, especially musical music, in itself causes a certain mood and emotional reactions in a person. Music not only informs the listener about the feeling being expressed, but also immerses him in the corresponding emotional state. But these emotions, according to L. Vygotsky, are intelligent and are resolved primarily in the images of fantasy.

The pleasure derived from a work of art is elusive and hardly amenable to analysis. It is impossible to track all the associations, thoughts, and feelings that arise. The function of romance, like art in general, is an external influence on the internal, emotional space of a person.

We can say that romance is the consciousness of possibility, which often means much more than the possibility realized. What has happened causes regret because of what has happened, and it would perhaps be better for him to remain in the area of ​​the unrealized, the area of ​​dreams, desires. Desire is a process. The modern rhythm of life significantly reduces this process; a person strives to achieve a goal without enjoying the process. Romance makes it possible to live the situation as a process of desire, and not kill the dream, not be disappointed when achieving the result. This explains the fact that the modern audience of romance consists mainly of people over 30 years old: young people try to achieve what they want as quickly as possible, but devote little time and attention to what they want; there is something painful in such an endeavor, since the goal is to eliminate discomfort, not a dream.

The pleasure of romance is not constant and does not necessarily come. It is impossible to guess which romance will make an impression at what moment. As any of us can attest, pleasure from a text is fickle: there is no guarantee that the same text will be able to give us pleasure a second time; pleasure is fleeting, depends on mood, habits, circumstances. Suddenly, a romance, heard many times without any particular psychological effect, “falls” into the mood and turns out to be in tune with the listener’s inner tone. And vice versa, a romance that previously sounded like a “cry from the soul” will make a less vivid, even formal impression. The thing is that a person never fully knows true reasons your moods. Human consciousness is trying to build a picture of the world, using all the information entering the brain, but still guided by established ideas about the ideal structure of the world: about truth, goodness, beauty and other abstract things that cannot be known using logic. Romance is on the verge of the real and ideal worlds, this is the secret of its effect on the human psyche.

Listening to a romance gives a person the opportunity to open up and discover the wealth of his emotional world provided that the listener is internally ready for this. A person who does not allow himself to relax, analyze his actions, interact with external phenomena, with incoming signals, will not be able to enjoy romance. This pleasure comes from the work that happens in a person’s soul, from the conscious and unconscious overcoming of boundaries and stereotypes of understanding human nature.

At first glance, the modern listener is offered a rich selection of various genres and performers. But to find in this sea something capable of touching human soul It’s not easy and requires work from the listener himself. Today little attention is paid to cultivating the taste of the public. Popular music aimed at satisfying undemanding tastes, the undemandingness of the mass public corresponds to the undemandingness of the performers for their work. This music is mainly for entertainment purposes. Romance, in many ways, unfortunately, is a victim of inattentive execution. Shortcomings in interpretation often cause listeners to have a misconception about romance in general and even aversion to it.

So I've highlighted some characteristic features modern interpretations romances. The 20th century is largely distinguished by its disdainful attitude towards romance. The words “sensitivity” and “sentimentality” are often pronounced with an ironic and even mocking overtone, as if it is a shame to experience deep, sincere feelings. Poets hide behind mockery, ridicule of subtle feelings; talking about them is considered weakness. But weakness lies precisely in the fear of expressing one’s true feelings and natural emotions. Not those short emotions that are caused by aggressive methods in art (which, by the way, is very common in the 20th century), not a reflex, but emotions followed by analysis, thinking about one’s actions and reactions. Readers are sharply divided into two camps: those running from lyrics and cursing them - and those bewitched by lyrics. Gradually people come to the conclusion that their strength lies in sincerity. Evidence of this is that “serious”, parody romance songs take root among the people much worse than sentimental ones. You will not hear them in an interpretation different from the author’s and performer’s (example: songs by A. Vertinsky performed by B. Grebenshchikov).

The nakedness of human feelings in the performance of a romance these days causes, in addition to respect, a certain emotional shock: it turns out that a person does not look helpless and disgusting, on the contrary, he proves the greatness of the human spirit, which was what they strived for in ancient times, in the Renaissance, in the first half of XIX century. It is important that when performing a romance, personal disorder does not replace the sincerity and greatness of all humanity.

For a long time, performances of romances that differed from the generally accepted ones were not perceived by listeners as having a right to exist. The end of the 20th century is characterized by freedom of performing interpretations, and each of them resonates with the corresponding audience, be it lovers of academic romance performance, acting version, or pop version. Performing a romance without a personal connection makes no sense, but, unfortunately, it is often practiced. Both the perception and execution of the romance must be subjective in nature. Otherwise romance is dead. Its space will remain empty, not filled with anything.

Academic performance is distinguished by a very serious attitude to the form and even a slight detachment from the content and mood of the romance. Here the main attention is paid to form, emphasis is placed on vocals, and respect for classical composers, which interferes with the direct perception and experience of the romance. It’s rare that a listener will be able to catch something human and familiar in the performer’s endless admiration for form. The emotional fullness of the romance in this case is limited to the singer’s feelings about the sound own voice and the subsequent note, as well as painful efforts to give his face an expression corresponding to the content of the romance. Opera singers Those who undertake to perform a romance seem to forget that this vocal work, unlike an opera, is not equipped with serious instrumental design, lush decorations, or a large-scale production. A romance devoid of all this is modest, but the arsenal of opera masks in performance is not enough. Moreover, these masks do not correspond to the images embodied in the romance. The certainty of emotions, given by the form and masks of academic performance, limits the space of the romance. It is rare that academic interpretation becomes a means of expression; this happens only with the investment of personal strength, the ability to convey emotional information to the listener and, of course, with impeccable mastery of technique.

Modern pop singers set as their goal to conquer as many listeners as possible, perhaps the desire to convey their message to the people is suppressed by commercial interest. IN best case scenario the performer, using his charm, convinces the audience that she likes the romance, although in fact it is the force of personality that “takes” the listeners. Modern pop performers interpret romance according to established stereotypes. The lack of investment is compensated by the elements of the show, the popularization of the romance, as well as the awareness of one’s involvement in " high art", the revival of Russian cultural traditions.

Today, acting can offer an unexpected interpretation of the romance. Being in an eternal search for new forms of expression, actors see a dramatic miniature in the romance and present it as a performance, without using auxiliary technical means and special effects. (E. Kamburova, A. Khochinsky, O. Pogudin, E. Dyatlov, etc.). These interpretations may be controversial, but deserve attention because of the unexpected, informal approach to well-known musical works and the deep personal connection to them.

The enduring interest of performers in romance is another proof of the relevance of this genre in the 21st century. Throughout life, people from time to time turn to lyrical works as a way to express and analyze your feelings and thoughts. Communication with literary text teaches you to look at the world from a variety of points of view. Romance is an unexpected knowledge of oneself, and the less expected the message, the more information it contains. This is what determines the value and uniqueness of Russian romance for modern people.

Most famous singer from Kazan in the world, without exaggeration, one can call Yulia Ziganshina, a performer of ancient and modern Russian romances, domestic and foreign songs, Honored Artist of Tatarstan. She has been developing and supporting such a unique genre as “Russian romance” for many years, visiting various parts of the planet with concerts and maintaining hometown Salon "Kazan Romance" “Russian Planet” talked with the singer about what changes the genre has undergone over the past few centuries, and what it can give to modern man.

- Julia, how has Russian romance changed over the course of its history?

Romance came to Russia in late XVIII century from Spain, where street musicians began to sing not in Latin and not about the love of God, but in their native Romance language and about the love of a woman. In our country, romance fell on fertile soil; society felt the need for sentimental personal experiences. The romances fell into the reliable hands of the great poets and composers of the Golden Age - Pushkin, Glinka, Lermontov, Dargomyzhsky. Next splash - turn of XIX-XX centuries, then the salon is born everyday romance. It is interesting that during this period, romances, with some exceptions, were written to poems by semi-professional poets. High poetry Silver Age ahead of its time, it was sometimes incomprehensible to the average person. And romance is a human genre, earthly in every sense of the word. Romances began to be written based on Silver Age poems at the end of the 20th century. AND important role Cinema played a role in the history of romance at this time. In the 1920s, the government decided that romance was an alien, bourgeois genre; performing and writing it was life-threatening. And he returned to the masses only along with the poetry of the Silver Age through films such as “The Irony of Fate” and “Cruel Romance.”

- What happened to the romance in terms of plots and the range of feelings it expresses?

Musically, intonationally, of course, something changes. Human thinking develops and expands vocabulary. We began to think more complexly, although this is not always necessary. Romances today are often performed with orchestras, previously mostly with guitar and piano. The range of feelings in the romance is from categorical hatred to deep love. Moreover, we're talking about about earthly love in all its nuances - the expectation of love, love as a memory, bright or sad, love in the process.

- What sensory experience and what technique should a romance performer have?

All genres require labor and work from the performer. But I am sure that romance is the most complex genre despite its apparent simplicity. There is still an opinion that romance is a trinket that is easy to perform. Many dramatic opera artists and jazz players think that singing a romance is very simple: “If I sing opera, won’t I really sing a romance?” But you won’t sleep! There are catastrophically few real romance singers.

Let me explain. Opera, in my opinion, is about vocals. Jazz is freedom. An author's song is a text. Folklore is a state. Rock music is about rhythm. Pop music is show and exterior. But romance is a sense of proportion. And with this feeling, as you know, the greatest tension is not only in music. A romance also requires vocals, and competent and delivered ones, however, if there is too much of it, then, as a rule, the text disappears. When there are few vocals, this is also bad, because romance is still vocal genre, without vocals it turns out to be an amateur performance. The text should also be in moderation: you can’t have enough: romance is dramatic work, and you can’t do too much - there is a danger of going into the author’s song.
The state is necessary, but just enough so that in three or even two verses you have time to immerse yourself in the work, immerse the listener, and come out of there together - impressed, inspired. Show and exterior are necessary. A concert costume, and not a simple one, but an appropriate one, is an integral part of the romance program. A show, or better yet, a mini-theater, is the basis of a romance concert, but again in moderation so that the spectacle does not overshadow the romance itself; after all, romance is a fragile genre, easily vulnerable, and the “interior” in it is no less important than the exterior.

Russian romance is a brand, it is unique, says Yulia Ziganshina. Photo: from personal archive

Regarding personal experience, it is just not required. The singer must be observant and imaginative, able to arouse feelings - from his past, present and imaginary life, from the memory of ancestors, and so on. This is called memory of the heart.

- WhatAre you a fan of romance today?

This is a man who just has life experience. Of course, these are mostly people who are... How much? It's hard to say. I sang romances to a children's audience, and the children listened with interest. Who didn’t fall in love in the first grade or experience feelings in the seventh? Experience that is beyond the control of years, which can be gained at 7, and at 25, and at 70. There is a person who has lived his whole life and has not understood anything. Listeners belong to different social strata. It happens at concerts more women: I think because they are not afraid to show their feelings, men tend to be reserved.

- What does romance give to modern man?

An opportunity to feel like a person, to remember your feelings. Many people say that romance heals their soul. What kind of treatment is this? Tension is relieved, feelings and thoughts come into harmony, and the heart is cleansed.

- How is Russian romance received in the world?

I often perform abroad - not only for Russian audiences, but also for foreigners. For example, I recently returned from Italy, there was a concert in Parma for an Italian audience, there we worked with translators of Russian literature: before each romance, I talked a little about the romance itself, conveyed it summary, so that the audience understands where to direct their feelings. And it works.

Russian romance is a brand. He is unique. There is no analogue to this genre anywhere. Everything that is sung with a guitar abroad is more like an art song than a romance. The genre of everyday salon romance cannot be found in any other country. However, as often happens with us, we treat our loved ones badly.

- In romanceIs continuity important?

Now there is a whole series singers who have taken the style of early 20th century performers and joyfully sat on it. I think this is unacceptable. When they tell me that this is the same as Vertinsky or Piaf, I answer that I’d rather listen to the original. Singers who copy achieve some success, they have fans, but they do not need fresh experiences, but the past, memories, antiques.

Eat reverse side question - a complete denial of what was done before you. As they say, nothing is sacred. And again, the viewer can be attracted by such “innovation”, but, alas, not for long, because this speaks more of the artist’s stupidity than of originality: without taking into account the experience accumulated over centuries, he shows either lack of education or laziness. Here again the question arises about a great sense of proportion - where is the line so as not to fall into copying, but also not to leave the source? And here it is important to find guidelines.

- Why did you choose romance in your life?

Professionally, it all started when I became a laureate of the 1998 Romansiada competition. But long before that, I was interested in this genre; in my early youth I tried to sing romances, but I couldn’t learn the words by heart - I didn’t see the point in them. I was attracted to romances by their melody, a kind of languid melancholy, which, of course, was familiar to me, but I could not understand what they were about. And suddenly - the film “Cruel Romance”! An exact hit on me with an incredible combination of words, melody, guitars, keys, matching my condition, modernity of sound with the general surroundings of the 19th century! And most importantly - the voice! A voice where the text and experience were in the foreground. I can’t even say that it was the voice that struck me: real romance singers do not have a voice in its pure form - it is always a combination of sound, words, meaning and feeling. Then it was bought vinyl record, heard to the point of stumbling and scratching. And a strange thing - after some time, through the modern romances that were heard in the film, there came an understanding and awareness of what was happening in the ancient romances - they acquired meaning, they found logic, development, and an idea!

Romance is usually called vocal composition necessarily lyrical content. In essence, this is a chamber musical work for voice in instrumental accompaniment. Romances are performed by one performer to the accompaniment of usually one instrument.

The emergence of romance in Russia

This genre first appeared in Spain in the 13th-14th centuries. The first performers of such songs were traveling poets who sang their works. These works were written in the Romance language, hence the name “romance”.

Romance came to Russia from France in the 18th century. Due to the fact that it was at this time that the Russian poetic creativity, the new vocal genre took root and quickly spread, absorbing the features of Russian culture. Moreover, at first romances were written exclusively in French. Vocal works with instrumental accompaniment in Russian have long been called Russian songs. In fact, it was folklore. Each performer complemented such songs in your own words, changed the music in my own way.

Russian romance

The very concept of “Russian romance” appeared much later, when professional composers began to pay attention to romance. They saw Russian songs as a source of inspiration and creativity, which is why Russian romances are so imbued with the Russian spirit. The creators of Russian romances were such composers as Glinka, Mussorgsky, Alyabyev, Dargomyzhsky, Gurilev, Varlamov, Balakirev, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.

Thanks to the work of composers, early XIX century, a gypsy romance emerges. Subsequently, the gypsies themselves add their own flavor to it and bring it to high level, thanks to its unique performance style.

Varieties of Russian romances

• Urban romance. He appeared in late XIX centuries and existed as folklore. From the point of view of poetry, urban romance is distinguished by specificity in images, as well as step-by-step composition. Main character seems experienced, and the object of love seems unattainable. From a musical point of view, urban romance is characterized by a harmonic minor and characteristic sequences.
• Gypsy romance. The main theme of such romances is a passionate love experience. From a musical point of view, gypsy romances have a professional origin, complemented by the manner of performance of the gypsies themselves. Later, under the influence of gypsy romance, Russian chanson developed.
• Cruel romance. This romance synthesizes the features of ballad, romance and lyrical song. It clearly identifies the main plots, and all of them are tragic and end with the death of the hero, murder or grief.
• Cossack romance. This vocal creativity developed on the Don in the 19th century. This romance conveys the characteristics of Cossack life and love.

Many modern famous romances were written in the 20-30s of the last century. The composers who wrote them were later banned because Soviet era the romance was read as a bourgeois genre. These are Boris Fomin, Boris Prozorovsky, Yuliy Khait. Their works were called old romances and forgotten. But they were performed abroad, returning to Russia only in the 80s.

Now the Internet has come to the aid of romance lovers. Lyrics of Songs on MorePesen.ru makes it possible to download your favorite music, lyrics in mp3 format.

In music there are many genres, forms and varieties of vocal and instrumental pieces. Know the characteristics of each musical element Only a professional in this field is obliged, but it is advisable for everyone to understand what the most common ones are. Therefore, in this article we will look at what romance is, how long ago it was born and in what area of ​​creativity it can be found.

Origin of the term

The word "romance" itself has Spanish roots and means a song performed by a voice accompanied by one or more instruments. In this country in bygone centuries this genre was more like the serenades that men in love sang under the windows of their lovers. In the Middle Ages, when romance had just established itself in the world of art as an independent genre, it had a pronounced text, it was drawn-out, its meaning concerned exclusively love theme. It was also characteristic that plays of such content were performed only with the national Spanish instrument - the guitar.

What is romance from a musical point of view?

It is believed that this vocal-instrumental genre is the most harmonious among all its analogues. This is due to the fact that in a romance, every word, every sung syllable is emphasized by its corresponding note. That's why professional musician can immediately distinguish whether a simple tune sounds or whether the words, as a rule, are placed above the musical text, and as a result they can be sung or played on some instrument, and then combine both processes.

What is romance in the broad sense of the word?

These works gained wide popularity in the second half of the 18th century, and by the 19th century entire schools of romances had already formed. This happened because, firstly, the end of the 18th century was the Golden Period in Russian literature, and an equally significant period of time in the history of development European art. In those years, such authors as Lermontov, Pushkin, Goethe, Fet and many others wrote their masterpieces. Their poems were so melodic that they became the text for musical works.

Secondly, the romance gradually ceased to be considered an exclusively Spanish love song and acquired a broader, secular meaning. Russian romances appeared, written by such composers as Sviridov, Mussorgsky, Varlamov and so on. Along with them, German, French, and Italian vocal and instrumental pieces arose, which were performed at social events and receptions.

Modern romances

Nowadays, it is rare to hear such a melody at any event, and even performed by a talented singer (or singer). However, every child who studies at school knows very well what romance is. music school. Children who are naturally gifted with a beautiful voice and can perform in front of an audience always perform such works. As a rule, you have to choose from the classics, so students sing compositions written by Prokofiev, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, with poetry no less famous geniuses pen.

It is believed that the romance originally appeared in Spain, in XV-XVI centuries. Then the Spaniards called any poem written in a Romanesque “non-Latin” language a romance. The poem was not necessarily lyrical, it could talk about historical events and military exploits of heroes. In countries neighboring Spain, such poems were called ballads. They were born from them musical works called "romances". Set to music, they turned into small songs - usually with a four-line stanza without a refrain.

In the 18th century, romance reached France and Germany, and then to Russia. For us, “romance” meant a little musical composition, but exclusively of lyrical content, performed by voice and accompanying instrument. The greatest influence on the development of romance in Europe was exerted by the work of poets Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Heinrich Heine, composers Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Jules Massenet and Charles Gounod.

The genre of Russian romance took shape at the beginning of the 19th century in the wake of the wave that swept the domestic music world romanticism. The most famous romances of that period belonged to Alexander Varlamov. Then the romance took its rightful place in the works of the most famous Russian composers -,.

Many of the most popular romances of our time were written at the beginning of the 20th century. They are classified as urban, gypsy, " cruel romance" At that time, romances were written by amateur composers such as Boris Fomin, Boris Prozorovsky, and Marie Poiret. And it was precisely this period that can be called the golden age of Russian romance: performances by Nadezhda Plevitskaya, Anastasia Vyaltseva, and Vera Panina filled the halls.

In the post-revolutionary years, romance was persecuted as a bourgeois relic that was corrupting the proletariat and peasantry. But even during this difficult period for romance, Isabella Yuryeva, Alexander Vertinsky, and Tamara Tsereteli continued to perform it with success. Many of these musicians emigrated to Europe, taking with them Russian romance, which was able to conquer even the public who did not understand the Russian language. For example, Boris Fomin’s romance “The Long Road,” “exported” by Alexander Vertinsky, was so loved by Europeans that a new one arose to Fomin’s music. English text, and the British are still sure that the song was written on the shores of Foggy Albion.

Years later, Alla Bayanova, Alexander Vertinsky, Isabella Yuryeva returned to Russia and incredible success continued their career in our country. Romance has forever remained one of the most beloved musical genres in Russia, both among listeners and performers.