Have you ever wondered what made Russian classical music Russian, besides the fact that it was composed in Russia? Music, just like art often reflects the culture in which it is produced. That having been said, Russian classical music didn’t really reflect its culture until around the 1830’s. Before this time music in Russia seemed to be mainly dominated by the more recognized and popular music of Italy and France. In an effort to make Russian music unique, certain composers began to incorporate Russian church music and folk music into their compositions which was a clear reflection of their Russian culture.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was one of the most famous Russian composers of the time. He had been taught music according to Western composition. However, his goal was to compose music that incorporated distinct Russian qualities yet had the quality of any western composition. This alone made him a very unique Russian composer. Some of his most famous pieces are “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, “Waltz of the Flowers”, and ” Swan Lake “.
There were a group of five composers who later became known as “The Five”. These five gentlemen believed Russian music should be purely Russian. They felt that they shouldn’t rely on western composition, but incorporate rhythmic, tonal, and harmonic qualities of Russian folk songs as well as qualities distinctly from the middle and far eastern parts of the Russian empire. These five composers were Mily Balakirev, Modest Mussorgsky, C©sar Cui, Alexander Borodin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. One of the main purposes they would come to agree on was to form and start a school of music that was distinctly Russian. One of Modest Mussorgsky’s famous pieces was “Night on Bald Mountain”.
Despite the influence of European composers, Russian music has its own style and sound. Other Russian music compositions are “Volga Boatman”, “Scheherezade”, Dance of the Reeds, and “March Slav” You can read more about these and other Russian composers and also find free easy versions of Russian composer’s music and other free printable sheet music at the links found below.
Easy Piano
Swan Lake (Theme) for piano solo
Beriozka (The Birch Tree) for piano solo
Volga Boatman for piano solo
Intermediate Piano
Arabian Dance (Nutcracker) for piano solo
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker) for paino solo
Scheherezade (Theme) for paino solo
Night on Bald Mountain for piano solo
Advanced Piano
Waltz of the Flowers for piano solo
Swan Lake for advanced piano solo
Mazurka for advanced piano solo
More about ” The Five ”
“The group had the aim of producing a specifically Russian kind of art music, rather than one that imitated older European music or relied on European-style conservatory training. In a sense, they were a branch of the Romantic Nationalist movement in Russia, sharing similar artistic goals with the Abramtsevo Colony and Russian Revival “…..Read more on Wiklpedia
Happy Practicing : )