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Article publication date
2023-09-26
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49–62
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Arts & Humanities
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Abstract
The article is aimed at determining the reliability of the information available on the Internet and in the Yapurai documentary film, shot by the Kazakhfilm Kazakh State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company in 1992, that the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff used in his last opus – Symphonic Dances – the melody
of the Yapurai Kazakh folk song in modern Kazakh musical practice, this striking example of Kazakh folklore has occupied a special place and, due to its wide popularity and frequent use as a source for adaptation, has acquired the status of a “symbol” of Kazakh lyrical song. The song was first recorded by the famous musical ethnographer Alexander Zatayevich and published in his musical and ethnographic collection “1000 Songs of the Kazakh People” in 1925. Study of archival materials and correspondence between Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexandr Zatayevich made it possible to verify that Alexandr Zatayevich, driven by the idea of giving unique examples of Kazakh folklore “worldwide expansion”, sent out his collection to the most famous musicians and cultural figures of his time. Among them was S. Rachmaninoff who had friendly relations with him and a longterm
communication. The ethnographer's archival statements confirmed that the figure of S. Rachmaninoff had to occupy the key place in solving the problem of the widest dissemination of Kazakh folk songs. The musicological analysis undertaken in the article of the musical texts of the Symphonic Dances and the Yapurai folk song recorded by A. Zatayevich revealed the presence of common intonations in them. The study of the ideological content of Rachmaninoff’s last opus confirmed that the conscious “reference” to Yapurai in the alto saxophone theme from the first part of the work is quite real and corresponds to the general concept of the final work of the Russian composer.
Keywords
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Alexander Zatayevich
Yapurai Kazakh Folk Song
“Symphonic Dances”
“1000 Songs of the Kazakh People”
References
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Published:
2023-09-26
Journal number
3
Volume
11
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