Romance is a definite term. In Spain (in the homeland of this genre) this was the name of a special kind of compositions intended primarily for solo performance under the sound of a viola or guitar. The basis of the romance, as a rule, is a small lyric poem of a love genre.
The origins of Russian romance
This genre was brought to Russia from France by aristocrats of the second half of the 18th century and was immediately adopted by the fertile soil of Soviet poetry. However, Russian romances, the list of which is known to every lover of a classical song today, began to emerge a little later, when the Spanish shell began to be filled with truly Russian feelings and melodies.
The tradition of folk art, which so far has been presented exclusively by anonymous authors, was organically woven into the fabric of the new song. The romances were chanted, passing from mouth to mouth, redone and “polished” lines. By the beginning of the 19th century, the first song collectors began to appear, driven by the idea of preserving ancient Russian romances (the list of them was already quite long by that time).
Often these enthusiasts supplemented the collected texts, giving the lines depth and poetic power. The collectors themselves were academically educated people, and therefore, going on folklore expeditions, pursued far not only aesthetic, but also scientific goals.
Genre evolution
Starting from the turn of the 18th – 19th centuries, the artistic content of romance lyrics became more and more full of deep personal feelings. The individual world of the hero got the opportunity for a bright, sincere expression. The combination of a high syllable with simple and lively Russian vocabulary made the romance truly folk and accessible for both the nobleman and his peasant.
The vocal genre was finally reborn and by the middle of the 19th century it became an integral part of a social evening in the framework of the “languid” home music making, beloved by all the young ladies. The first Russian romance performers appeared . The list that compiled their song repertoire included more and more copyrighted works.
The most famous in the first half of the 19th century were such famous composers as A. Alyabyev, A. Varlamov and A. Gurilev, who played an invaluable role in the formation of Russian romance and its popularization.
Urban and gypsy romances
The urban romance absorbed the largest number of folklore motifs of Russia of the XIX-XX centuries. Being an author, such a song in terms of freedom of its existence resembled oral folk art and was distinguished by its characteristic features:
- the magic of detail;
- clearly defined images;
- step composition;
- powerful reflection of the protagonist;
- a way of constantly elusive love.
Musical features of the urban romance are the harmonious construction of the composition with minor tones, as well as its inherent sequence.
Gypsy romance was born as a tribute to Russian composers and poets in the manner of performance beloved by many. Its basis was an ordinary lyrical song. However, the characteristic artistic turns and tricks that were used by the gypsies fit into her texts and melody. To learn such a romance today is no wonder. His main theme, as a rule, is a love experience in various gradations (from tenderness to carnal passion), and the most noticeable detail is “green eyes”.
Cruel and Cossack romances
There is no academic definition of these terms. However, their characteristic features are described in the literature quite fully. A cruel romance features a very organic combination of the principles of ballad, lyric song and romance. The individual features include the abundance of the main subjects, differing only in the causes of the tragedy. The result of the whole story is usually death in the form of murder, suicide or from mental torment.
The homeland of the Cossack romance is Don, who gave fans of folk poetry a legendary song by an unknown author, "Spring Will Not Come for Me ...". History also does not know the exact authorship of most highly artistic works, which can be described as "classical Russian romances." Their list includes songs such as: “Dear Long,” “Only Once,” “Oh, Guitar Friend,” “Come Back,” “We Only Know” and others, written in the first third of the 20th century.
Russian romances: a list and their authors
According to one of the main versions, Russian romances, the list of which was given above, belong to the pen of the most popular songwriters at the beginning of the last century: Boris Fomin, Samuel Pokrass, Julia Hait and others.
The most devoted connoisseur of classical romance in the 20th century was Valery Agafonov, who was the first to declare the high value of cultural baggage leaving the Soviet listener. The Russian romances, the list of which was made by Agafonov, owed their revival on new grounds to the return to their homeland of their legendary performers - Alexander Vertinsky and Alla Bayanova.