He was called the "mover of public life", "the father of the Russian theater", and his name was put on a par with MV Lomonosov.
Biography of Fedor Volkov
Fedor Grigorievich Volkov was born in a small town in the Kostroma region. He was from a merchant family. The father of the future actor died when he was still a child. After his death, his mother (Matrena Yakovlevna) soon met her future husband and remarried, after which the whole family settled in Yaroslavl. Fedor Polushkin (stepfather Fedi) was a merchant and owned several factories.
Training
The boy learned literacy from a local pastor and already in these classes showed his abilities in various fields. Volkov at an early age began to help his stepfather in business. In this regard, the boy gets to know St. Petersburg early. Here for the first time he sees Italian opera, German productions and Russian performances. Noticing the boy’s liveliness of mind and ability to learn, Polushkin even decided to make Fedor the heir and continuer of his life’s work. Relations in the family developed well, and Fedor Polushkin perfectly received not only his youngest son, but also his other brothers.
To continue his studies, Volkov was sent to Moscow, to the academy. Here he studied the Law of God, the German language, as well as mathematics. The boy had a great penchant for learning languages, and mastered German perfectly. Already at that time, Fedor with great pleasure participated in theatrical productions held at the academy. He played at Christmas time in dramas, comedies and tragedies. The boy was distinguished from his peers not only by his talents, but also by his liveliness of mind and imagination, his ability to easily transform.
When Fyodor Volkov turned 17, Polushkin decided to send the boy to study accounting and trade. Fyodor Volkov goes to St. Petersburg and settles there in a German office. It is here that the young man falls in love with the theater and he even has a desire to open a theater in his homeland - in Yaroslavl, where he could stage productions of Russian classical works. Petersburg with its architecture contributed to the formation of taste and a sense of beauty. Here Volkov makes drawings, models and drawings, which subsequently will form the basis of the theater he built. Actor Fedor Volkov, whose photo can be seen in this material, already did not think of his future without creativity. And so it happened.
First productions
Actor Fedor Volkov (whose date of birth is February 20, 1729) at the age of 19 remains without paternal support - his stepfather dies. As a legacy, Polushkin leaves his plants to the boy. After registering the property and gaining financial independence, Fedor Volkov is even more interested in theater. He and his friends begin to stage performances, conducting performances in the barn, where goods were previously stored. In June 1950, two plays were released, the music for which was composed by Volkov himself (Esther and Evmon and Burfa). Local residents appreciated the creativity of young talents, and soon Fedor manages to find patrons in high society. The voivode Musin-Pushkin and the landowner Maykov offer members of the upper world to provide financial assistance to aspiring actors and support them in the desire to build a theater where all the residents of the city could comfortably spend time enjoying the performances.
Fedor Volkov: theater as a dream come true
At the beginning of 1751, the opening of the theater took place, at which the opera Tito Mercy, translated by Italian from Volkov, was presented. A huge number of plays were played in the theater, and subsequently, many eminent actors worked under the direction of Fedor Volkov.
Fame
The fame of the city theater of Yaroslavl grew day by day and soon the fame of it reached the empress herself. By this time, the need to create a state theater was growing, which was associated with the possibility of increasing the country's prestige and the formation of a modern European state. Elizaveta Petrovna certainly wanted to see everything with her own eyes. In early 1952, actor Fedor Volkov was already giving performances in St. Petersburg. At the court, the comedy "On the Repentance of a Sinful Man", the tragedies "Horev", "Sinav and Truvor", "Hamlet" and others were played. The empress did not want to let go of the theater anymore, and Volkov quickly became a court artist and played on the professional stage. Fyodor’s stage comrades (the most gifted) were sent to study in the cadet corps, and the rest were sent back to their homeland with a reward. The Volkov brothers also did not ignore, they were soon enrolled for training in the cadet corps in the city of St. Petersburg.
The training in the corps took place according to an enhanced program, the actors were taught not only standard disciplines: they also studied foreign languages, sciences and gymnastics, stage recitation techniques. For training, the cadets received a salary.
Russian public theater
In August 1756, the Empress issued a decree establishing the Russian Public Theater. The created Russian theater was very different from the pre-existing court theater. All residents of the city were allowed into it, and viewing the performance was paid. The director of the theater is appointed A.P. Sumarokov. Fedor Volkov becomes the main actor and assistant director. And after the death of Sumarokov, he was replaced at his post (1761).
Actor's talent
The title of the main tragedian of the theater was assigned to Volkov. These roles were very well given to him, which he managed to play a large number of (for example, the American in the Refuge of Virtue, Hamlet, Yaropolk in the production of Yaropolk and Demiza and others). However, he played comedic roles no less well. Such a diverse talent was rare in the theatrical sphere. The nature of the game of the main actor also differed from the accepted one. He very well and subtly felt theatrical art, knew all its rules and canons. This allowed him to sometimes not comply with established standards and play as he wished. Given his talent, Sumarokov wrote for him many roles that were easy for him and left a lasting impression on the audience. Volkov was called the most significant and best actor in the theater. His talent was noted by such respected people of that time as D.I. Fonvizin, I. Shtelin, N.I. Novikov, G.R. Derzhavin and others. Volkov is credited with at least fifteen different plays.
Other talents of Volkov
The abilities of Fedor Volkov were not limited to the theater, but spread to other areas. He was a wonderful sculptor - the carved royal doors in the Nikolo-Nadeinskaya church in the city of Yaroslavl were made by him. He also made a marble bust of Peter the Great. The painter Fedor was also skilled and painted many paintings.
In 1759, Fedor Volkov, whose biography began in a small town in the Kostroma region, went to Moscow to transform the Moscow theater. To this end, he takes with him several actors from St. Petersburg.
Role in politics
Actor Fedor Volkov played a significant role in the political life of the country. He took part in the overthrow of Peter III. He played the role of adviser to the Empress Catherine and helped her with the accession to the throne. In gratitude, Catherine elevated Volkova to the nobility. However, despite his proximity to the court and to Ekaterina Alekseevna herself, Volkov was able to resist the temptation to become a state man and remained true to himself, giving preference to the work of his life - the theater. He also refused the post of cabinet minister, as well as the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, which the Empress wanted to award him.
Personal life of Volkov
Surrendering himself to the work of his life and spending all the time on it, Fedor Volkov never got a family.
The brothers Fedor were awarded noble titles for their loyalty to the Motherland and Empress Catherine.
The Triumphant Minerva
During the accession to the throne of Catherine II, it was decided to have a big celebration in Moscow. The event took place on Pancake week, when the mummers walked around the city and entertained the people. For this event, Volkov prepared a theatrical performance in the form of a masquerade, which was called "Triumphant Minerva." The essence of the performance was to explain to the people that the overthrow of Peter III was a great success and happiness for the population, namely, thanks to the change of power, justice could triumph. The production praised the new Empress as the triumphant Minerva (Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and justice, the patroness of arts, sciences and crafts). In this performance, Volkov was able to show most of his talents and deserve increased public attention. However, during the celebration, the great actor caught a cold and got a fever. In April 1763 he died.
Fyodor Volkov was buried in a cemetery near the Androniev monastery, but during the Great Patriotic War the monastery was destroyed and traces of the whereabouts of the great actor’s grave were lost. Despite this, a memorial plaque in honor of the famous actor was installed in the cemetery in Yaroslavl.