T. Rudichenko

Military traditions in the activity of the Don Cossacks Choir under the direction of S. Zharov

The author of the article considers the activity of the Choir under the direction of S. Zharov in the period of emigration in the aspect of continuity of military traditions. The author solves the problems of identification and comparing the ideological, artistic and aesthetic conceptions of the Don Military and Regimental Choirs of the Russian Army. In the process of study, the commonality of organizational fundamentals of collectives, as well as the structure of their repertoire, the construction of concerts and performing style is revealed, and some differences in functions, lists of the performed works and their public presentation are noted. Primordially given the same functions with army choirs, the choir under S. Zharov later on turned into a concert collective, developing in accordance with the artistic and aesthetic aspirations of the art director. As a graduate of the Synodal School of church singing and the chorister of the Synodal Choir, S. Zharov gravitated towards a synthesis of choral traditions (formed in the Russian church singing art and in regimental choirs) in his own arrangements and treatment the choral «instrument» sound. He exactly determined a model of male choir without accompaniment sounding, on which contemporary concert choirs are oriented.

Key words

S. Zharov’s Сhoir, military traditions, the Don Cossacks choirs, church singing art.

• Read full article