M. Karachevskaya

«We will be needed in centuries»: Mikhail Gnessin about the revolution in art

The article is devoted to unpublished papers and lectures by Mikhail Gnessin (1920s), reflecting the problems of Soviet musical culture in the first decade after the October revolution. These documents are of historical interest. In these reports, the author reliably, with a high degree of objectivity, captures the complex situation of the domestic arts, describes the situation of creative stagnation and uncertainty, typical for that time. The main attention is paid to the text of the lecture given by the composer in 1925, January at the Leningrad Conservatory. In this report, the author provided the fullest picture of the relationship of the new Soviet authorities and the artistic intelligentsia. Also the author of the report explores in details the causes of creative “stagnation” of composers and their differences with the proletariat; says, why intellectuals did not accept the ideas and results of the revolution. He pays special attention to the topic of demand for the musical heritage of the past era, his rejection of modern cultural life, considering the issues of preserving cultural heritage for future generations. The author also formulates the goals and tasks of musical art of new time, reflecting on the future fate of domestic culture.

Key words

M. F. Gnessin, revolution, Soviet music, enlightenment, proletarian art.

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