V. Leonov, I. Palkina

Malorussian Musical Theatre at the Rostov Stages in the 19th – early 20th Century

The National Musical Theater, as a type of professional activity, originated in Malorussia in the 19th century by the efforts of amateur artists of theatrical art. It started in Elisavetgrad, which now has a new name – Kropivnitsky, given in honor of one of the founders of the theatre. The age-old ties of the ethnic groups of Malorussia and the Don are shown. The activity of entrepreneurs, actors, theatre orchestras, who performed on the stage of Rostov in the 19th century, is covered. Malorussian companies that toured Rostov were very popular. Their repertoire consisted of operettas, or operas with colloquial dialogues, as a rule, created by national authors and based on national plots. At the same time, foreign writers and plots dominated the Russianspeaking operetta. Undoubtedly, the success of the Malorussian troupes in Rostov was due not only to the high level of performance , but also to the ideological, spiritual closeness of the listeners of texts and music. The characters of operas and operettas talked about their daily lives, solved the same problems and sang the same songs as most of those sitting in the auditorium. And for the urban elite, visiting the performances was like contact with the life of the people through art.

Key words

Malorussian Musical Theatre, repertoire, tours.

• Read full article