A representative of the rarest profession spoke in Tver

“Masterpieces of the World Classical Guitar for Children” is one of the projects created by Elena Vinogradova, teacher of the Tver Children’s Art School named after Andreev, who was awarded the title “Best Teacher in the Field of Musical Art of the Russian Federation” in 2023. Thanks to the social, educational and educational projects she established, not only her students and young guitarists, but also all residents of Tver who want to touch this art are introduced to the best musical works and performers.

Two or three times a month musicians come to our city to give a master class and give a concert. Last week a lecture-concert took place, billed as a journey into the world of Renaissance and Baroque music. The focus was on instruments that developed in parallel – “the queen of instruments, the lute, and her friend and rival, the senorita guitar.”

Andrei Chernyshov, a lute player, guitarist and singer, teacher at the Kosygin Russian State University, founder and artistic director of the ancient music ensemble “Canto Vivo,” performed before the audience, represented mainly by adults.

He played the lute, sang songs of the 16th–17th centuries, talked about who created them, who these people were, and in what parts of Europe they lived. How the appearance of the lute changed over the years and what the music recording system looked like, and why in the 16th century the lute had six strings, and then there were many more. At first it was a small instrument with a curved neck, gradually bass strings began to be added to it, and then it acquired the form that is now called the ten-horn Renaissance lute. The idea of ​​playing in large rooms and on the street forced the instrument to be improved so that it would sound louder and the singer would hear it. We also learned from the lecturer why the bass strings of the harp began to be lengthened, and the neck of the lute was straightened and enlarged so that its length reached two meters.

Opera and orchestra

To the meeting, in addition to the lute, Andrei Chernyshov also brought a guitar, a musical instrument no less popular in the Baroque era: they developed in parallel, although in different social strata. Gradually, it was the guitar that replaced the lute from chamber use, which became too complex an instrument; learning to play it became a lifelong endeavor.

At the same time, at the beginning of the 17th century, opera appeared, along with an orchestra. Before this, ensembles existed, but they consisted of homogeneous instruments, which, like voices, sounded the same, but at different pitches. The emergence of mixed ensembles was a revolutionary step that led to the creation of the orchestra.

The second half of the 17th century became the century of the violin. Previously, it could only be played in a tavern; you could not enter any decent house with a violin. All the more surprising is her ascent to the musical Olympus.

By the end of the 18th century, and in France much earlier, the guitar completely replaced the lute – they stopped playing it altogether. And in the next century the classical guitar appeared, adopting all the developments of the lute.

Seven for the whole country

There was no lute music in our country, although all Western European music was present. As a matter of fact, Russian music is based on Western European teachings: our first professional composers, Bortnyansky and Berezovsky, studied in Italy. But the development of the lute in Russia never happened.

The movement towards early music in Europe took place thanks to the “discovery” of Bach and the creation of the Bach Society, when so-called old music began to be played.

Later, already at the beginning of the 20th century, a society of lovers of ancient music appeared in Western Europe. This trend reached us after the Second World War, as well as a surge of interest in the music of the Renaissance, Baroque and even the Middle Ages.

– In the late 70s, this movement acquired a more or less organized character; two Soviet ensembles – the Estonian ensemble of violinist Mustonen “Hortus Musicus” and the Moscow ensemble of Volkonsky “Madrigal” – still exist. For many years, the Madrigal ensemble has been led by Alexander Suetin, the first professional lutenist in Russia, said Andrei Chernyshov. – I studied with him and continue to contact him and learn what I didn’t get then. All our leading modern lutenists, harpsichordists, and violinists who play baroque music continue to study in the West. And I’m no exception.

This movement has always been a trickle: at the moment, besides Andrei Chernyshov, only six people give concerts in Russia. But each of them creates a circle of people around themselves playing the lute.

This music is not destined to become mainstream either in Europe or in Russia. But these are roots, assures lutenist Chernyshov. This is the educational layer that, alas, most musicians were brought up without studying. Even if you ask educated musicians to name the composers who came before Bach, they will find it difficult to answer. This is a problem.

Queen’s friend

– Do you regret that a much more complex musical instrument was replaced by one that is much simpler? – we asked Andrey Chernyshov after the concert.

– There is no regret. Everything has its time. Not only the lute suffered such a fate: there was also such a wonderful instrument as the viola da gamba – the queen of bowed instruments, all French philosophers sang its praises. In the 18th century, she disappeared, surrendering her rights to the violin family – violin, cello.

And the guitar, having absorbed all the lute and, in general, all the musical achievements of the Baroque era, became a new concert instrument. They began to take an interest in her. But during the era of romanticism there was a decline.

– How can this be explained?

– The scale of romantic music worked here. The guitar again went into its chamber environment. And only Andres Segovia, considered the father of the modern guitar, allowed it to grow to its full height.

– Can we say that there is a special attitude towards the guitar in our country because of the bard song?

– In all countries, the guitar has always been popular everywhere thanks to dances and songs. It was a convenient instrument to play along with. In Russia, the guitar has always been loved.

Tree and its branches

– The lute can be compared to Latin, a dead language.

– In a certain sense, you can say so. Just as the Latin language was common to Europe, so the lute lived in an era when music was written in all these countries according to the same rules, and it was suitable for any instrument. My regret is not that there is no lute. What do we not know about her now?

“But everyone has seen Caravaggio’s The Lute Player.”

– But not many people know what the music sounds like, written on the notes depicted in the picture. Marina Belova, my student, one of the few serious concert lutenists, restored this sound, recorded this music on the same lute as Caravaggio.

– In the rejection of the complex, simplification is seen, which contradicts the tendency to strive for perfection.

– No not like this. I would completely remove this paradigm of art. Yes, the lute fell into oblivion, yes, by the 18th century it became too complex an instrument. But she followed her own path and reached the maximum technical capabilities and sound. It was completely replaced by the harpsichord and guitar. The harpsichord was called that: a mechanical lute. Learning to play the keys is much easier than learning to play the strings. I pressed it and there was already sound.

The lute was not abandoned – it, like a tree, lived until the moment when it died naturally. Like the viola, they reached their peak at the same time. And both disappeared at the same time.

– But they sprouted.

– Absolutely right. But to play Bach, you need to look at what came before him, where he grew from.

– Where did he grow up from?

– From the polyphony of the Renaissance, including lute music: the lute is one of the branches of this tree. It’s a pity that not everyone knows this. It’s good that Lena Vinogradova organizes these educational concerts and master classes. People come who are professionally far from music, but even without them there will be no soil on which virtuosos will grow. The soil is collected from all of us.

– Who are your master classes addressed to? Guitarists?

– To all musicians. Music lives according to certain laws, regardless of the instrument, everyone can play harmony and melody. This year we will host a summer lute school for the tenth time. A community of people formed around her and began to play the lute. And these are not musicians, but people of different professions – geologists, doctors, philologists.

– Apparently, I expressed myself incorrectly, likening the lute to a dead language. She lives.

– For me, this music is not a museum exhibit. She is loved by those who come to our classes. And this is not an attempt to plunge into the past: for me it is as relevant as everything that is happening now.