The Music of Russia in the 20th century

After the Russian revolt, Russian music evolved gradually. The early 1920s were the period of the avant-garde experiments, encouraged by the revolt spirit of the period. Current movements in music like music based on synthetic strings were projected by eager clubs such as Association for contemporary Music. Arseny Avraamov supported the graphical beat, and also Leon Theremin innovate thereminvox, which is one of the early electronic instruments.

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Though, in the 1930s, under the administration of Joseph Stalin, music was enforced to be contained within definite limitations of content and invention. Classicism was accepted, and experimentation dejected. (A popular instance: Shostakovich’s veristic opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk region was accused in Pravda newspaper as formalism and later removed from theatres for years).

The music fathers of the period include Aram Khachaturian, Prokofiev, Alexander Alexandrov and Shostakovich, and also later are best known for composing the Anthem of the Soviet Union and the song known as The Sacred War. In time, a wave of younger Soviet composers like Georgy Sviridov, Sofia Gubaidulina and Alfred Schnittke took the lead due to the difficult Soviet education system. The union of Soviet composers was initiated in the year 1932 and later became the major regulatory body for the Soviet music.

Jazz was brought to Soviet spectators by Valentin Parnakh in the 1920s. Singer such as Leonid Uteosov and film score composer like Isaak Dunayevsky aided its fame, particularly with the renowned comedy movie known as Jolly fellows which featured a jazz soundtrack. Eddie Rosner, Oleg Lundstrem and other contributed to soviet jazz music.

Film soundtracks make a significant part of the renowned Soviet/Russian songs of the period, as well as of musical and experimental music. The 1930s saw the Prokofiev’s marks for Sergei Eisentein’s classic movies and also the soundtracks by Isaak Dunayevsky that extended from the classical pieces to the renowned jazz. Popular film composers from the late Soviet period included Tikhon Khrennikov, Alexander Zatsepin, Vladimir Dashkevich, Gennady Gladkov and among others.

Vyacheslav Mescherin is among the popular people in soviet electronic music, the initiator of the electronic instruments group, and the ambient composer known as Eduard Artemiev, best known for his marks to Tarkovsky’s science literature films.

The 60s and 70s mark the beginning of the current Russian pop rock music. This began with the wave of VIA’s (vocal instrumental ensemble), a specific type of music ensembles performing through the radio-friendly pop, rock and traditional, composed by members of the Union of Composers and accepted by restriction. Its wave began with the Pojuschie Gitary and Prsnyary; renowned VIA ensembles which also include Tcvety, Verasy and Zemlyane. That Period also marked the individual pop artists such as Sofia Rotaru, Yuri Antonov, losif Kobzon and Alla Pugacheva. Many of these members are still well-known till day. They were the mainstream of Soviet music media, main attraction of the festivities like Song of the Year, golden Orpheus and Sopot. In the year 1977 marked also the creation of Moskovsky Komsomolets hit parade, the Russian’s initial music chart.

The music publication and popularization in Soviet Union was a state monopoly. To earn money and popularity from their talent, Soviet artists had to sign contract with the state-owned label known as Melodiya. This was meant to accept certain limitations of experimentation like the family-friendly act and politically neutral words favoured by restriction.

Meanwhile, the coming of the current beat recording technologies; it became possible for common supporters to record and substitutes their music through magnetic tape recorders. This aided underground music subculture like bard and rock music to boom in spite being overlooked by the state-owned media.

The Bardic or authors song is an umbrella word for the singer-songwriters trend that emerged at the early 1960s. This can be contrasted to the American traditional renewal trend of the 60s, with their simple single-guitar compositions and poetical words.  It was initially overlooked by the state media; bards like Vladimir Vysotsky, Alexander Galich, Bulat Okudzhava attained so much fame that they finished being spread by the state owned Melodiya record industry. The vast festival of bard music is known as Grushinsky festival, which is held in every year since the year 1968.

Rock music arrival to Soviet Union in the late 60s with Beatlemania and numerous rock ensembles emerged during the late 70s: Autograph, Mashina Vremeni and Aquarium. Unlike the VIA’s, these ensembles were not allowed to release their music and remained in underground. The golden age of the Russian rock is extensively considered to have been the 80s. The limitation diminished, rock clubs opened in Leningrad and Moscow too and, later the rock became mainstream, renowned ensembles during that time include Alisa, DDT, Kino, Aria, Nautilus Pompilius and also Grazhdanskaya Oborona. The current wave and the post punk were the movement in the 80s Russian rock.