Rimsky-Korsakov: Principles of Orchestration and Three Operas on Historical Subjects

Maria V. Skuratovskaya

Abstract


Orchestration of Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas on historical subjects has never been in the spotlight of researchers. The only scholar who provided a detailed analysis of orchestral techniques in The Maid of Pskov, The Noblewoman Vera Shelog and The Tsar’s Bride was the composer himself: almost a third of the examples in his manual Principles of Orchestration are drawn from his historical operas. The analysis of these examples as well as a number of scenes from the unpublished second edition of The Maid of Pskov shows that they clearly reflect the evolution of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral style: an early period of The Mighty Five, the time of independent training and the beginning of teaching at the conservatory, and, finally, the development of his mature style. The three operas clearly illustrate Rimsky-Korsakov’s progress in orchestration training. This might be the reason for the detailed analysis of operas in his manual: the composer describes his mistakes and ways to overcome them. In fact, Rimsky-Korsakov writes his treatise reflecting on the formation of his own technique. Therefore, it is important to study the orchestration of historical operas through the prism of Rimsky-Korsakov’s own ideas reflected in the Principles of Orchestration.

Keywords: N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, The Maid of Pskov, The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga, The Tsar’s Bride, Principles of Orchestration, orchestration, evolution of style

For citation: Skuratovskaya M. V. Rimsky-Korsakov: Principles of Orchestration and Three Operas on Historical Subjects [Electronic source]. In: Sovremennye problemy muzykoznaniya / Contemporary Musicology, 2022, no. 2, pp. 120–141. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.56620/2587-9731-2022-2-120-141


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.56620/2587-9731-2022-2-120-141

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