Art is the best part of cultural live of Great Britain and Russia, isn’t it?

     The famous English composer of the 19th century was Arthur Sullivan. Together with William Gilbert, the writer of the texts, created fourteen operettas of which eleven are regularly performed today.

    Outstanding Russian composers make the entire world admire their music. It's almost impossible to find a man who does not know Pyotr Ilyich Tchaicovsky, Michail Glinka, Nicholai Rimsky-Korsakov - the famous composers of the 19th century, and Sergei Rachmaninov, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitriy Shostakovich. Of the 20 th century.

     The most famous ballets "Swan Lake", "The Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker" and not less famous operas "The Queen of Spades", "Eugine Onegin" are still excellently staged and performed not only in Russian but in many greatest theatres of the world.

    Russia is also rich in young talents, new Russian culture is forming. We can hear new voices in music and poetry. All of them will make their contribution into Russian Culture and Art.

   So, people of Russia and Britain are very fond of music, and it is quite natural that people cannot exist without music. Music reflects people’s mood and emotions. It helps us understand each other and connect people all over the world. Many British and Russian composers, folk and pop-groups, singers and dancers are known all over the world. 

                      Balalaika – musical instrument of the Russian.

   Balalaika was first mentioned in a document which dates back to XVII century (1688). From this document we learn that Savka Fedoov, a citizen of the city of Arzamas, and Ivashka Fedorov, a peasant, while passing through the Yauza Gates played the balalaika. For such an

imprudent behavior they were flogged and exiled.   It would never occur to a civilized person living nowadays that a severe punishment awaited anybody who gave himself to such an innocent occupation as playing the balalaika. But let us recollect the Russian history. 

      It happened soon after the death of the tsar Alexei Mikhailovich called "The Quietest". This tsar was famous for his hatred towards the popular Russian culture. In 1648 he issued an ukase where he ordered to collect all musical instruments of the Russian people and to burn them. All those who dared to continue playing them were to be flogged and then exiled to the periphery of the Russian State. To the end of the XVII century the persecution of Russian musicians and Russian instruments gradually subsided and at the end of the XVIII century balalaika became very popular with the public. Not only peasant boys who wanted to win favors of their sweethearts, but also the Court musicians played it.

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But after a period of popularity balalaika sank into oblivion till the middle of the next century and harmonica was on the top and balalaika was played only by the poor people who did not have enough money to buy harmonica.

            Nobody knows what would have become of balalaika, if Vasili Andreev, a young Russian landowner had not seen it. On his way from St.Petersburgh to his estate Maryino he overheard his serf Antip play it. Vasili Andreev who considered himself an a connoisseur of the musical instruments of the Russian people was struck with wonder, because he had not heard anything of the kind before. Having thoroughly studied balalaika and having learned to play it, he came to the conclusion that balalaika’s possibilities were unheard-of! But it needed perfection!

            With his improved balalaika Andreev appeared at the stage in 1886. His performance became  a sensation. All the papers and magazines of the city wrote about him. Inspired by his success, Andreev continued to work over his instrument until finally he produced a whole family of balalaikas of different sizes and created an ensemble which was called "Amateurs of balalaika". The concerts of V.Andreev and his ensemble gained much popularity with the public.

     But Andreev and his associates did not want to stop with their achievements which led to the renaissance of balalaika. They wanted to improve other musical instruments of the Russian people as well: such as domra, psaltery, zhaleyka, Vladimir clarions etc. The result of their work was the creation of The Great Russian Orchestra, the first performance of which took place under the direction of Andreev on the 11.01.1897. 

     The Great Russian Orchestra of Andreev was a great success not only in Russia, but also in France, Germany, England and the USA. Many circles were founded in these countries where people could learn to play balalaika and many orchestras like that of Andreev were created. Especially it refers to England and the USA.   

                  The National Musical Instrument of the Scots

     The bagpipe was known to the ancient civilisations of the Near East. It was probably introduced to Britain by the Romans. Carvings of bagpipe players on churches’ walls and some words about them in the works of Chaucer and other writers show that it was popular all over the country in the Middle Ages. Now bagpipes can be seen and heard only in the northern counties of England, in Ireland and in Scotland where it was introduced much later. Bagpipes have been used in most European countries. It is also played to India and China.

      In Scotland the first records about the bagpipe were in the 16th century during the reign of James I, who was a very good player, and probably did much to make it popular. For a long period it was considered a national Scottish instrument.

      The sound of the bagpipes is very stirring. The old Highland clans and later the Highland regiments used to go into a battle to the sound of the bagpipes.

      The bagpipe consists of a reed pipe, the ‘chanter’, and a windbag, which provides a regular supply of air to the pipe. The windpipe is filled either from the mouth or by a bellows, which the player works with his arm. The chanter has a number of holes or keys by means of which the tune is played.¹

    To sum up, The bagpipe is much more older than our balalaika. Both the balalaika and the bagpipe are known all over the world. Due to the improvements introduced by Andreev balalaika gained much popularity with the public in the entire world. In France, Germany, England and the USA many orchestras like that of Andreev were created. And

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as far as its variety of timbres is concerned, no instrument can surpass balalaika! The bagpipe is considered a national Scottish instrument. No holiday in Scotland can’t be

imagined without bagpipe. As well as balalaika, the bagpipe is still a strong cultural emblem from Britain to the rest of the world.

                                 The Art of Acting

     From the fall of the Roman Empire until the 10th century, acting hardly existed as an art in Western Europe; only the wandering minstrels gave entertainment in castles and at fairs. In England, the first real actors were amateurs who performed Miracle and Morality plays, which were religious in character.

   In the Elizabethan age, the first professional theatres were opened. At the time of Shakespeare there were at least six companies of actors. Shakespeare himself joined the Earl of Leicester’s company, which under James I became known as the ‘King's Men’.

   There were also companies of boy actors. All the women's parts were played by boys. It was very difficult for most actors to earn a living on the stage, even in a London company, and many of them fell into debt.       When Shakespeare arrived in London in 1586, the acting was very crude and conventional. There was almost no scenery, and the actors were dressed in the costumes of their day.

   But when ‘The Globe’ was opened to the public in 1599, it started the golden age of the theatre in England.

      In the first half of the 17th century the influence of the Puritans was bad for the popular theatre, and it was not before the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 that theatre going again became a popular habit. The most popular plays were comedies. The first part played by an actress was that of Desdemona. Nell Gwynn was the first English actress.

      By the beginning of the 18th century the most popular type of play was the sentimental comedy. The acting was artificial probably due to the influence of French actors.

      During the 19th century acting became more and more naturalistic. Like in Shakespeare's time, the best actors understood the importance of the teamwork of the company. One of the most famous actors of that time was Henry Irving. He was the first actor to be knighted. By the 1920s naturalistic acting reached a peak in the performance of Sir Gerald Du Maurier. He hardly appeared to be acting at all.

     At present most acting still continues to be naturalistic. Designers make the settings as realistic as possible. Modern producers and directors Peter Hall, Peter Brook and others are trying out new styles of acting. Some go back to Greek methods, with a revival of the chorus; others are making use of the audience in helping to interpret the play.

                         

                            History of Russian Theatre

   Looking back for the roots of theatre in Russia we find that the first theatricals were pagan shows with dramatic recitations of fables, tales and proverbs, and singing and dances, performed by skomorokhi, traveling minstrels. The Orthodox Church and authorities persecuted those daring lovers of liberty who were sort of spiritual guides for country folks maintaining close link to pagan traditions. The skomorokh tradition was so strong that in spite of the vehement persecution it lasted for a long time – till the end of the 17th century. 

   As an alternative to the pagan theatre in the 16th century there appeared church theatre performing Biblical stories. 

   The year 1672 saw the opening of the first theatre in Russia that would stage plays on Biblical subjects. That was the theatre at the court of tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.  

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   In 1702 Peter the First ordered to build a public theatre on Red Square. The theatre seated several hundred spectators. Finally, in 1720 Englishman Medox put Peter’s Theatre at the corner of Theatrical Square to stage operas and dramas. 

   Theatrical life in St.-Petersburg starts from 1752 when Fyodor Volkov’s amateurish troupe was invited from Yaroslavl town. 

   The end of the 18th – early 19th saw serf theatre springing up in many estates. 

   In the 19th century Moscow and St.-Petersburg become centres of theatrical life: the Maly (Small) Theatre was founded in 1824 and the Bolshoi (Big) Theatre replaced the burned Peter’s Theatre in 1825. Alexandrinsky Drama Theatre was founded in St. - Petersburg in 1832. 

   The first masterpieces of Russian drama were brilliant plays by Griboyedov and Gogol. By the middle of the century there came forward Nikolai Ostrovsky’s plays, which encouraged formation of a new generation of actors.

   Russian opera theatre underwent enriching transformation thanks to new music compositions in the19th century. 

   The turn of the 20th century marked the burst of theatrical activities and searching for new styles. Strange as it may seem, the conservative art of ballet renovated comparatively fast. The powers and capabilities of the new Russian ballet found their full expression in Diaghilev’s  ‘Ballets Russes’ in Paris, starting from 1907. 

   The most important event of the period was the foundation of Moscow Art Theatre of Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1898. Russian drama theatre as we know it today is in many ways rooted in the school of those genius stage directors. 

   Later there came to life drama theatre in St.-Petersburg created by Vera Komissarzhevskaya with V. Meyerkhold as stage director, ‘Old Theatre’ by Nikolai Yevreinov, ‘Modern Theatre’ by Konstantin Mardzhanov, and Chamber Theatre in Moscow founded by Alexander Tairov in 1914, as well as Meyerkhold’s studio in Petrograd and Yevgeni Vakhtangov’ studio in Moscow. 

   In the Soviet period lively theatre innovations lasted for about 15 years, along with democratization of the theatre and engaging such gifted playwrights as Mikhail Bulgakov, V. Vishnevsky, V. Ivanov and N. Pogodin. However already in the 1930s innovative theatres became subject to suppression and their activities were cut short (Meyerkhold’s Theatre, Jewish Theatre of Solomon Mikhoels and Tairov’s Chamber Theatre). 

   The renovation of musical theatre was prompted by ballet revival. However it was drama theatre that caused a real blow-up of public spirits resulting in creation of social theatres and basic transformation of other theatres. ²

   Also, today the Russian theatre enjoys utter freedom of creativity, if happily overlooking commercial conditions and demands which still prove to be limiting, perhaps more than ever. In most cases it is the degree of promotion rather than the level of talent and artistry that determines the mass success of this or that production or theatre. 

   Meanwhile, theatrical life of Russia is spanless as the country itself; who knows on what stage (perhaps the most modest one) you chance to see the miracle created alive in front of you.

     Britain is now one of the world's major theatres centres. Drama is popular with people of all ages.    
 
 
 

                                          Conclusion

     Definitely, art is eternal and immortal! Life is short, but art is long! People cannot exist without art.

      A lot of people are really interested in music. It reflects people’s mood and emotions.

Folk music is still very much alive!

     Many outsiders associate Scottish and British folk music with bagpipes. It charms when Highlands soldiers wearing kilts play the bagpipes and march to the music.

     Balalaika is a symbol of Russia and it is popular all over in the World. The Great Russian Orchestra has a great success not only in Russia, but also in other countries in the World.

     In Great Britain tours of Russian symphonic music, classical musicians, ballet and modern and classical Russian singers have a great success.

     Modern British rock and pop music are extremely popular, especially among young people in Russia. Even so The Beatles are much loved in Russia. As for me, I like Pink Floyd. The rock operas by A.L.Webber, especially “Jesus Christ Super Star,” have been a great success both in Russia and overseas.

     Russian painting is famous all over the world.

    I’m found of the old masters’ works of art which are full of charm and inspiration. Artists notice things which escape our attention. Really, we learn a lot by seeing the world through other people’s eyes. Only after seeing their works we begin to understand beautiful things!

     Britain is now one of the world's major theatres’ centres. Drama is popular with people of all ages. But a lot of Russian theatres’ are known in Britain.

Crash of Communism in the USSR destroyed artificial cultural barriers between Russia and the rest of the world. Nowadays Russian art welcome visitors almost in every part of the world. This inspires optimism as cross-cultural communication is a real sign showing the state of world's art.

     The Oxford Advancer Learner`s Dictionary of Current English by Hornsby gives us the following definition of "art":

 "Art" is the creation or expression of what is beautiful, especially in visual form. Drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, ballet belong to the fine art". Really when something is extremely beautiful or has great cultural value, we say: "it’s art".  

    In fact, art has always been occupation for the few, but has been admired by many. I really enjoy everything that is beautiful. So art is really the best part of cultural life!  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  

               Муниципальное общеобразовательное учреждение

                       Средняя общеобразовательная школа № 65

                  С углубленным изучением английского языка

                                    Ворошиловского района

                                           Ростов-на-Дону 
 

                      Наименование предмета: Культуроведение 
 
 

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  « Art is the best part of cultural live of Great Britain and Russia, isn’t it? »    
 
 
 

                                                     Автор темы: Соколов Арсений Викторович

                                                     Класс: 11 «А»  

                                                     Руководитель: Бабаян. Н.В.

                                                     Учитель английского языка: Цкаева Ж.Ю.