№ 2 (84) 2019

Larissa Kirillina (Moscow). Novye shtrikhi k biographii Bethovena / New touches to Beethoven’s biography

The article deals with Beethoven’s letter from September 17, 1795, sent from Vienna to his friend Heinrich von Struve (1770—1850) in St. Petersburg. Struve, like his father and brothers, was a diplomat in Russian service. This important letter, revealed in Hamburg only in 2012, was partly published in the auction catalog of the “J. A. Stargardt” trading house. From 2018 it belongs to Beethoven Archive in Bonn and can be viewed on the website of the Beethoven-Haus (NE 375). 

The first translation of the full text of this letter into Russian is supplied with detailed commentary concerning Struve’s family, the idealistic worldview of the young Beethoven and his Bonn friends, his metaphysical approach to death, expressed both in words and in music, and his ambivalent attitude toward Russia, “a cold country where humanity is appreciated less than it deserves” (quotation from the letter), but also a possible first point of Beethoven’s unfulfilled tour plans.      

Keywords: Ludwig van Beethoven; Heinrich von Struve; Bonn; Russia; diplomatic service; letter; autograph; Beethoven-Haus.

Marina Girfanova (Kazan). “Roman o Fovele” s muzykal’nymi vstavkami: k pobleme muzykal’no-smyslovykh svyazei / “Roman de Fauvel” with musical interpolations: to the question of musical semantic links 

The article deals with Roman de Fauvel with musical interpolations (ca. 1317–1318), which continues the tradition of medieval French literature with the inclusion of lyric poetry. The author explores the through musical and semantic lines of the novel connecting musical inserts at distance. Anonymous motet Trahunt in precipicia – An, Diex! Ou pora ge trover – Displicebat ei from Royal library of Belgium in Brussels (MS 19606) is considered as original source for one of such through lines. 

Keywords: Roman de Fauvel; medieval French literature; ars nova; motet; rondeau; Chaillou de Pesstain, Philippe de Vitry. 

Galina Petrova (St. Petersburg).  Service "form" of the musician as a historical and cultural document in the first half of the 19th century 

On the basis of numerous personal files of Russian musicians from Directorate of Imperial Theaters archive the author describes features of contracts of foreign virtuoso musicians who were on service in St. Petersburg in the first half of the 19th century. The archival documents studied in historical and cultural aspect allow to fill some gaps in the history of orchestra of the first half the 19th century as an institute.

Keywords: musician, orchestra, contract, opera, Directorate of Russian Imperial theaters; opera; concert. 

Yuri Bocharov (Moscow). Razmyshlenija o Gajdne / Thoughts on Haydn 

Review of the book "Joseph Haydn. Personality. Creativity. Interpretation" (ed. by Alexander M. Merkulov), published in 2018 by Deka-VS publishing house. The book contains  over 1000 various statements about Joseph Haydn and his music (since the last quarter of the 18th century and up to our days). It is recommended by Educational and methodical association of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation as a training manual for conservatory students.

Keywords: Joseph Haydn; 18th century music; symphony, sonata; performance practice.