Russian Music

Russian music is a major part of the country’s cultural and artistic heritage. The three key periods of Russian music include: Classic and Romantic Composers, Soviet Composers, and Modern Russian Music. These elements influence other kinds of music, including ritual folk songs, sacred music of the Russian Orthodox Church and popular music that features electronic sounds and a rapid tempo. Ethnic groups throughout Russia also play a role in the history of Russian music. These groups include Jews, Gypsies, Ukrainians and other ethnic minorities. Each of these groups included their customs into Russian music. The use of string instruments became an important style in Russian music. Chamber music and choirs were an additional part of this movement. These different styles had an effect on 20^th century Russian music. That legacy is part of modern Russian music.

Classic and Romantic Composers

The first major Russian composer was Mikhail Glinka. He wrote the Russian language operas Ivan Susanin and Ruslan and Lyudmila. These operas became famous because they used Russian tunes and themes that people could easily understand. During this period, composers began to feature a lot of Russian folk music. A group known as the “Mighty Five” tried to merge Russian national traditions with classical music. Their most famous opera was The Snow Maiden. Many of their other operas also showcased Russian stories and romantic achievements.

Music of the Soviet Union

The music of the Soviet Union was a major change from the work of the classic and romantic composers. The music of the Communist Revolution used a lot of synthetic chords and other artistic experiments. Under Josef Stalin, Russian music had less room for creativity. Political policies controlled the style and themes of most forms of music in Soviet Russia. The main composers during that time were Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Aram Khachaturian. Younger composers such as Georgy Sviridov and Alfred Schnittke later played a role in the creation of Russian music. The Union of Soviet Composers oversaw all types of music in the country.

Modern Russian Music

Today, Russian music is very open and expressive. With MTV Russia, there is a lot of exposure to different musicians from Europe, Asia and North America. These styles continue to influence Russian performers and bands. Rock music in Russia now has many categories such as: youth pop rock, alternative rock, punk rock and grunge. Heavy metal music also has a lot of listeners. Bands like Power, Progressive Metal and Pagan Metal are leaders in this field.

Even jazz music has an increasing number of followers in Russia. The overall music scene blends some of the work of the romantic composers, but does not celebrate the communist past. People travel to Moscow to hear many of these bands perform.