Russian Army and Culture

Дата публикации: 13 июня 2025
Автор: Alexey BELOTELOV →
Публикатор: Научная библиотека Порталус
Рубрика: ВОЕННОЕ ДЕЛО →
Номер публикации: №1749772840 / Жалобы? Ошибка? Выделите проблемный текст и нажмите CTRL+ENTER!

1. Support of Russian spirituality

2. Serve the cause of strengthening the country's defense capability

Soldiers of the Russian Army are traditionally strongly connected with the national culture. They are its worthy bearers, and their contribution to its development over many centuries is invaluable.

1

In Russia, military work has always been held in high esteem. After all, for almost all of its history, our people had to fight against foreign invaders, defending not only the integrity of the state, but also its independence. And Rusichs knew that the military squad is a guarantee of the preservation of their home, faith, traditions and culture. By itself, the military people have always been the bearer of culture, spirituality of the people. Warriors have always been positive heroes of folk tales and literary works. It is enough to recall the epic heroes Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich. Ancient chronicles have brought us stories about the victories and steadfastness, heroic deeds of the defenders of the Russian land. In order for the feat of the army to leave a mark on the people's memory, the defenders at all times needed culture as the spiritual beginning of the difficult and dangerous task of serving the Fatherland.

Since time immemorial, Slavic warriors have used battle games and martial dances to prepare for battle. And at a certain stage of historical development, special army rituals emerged, an indispensable element of which was music.

Since the beginning of the XVIII century, military ceremonial music has been firmly embedded in the life of the Russian army, in the system of its combat training and education. "Music doubles, triples the army," said the outstanding Russian commander A.V. Suvorov, " with unfurled banners and loud music, I took Ishmael." Therefore, the contribution of the Russian military to the development of Russian musical culture is not accidental and so significant. It is appropriate to recall the Hussar officer Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev (1787-1851). A participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, he entered the world and domestic music primarily as the author of the famous romance "Nightingale", which is still the pinnacle of vocal performance. Among his compositions are operas "The Tempest", "Magic Night", "The Fisherman and the Mermaid", etc., ballets, chamber-instrumental and theatrical music. He was one of the first to set poems by A. S. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, A. A. Delvig, N. M. Yazykov to music.

In the second half of the XIX century, a community of Russian composers was formed in St. Petersburg, called the "Mighty Bunch". Among the" magnificent five", which made a revolution in the development of not only domestic, but also world classical music, three were professional officers.

Among them, General Caesar Antonovich Cui (1835-1918) was a professional military engineer, the greatest specialist of his time in the field of fortification, the author of a number of scientific articles and textbooks, and a professor at the Military Engineering Academy.

C. A. Cui was one of the founders and leaders of the Mighty Bunch. He helped to develop such composers as N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, M. P. Mussorgsky and A. P. Borodin. Ts. A. Cui created 15 operas, more than 200 romances and chamber compositions. Caesar Antonovich confirmed his words that " Russian composers will be at the head of musical progress and music will receive its renewal from us and start a new era."

Cui's companion in The Mighty Bunch is Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky - Korsakov (1844-1908), one of the most widely performed composers. This is a professional naval officer who, after graduating from the St. Petersburg Marine Corps, completed a three-year circumnavigation of the world on the frigate Almaz. Almost all 15 operas written by him are performed today ("The Snow Maiden", "Sadko", "The Tsar's Bride", "The Golden Cockerel"). He created 4 symphonies, the symphonic painting "Scheherazade", a large number of chamber compositions and romances.

It is to him that our musical art owes the fact that the Military Orchestra Service of Russia is one of the leading in the world. From 1873 to 1884, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov was an inspector of military music choirs of the Naval Department (today this position is called the head of the Military Orchestra Service of the Russian Navy). It fundamentally changed the very nature and performance of military bands. A peculiar assessment of his work was made by the words of music critic V. V. Stasov: "Military orchestras are guides not only of military music, but also of all kinds of music to the masses of the people."

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881), one of the greatest composers of Russia, the founder of the main directions of musical art of the XX century, received a professional military education at the school of Guards ensigns. His musical talent, which was already evident at the age of 6, blossomed during his years at the ensign school.

Later, having already met the band "Mighty Bunch" and become a member of it, he leaves the military service and devotes himself to music. He wrote the operas "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina", the vocal cycles "Children's", "Without the Sun", "Songs and Dances of Death", the symphonic picture "Night on Bald Mountain", a large number of songs and romances.

In the post-revolutionary period, professional military art groups - military orchestras and song and dance ensembles-relied on the traditions laid down by these great people. The founders of the country's military music art in the Soviet period were Major Generals S. A. Chernetsky (1881-1950), the first head of the Military Orchestra Service of the SA and Navy, and A.V. Alexandrov (1883-1946), the founder and leader of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army (later named after him).

Semyon Chernetsky was a talented composer and conductor, the founder of the Soviet military march ("March of Tankers", "March of Mortar Guards", "Parade"), a number of musical works for military rituals ("Red Dawn"), an excellent organizer and teacher.

Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov was a professor at the Moscow State Conservatory, a composer, and the author of many songs, including "Holy War" and the National Anthem of the USSR.

S. A. Chernetsky and A.V. Alexandrov were the founders of the world's only professional musical military educational institutions - the Military Conducting Faculty (1935) and the Military Music School (1937), today the Moscow Military Music School.

The army and military service were powerful sources of inspiration for writers and poets.

It is known that G. R. Derzhavin, Yu. M. Lermontov, A. A. Fet, F. M. Dostoevsky, Count L. N. Tolstoy were closely connected with the military service, A. S. Pushkin, I. A. Krylov, I. S. Turgenev, N. A. Nekrasov, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin came from officer families.

In general, among the Russian writers of the XVIII - early XX century, about one in three was a soldier or a native of the military environment.

The pride of Russian culture - A. S. Pushkin. According to one of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, Colonel Liprandi, he was "created for the military field." Pushkin passionately wanted to be on the field of honor, where a Separate Caucasian corps fought, where "lyceum, Eromolovtsy, poets" served the Fatherland in military uniforms. In the circle of military officers, Pushkin always felt like his own man. Proud of the Russian army and a stern warning to the enemies sound his words: "Be afraid, O army of foreigners, the sons of Russia have moved." Many works of A. S. Pushkin are also dedicated to the Russian military, for example, "Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter".

The XIX century, the beginning of which is connected with the Patriotic War of 1812, was very richly and vividly represented by military personnel. The most characteristic in this regard is the work of the hero of many wars and the famous poet D. V. Davydov (1784-1839). He went down in history as a "poet-hussar", "singer-hero". Defending his beloved Homeland was a matter of honor and glory for him, and became the subject of many of his poems.

The patriotic spirit of the war of the twelfth year was picked up by officers A. S. Griboyedov, E. A. Baratynsky, K. N. Batyushkov, V. I. Dahl and dozens of other great poets and prose writers.

The work of Mikhail Lermontov (1814-1841) is of great importance for Russian literature. It is noteworthy that the idea of serving in the army came to him at a time when he was already formed as a poet. In 1832, the poet entered the School of Guards sub-ensigns and cavalry junkers. Among the works of M. Y. Lermontov written at this time are his "Junker poems", including "The Sailor", the poem "Junker Prayer" and others.

After the appearance of his famous poem "Death of a Poet" in early 1837, he was arrested and transferred to the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon regiment. By the end of the year, Lermontov was pardoned and transferred first to the Grodno Hussar Regiment, and then to the Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment (near Tsarskoye Selo). Lermontov's poem "Borodino" is widely known, where the poet created an unforgettable image of a patriotic soldier.

Because of his participation in the duel, Lermontov was transferred to the Tenginsky Infantry Regiment in the Caucasus. Here he receives a baptism of fire at the Valerik River, where he showed "excellent courage and composure", "with the first ranks of the bravest broke into the enemy's rubble". This battle is reflected in the poem "Valerik".

The second half of the XIX century brought forward a new galaxy of literary officers: K. K. Sluchevsky, S. Ya. Nadson, V. V. Krestovsky, K. M. Stanyukovich, N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky, V. V. Garshin, A. I. Kuprin and many others. "Sevastopol stories", written by the then young artillery officer L. N. Tolstoy, testified that a new powerful talent had come to literature. The spirit of the Russian people is shown in these stories through the greatness of the Russian soldier. It is in him that Tolstoy sees the manifestation of the strength and dignity of human character.

The Russian military of the XX century had a difficult fate. They had a lot of trials. But this does not mean that there are no more poets and writers in the ranks of the army. Suffice it to mention a few well-known names of writers who devoted part of their lives to serving in the army: N. Gumilev, M. Zoshchenko, B. Lavrenev, V. Vishnevsky, M. Sholokhov, D. Furmanov, K. Simonov, Yu. German, E. Kazakevich, I. Ehrenburg, A. Tvardovsky, V. Astafyev, V. Bykov, Yu. Bondarev, I. Stadnyuk and others.

Military personnel made a significant contribution to the development of Russian fine arts. Among them are Barons P. K., M. K. and M. P. Klodty, General N. A. Yaroshenko, V. V. Vereshchagin, P. A. Fedotov and many others.

The whole world knows the Russian battle artist Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904). While still studying in the Marine Cadet Corps, Vereshchagin attends a drawing school. In 1860, he graduated with honors from the Marine Corps, but decided to leave the military service and devote himself entirely to painting.

The army theme becomes the main theme in the artist's work. To see the fighting with his own eyes, Vereshchagin repeatedly visited the Caucasus and Turkestan. His true battle scenes on the themes of the war in Turkestan strike with the sharpness of perception and transmission of feelings ("Mortally Wounded", "Apotheosis of War", etc.).

When war broke out with the Emir of Bukhara, Vereshchagin participated in the defense of the Samarkand Citadel and received the Order of St. George for " brilliant courage and bravery."

During the war in the Balkans, Vereshchagin went with the Russian army all its difficult way, was wounded. V. V. Vereshchagin was killed in April 1904 along with Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov, commander of the Pacific Squadron in Port Arthur. The battleship Petropavlovsk, on which the artist was together with the famous Russian naval commander, was blown up by an enemy mine. Just before Vereshchagin's death, he was seen sketching the beginning of a naval battle.

The Grekov Military Artists ' Studio has made a big contribution to the Russian fine arts. It was created in 1934-1935 and named after Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov (1899-1934), a battle artist ("Trumpeters of the First Horse", "Tachanka", "Znamenshchik and trumpeter" and others). Outstanding masters worked in it: E. V. Vuchetich, lieutenant Colonel, author of the famous sculpture "Warrior-Liberator" in Treptow Park in Berlin, memorial on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd; A. A. Garpenko, Major, participant of the Great Patriotic War; P. A. Krivonogov, Major, cavalryman officer who fought in the units of the Leningrad Army. Dovator, and then in a tank unit (works "Stalingrad", "Battle of Kursk", "Victory" and others); P. T. Maltsev, Major, head of the group of artists of the Navy during the war ("The Death of the Varangian") and others.

At the head of the Grekov Studio in different years were: People's Artist of Russia Colonel N. N. Zhukov, corresponding member of the Academy of Arts Colonel M. I. Samsonov, People's Artist of Russia Colonel N. N. Solomin. The team of the Grekov Studio created a number of works about the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War, which are being shown for the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory in the Military History Museum and on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow.

2

A convincing example of the close, mutually enriching relationship between the army and culture is the patronage of the creative intelligentsia over the personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. This movement has served for many decades to strengthen the country's defense capability. With particular force, it unfolded during the Great Patriotic War. Thousands of writers, artists, cameramen, artists, musicians were in the ranks of the active army, in the people's militia and partisan detachments.

Scientists and cultural figures do not remain aloof from the current problems of the reformed Russian army. Writers, artists, musicians, and scientists are frequent visitors to the army barracks. It is largely thanks to them that army culture is now one of the most important state priorities. More than ever, good works of art about the defenders of the Fatherland, revealing the image of the Russian soldier, are needed today. It is necessary to use literature, cinema, and theater to show the social significance of military labor, and to foster a respectful attitude towards a person in uniform in society. The Armed Forces have a right to expect all this from representatives of national culture. But even in the army itself, the traditions laid down by great ancestors should be more actively developed.

Thus, the Russian Army was and still is the most important source of national culture. A man in a military uniform stood both in the forefront of its creators and in the forefront of its defenders. Russians can rightly be proud of their army and what it has done for the national culture.

Опубликовано 13 июня 2025 года