Know the content of the Alexander Nevsky cantata. WITH

3. The content and main themes of the cantata "Alexander Nevsky"

1. Musical genre - cantata

In music, as in other art forms, there are many different genres.
History song, aria, romance, cantata, opera, march, waltz, prelude, sonata are all examples of different musical genres. Each of them combines many works.
In this lesson, we will get acquainted with a new genre of musical work - cantata.
Cantata is a piece of music for choir, soloists, symphony orchestra, consisting of several parts related in meaning.
The music for the film "Alexander Nevsky" was written by Sergei Prokofiev, a good friend of the director. The film was a huge success. But the music in the film was not enough. That is why, after the release of the film on the screen, the composer had a desire to continue working on musical material.

2. The history of the creation of the cantata "Alexander Nevsky"

Prokofiev composed an independent major work - a cantata in which the choir sounded, the soloist sang, and the orchestra played. The work progressed very quickly, and on May 17, 1939, it premiered at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
If you are lucky enough to get into a concert hall for Prokofiev's cantata at least once in your life, then you will be surprised. A cantata is not an opera, you will not see any special decorations on the stage, the artists will not act out a performance in front of you. You will see a huge number of musicians: a large composition of the symphony orchestra and a large group of choirs, who will remain motionless on the stage throughout the whole work.
Sergei Prokofiev in his cantata sings of the noble patriotism of the Russian people, led by Prince Alexander Nevsky, who defended the Russian land from the Crusaders. The plot is historical, but the music sounds modern.

3. The content and main themes of the cantata "Alexander Nevsky"

The cantata contrasts the musical themes of the two camps - Russian warriors and German dog-knights. From the first sounds, the composer shows his attitude towards the heroes: the enemies' music is sharp, howling, brass wind instruments predominate; and the Russian people have melodious melodies performed by stringed instruments.

The cantata is in seven movements:
1. "Rus' under the Mongol yoke"
2. "Song about Alexander Nevsky"
3. "Crusaders in Pskov"
4. "Get up, Russian people"
5. Battle on the Ice
6. "Dead field"
7. "Alexander's entry into Pskov."

Each of the parts of the cantata strikes with the brightness of images and is interesting in content. They tell their own miniature story. Here and vocal numbers, and independent orchestral episodes.
In the first part of the cantata, an image of devastated Rus' appears before the audience. The country is exhausted, plundered by the hordes of Batu Khan.
The second part presents a song about the valor of the troops of Alexander Nevsky, who once defeated the Swedes.
The third part tells about the raging crusaders who captured the Russian city of Pskov.
The fourth part is a call to battle. The alarm bell of Veliky Novgorod sounds. Alexander calls out. And as if Russian warriors are growing out of the ground.
The fifth part is a picture of the Battle on the Ice on Lake Peipsi. Here, with the help of musical colors, a fierce battle is conveyed. Cavalry and footmen mingled in a heap.
The sixth part is the cry of a Russian girl. On a field littered with Russian and enemy bodies after a battle, a young woman searches for wounded, exhausted soldiers to save them from death.
The cantata ends with a solemn finale. On the square of the liberated Pskov, the people celebrate the victory.
Two great artists - Eisenstein and Prokofiev - managed in the patriotic cantata "Alexander Nevsky", like no one before them, to achieve an impressive internal connection between plastic and musical images.

LESSON: S.S. Prokofiev. Cantata "Alexander Nevsky". image of Alexander

image of the Russian people.

features of the musical language of the cantata;

Lesson Objectives

educational:

To consolidate the concepts: "cantata", "contrast", "musical painting", "expressiveness and

descriptiveness";

Assess the significance of the work of the great Russian composer S. Prokofiev in the embodiment

a holistic image of the Russian people as a defender of the Motherland;

Analyze the musical language of the work, using the expressive means of music:

tempo, register, timbre, melody, mode, intonation, dynamics.

developing:

To form the skills and creative skills of each student;

To instill a careful attitude to the history of their people;

Show the multidimensionality and harmony of various types of art to create an image

Alexander Nevsky;

Develop the ability to analyze, compare, generalize;

Improve vocal and choral skills.

educational:

To awaken and educate the patriotic feelings of children, pride in the heroes of the Fatherland;

Tasks:

continue acquaintance with the genres of vocal music;

develop intonation ear and creative abilities of students;

to form the ability to analyze a musical work.

Music material:

S. Prokofiev Cantata "Alexander Nevsky"

Part 2 - "Song of Alexander Nevsky",

Part 4 - “Get up, Russian people”,

Part 5 - "Battle on the Ice",

Part 6 - "Dead Field".

Equipment: computer, CD disk, portraits of S. Prokofiev and S. Eisenstein,

presentation, handout: table to fill out,

cantata structure.

DURING THE CLASSES

Stage 1: organizational moment, repetition of the material covered:

Hello guys. (slide 1)

Before you on the screen are the names of different genres that can be combined into one topic, the topic with which you have been working for more than the first lesson. What do you think this topic is?

That's right - vocal genres. What else can you add by looking at this page?

Of course, the genres of cantata and oratorio are highlighted in one color. What do you know about them? What are the characteristic features of these genres. (slide 2)

Today in classwe will get acquainted with the work of the vocal - instrumental genre

Cantata.

Please look at the screen (slide 3): in front of you are photographs of brilliant people of the twentieth century. One of them is a composer, the other is a film director. What do you think they can have in common?

Of course, the general work on the work, it is not at all difficult to guess that this is work on a movie. (slide 4)

In early 1938, the greatest Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein conceived a big sound film about Alexander Nevsky. As the author of music, he decided to involve Prokofiev, whom he had known well since the 1920s. “Being a longtime admirer of his remarkable directorial talent, I gladly accepted the offer,” the composer recalled. Prokofiev set to work. It proceeded in the closest collaboration with Eisenstein. The work went in two ways: either the director showed the composer a finished piece of the film footage, leaving him to decide what the music should be for him, or Prokofiev wrote this or that musical episode in advance, and Eisenstein built the visual row based on this music. It also happened that the director would tell Prokofiev about some episode, illustrating it with pencil drawings, and then shoot based on the finished music.

"Alexander Nevsky" was released on December 1, 1938 and immediately won a huge success. This success prompted the composer to write a cantata based on the music for the film. From the disparate fragments that sound throughout the film, it was necessary to compose harmonious sections of the vocal-symphonic cycle. The work progressed very quickly, and on May 17, 1939, it premiered at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

Here is a question mark (slide 5). What would you like to know about this piece?

Stage 2: The guys form the goal of the lesson. Lesson objectives are written on the board.

The topic is written in a notebook.

So we want to know:

The structure of the cantata;

How is the image of the Russian people presented in the cantata;

How is the image of Prince Alexander Nevsky characterized in music.

Stage 3: learning new material

Cantata, namely this genre the composer chose for his work, consists of seven parts (slide 6), - open your printouts -

Rus' under the Mongol yoke

"Song about Alexander Nevsky",

"Crusaders in Pskov",

"Get up, Russian people",

"Battle on the Ice",

"Dead Field"

"Alexander's Entry into Pskov".

Analyze the names of the parts and say - into what two figurative lines can the music of the work be divided?

Undoubtedly, this is the image of the Russian people, headed by Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the image of the enemies-invaders, these are the Mongols and the Crusaders. In his work, S. Prokofiev gave vivid musical characteristics to these images, using various means of expression.

How is the image of Alexander Nevsky presented in the work? (slide 7)

In order to answer this question, you need to listen to the music of the second part of the cantataSong about Alexander Nevsky. Think about how Alexander Nevsky appears to you in this music? Define his musical portrait.

Sounds like a piece of music

What is the nature of the music played?

Children's answers. Narrative, majestic, measured, similar to the ancient Russian epic, the chant spreads far over the expanses of the Russian land.

How did A. Nevsky appear to you, how do you see him in music? courageous, strong, reliable, confident defender - hero. Before us is an epic hero.Music majestic and strict (imitationfolk songs of praise).It looks like a fresco by an ancient Russian painter who depicted a stern and devoted warrior.

Can this music be at the same time a characteristic of the Russian people? Of course.

A bright musical picture depicting the Russian people is the fourth part of the cantata "Get up, Russian people." This choir is a famous patriotic Russian song, a call for the defense of the native land. In which the composer conveys the mood, the state of the Russian people, their determination and courage. Alexander gave a cry, and as if new Russian warriors are growing out of the ground. Simple, peaceful people took up arms and stood in the ranks of the defenders. In hard times - every warrior. This rule is valid always, in any era. If the Motherland is in danger, people unite and come to its defense. (slide 8)

Sounds like a piece of music

What is the image of this song? Where does this part start?

Children's answers.

The orchestral introduction to the choir imitates the disturbing and formidable bell sounds that accompany the singing of the choir in its first movement. In Rus', this alarming bell ringing is called the alarm. What is an alarm?The signal to gather people in case of distress, given by the sound of a bell. bells called for help, raised the alarm.

In the melody, in its persistently repeated energetic intonations, battle cries and appeals are heard. The rhythm of the march emphasizes the heroic nature of the music.

In "Alexander Nevsky" it is impossible to single out any one cross-cutting Russian theme that runs through the entire cantata. There are several such topics. The characterization of Russians is multi-dark. In the course of development, new themes arise in connection with new moments of action.

Fifth movement of the cantata "Battle on the Ice" (slide 9). In it, Prokofiev represents two troops, for each of them he wrote his own music, his own theme:

I invite you to listen to fragments of the cantata and determine the musical characteristics of the army of German knights and the army of Russian soldiers. To do this, it is necessary to fill in the table, more precisely determine the means of expression used by the composer.

German knights

Russian cavalry

Sounds musical fragment (knights). Children work with the table.

How does the composer characterize the German knights? Is this melody close to us? Is she native to us? Why?

Children's answers:-Cold, angry, static, as if inanimate.

Mechanical step, monotonous singing

This music is not native to us, the evil faces of the conquerors are hidden behind it.

In order to emphasize the foreignness of this music, the composer took the church chant - the chorale - as a basis. This is a Catholic chant. The Crusaders are Catholics. And Rus' is an Orthodox country. One of the reasons for the attack on our country by German knights was the desire to make Rus' a Catholic country. That is why Prokofiev wrote a Catholic chant for the theme of the attack and specifically looked for a timbre that would be unpleasant for the Russian ear.

And now another topic.

A musical fragment sounds (Russian cavalry). Children work with the table.

Does it sound like a conqueror theme? What is she?

Children's answers: dazzlingly bright, flying, she is alive, fast, one might say dashing

or dashing, daring, cheerful, a bit like a Russian dance.

How do you think music can paint a picture of the battle for us? How did Prokofiev describe the struggle between the German knights and the Russian army?

Listening to a piece of music.

What happened to themes in music? - they got mixed up

The image of the Russian people would be incomplete without the music of the next part of the cantata

"Dead Field" (slide 10). The only solo aria in the cantata that has the features of a folk lamentation. She conquers with the severity of the melody, the depth and sincerity of feeling.

Sounds like a piece of music

Stage 4: summarizing the lesson

What did you learn in class today? Have you received answers to your questions?

Have all the objectives of the lesson been achieved?

Student responses.

Analyze the results of your work in the lesson and draw a conclusion about the possibilities of the expressive means of music in creating opposite, dissimilar images.

Student responses.

CONCLUSION: The music of "Alexander Nevsky" embodied the best features of Prokofiev's work - the universality of style, capable of embodying Russian heroic images, penetrating lyrics, tough, mechanized images of invaders with equal force. The composer combines picturesque and pictorial episodes with song and choral scenes close to the opera and oratorio style. The breadth of musical generalizations does not interfere with the visible concreteness of individual images.

Seven centuries have passed, but people know and revere A Nevsky, and works of various types of art help to convey his image to the descendants, "call through the past to the present." Thanks to this, we know his famous words ...(slide 11).

Your homework. (slide 12)

Thank you for the lesson.

The plot, the history of the creation of the cantata "Alexander Nevsky" BRIEFLY

Cantata Alexander Nevsky - The most famous piece (fragment) from this cantata is the Battle on the Ice. This cantata carries a patriotic and heroic style. At the end, the final choir performs. Get up, Russian people.
This cantata shows how Prince Alexander Nevsky stood up for his Motherland together with his soldiers against the Swedes.
"Rus' under the Mongol yoke"
"Song about Alexander Nevsky"
"Crusaders in Pskov"
"Get up, Russian people"
"Battle on the Ice"
"Dead Field"
"Alexander's entry into Pskov"
In 1938, Sergei Eisenstein's film "Alexander Nevsky" with music by Sergei Prokofiev was released on the cinema screens of our country. It was an alarming time: Hitler's fascism had already begun its barbaric invasion of the countries of Europe, and the threat of a fascist invasion hung over the whole world. Less than three years remained before the war with the Germans, and the plot of the film was based on the events of another war, but the same with the German invaders.
The cantata "Alexander Nevsky", a monumental work for choir, mezzo-soprano and orchestra, was created by Prokofiev in 1939 based on the music for the film. The text for the cantata was written by the poet Vladimir Lugovskoy and the composer himself. The cantata sounded like a resolute warning, like a formidable reminder that they are waiting for an enemy who dares to attack our Motherland. Despite the fact that the music was previously composed for the film, in the cantata it acquired its own dramaturgy, its development, its form, and became a new and completely independent musical and dramatic work.
"Alexander Nevsky" occupies an important place in Prokofiev's work, asserting in nm the heroic-epic national theme, which then develops in the opera "War and Peace", in the music for "Ivan the Terrible", in the Fifth Symphony and in some other works. This new valuable side of Prokofiev's talent was revealed in the atmosphere of Soviet art, characterized by its constant and deep interest in the people and their history.
The composer's approach to the historical theme is noteworthy. Prokofiev has a remarkably true sense of the historical epoch. But strict, like ancient frescoes, the images of antiquity in "Alexander Nevsky" are imbued at the same time with that sharp feeling of our modernity. The soulless "iron" music of the crusaders is perceived, in essence, as a characteristic of modern aggressive and reactionary forces.
Prokofiev is not fascinated by the direct appeal to ancient musical material. The music of the crusaders, he writes, seemed to him more "advantageous" to give "not in the form in which it really sounded during the Battle of the Ice, but in the form in which we now imagine it. Similarly, with the Russian song: no need was given in a modern warehouse, leaving aside the question of how e was sung 700 years ago."
The musical characterization of the crusaders is based on the chorale created by Prokofiev in the familiar "Bachian" style. Thanks to special harmonic and orchestral techniques, it acquires gloomy and harsh features. The harmonic, timbre and rhythmic sides prevail in it over the melody; tense dissonant combinations, ostinato mechanical rhythm are characteristic; roaring piercing brass (often with mutes), percussion.
The characterization of Russians is dominated by the song principle, clear diatonic harmonies; the orchestra is dominated by strings. Here is a whole string of melodies sad and mournful, majestic and heroic, daring and cheerful. They clearly feel the continuation of the epic traditions of Glinka and the Kuchkists, refracted, however, through the originality of the Prokofiev style. Prokofiev in "Alexander Nevsky" came to the creation of an organic modern epic musical style on a brightly national basis.
There are seven movements in the cantata, each of them is a complete number:
"Rus' under the Mongol yoke"
"Song about Alexander Nevsky"
"Crusaders in Pskov"
"Get up, Russian people"
"Battle on the Ice"
"Dead Field"
"Alexander's entry into Pskov"
y4nu6gnvsh

Many military feats were performed by the Novgorod prince Aleksan
what short answers...
y4nu6gnvsh
The cantata is an example of the Soviet historical and heroic epic. The work reflects the picture of the enemy invasion, the patriotic upsurge of the entire people, the decisive battle, mourning the fallen and glorifying the Motherland. To depict the opposing forces, the author used contrasting means: expressive diatonic melodies are inherent in Russian themes in the cantata, while the crusaders are represented by emphatically dissonant music in a Catholic style, based on a stylized Latin hymn Peregrinus expectavi.
here's a look for you.
History of creation
In early 1938, the greatest Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein conceived a big sound film about Alexander Nevsky. As the author of music, he decided to involve Prokofiev, whom he had known well since the 1920s. Being a longtime admirer of his wonderful directorial talent, I gladly accepted the offer, the composer recalled. Soon he went on his last trip abroad, and in Hollywood he specially studied the technique of musical arrangement of films, although he himself was no longer a novice in this matter: he had previously written the music for the film Lieutenant Kizhe. Upon his return from the trip, Prokofiev set to work. It proceeded in the closest collaboration with Eisenstein. The work went in two ways: either the director showed the composer a finished piece of the film footage, leaving him to decide what the music should be for him, or Prokofiev wrote this or that musical episode in advance, and Eisenstein built the visual row based on this music. It also happened that the director would tell Prokofiev about some episode, illustrating it with pencil drawings, and then shoot based on the finished score.
This creative community was based on the boundless trust of artists to each other. Prokofiev was convinced that the famous director turned out to be a very subtle musician, while Eisenstein was struck by Prokofiev's ability to instantly become infected with visual impression and convey in music the essence of the artistic image captured on film. Tomorrow he will send me music that ... will permeate my montage structure with sound counterpoint, the law of structure of which he carries away in that rhythmic figure that his fingers tapped out, the director said, recalling how Prokofiev, during the review of the filmed episodes, would tap out some complex rhythmic constructions on the arm of a chair. The text for the vocal fragments was partly written by Prokofiev himself, partly by the poet Vladimir Lugovskoy (1901-1957).
Alexander Nevsky was released on December 1, 1938 and immediately won a huge success. This success prompted the composer to write a cantata based on the music for the film. He devoted the winter of 1938-1939 to this work. The task turned out to be very difficult. Sometimes it's easier to write a completely new play than to invent spikes, he complained to those close to him. It was necessary to completely re-orchestrate all the music, since the previous orchestration was designed for the use of electronic means used when recording film music, various effects associated with the approach and removal of one or another instrument from the microphone, etc. In addition, from disparate fragments that sound throughout the film, it was necessary to compose harmonious sections of the vocal-symphonic cycle. Cantata, which received op. 78, consists of seven parts, Rus' under the Mongol yoke, Song about Alexander Nevsky, Crusaders in Pskov, Get up, Russian people, Battle on the Ice, Dead Field and Alexander's Entry into Pskov, absorbed all the best that was in film music. On May 17, 1939, it premiered at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
Music
Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev / Sergei Prokofiev
The music of Alexander Nevsky embodied the best features of Prokofiev's work - the universality of the style, capable of embodying Russian heroic images, soulful lyrics, harsh, mechanized images of the invaders with equal force. The composer combines picturesque and pictorial episodes with song and choral scenes close to the opera and oratorio style. The breadth of musical generalizations does not interfere with the visible concreteness of individual images.
Rus' under the Mongol yoke is a short symphonic prologue that introduces you into the harsh atmosphere of the era and events. Archaic chants dominate with a wild sobbing grace note, with a wide
NEED 3 WORDS
Sergei Prokofiev. Cantata Alexander Nevsky
Every nation has its own national heroes who are loved, honored and remembered. Their names remain for centuries, and their moral image not only does not disappear from the memory of their descendants, but, on the contrary, becomes brighter and brighter with the passage of time. This fully applies to Alexander Nevsky. This name in Rus' is now pronounced with special pride and reverence.
Many military feats were accomplished by the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich. His army fought heroically against the Swedes on the Neva River. For the victory over the enemy, he nicknamed the people of the Grand Duke Nevsky.
Soon after the Battle of the Neva, detachments of German crusader knights moved to Rus'. Their banners were embroidered with black crosses, black crosses were also on the shields of the knights.
In the spring of 1242, a bloody battle broke out on Lake Peipus.
Alexander Nevsky was in the thick of the battle. The Russians fought furiously. Yes, and how to fight without rage, when children and wives were left behind, cities and towns were left, native land remained with a short and sonorous name - Rus' (O. Tikhomirov).
Historical events associated with the name of the Russian prince Alexander Nevsky are reflected in the works of various arts. The artist P. Korin created the Alexander Nevsky triptych, which consists of three independent paintings-parts that form a single whole.
Two more outstanding works of the same name are devoted to the same topic: the film by S. Eisenstein and the cantata by S. Prokofiev.
The word cantata comes from the Italian cantare, which means to sing. The cantata consists of several numbers (movements). Designed for individual singers (soloists), choir and orchestra.
Sergei Prokofiev approached the historical theme in a very peculiar way. He had a true sense of the historical era. The ancient images of Alexander Nevsky were imbued with a sharp sense of modernity. Remember what happened in the world in the late 30s? In Western Europe - rampant fascism. And the iron music of the crusaders sounded like a characteristic of modern aggressive forces.
The cantata Alexander Nevsky was written to the texts of the poet Vladimir Lugovsky and the composer himself. It is intended for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir and orchestra.
The cantata originated from the music for the film of the same name, which was staged in 1938 by the outstanding Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. The picture told about the heroic struggle of the squad of Alexander Nevsky with the Teutonic knights-crusaders. This film has become a classic of Soviet cinema. He is an amazing example of the commonwealth of the director and composer. This has never happened before in the history of music. The music was born under the direct impression of the frames of the film.
Having removed a certain episode of the film, Eisenstein called Prokofiev. Sergei Sergeevich looked through the footage, as if absorbing it into himself, trying to feel the character and rhythm of each scene. Then he went home and the next day brought the finished music, striking with the brightness of the images.
The visibility of images is a characteristic feature of Prokofiev's music. His powers of observation, his ability to capture and convey in music the voices of people, their gestures and movements are amazing. In this regard, the very process of creating music for Alexander Nevsky is interesting - under the direct impression of the film's frames.
The director of the film Alexander Nevsky S. Eisenstein spoke well about this:
Dark Hall. But not so much that in the reflections of the screen you can’t catch his hands on the arms of the chair: these huge, strong Prokofiev’s hands, grasping the keys with steel fingers, when, with all the elemental fury of temperament, he brings them down on the keyboard ...
A picture is running across the screen.
And along the arm of the chair, trembling nervously, like a Morse telegraph receiver, Prokofiev's mercilessly clear fingers move. Prokofiev strikes the beat? No. He reaps much more. He is in o

Several monumental works by Prokofiev reflected important events in Russian history. This is music for the films "Alexander Nevsky" (and a cantata of the same name), "Ivan the Terrible", the opera "War and Peace". Written in the 30-40s, during the Soviet period of the composer's work, these works are imbued with love for the motherland, sing of the people, their greatness and fortitude. They develop the heroic-epic line of Russian musical classics, coming from Glinka's Ruslan, Borodin's Prince Igor, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Rimsky Korsakov's The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh. At the same time, Prokofiev's historical musical paintings are distinguished by a keen sense of modernity.

The cantata "Alexander Nevsky" was written to the texts of the poet Vladimir Lugovsky and the composer himself. It is intended for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir and orchestra. The cantata originated from the music for the film of the same name, which was staged in 1938 by the outstanding Soviet film director Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein. The film and music for it, created shortly before the Great Patriotic War, resurrected on the screen the heroic struggle of Alexander Nevsky's squad with the Teuston knights-crusaders.

The cantata has seven parts:

1. "Rus' under the Mongol yoke"

2. "Song about Alexander Nevsky"

3. "Crusaders in Pskov"

4. "Get up, Russian people"

5. "Battle on the Ice"

6. "dead field"

7. "Alexander's entry into Pskov"

Each of the parts is striking in the brightness of the images. Listening to the music alone, it is as if you see the frames of the film in front of you - the endless plains of Rus', Pskov devastated by the Germans, you are watching the battle on Lake Peipus, the frightening advance of the crusaders, the rapid attacks of the Russians, the death of knights in the cold waves of the lake. The "visibility" of images is the most characteristic feature of Prokofiev's music. His powers of observation, his ability to capture and convey people's voices, their gestures and movements in music are amazing. In this regard, the very process of creating music for "Alexander Nevsky" is interesting - under the direct impression of the film's frames. It was very important for the composer to see the film frames, to feel, to absorb the character and rhythm of each scene. The director of the film, S. Eisenstein, spoke well about this:

"The hall is dark. But not so much that in the reflections of the screen one cannot catch his hands on the arms of the chair: these huge, strong Prokofiev's hands, covering the keys with steel fingers, when, with all the spontaneous fury of temperament, he brings them down on the keyboard ... A picture is running across the screen and Prokofiev's mercilessly clear fingers move along the arm of the chair, nervously shuddering like a Morse telegraph receiver. the tempo of the individual pieces, both of which, taken together, are intertwined with the actions and intonation of the characters.Tomorrow he will send me music that will permeate my montage structure with the same sound counterpoint, the law of structure of which he takes away in that rhythmic figure that was tapped his fingers. It seems to me that, moreover, he still whispers or purrs to himself. But his face is so concentrated. It can only be like this when a person listens to the order of sounds passing outside or to the scale passing inside him . God forbid you speak to him at this time."

The fusion of the visible and the audible, the moving image and the music is especially remarkable in the film "Battle on the Ice" (fifth part)

"Song about Alexander Nevsky" - the second part of the cantata. The music is majestic and strict. It looks like a fresco by an ancient Russian painter who depicted a stern and devoted warrior. The song speaks of the victory of the Russians over the Swedes and gives a warning: "Whoever comes to Rus' will be beaten to death." Both the text and the music are sustained in an epic spirit. The vocal part is performed by a unison choir - male voices, complemented by violas. The main melody ("And it was the case on the Neva River") is narrative measured. Almost every syllable is pronounced on the same sound; the chanting of syllables, characteristic of Russian drawn-out songs, is rare here.

The "Song about Alexander Nevsky" reproduces the features characteristic of the tunes of many ancient Russian epics, for example, such as the famous one was about Ilya Muromets with its unhurried "telling" intonation. In Prokofiev's melody, we also hear peculiar features inherent in the style of this composer: the special clarity of the final octave turn in the melody, the precise rhythm in orchestral accompaniment.

In the middle part of the song (“Wow! How we fought, how we fought!”), the narration becomes more excited and its pace accelerates. In accordance with the rhythm of the verse, two-, three-part sizes replace each other in music. The orchestra reproduces the sounds of battle - the rattling of weapons, the impact of balls. Harps imitate the sound of the harp that accompanied epic songs in the old days. In the reprie, the main "Bogatyr" melody of the choir returns.

"Get up, Russian people" - the fourth part. This is a choral song of a completely different nature. Not a story about past events, but a call to battle for the Russian land. During the Great Patriotic War, the choir "Get up, Russian people" often sounded on the radio. The film "Alexander Nevsky" was shown at the fronts to the soldiers of the Soviet Army. One of the participants in the defense of Sevastopol recalls: "The song "Get up, Russian people" made an amazing impression, enhanced by the resonance of the dungeon, it powerfully captured the soul."

For a long time in Rus' there was a custom - to announce important events by striking the alarm bell. The orchestral introduction to the choir imitates the disturbing and formidable bell sounds that later accompany the singing of the choir in its first part (like the "Song about Alexander Nevsky" this choir is written in three-part form.) War cries are heard in the melody, in its persistently repeated energetic intonations, calls. The rhythm of the march emphasizes the heroic nature of the music. And here we see a combination of folk song traditions with Prokofiev's modern musical techniques. So, for example, the modal coloring of the melody is characterized by variability, coming from a Russian folk song: the melody "shimmers" from C minor to E flat major, but Prokofiev boldly begins the next phrase in the seemingly distant ("foreign") key of C flat major, which in turn becomes E-flat minor. The richness and boldness of harmonic and tonal colors is one of the characteristic features of Prokofiev's music.

The middle part of the choir is written in D major (after E-flat major, in which the first part ended, there is again a bright change of tonal colors: E-flat major-D major). A new theme appears - melodious, free, light, reminiscent of some themes from " Ruslana Glinka. The choir sings this melody to the words "In Rus', dear, in Rus', the enemy will not be great"

In the two parts of the cantata we have examined, in the music of Prokofiev, Rus' appeared before us, heroic and heroic, majestic and free.

In the sixth part "Dead Field" - a lyrical and mournful image is embodied. Here only one female voice (mezzo-soprano) sings, accompanied by an orchestra. In the film, this music is connected with the following episode: after the Battle on the Ice, which ended with the victory of the Nevsky squad, the bride-girl is looking for her fiance among the Russian soldiers who fell on the battlefield. The image is symbolic - the Motherland mourns its sons.

Weeping intonations coming from Russian folk tales and from classical operatic "lamentations" ("Yaroslavna's Lament" from Borodin's opera) are heard in Prokofiev's music. A mournful chant sounds at the very beginning, in the introduction played by the violins. The vocal melody is a wonderful combination of intense expressiveness and restraint. The melody is deeply sad, but the movement is even and strict. This music is also characterized by variability (C minor - E flat major). In the third measure, a deep minor chord (A flat minor triad) sounds in orchestral accompaniment, emphasizing the mournful nature of the music.

For the depiction of the crusaders, Prokofiev used means that differed sharply from those that we noted in the disassembled parts of the cantata. If in the characterization of Russians there were melodies based on various song intonations, then in the music characterizing the dogs-knights of the Teutonic Order, an important role is played by the theme written by the composer in the spirit of Catholic church chants. Instead of clear, colorful diatonic harmonies - frightening dissonant combinations. Instead of melodious "human" string timbres - cutting, howling, piercing timbres of predominantly brass instruments.

The main themes of the dog-knights first appear in the third part of the cantata ("The Crusaders in Pskov"). Then they go to the fifth part, which is called "Battle on the Ice". This is a grandiose symphonic picture with the participation of the choir. It opens with a musical landscape - a deserted winter lake before the start of the battle. The orchestra has cold "frozen" sounds, gloomy minor harmonies, a sharp "croaking" sound of violas. From far away comes the military signal of the Crusaders. In the wake of that, a fractional even tapping is heard (string basses play at the stand).

The iron-Teutonic horsemen, clad in iron-Teutonic cavalry, rush heavily. They wear horned helmets, face-covering hoods with gaping eye holes. The Teutonic army is built in the form of a "wedge." "Pig's Leap" is the title of this episode in the film. The rhythm of the race is emphatically monotonous, soulless, mechanical. The piercing and howling voices of the tuba, saxophone, trumpets and other instruments are layered on top of it in the orchestra. In Prokofiev's music, the Teutonic knights gallop "with the inexorability of a tank column of their disgusting descendants" (Thus spoke Eisenstein, shocked by the music). The episode of the enemy invasion acquired an acutely modern character in Prokofiev. In addition to the orchestra, the choir also participates here - the knights sing a fanatical chorale (in Latin). Their singing turns into furious cries: "Let's crucify the vanquished, let's destroy the enemy." The growing sound of the orchestra and choir can be compared to a close-up in a movie. It seems that the enemy army with a deafening clang and roar is advancing right at the listener.

The entry into the battle of Alexander Nevsky's squad is marked by the energetic sound of the choir's theme "Get up, Russian people" at the trumpet. Battle episodes, like movie frames, quickly sweep before the listener. In one of them, a new Russian theme appears - easily and swiftly flying, daring. This is the theme of the Russian attack. It can be heard either very close, or from afar. Again the impression of a cinematic change of plans: either a "big shot" or a separate perspective of the "battle".

In the climactic episodes, the opposing themes collide, collide with each other, like opponents in battle. Prokofiev uses a special method of combining themes: they are given simultaneously, while each remains in its own key. For example, the theme of the "Russian attack" is in D major, and the signal of the Crusaders is in C sharp minor. A complex (bitonal, that is, two-tone) combination arises. With its sharpness, it emphasizes the sharpness of the fight. The enemy theme is then distorted, "weakened".

The "visibility" of musical images is also amazing in the picture of the death of the crusaders. The crackling of ice, the cold dark waves flooding the field battles, and the gloomy drama of what is happening are conveyed by orchestral means.

A huge symphonic tension is resolved in the conclusion of the whole picture. The Russian theme sounds soft and light. This is a familiar melody - it was sung by the violas in the middle of the chorus "Get up, Russian people" to the words "In Rus' Native, in Rus' the enemy will not be big." Now she is entrusted to the first violins in a high register, accompanied by a gentle trembling tremolo on the second violins. This is the music of peace and silence that has set in on the liberated land. After the "battle on the ice" the sixth part, "Dead Field", analyzed above, follows. The cantata ends with a solemn, majestic finale "Alexander's Entry into Pskov", where Russian themes already familiar to us sound. In the cantata "Alexander Nevsky", dedicated to distant historical events, Prokofiev glorified the victory of the people in a just struggle against the invaders, the victory of humanity over cruelty and violence.

(I. Prokhorova, G. Skudina, edited by T.V. Popova)

Sergei Prokofiev. Cantata "Alexander Nevsky"

Every nation has its own national heroes who are loved, honored and remembered. Their names remain for centuries, and their moral image not only does not disappear from the memory of their descendants, but, on the contrary, becomes brighter and brighter with the passage of time. This fully applies to. This name in Rus' is now pronounced with special pride and reverence.

Many military feats were accomplished by the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich. His army fought heroically against the Swedes on the Neva River. For the victory over the enemy, he nicknamed the people of the Grand Duke Nevsky.

Soon after the Battle of the Neva, detachments of German crusader knights moved to Rus'. Their banners were embroidered with black crosses, black crosses were also on the shields of the knights.

In the spring of 1242, a bloody battle broke out on Lake Peipus.

“Alexander Nevsky was in the thick of the battle ... The battle (battle) was such that the lake ice became hot. The Russians fought furiously. Yes, and how to fight without rage, when children and wives were left behind, villages and cities were left, native land with a short and sonorous name - Rus' remained ... ”(O. Tikhomirov).

Historical events associated with the name of the Russian prince Alexander Nevsky are reflected in the works of various arts. The artist P. Korin created the triptych "Alexander Nevsky", which consists of three independent paintings-parts that form a single whole.

Two more outstanding works of the same name are devoted to the same topic: the film by S. Eisenstein and the cantata by S. Prokofiev.

Word cantata comes from the Italian "cantare" which means "to sing". The cantata consists of several numbers (movements). Designed for individual singers (soloists), choir and orchestra.

He approached the historical theme in a very peculiar way. He had a true sense of the historical era. The ancient images of "Alexander Nevsky" were imbued with a sharp sense of modernity. Remember what happened in the world in the late 30s? In Western Europe - rampant fascism. And the "iron" music of the crusaders sounded like a characteristic of modern aggressive forces.

The cantata "Alexander Nevsky" was written to the texts of the poet Vladimir Lugovsky and the composer himself. It is intended for mezzo-soprano, mixed choir and orchestra.

The cantata originated from the music for the film of the same name, which was staged in 1938 by the outstanding Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. The picture told about the heroic struggle of the squad of Alexander Nevsky with the Teutonic knights-crusaders. This film has become a classic of Soviet cinema. He is an amazing example of the commonwealth of the director and composer. This has never happened before in the history of music. The music was born under the direct impression of the frames of the film.

Having removed a certain episode of the film, Eisenstein called Prokofiev. Sergei Sergeevich looked through the footage, as if absorbing it into himself, trying to feel the character and rhythm of each scene. Then he went home and the next day brought the finished music, striking with the brightness of the images.

The "visibility" of images is a characteristic feature of Prokofiev's music. His powers of observation, his ability to capture and convey in music the voices of people, their gestures and movements are amazing. In this regard, the very process of creating music for "Alexander Nevsky" is interesting - under the direct impression of the film's frames.

The director of the film "Alexander Nevsky" S. Eisenstein spoke well about this:

"The hall is dark. But not so much that in the reflections of the screen you can’t catch his hands on the arms of the chair: these huge, strong Prokofiev’s hands, grasping the keys with steel fingers, when, with all the elemental fury of temperament, he brings them down on the keyboard ...

A picture is running across the screen.

And along the arm of the chair, trembling nervously, like a Morse telegraph receiver, Prokofiev's mercilessly clear fingers move. Prokofiev strikes the beat? No. He reaps much more. In the tapping of his fingers, he catches the law of structure, according to which the durations and tempos of individual pieces are crossed on the screen in the montage, and both of them, taken together, are intertwined with the actions and intonation of the characters.

... Tomorrow he will send me music that will permeate my montage structure with the same sound counterpoint, the law of structure of which he carries away in that rhythmic figure that his fingers tapped out.

It seems to me that, besides this, he still whispers, or purrs to himself. But the face is so concentrated. It can be so only when a person listens to the order of sounds passing outside or to the scale passing inside him. God forbid you speak to him at this time!

The cantata has seven parts:

I. Rus' under the Mongol yoke;
II. Song about Alexander Nevsky;
III. Crusaders in Pskov;
IV. Get up, Russian people;
V. Battle on the Ice;
VI. dead field;
VII. Entry of Alexander to Pskov.

The music of the cantata strikes with the brightness of images. Listening to it, as if you see the frames of the film in front of you - the endless plains of Rus', Pskov, devastated by the Teutons, you watch the battle on Lake Peipus, the frightening offensive of the crusaders, the rapid attacks of the Russians, the death of knights in the cold waves of the lake.

“Rus under the Mongol yoke” is a short symphonic prologue that introduces you into the harsh atmosphere of the era and events. Archaic chants dominate with a wild "sobbing" grace note, with widely spaced unisons that sound from the highest and lowest instruments, thus creating the impression of an immense distance, vast spaces.

"Song of Alexander Nevsky" - the second part of the cantata - this is the beginning of events, a story about the recent victory of Russian soldiers over the Swedes: "And it was on the Neva River." Remember the words of Alexander Nevsky: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword”? This is the main idea of this part. The majestic and strict melody repeats the features of ancient Russian epics. It is like old tales. The text and music are sustained in an epic spirit. The vocal part is performed by a unison choir - male voices, complemented by violas.

The main melody "And it was the case on the Neva River" is narrative, measured. Almost every syllable is pronounced with one sound; the chanting of syllables, characteristic of Russian drawn-out songs, is rare here.

The “Song about Alexander Nevsky” reproduces the features characteristic of the tunes of many ancient Russian epics with their unhurried “telling” intonation. At the same time, it also has peculiar features that are specific to Prokofiev's style: a clear final octave move in the melody, a chased rhythm in orchestral accompaniment (smooth movement of eighths).

In the middle part of the song "Wow! How we fought, how we fought! the narration becomes more agitated and its pace quickens. In accordance with the rhythm of the verse, two- and three-part sizes replace each other in music.

The orchestra reproduces the sounds of battle - the rattling of weapons, the blows of swords. Harps imitate the sound of the harp that accompanied epic songs in the old days. Returns in the reprise: the main, "heroic" melody of the choir.

In the third part of the cantata "The Crusaders in Pskov" the main themes of the dog-knights appear for the first time.

Here, for the first time, opposing images collide. Harsh, with sharp consonances, menacingly sounding heavy brass, severe ascetic chorale and militant fanfare characterization of enemies, mournful melodies and quivering emotionality of the sound of strings, embodying people's grief, are opposed.

For the depiction of the crusaders, Prokofiev drew on means that were sharply different from those that we noted in the disassembled parts of the cantata. If song melodies sounded in the characterization of Russians, then in the music characterizing the dogs-knights of the Teutonic Order, an important role is played by the theme written by the composer in the spirit of a Catholic chant.

Those who watched the film "Alexander Nevsky" probably remember the famous episode of the attack of the Teutonic Knights. The crusaders are walking on the ice of Lake Peipsi under the menacing, bestial roar of huge pipes, and this roar chills the blood in the veins ... This effect of unusual sounding was invented by Prokofiev. He made the fanfare play, "blow" directly into the microphone, against all the rules of sound recording. After all, a jet of air distorts the sound, presses on the membrane of the microphones, and a roar and crackle are obtained. This sound effect, a marriage from the point of view of the sound engineer, intensified the drama of the episode, its emotional tone. The hoarse roar of knightly trumpets is a threat to the entire Russian army, complacency, confidence in one's own impunity. Sergei Eisenstein repeatedly emphasized the profound cinematic nature of Prokofiev's musical thinking.

Instead of clear diatonic harmonies - frightening dissonant combinations. Instead of melodious, "human" string timbres - cutting, howling, piercing timbres of predominantly brass instruments.

“Get up, Russian people!” - fourth part. This is a choral song of a completely different nature: not a story about past events, but a call to battle for the Russian land. During the Great Patriotic War, the choir "Get up, Russian people" often sounded on the radio, and the film "Alexander Nevsky" was shown at the fronts to soldiers of the Red Army.

Get up, Russian people,
For a glorious fight, for a mortal fight,
Get up, free people
For our honest land.

One of the participants in the defense of Sevastopol recalls: “The song “Get up, Russian people!” Made an amazing impression. Strengthened by the resonance of the dungeon, it powerfully captured the soul.

A new theme appears - melodious, free, light, reminiscent of some themes from "Ruslan" by M. Glinka. The choir sings this melody to the words "In Rus', dear, in Rus', the enemy will not be great."

The fifth part - "Battle on the Ice" - a grandiose symphonic picture with the participation of the choir. In this part, the main themes of the previous parts, depicting enemy camps, collide.

At the beginning, a gloomy winter landscape is given, depicting a frozen lake in a frosty haze. Deserted winter morning before the start of the battle. From afar comes the sound of a Teutonic horn. Prokofiev searched for a timbre for this signal for a very long time. He believed that it should be "Unpleasant for the Russian ear." In the film, this signal is played by a French horn recorded with a special distortion. In concert practice, this theme is entrusted to the English horn and trombone with mute. The famous episode of the Crusader race begins, which is commonly called the "Pig's Leap".

Remember the movie. This episode makes a very vivid impression. The Teutonic knights clad in heavy armor rush heavily. Remember their weapons? Long swords, spears. They wear horned helmets, hoods cover their faces, on which only eye holes gape. In Prokofiev's music, this leap is very reminiscent of the psychic or tank attacks of the Nazis. No wonder Eisenstein, shocked by the music, said that it creates "an unforgettable image of an iron blunt-nosed pig from the knights of the Teutonic Order, galloping with the inexorability of a tank column of their disgusting descendants." Against the background of the rhythm of the race, the knights in Latin sing a fanatical chorale.

But now the squad of Alexander Nevsky enters the battle. The theme of the trumpet is “Get up, Russian people!”. The Russian attack begins. It is accompanied by a new impetuous, daring theme.

These topics, like opponents in battle, collide with each other. Then the enemy theme weakens, becomes distorted. This part ends with a quiet and bright theme of the middle section of the fourth part "In Rus', dear, in Rus', the enemy will not be great." Peace and silence came to the liberated Russian land.

The sixth part - "Dead Field" - is one of the most lyrical and mournful pages of Prokofiev's work.

Ice battle is over. The ice field is silent and motionless, only the lights of torches flicker in the darkness. Women are looking for warriors who have not returned from the battle.

I will walk across the white field,
I will fly across the bright field.
I will look for glorious falcons,
My suitors are good fellows.

“I will walk across a clean field ...” - a low, deep female voice floats alone over the expanse. In the melody, inexpressibly sad, sung widely, like drawn-out peasant songs, there is not powerless despair, but restrained grief. And in a huge, immeasurable grief, a Russian woman retains her majestic dignity - mother, wife, bride. "The Song of the Bride" is the title of this part of the cantata. One voice sings the song. The image is symbolic - the Motherland mourns its sons. But this lonely voice sounds like a mournful requiem of the whole people, like a tribute to the memory of those who fell in the evil ice section. After the powerful, bright, diverse musical picture of the battle on the ice, after the noise and roar, this lone voice not only does not break, but even more strongly emphasizes the frozen, dead silence of the ice field.

Weeping intonations, coming from Russian folk tales and from classical operatic “lamentations” (remember “Yaroslavna's Lament” from Borodin's opera “Prince Igor”), are heard in Prokofiev's music. The mournful chant sounds at the very beginning, in the introduction played by the violins. The vocal melody is deeply sad, but its movement is even and strict.

The cantata ends with a solemn, majestic finale - "The Entry of Alexander Nevsky to Pskov."

Pskov meets the winners. Again the song is happy, joyful. As a sparkling thread, high ringing undertones wind around her melody, miraculously merging with the crimson chime of holiday bells.

Big in Rus'
In Rus' native
Don't be an enemy!

In the choral finale, glorifying Rus' - the winner, the Russian themes of the cantata are connected: a song about Alexander Nevsky, the theme of the middle part of the choir "Get up, Russian people."

Miraculously transformed, as if dressed in festive attire, however, they did not lose their mighty strength ... Let the enemies remember: “Whoever enters us with a sword will die by the sword. On that stands and will stand the Russian land.

With this music, which became the main participant in the film about the great love for the Motherland, about the selfless struggle against the cruel invaders, about the glorious victory over the enemy, Prokofiev foreshadowed the victory of the people in the fight against the fascist invaders. Today, this music, having descended from the movie screen, lives a full-fledged independent life.

The cantata is over. The wonderful Soviet composer Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev!

Questions and tasks:

What place does the historical theme occupy in the composer's work? List the works written on this topic.
What work by Prokofiev is associated with the creation of the cantata "Alexander Nevsky"?
How many movements are in the Alexander Nevsky cantata? What are their names?
How did the composer show in the music of the cantata the clash of two warring camps - Russian and Teutonic?
What works of other Russian composers do you know based on subjects from Russian history?

Presentation

Included:
1. Presentation - 15 slides, ppsx;
2. Sounds of music:
Prokofiev. Alexander Nevskiy:
Rus' under the Mongol yoke, mp3;
Song about Alexander Nevsky, mp3;
Crusaders in Pskov, mp3;
Get up, Russian people, mp3;
Battle on the Ice, mp3;
Dead field, mp3;
Entry of Alexander to Pskov, mp3;
3. Accompanying article - lesson summary, docx.

pediatric surgeon dentist