St. Petersburg State Museum of theatre and music
The
Saint Petersburg Universityof Philosophy Studies
.
Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and MusicWork
Created
by
nd
year studentsAlesya and Kalita Maria
History of the Museum
. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre
and Music is located in the historical centre of the city, in the building,
which belongs to one of the most splendid architectural ensembles of the city -
the ensemble of Alexandrinsky Theatre. This architectural masterpiece, as well
as the street, bearing nowadays the name of its creator, was built by the great
Carlo Rossi.1840 in one of the buildings, surrounding the Theatre, the office
of the Imperial Theatres Management settled. It was here that the fate of
Russian Theatre was decided. Here the contracts with famous actors were signed.
Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Alexander Ostrovsky, Anton Chekhov and
other great men of Russian theatre brought here their works to be produced on
the stage.1918 the Management was reorganized and it was decided to organize
the first Theatre museum in St. Petersburg. The decree about the museum was
confirmed by the People's Commissar of Enlightenment Anatoly Lunacharsky. But
in fact, the Theatre Museum was founded in 1908 when in Saint-Petersburg
"First Russian Theatre exhibition" was opened in the premises of
Panaev Theatre. There for the first time different exhibits, later on made up
the base of the present collection of the Museum, were presented to the
public.basis of the museum archives was formed by the private collections of
the celebrated Alexandrinsky Theatre actors Ivan Gorbunov, Maria Savina,
Vladimir Davydov, and the people who were close to the Theatre - Anatoly
Molchanov, Vladimir Protopopov, Levky Zheverzheyev, Sergey Svetlov, as well as
the archives of the Imperial Theatres Management.first exhibition opened for
the visitors on 16 May 1921. The year 1971 was marked by the creation of the
museum's first branch - the N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov Museum (Zagorodny Prospekt, 28),
where, in the apartment # 39, the last 15 years of the great composer's life
had passed. In 1975 the F.I.Chaliapin Museum in the celebrated singer's former
house (Ul.Graftio, 2b) opened. In 1985 the museum received the State Collection
of Musical Instruments. In 1989 the museum was given one more building - the
palace of Counts Sheremetev, the famous Fountain House, built in the 18
century. (Nab.Fontanki, 34). When the State Collection of Musical Instruments
moved to the Palace, the branch became known as the Museum of Music in the
Sheremetev Palace. In 1994 the other branch - the Actors Samoilov Family Museum
opened in the house # 8 on Ul.Stremyannaya.first two years of the museum's
existence were the period of intensive collecting. As early as in 1923 the
following departments opened for the visitors: drama, ballet, opera, set
modeling, set design, theatrical books, posters and placards. It was planned to
open the departments of circus, cinema, foreign theatre and foreign actors in
Russia. However, subsequently the museum's mission became to collect and
display the materials, mainly connected with the history of Russian drama
theatre. When the new musical branches (the Rimsky-Korsakov and Chaliapin
Museums) opened and the museum received the State Collection of Musical
Instruments, the history of music and musical theatre became an important
direction of the museum's activities.museum and its branches offer various
tours and lectures on the history of theatre, audio and video-concerts,
meetings with outstanding actors, artists, musicians, small-scale productions,
one-man shows, chamber concerts. As a cultural and educational centre, the
museum receives more than 100 000 people annually.all the buildings of the
museum there are halls where concerts and performances, meetings with famous
actors and singers, musicians and artists, take place. The museum's aim is to
connect the past and the present. The museum not only preserves the memory of
the old art, but also is a hospitable house for the modern art and probably a
cradle for the art of the future. Non-surprisingly, a considerable number of
productions, subsequently famous, were first presented here, and many future
celebrities made their debut here.
museum
theatre russian
The main building of St. Petersburg
State Museum of Theatre and Music
Museum Collections
Painting, Graphics and Applied Art
Department possesses 40,000 items. Here there is a collection of theatrical
portraits, miniatures, etchings, set and costume designs, sculptures, set
models. The earliest pieces date back to mid-18th century, when outstanding
Italian designers Antonio Bibbiena, Giuseppe Valeriani, Antonio Canoppi brought
glory to the Russian theatre. The latest acquisitions: works by artists Eduard
Kocherguin, Boris Messerer, Teimuraz Murvanidze - were made in 1997.pearls of
the collection are the works of artists who belonged to the "World of
Art" group - Boris Anisfeld, Lev Bakst, Alexander Benois, Alexander
Golovin, Konstantin Korovin, Sergei Sudeikin, and masters of the early 20th
century avant-garde art: Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin, Natan Altman,
Leonid Tchupyatov, Nikolai Akimov, Tatyana Bruni, Alexander Tyshler, Vladimir
Dmitriev.Manuscript and Document Department (21,000 items) includes music
autographs of Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitry Shostakovich;
the director's explications of Vsevolod Meyerhold, Georgy Tovstonogov; the
diaries and notebooks of Anna Pavlova, Olga Spesivtzeva; letters of Pyotr
Tchaikovsky, Sergei Diaghilev, Konstantin Stanislavsky. Of major importance
among the Department's treasures are the personal archives of Marius Petipa,
Fyodor Chaliapin, Agrippina Vaganova, Fyodor Lopukhov, Tatyana Vyacheslova.is a
large collection of manuscripts, connected with the work of the main
St.Petersburg theatres: the Alexandrinsky (former Pushkin) Drama Theatre, the
Mariinsky (former Kirov) Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Musorgsky (Maly) Opera
and Ballet Theatre. The dates range from 1725 to 1997.the Museum collection
there are authographs of A.Blok, M.Gorky, V.Mayakovsky, V.
Nemirovich-Danchenko, K.Stanislavsky, M. Petipa, A.Chekhov, S.Eisenstein,
M.Battistini, A.Patti, J.Rossini, M.Taglioni and others.Department (8,000
exhibits). Here are actors' personal belongings, decorations, orders and
memorial medals, conductor's batons, articles of the 18-20th centuries theatre
life, touching gifts of the audience to its idols - ballerinas Anna Pavlova,
Tamara Karsavina, conductor Eduard Napravnik, singers Nikolai Figner and Ivan
Yershov. The gem of the Museum collection is a set of ballet shoes - from Maria
Taglioni's to Natalia Makarova's. It allows one to trace the evolution of the
female dancing technique.is also an extremely rare Collection of Theatrical
Costumes, 2,000 in number. It reflects the artistic versatility of the
different theatrical epochs. Here there are costumes of the legendary first
night performance of M.Petipa's "Sleeping Beauty" (1890); the
costumes of Fokin's ballets, designed by Benois, Bakst, Anisfeld, Golovin,
Roerich; as well as the costumes for the experimental ballets of the 1920's-
'30's of the choreographic innovator Fyodor Lopukhov.and Negatives Collection
(240,000 items) is the largest of its kind in Russia. There are portraits of
actors in life and on the stage, the unique photographs of Diaghilev's
"Russian Ballets" rehearsals, the mise en scenes of opera, ballet and
drama performances, photographs from the family albums of the Stravinsky,
Komissarjevskaya, Kshesinskaya.of Playbills and Programmes (56,000 items)
recreates the chronicle of theatrical events, from late 18th century and up to
our days. Here we may learn about the Petersburg-Leningrad tours of the Moscow
Art Theatre of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, the Moscow Chamber
Theatre headed by A.Tairov; about the Russian tours of the European celebrities
Maria Taglioni, Enrico Caruso, Titto Ruffo, Sarah Bernhardt, Anna Magnani,
Jean-Louis Barrault, Peter Brook.
of Russian theater
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. an alternative to the pagan theatre in the
16th century there appeared church theatre performing Biblical stories. 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.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. life in St.-Petersburg starts from 1752 when Fyodor
Volkov’s amateurish troupe was invited from Yaroslavl town. end of the 18th -
early 19th saw serf theatre springing up in many estates.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. 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.
opera theatre underwent enriching transformation thanks to new music
compositions in the19th century. 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.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. 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.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). theatre as part of the Soviet theatre had to fit in the rigid frames
of ideological dictatorship.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. 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. , 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.
Museum permanent exhibitions
exhibition covers the history of the
Russian theatre from its beginning up to the middle of the 20th century. The
Museum's three halls have on display most precious materials: set and costume
designs by A. Golovin, M. Dobuzhinsky, S. Sudeikin, B. Kustodiev, K. Malevich,
set models, scenery, photographs, private belongings.
In the first hall the visitor has a
chance to familiarize himself with the beginning of the theatre in Russia. Here
there are lubki (popular prints) showing the first actors in Russia -
travelling skomorokhs (minstrels and clowns). Trained bears and puppet shows
were also extremely popular. Here there is also a set model for The Fiery
Furnace - one of the most well known liturgical dramas in Old Russia. The scene
depicts a Biblical story about the three young men who refused to worship the
pagan god and, as a result, were thrown to the fiery furnace. However, the
angel of God saved them from a martyr's death. His appearance during the drama
was accompanied by sounds of thunder. The drama was usually performed on
Christmas Eve and was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. it took quite a
long time for the skomorokh theatre and liturgical dramas to develop into a
professional one. Early court theatre in the 17th and early 18th centuries was
an unsuccessful attempt to transfer European models to Russia. 1756 Elizaveta
Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, issued an edict establishing the State
Russian Theatre in St.Petersburg. The company consisted mostly of amateur
actors from Yaroslavl' headed by the legendary Fyodor Volkov whose portrait hangs
near a copy of the edict. the first half of the 19th century theatre in Russia
developed very rapidly. The legendary Inspector General by Gogol was first
performed in the Alexandrinsky Theatre on April 19, 1836, but was rarely staged
during the rest of the century. was Alexander Ostrovsky who established the
Russian national repertoire. Generations of actors throughout Russia learnt
their trade performing in his plays. At the exhibition you will find
Ostrovsky's portrait, his table, the lamp and the blotting-pad he used are on
display.
Maria Ermolova was an outstanding
tragic actress who became famous in Ostrovsky's plays. Students adored her and
presented to her on her jubilee the silver laurel wreath in the case. The
number of leaves in the wreath equalled the number of roles she played over a
period of 20 years and each leaf bears the name of one of the characters she
played. was a Moscow star, whereas the idol of the Petersburg theatre fans at
that time was Maria Savina. The attention of the museum's visitors is always
attracted to the dress in which M.Savina played the part of Natalia Petrovna in
I. Turgenev's A Month in the Country. The play had not been staged for thirty
years, and there existed a strong opinion that it was unfit for the stage. In
1879 the twenty-five year old Savina chose it for her benefit performance, thus
saving it from the oblivion. I.Turgenev enthusiastically applauded to the
actress and paid a visit to her the morning after the performance. He gave her
his inscribed portrait, and as a sign of gratitude presented her with a gold
bracelet in the memory of the successful presentation of his play. All these
can be seen at the exhibition.
Due to their work on this play,
Golovin and Meyerhold became close friends. During the rehearsal period in
1916, the artist painted director's portrait which is also displayed at the
exhibition. Meyerhold posed for the portrait in Golovin's studio in the
Mariinsky Theatre. The artist juxtaposed the character and his reflection in
the mirror, depicting two images of the subject. Meyerhold existed in two
images in the theatre life of St. Petersburg as the director of the Imperial
Theatres and as the Master of theatrical experiments; theatrical teacher and
writer, hiding under the pseudonym of Doctor Dapertutto. interesting item
connected with Meyerhold is a reduced size reconstruction of a set designed by
Liubov Popova for The Magnanimous Cuckold by the Belgian playwright
F.Crommelinck staged by Meyerhold in 1922. This innovative production of
Crommelinck's symbolist play in Moscow was the manifesto of the new post-revolutionary
avant-garde theatre.
Meyerhold associated the destruction
of the old aesthetics with the social revolution of October 1917 and called his
new approach "October Theatre". and biomechanics were the slogans of
"October Theatre ". In rejecting decorative sets, Popova together
with Meyerhold constructed what they called a "machine" for the
dynamic and harmonious movement of actors in the empty space of the stage.
Instead of individual costumes all the actors wore similar clothes resembling
those of working men, and no theatrical make-up. The poetry of machinery was
proclaimed by the constructivists as the principle of liberated labour and a
new artistic language, which was transferred to the sphere of acting. The
acting technique was based on a training system elaborated by Meyerhold and
called "biomechanics", which allowed him to vary the stage dynamics
of the action.
Information sources
1).
«A history of Russian theatre» by Robert Leach,Victor Borovsky
)http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/kultura_i_obrazovanie/teatr_i_kino/RUSSKI_TEATR_TEATR_ROSSII.html
)http://www.theatremuseum.ru
)http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Meyerhold+Theater
5)http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1610660