The continuity of the vocal and performing heritage of the multi-genre song culture of the Kuban Cossacks

Mironova Anastasiya Vladimirovna ORCID: 0009-0003-8757-6765 Lecturer, Department of Musical Art Management, Russian Gnessin Academy of Music 121069, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Povarskaya str., 30-36 anastasiamironova.98@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Today, the philosophical depth of the traditional mentality in the elements of achievements of social and spiritual life is developing in accordance with the preservation of folklore singing in the Kuban Cossack performance, as a complex process. Since the spiritual and moral ideals of the formation of the younger generation are closely related to the preservation and transmission of the ideological foundations of the ancestors ^[1].

The continuity of the vocal and singing features of the Kuban Cossack folk singing has developed since the existence of the Black Sea Cossacks in the new lands ^[1]. In this study, the key to understanding the concept of preserving vocal heritage is the issue of preserving a folklore source as a performing material. Another given problem of the continuity of vocal performance can be considered the principle of the relationship between politics, economics and culture. We will omit other facets of considering the subject of study. Conventionally, schematically, the development of performance in the Kuban can be structured in this way.

Table 1. – The process of formation of the Kuban Cossack folk performance

Due to the progress of economic development, the construction of a railway on new lands, by the middle of the XIX century, the Kuban song folklore was undergoing deep transformations, modifying the introduced heritage ^[2]. The richest vocal source material was born, bearing specific characteristics ^[3]. The time of the creation of the Military Musician's Choir and the Military Singing Choir ^[2] can be called an important moment in the history of the Kuban performing arts ^[4]. In this regard, the fundamental work of yesaul Ivan Ivanovich Kiyashko "Military Singing and Musical choirs of the Kuban Cossack army (1811-1911): a historical sketch of the century of their existence", "is a kind of historical monument and textbook on the musical culture of Kuban" ^{[4, p. 291]}.

Turning to a detailed analysis of the materials recorded by archivist I. I. Kiyashko to reveal our theme of the continuity of musical and performing song heritage, we note. His methodology of covering historical and musicological material was continued by modern researchers, for example, I. A. Petrusenko ^[5] and V. A. Zhadan ^[6]. The scientists examined the song chronological component of the musical art of the Kuban region. We also set the task of analyzing the issue of continuity of significant vocal and performing development due to progress in political components, intensification in the economy, and the contribution of enthusiastic professionals to the development of performing arts in the Kuban Region.

The progress of the musical culture of the Kuban region is closely connected with the development of the Military Singing Choir, created for singing in the "military cathedral church", where value orientations are inseparable from aesthetic vocal and singing attitudes ^{[4, p. 12]}. In the work of I. I. Kiyashko, it is conditionally possible to identify the problems that concern the creators of the choir at the time of organization in 1811 and are relevant today. The main point is determined by the material component. It was necessary to pay for the work of the regent, who was hired due to the absence at first of his head of the church choir. The singers, in addition to singing in the choir, were serving Cossacks, but the soprano parts were performed by young boys, they had to be supported from the monetary contributions of the Military Office. The author cites in the work Applications of the number of heads, regents, capellmeisters, students, lower ranks of the orchestra, singing choir. We also pay attention to the points scrupulously highlighted by the conductor in the fundamental work – a detailed enumeration of the financial organizational component assigned to the development of the artistic basis of the choir, namely, the purchase of costumes, instruments, musical material. In particular, the author reports on the allocation of funds for further training of the most talented choristers in the Court Singing Chapel. And finally, by the centenary, the choir became known for its professionalism outside the Kuban region, had "the educational significance of music and singing for the Cossack population" [4 p. 75].

Summarizing this analysis, we note. Consideration of the continuity and continuity of the vocal and singing performing arts is self-sufficient from the point of view of the practical activities of archivists, regents, bandmasters, choristers since the creation of the collective. Modern folklorists, musicologists, and musicians continue to highlight folklore traditions in their modern existence ^[7], in material and spiritual realization ^[8].

Choristers, besides singing in temples, took an active part in secular concerts. According to I. I. Kiyashko's recollection, the collective performed, for example, in large-scale events of the 100th anniversary of the Military Choir. According to our observation, the analysis of the genre of historical songs of the Black Sea Cossacks (more than 30 sources), the analysis of songs of the line Cossacks (more than 40 sources). We come to the conclusion that historical songs describe the victories of Russian weapons, iconic battles and the generals who won them in unchanged text form. These songs were actively played at the 100th anniversary celebration of the singing choir, which today carry informational and educational significance for present and future generations. For example, the songs "Oh, to burn that woman to reap", "At the pyatnitsa in the bazaar", (tell about military exploits); "Daruvala tsaritsa", "Oh, gody zhurytysya", "Zibralysya vs boatmen", (broadcast about the Kuban lands granted by Catherine II).

An analysis of the brief chronology of the Kuban Cossack Choir's activities over more than 200 years of vocal and musical creation makes it possible to understand the importance of continuous creative development for posterity. To comprehend this subject, we have a complete understanding of the dependence of artistic development on the political and economic realities in the state. In the present, the functioning of the Kuban Cossack Choir is marked by the continuity of the creative creative process in the field of performing arts of Kuban and Russia. The division is under the auspices of the state, the founder is the Ministry of Culture of the Krasnodar Territory. In 2022, a number of activities were carried out in Russia, within the framework of. "2022 is the Year of Folk Art and the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia" – Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin dated 12/30/2021 No. 745 "On holding the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia in the Russian Federation".

However, the February Revolution of 1917 made adjustments to the physical component of the team. The soprano parts, previously performed by underage boys, began to be interpreted by staffed female voices. In 1921, the Civil War also brought changes to the existence of the choir, it was disbanded due to famine and devastation. The performing skills of the choir did not disappear without a trace, it was developed primarily by the touring activities of disparate ensembles, for example, thanks to the continuous work of the A. Avdeev quartet.

The choir was recreated again in 1936, and in 1938 it was renamed the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Kuban Cossacks and a dance group joined it. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, all the soloists of the collective went to the front, he actively circulated in disparate groups in front-line brigades. With the end of the war in 1944, the choir continues the creative process in a new, updated composition. In 1961, the choir ceased to receive state support, and was disbanded along a new political line, like other ensembles in the USSR. In 1969, there was a change in cultural policy and the choir was once again restored, S. A. Chernobai was appointed artistic director. In 1974, V. G. Zakharchenko became the leading artistic director of the Kuban Cossack Choir, who raised it to the creative height of success ^[3].

 In the XX–XXI centuries, the musical and artistic art of the Kuban Region develops under the sign of the continuity of reflection of economic, historical, and social processes in vocal and performing skills. In view of this, the artist's performing comprehension reaches a key role in the broadcast of the Kuban Cossack folk song, requires knowledge of the history of performance, mastering the technical characteristics of the song transmission. In this regard, the research of art historians is essential, considering the analysis of various topics of vocal material, for example, the variational possibilities of broadcasting folklore sources ^[9], reflection of the translational attributes of Cossack songs ^[10], genre foundations for the recognition of the Kuban song by the viewer. At the same time, the fundamental principles of the folklore foundation and the dialectic of the Kuban language are taken into account at the birth of a new musical sound. We will generalize the canons of performance as follows. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. Outline of the vocal and performing core

In the present, the artistic director's building of the concert repertoire is based on familiarization and cognitive functions with songs of different genres and different time bases. The choirmasters undertake a brief excursion into the history of the Cossacks within the framework of one performance. Having analyzed the genre of military household and marching songs (more than 20 songs of the Black Sea Cossacks, 37 sources of line Cossacks), we come to the conclusion. Song documents convey to the modern listener significant historical moments of the Russian Empire, reflect the captured exploits of commanders and Cossack soldiers, highlight key themes from the life and military service of a Cossack, which is always relevant.

Thus, geographical references are reflected in the examples of the melodies of Black Sea songs: "Oh, there, beyond the Danube", "Tykha Kuban barezhechki znosyt", "Yihav Kozak beyond the Kuban", "Ta yshov Kozak to the Don". Geographical mention is also important in the songs of military and marching line Cossacks: "Woe to us, brothers, to fight the Russians. Chechen", "Beyond the Kuban River, at dolinushka", "How beyond the river and the fast Lab", "Beyond the Urals, Cossacks walk across the river", "The Transcuban Cossack, he ran across the seas". The author of the study, among a large number of captured song sources from respondents of the Novokubansky district, Krasnodar Territory, recorded a song in which the historical name Urupskaya, in the present village of Sovetskaya, "Do not make noise Urup River" is preserved.

The service of the Cossack is reflected in the songs of the Black Sea: "Zasvystaly kozachenki", "Chomu, soloveyko, early ne shchebechesh", "Gay, chogo, khlopci, slavni molodci", "Oh, don't get drunk, and you, suhei dube". The songs of the line Cossacks depict the Cossack service: "You are my curly birch, "You are a rifle, my faithful friend", "Under the green broom", "Zakubansky Cossack, he ran across the sea", "Gay, not clouds, not thunder", "Smoky, smoky, nothing is visible", "You are the royal service", "The alarm is audible", "Enough for you, snowballs, to lie on the melted ground", "You are Kalinushka, you are malinushka", "Only the winds rose." The death of a Cossack is also an important theme that sounds in song tunes, for example, "Oh, a bid happened in the city", "Oh, they flew there", "Falcons flew", "You, my brothers, brothers".

Today, the ballad song, consisting of 14 four-line verses, "Beyond the Kuban River, at Dolinushka", a constantly performed work at concert venues, enjoys constant interest from the listener. It tells the story of a dying Cossack warrior: "I tore up a grasshopper, put it on the fire / I began to bandage my wounds." The Cossack sends a fighting horse to his relatives to inform them of his death: "And my master, beyond the Kuban, beyond the river / Beyond the Kuban River, turned into another / A fast bullet burned him, And a sharp saber crowned him" ^{[11, p. 107]}. Traditionally, the soloist performs the work "movably", with excitement, clearly identifies the dialectal features of the singing of the linear Cossacks, namely, diminutive nouns, "dolinushka", "shashechka", "ogonyushek", diminutive adjectives, "molodenky", "voronenky", "silky", which affects the penetration feeding the source to the viewer.

The Kuban dialect carries cognitive functions today, the performer painstakingly studies it and conveys it to the viewer, thereby continuing the continuity of Cossack traditions. The Kuban dialect is especially dictated in the songs of the Black Sea, often imprinted in the title of the song: "Oh, gore, gore, gorevanyachko moi", "Manulya parts of the moves", "For clouds, for khmarami sonechko ne skhoda", "Yak priyihav mi mylenky z fields", "Shumyt, gude dibrovonka". And there are many more dialect words of the Kuban Cossack dialect: "nyzenko", "yavir", "tuga", "choven", "zironka", "dibrova", "gomin", "krynychenka", "gorilochka", "beyond the yar", "beyond the khmars".

The singing of the Kuban Cossacks developed comprehensively as an everyday element of life, for example, it was reflected in round dance and dance genres. They indicated the elements of everyday Cossack life. An example of a folklore source "On Arapei Street". See Figure 2.

Figure 2. "On arapei street". A fragment of the song

The genre of the song: round dance, game. The content of the song differs in the dialogue of a girl with a sister who wants to get married: "Two dear sisters went to mass together." The idea of the work can be explained as the greatness of a successful marriage, hence the question: "How do you feel, sister, how do you feel, dear" and gets an answer: "Yes, to live with an old husband, but to be known as an old woman." A roundabout song compositionally starts a series of increasing moments that move the song to a denouement. A repeatedly repeated sound combination is used: "Oh, lyuli, arapei / Oh, liuli, I watered it / Oh, Liuli, to live with my husband." At the same time, "oh, liuli" sounds like a kind of conspiracy-an appeal to nature, to people for a successful marriage. In general, arapei (burdock, burdock-grass), means a symbol of happiness and fertility in Cossack traditions. According to folk traditions, there is a parallel in the song between the emotions, desires of the girl and nature. So, she "saw" someone else's happiness: "There is an arapei on the street, there is a young one on the street"; the girl also wants to be happy: "If this arapei were in my garden/ I would go and water it, shelter it from the cold" ^{[12, p. 295]}. The motif of the source is melodious, embodies a measured, resultant dynamics. The rhythm is smooth, indicated by the chant of each syllable. The song "On Arapei Street" is performed in one voice. These expressive features of the interpretation listed above correspond to the genre of round dance songs. Today, the vocal work is actively performed at various mass events, competitions, and festivals.

Performing singing traditions traditionally progressed and were replenished at the stage of the pre-wedding ceremony before the show, namely, at parties and festivities. There was a mass character, hence the demand for round dance and dance songs. An example is the song of the linear Cossacks "Yes, a girl walked". See Figure 3.

Figure 3. "Yes, there was a girl." A fragment of the song

The song is sung "moderately" by the soloist: "Yes, a girl went, yes, a red one went to her garden." There is a girl here, "red", "yes kalinushka", "yes malinushka", "trouble" happened to her: "Yes, the girl forgot, yes, the red one forgot to wrap up the gate / The girl missed the voivodeship herd." To get away from trouble, she suggests: "If you get raspberries, I'll marry him" ^{[12, p. 301]}. In the song of the linear Cossacks, the local Kuban dialect is used, "wrap up", "studichko", "khto", "get"." Here we observe a circular plotline dating back to the time of the ancestors, where some participants in the game demand "get raspberries", and other participants "yes rushed, yes rushed" (the meaning is to catch a girl). Folklorist A. D. Bigdai gives an "instruction" to the performance of the song: "The third line of each stanza is repeated twice," which brings a special melodic line to the performance.

 The following examples of tunes, although placed by the collector A. D. Bigdai in the genres of round dance and dance songs, are more related to lyrical vocal samples, the so-called song-nicknames, which promote the acquaintance of young people at festivities. This is highlighted in small volumes by the textual component, emphasized by the compositional narrative. These are examples of the songs "Oh, you're a boy, curly". See Figure 4. "Someone's yard". See Figure 5.

Figure 4. "Oh, you're a boy, curly." A fragment of the song.

The presented version is a nickname of a Cossack girl to a young Cossack: "Oh, the grass was burning in the field/ It's not a grasshopper, it's a white grasshopper." The chant stands out for its narrative, "the grass was burning", "the grass was extinguished", "the breeze did not extinguish the grass", "I carried water into the nut". It is marked by metaphoricity: "not a grasshopper – a white grasshopper", (a girl of marriageable age"; "and who wakes up a grasshopper", (who will marry); "there is no water in the nut / There is no sweet truth in me", (disappointment) ^{[12, p. 305]}. Each stanza of the next line is repeated twice, enhancing the melodiousness of the source.

Figure 5. "Someone's yard". A fragment of the song

The three-verse two-line song is a Cossack's nickname: "Whose yard, whose yard? / I would have visited it, visited it" ^{[12, p. 335]}. It is distinguished by the simplicity of poetic construction, "confidently" performed by the chorus.

The briefly listed some features of the song material allow us to highlight the characteristics of the genre of round dance songs.

Table 2. Typological features of the transmission of themes in the genres of round dance and dance songs (selectively)

  Currently, the continuum of preservation and dissemination of the multi-genre vocal and performing heritage of the Kuban Cossacks includes significant positions reflected by modern performers. Firstly, it consists of careful reading of the folklore source with editing options. Secondly, the song document is interpreted by the local speech basis in the South Russian articulatory manner of text reproduction. The image also includes a personal interpretation of the text and music, presented in the stage dynamics by timbre performance justifications. And, finally, carefully processed vocal and artistic samples of Kuban Cossack singing are implemented by creative teams from stage platforms with elements of vocal and expressive practices and methods, which brings safety, continuity of vocal and singing performance.

^[1] 1792 was marked by the landing on Taman of the first settlers, the Black Sea Cossacks. The decree was signed by Empress Catherine II, allocating these lands for free use. Later, the Don Cossacks, called linear, mastered the old barrage line from Ust-Labinsk. The Cossacks brought with them a powerful multi-genre layer of song culture, over time overgrown with newly created sources, giving birth to Kuban Cossack vocal and song creativity.

^[2] Father Kirill Rossinsky (1774-1825) was the Military archpriest of the Black Sea Army. For singing during divine services in the military church, he delegated the creation of a singing choir, asking for 1 thousand rubles for its maintenance, taking care of the invitation of the regent, a set of singers and other logistical issues.

^[3] V. G. Zakharchenko is the artistic director of the Kuban Cossack Choir (1974). As a folklorist, he restored the scattered musical material of A. D. Bigdai, G. M. Kontsevich, personally recorded rare Cossack songs, publishing several music collections. Today, these fundamental music collections are being researched by musicians.