The Pyatnitsky Russian Folk Chorus (russian: Государственный академический русский народный хор им. М. Е. Пятницкого) is a Russian musical group which was established by

Mitrofan Pyatnitsky Mitrofan (Mitrophan) Yefimovich Pyatnitsky (russian: Митрофан Ефимович Пятницкий; – 21 January 1927) was a Russian and Soviet musician, gatherer of Russian folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes ...

in 1910 initially with 18 peasants from

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

and

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

gubernias. The peasant chorus held its first performance at the Small hall of the Moscow Nobility Club (later the October Hall of the House of Trade Unions) on March 2, 1911. Pyatnitsky focused on traditional Russian song. The performers sang, enacted dance scenes and played folk instruments. One of the first renowned soloists in the chorus was Arina Kolobayeva. In its early years the chorus received high praise from Russian musicians

Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

and

Fyodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass v ...

. In 1918, the chorus transferred its base to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. After hearing the chorus,

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

personally noted the necessity of expanding the chorus's activities, having it perform in concert halls, factories and plants. In 1925, Mitrofan Pyatnitsky was awarded the title of

Merited Artist Merited Artist or Honored Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Union Republics, and autonomous republics, also in some other Eastern Bloc states, as well as in a number of post-Soviet states. Specifically, the term ma ...

of the Republic. After Pyatnitsky's death, the company was named after him and its leadership was taken over by Pyotr Kazmin. In 1931, the chorus was joined by Vladimir Grigorievich Zakharov, who enhanced the chorus's repertoire with his songs. The ensemble was enlarged with a dance group and orchestra of

Russian folk instruments Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

in the 1930s, led by Vasily Khvatov. In 1962, Valentin Levashov became the company's art director. The chorus has its own folklore studio with a collection of folklore materials and recordings. Today, the chorus has over 100 members. The chorus has been awarded numerous state awards. In its long existence, it has visited every port of the former Soviet Union and toured Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Finland, Canada, Israel, Japan, Sweden, Mexico, Germany, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Luxembourg. The group has often performed on stage with Alexander Rosenbaum.

References

Sources

*Soviet Song and Dance Companies - Gosconcert, USSR, 1977. Russian ethnic music Russian folk music Russian traditional music groups Russian choirs Musical groups established in 1910 {{Europe-band-stub