The Union of Russian Composers (formerly the Union of Soviet Composers, Order of Lenin Union of Composers of USSR () (1932- ), and Union of Soviet Composers of the USSR) is a state-created organization for musicians and musicologists created in 1932 by
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
in the last year of the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
and first
Five-Year Plan. It became the official replacement for the various artistic associations which were present before like the
Association for Contemporary Music Association for Contemporary Music (ACM) (russian: ACM - Ассоциация Современной Музыки, ''ASM - Assotsiatsiya Sovremennoy Muzyki'') was an alternative organization of Russian composers interested in avant-garde music. It w ...
and the
Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians The Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians or RAPM (russian: Российская Ассоциация Пролетарских Музыкантов, РАПМ ) was a musicians' creative union of the early Soviet period. It was founded in Ju ...
, two of the independently directed, music committees. According to
Richard Taruskin
Richard Filler Taruskin (April 2, 1945 – July 1, 2022) was an American musicologist and music critic who was among the leading and most prominent music historians of his generation. The breadth of his scrutiny into source material as well as ...
, the Union had fully materialized into its full-form well before 1948 and in time for the delivery of
Zhdanov's Doctrine.
During the First Constituent Congress of post-Stalin Union of Soviet Composers, held in Moscow, in April 1960, the composer
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...
was unanimously elected General Secretary.
Priorities of the organization
Their mission, as stated in 2021, is to contribute to "the moral and ethical education of a modern person." They also stipulate key tenants that the Union are focused on addressing, such as:
* Development and strengthening of the composer organizations in all regions;
* Stimulation and creation of ample opportunities for composer creativity;
* Advance of musical culture and compositions of the Russian composers in Russia and abroad;
* Development and support of youth composer creativity;
* Protection of copyright of composers;
* Edition of notes and record of discs, and distribution of pieces of music;
* Creation of positive image of the organization for expansion of opportunities and strengthening of the authority on musical space of the Russian Federation.
History
Stalin era
The Union of Soviet Composers was originally founded in 1932 at the behest of the
Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of the Soviet Union in the final year of the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, known as the Josef Stalin's first
Five-Year Plan. The official memorandum entitled "''On the Restructuring of Literary and Artistic Organizations''," published on April 23 of 1932 notes that while there has been significant progress towards in the fields of literature and art to develop and further Socialist ideals, there was still more work that had to be done in order to fully render these two disciplines Socialist oriented. The reasoning for dissolving the disparate Associations and organizations that had existed prior to 1932 such as the Association for Contemporary Music, the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians, the
All-Union Org. of Associations of Proletarian Writers and the
Russian Association of Proletarian Writers
The Russian Association of Proletarian Writers, also known under its transliterated abbreviation RAPP (russian: Российская ассоциация пролетарских писателей, РАПП) was an official creative union in the ...
] was that these groups, with their distinct goals and aspirations, were stifling collective progress. This was dangerous, as the development of a socialist nation could only be facilitated if the arts and literature were focused on furthering party messaging. Such splinter groups were charged with "group insulation" and "isolation from political tasks," meaning that their focus was not enough of political education of the Proletariat. Thus, in effort to reign in their influence and centralize control over the arts and literature, they were disbanded and replaced with swift measure.
What emerged was the Union of Soviet Composers, its first realization being in Moscow, followed by Unions being formed in Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg), Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Karelia, Tatarstan, and then in the individual Republics across the USSR at the time.
In 1939, the Union created its first leadership council called the Organizing Committee of the Union of Soviet Composers. This newly instated administrative body, originally created by two seminal composers, the Soviet Ukrainian
Reinhold Glière, R.M. Glier and Armenian A.I.
Khachaturian, was created as a way to consolidate management of all the separate branches of the Union of Soviet Composers. The original Board included notable musical luminaries from various musical distinctions, both literarily and performance-based, like M. Arkadiev, composer
A. Goldenweiser, V. Gorodinsky, Boyarsky, composer N.
Myaskovsky
Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский; pl, Mikołaj Miąskowski, syn Jakóbowy; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is so ...
, S. Vasilenko, A. Alexandrov, A. Kerin, composer M.
Ippolitov-Ivanov
Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Ипполи́тов-Ива́нов; 28 January 1935) was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era ...
, composer V.
Shebalin
Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 29 May 1963) was a Soviet composer.
Biography
Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical colle ...
, B. Shekhter, V. Bely, B. Pshibyshevsky, composer A.F.
Gedike, and pianist K.
Igumnov.
From April 19 to 25, 1948, the first Constituent Congress was held where, during the proceedings, the governing bodies such as Secretariats and Chairmen were decided and the
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
was officially christened. Elected during the proceedings was the Inaugural Chairman of the Union, that being the seminal Soviet Musicologist
Boris Asafiev (1948-1949), along with the first General Secretary, a title belonging to the composer
T.N. Khrennikov. During the year, the Board would hold 1-2 plenary sessions, where a Secretariat would be elected who would collectively guide the Union in between sessions and act as the leading force of the Union's affairs.
Following the First Congress, they would be held every five years until 1991.
Post-Stalin era
In the late 1950s (1957 to be exact),
there was a ubiquitous decision to create a Union of Soviet Composers that was not tied to the political party and was operated as an independent organization, equivalent in freedoms to their pre-1932 form. Ergo, the previous name was changed to the Union of Composers of the RSFSR and local organizations were then allowed to operate as satellite organizations of the main body, however retaining the localized independence. At the first Constituent Conference of the new Union in 1960,
D. Shostakovich was elected as the General Secretary in a unanimous vote.
Under the leadership of Shostakovich, the musical and compositional directive of the organization reoriented towards prioritizing contemporary musicians and their works for public display and publishing. Due to his failing health, however, he left the leadership position after only eight years of service during the Second Constituent Congress in 1968. The Union is said to have dedicated itself in Shostakovich's name as a result of his amassed achievements. It was during the Second Constituent Conference that a couple new leaders would be elected, General Secretary being Stanislav Stempnevsky, while the chairman of the board would be Georgy Sviridov.
In 1974, during the Third Constituent Conference, that all-together new leadership would be elected.
Rodion Shchedrin
Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin ( rus, Родион Константинович Щедрин, , rədʲɪˈon kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ɕːɪˈdrʲin; born 16 December 1932) is a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist, winner of USSR State ...
would become the chairman of the board and hold this position for the next 17 years of his life, while Andrey Eshapi would become the Deputy Secretary, Vladislav Kazenin the General Secretary and Deputy Chairman, and Jan Frenkel the second Deputy Chairman. As representatives of the various satellite organizations were the following, all whom comprised the General Secretariat: F. Vasiliev (Chuvash ASSR), R. Gazizov (Bashkir ASSR), V. Krasnoskulov (Rostov-on-Don), Librarian and Publisher V.
Kupriyanov (Mari ASSR), A. Novikov (Novosibirsk), A. Puzei (Sverdlovsk), M. Simanovsky (Saratov), M. Tariverdiev, V. Agafonnikov, the Musicologist Y. Korev (Moscow), B. Tishchenko, V. Uspensky (Leningrad), M. Yarullin (Tatar ASSR).
Post-Soviet era
From 1990 to 2014, the eclectic Russian composer Vladislav Kazenin held the position as Chairman of the Union. Once he was appointed, he began developing and expanding the organization's projects and activities, infusing the Union with more outreach-based ventures like educational events, community concerts, and building networks between communities, event organizations, and musical collectives. Additionally, "''creative collectives"'' were formed across Russia in many regions and Oblasts including: Republic of Sakha, the Republic of Tyva,
Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...
, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk,
Perm Oblast Until 1 December 2005, Perm Oblast (russian: Пе́рмская о́бласть) was a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in Privolzhsky (Volga) Federal District. According to the results of the referendum held in October 2004, Perm Oblast was ...
, the Republic of Adygea, Smolensk,
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
Oblast, Kirov, the Komi Republic, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Bryansk, Penza, Belgorod, Chita, Kaluga, Abakan, and the Moscow region.
There is "The International Prokofiev Competition" in honor of S. Prokofiev, the A. Petrov "All-Russia Prize for Young Composers" otherwise known as "Crystal Tuning Fork" Competition, the "International Competition for Young Composers" in honor of P.I. Yurgenson ”, and "The Governor's International Youth Competition" or "The Youth Gavrilin Contest" in honor of V. Gavrilin.
In 2015, the Eleventh Constituent Congress was held where contemporary composer Rashid Kalimullin was elected as Chairman of the Union, after having served previously as General Secretary of the Union in the Republic of Tatarstan and Deputy Chairman of the main Union.
IN 2017, the Twelfth Constituent Congress was held and it was attended by some of Russia's contemporary composers. Attendees included A. Kroll,
Vladimir Matetsky
Vladimir Leonardovich Matetsky (russian: link=no, Владимир Леонардович Матецкий; born May 14, 1952, in Moscow) is a Russian and Soviet composer, producer, and radio presenter. Matetsky is a member of the Russian Authors ...
, Alexander Klevitsky, Vsevolod Zaderatsky,
Alexey Rybnikov
Alexey Lvovich Rybnikov (russian: links=no, Алексей Львович Рыбников; born July 17, 1945) is a modern Russian composer.
He is the author of music for Soviet and Russian musicals (rock operas) '' The Star and Death of Joaqu ...
, Alexander Tchaikovsky, film composer
Yuri Poteenko, and sculptor
Alexander Sokolov. Under discussion was the restructuring of leadership for the impending new decade and developing partnership projects with the adjacent Russian Musical Society, another organization in Russia.
Festivals
Starting in/around the early 1970s, music festivals began to be held by the Union in various regional territories of the USSR including
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
,
Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...
Oblast,
Ufa
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
,
Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, formerly known as S ...
, the
Tyumen Oblast
Tyumen Oblast (russian: Тюме́нская о́бласть, ''Tyumenskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Western Siberia region of Siberia, and is administratively part of the Urals ...
,
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
,
Suzdal,
Vladimir Oblast
Vladimir Oblast (russian: Влади́мирская о́бласть, ''Vladimirskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its closest border 66 Meter, km east of central Moscow, the administrative cen ...
,
Gorky Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (russian: link=no, Нижегородская область, ''Nizhegorodskaya oblast''), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,3 ...
(currently Nizhny Novgorod), and cities within the
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...
. Early festivals started a long-lasting tradition of annual gatherings of musical professionals and enthusiasts, some of the events being "Panorama of the Music of Siberia" (Novosibirsk), "Don Spring" (Rostov-on-Don), and "Festival in the Kuban."
Once the Soviet Union began to collapse, the music festivals around the early 1990s took on their own traditions and unique features. More and more were foreign composers being featured on concert programming and several festivals are seminal to note during this time such as: "''Panorama of the Music of Russia",'' established in 1973 by R. Shchedrin himself, it has become one of the best known and seminal events for the popularization of contemporary Russian composers and ever since 1993, it has been held all throughout the country, ''"Composers of Russia for Children"'' and ''"Music of Friends."'' Since 1993, The Panorama of Russian Music Festival has been held in regions such as
Chelyabinsk Oblast
Chelyabinsk Oblast (russian: Челя́бинская о́бласть, ''Chelyabinskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the city ...
, Ufa,
Lipetsk Oblast
Lipetsk Oblast (russian: Липецкая область, Lipetskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Lipetsk. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 1,173,513.
Geography
Lipe ...
and
Voronezh Oblast
Voronezh Oblast (russian: Воронежская область, Voronezhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Voronezh. Its population was 2,308,792 as of the 2021 Census.
Geography
V ...
.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, much emphasis has been placed on children's repertoire. In the late 2000s, several festivals in
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city o ...
,
Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast (russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, ''Tverskaya oblast'', ), from 1935 to 1990 known as Kalinin Oblast (), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. It was named after Mikhai ...
,
Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast (russian: Ки́ровская о́бласть, ''Kirovskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: 1,341,312 ( 2010 Census).
Geography
Na ...
and Saratov were dedicated to promulgating its public appeal. In recent years, new contemporary music festivals have emerged across Russia, including places such as
Astrakhan Oblast
Astrakhan Oblast (russian: Астраха́нская о́бласть, ''Astrakhanskaya oblast'', , ''Astrakhan oblysy'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in southern Russia. Its administrative center ...
,
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...
, the "International Festival of New Music" in
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
, "Musical Summer in Tuva" in
Kyzyl
Kyzyl (; Tuvan and russian: Кызыл; , ) is the capital city of the republic of Tuva, Russia. The name of the city means "red" or "crimson" in Tuvan (and in many other Turkic languages). Its population was
History
The city was founded in 1 ...
and various other events in the cities of
Tuva
Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...
.
In 2015, after 48 years of absence The Red Carnation International Festival-Competition of Patriotic Songs
was reinstated as an annual tribute to the popularizing and legacy of Russian Patriotic repertoire.
Leadership
*1941-1942:
Vissarion Shebalin
Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 29 May 1963) was a Soviet composer.
Biography
Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical colle ...
(Chairman of the Board)
*1948-1991 -
Tikhon Khrennikov
Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (russian: Тихон Николаевич Хренников; – 14 August 2007) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist, and General Secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers (1948–1991), who was also know ...
(General Secretary)
*1948-1949:
Boris Asafiev (First Chairman of the Union)
*1960-1968 -
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...
[Точка невозврата. Куда пикирует Союз Композиторов России](_blank)
/ref> (General Secretary)
*1968-? - Georgy Sviridov
Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (Russian: Гео́ргий Васи́льевич Свири́дов ; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian neoromantic composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influ ...
(Chairman of the Board)
*1968-?: Stanislav Stempnevsky (Executive Secretary)
*1978-1995: Vissarion Shebalin
Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 29 May 1963) was a Soviet composer.
Biography
Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical colle ...
(Chairman of the Board)
*1978-?: Andrey Eshpai (First Secretary)
*1978-?: Vladislav Kazenin (Executive Secretary then Deputy Chairman)
*1978-?: Jan Frenkel (Second Deputy Chairman)
*1990-2014: Vladislav Kazenin (Chairman of the Board)
*2010-2015: Rashid Kalimullin (Deputy Chairman)
*2015-: Rashid Kalimullin (Chairman)
Members
According to M. Yakovlev, as of 1978 the total membership had totalled over 2,098.
Awards and honors
*1968: The Order of Lenin
References
External links
Official website of the Union of Russian Composers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Of Composers
Music organizations based in Russia
Music-related professional associations
Music organizations based in the Soviet Union
Civic and political organizations based in the Soviet Union
Entertainment industry unions
Trade unions in the Soviet Union