The History and Development of the Musical Romans as a Genre: A Short Overview
Gloria Politi
gloria.politi@unisalento.itUniversity of Salento (Italy)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7020-5381
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to trace the lines of evolution of the Russian romance, which found fertile ground for its development from the mid-18th century. The genre was firmly embedded in a tradition that had originated a century and a half earlier, but its roots lay in the oral production of ancient Rus’. Despite this strong historical-anthropological imprint, the diachronic development of Russian romance, as a hybrid genre of dual nature—poetic and musical—addressed to both elite and mass audiences, is marked by a series of revivals and contaminations (mainly in 19th-century Europe, especially in Italy). The article, based on culturological, literary and historical studies, presents a brief overview of the development of the genre and its various sub-genres, such as bytovoĭ romans, romans-ballad, romans-elegii͡a, up to contemporary songs and melodies.
Keywords:
Russian romance, romans, opera, song, history of musicReferences
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Authors
Gloria Politigloria.politi@unisalento.it
University of Salento Italy
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7020-5381
Gloria Politi - PhD Tenured Lecturer and Researcher in Slavic Studies (l-LIN/21) since 2007. Adjunct Tenured Professor of Russian Language and Translation (University of Salento). PI of PRIN project “(De)construction of myth in contemporary women’s literature in Russia and Poland.” Research topics cover Russian linguistics, Russian literature, contemporary Russian women literature, translation studies.
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