Bass singing. Russian high bass

All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.

All sounds that can be sung or played on musical instrument, there are high, medium and low. When musicians talk about the pitch of sounds, they use the term "register", implying whole groups of high, medium or low sounds.

In a global sense, female voices sing sounds of a high or “upper” register, children’s voices sing sounds of a middle register, and male voices sing sounds of a low or “lower” register. But this is only partly true; in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each group of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, middle and low register.

For example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle voice is a baritone, and a low voice is a bass. Or, another example, singers have the most high voice– soprano, the middle voice of the vocalists is mezzo-soprano, and the low voice is contralto. To finally understand the division of male and female, and at the same time, children’s voices into high and low, this tablet will help you:

If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low and high sounds. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are inaccessible to basses or baritones.

Female singing voices

So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as timbre coloring. Timbre properties include, for example, transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, and strength of voice.

Soprano– the highest female singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octave). IN opera performances often the roles of the main characters are performed by singers with such a voice. If speak about artistic images, then a high-pitched voice best characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).

Sopranos, according to the nature of their sound, are divided into lyrical and dramatic– you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If a voice easily copes with fast passages and flourishes in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.

Contralto– it has already been said that this is the lowest of women’s voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often assigned the roles of teenage boys.

Below is a table that names examples of opera roles that are often performed by certain female singing voices:

Let's listen to how women's singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:

Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko

Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera Carmen by Bizet performed by the famous singer Elena Obraztsova

Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, performed by Elizaveta Antonova.

Male singing voices

There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor Of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. “Character” is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. A characteristic tenor is simply irreplaceable where it is necessary to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some cunning rascal.

Baritone– this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is from A major octave to A first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with courageous roles of characters in operas of a heroic or patriotic nature, but the softness of the voice allows them to reveal loving and lyrical images.

Bass– the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from F of the large octave to F of the first. The basses are different: some are rolling, “droning”, “bell-like”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of the characters for the basses are varied: these are heroic, “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.

You are probably interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called octavists, since they “take” low notes from the counter-octave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor-altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost feminine voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.

As in the previous case, male singing voices with examples of their operatic roles are displayed in the table:

Now listen to the sound of male singing voices. Here are three more video examples for you.

Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by David Poslukhin.

Baritone. Gliere's romance “The nightingale soul sang sweetly,” sung by Leonid Smetannikov

Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century - Alexander Pirogov.

The working range of a professionally trained vocalist's voice is usually two octaves on average, although sometimes singers and singers have much greater capabilities. In order for you to have a good understanding of tessitura when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with the picture, which clearly demonstrates the permissible ranges for each of the voices:

Before concluding, I want to please you with one more tablet, with which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another voice timbre. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:

That's all! We talked about what types of voices singers have, we figured out the basics of their classification, the size of their ranges, the expressive capabilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your contact page or on your Twitter feed. There are special buttons under the article for this. Good luck!

• baritone bass
• characteristic bass
• deep bass (bass profundo)
• comic bass (bass buffo)

High Bass , melodious bass (cantanto), live bass - has a working range from F 2 (F large octave) to F 4 (F 1st octave), and sometimes F 4, F# 4, G 4, Ab 4 (F sharp, G and even A-flat of the first octave) at the top. This voice has a light, bright sound, reminiscent of a baritone timbre. However, the mids and lows are absolutely bassy. Singers with this type of voice and low frequencies sing excellently, as well as central basses can go down to a large octave (however, some singers did not sing below the working F of a large octave). Working middle: Bb 2 -D 4 (B-flat of the major octave - D of the first octave).

Center Bass has a wider range, the timbre has a pronounced bass character. This type of voice sometimes has problems with the upper register, although it sounds very powerful in a trained voice (up to the first octave it is much more powerful than in high basses). These voices are available for parts that require a rich sound in the lower range up to F 2 (Large Octave F), and sometimes E 4 (Large Octave E). Working middle: G 2 -C 4 (grand octave - up to the first octave).

Low Bass It has a particularly thick bass flavor, a velvety, rolling timbre, a shorter upper range, and has deep, powerful low notes. In opera, this voice is called bass profundo, the range in opera roles is C 2 -D 4 (C, D of the large octave - C, D of the first octave). Working middle: E 2 -B 4 (E, F of the large octave - A, B of the small octave).

Octavists In choral Orthodox church practice, there are singers with a special character of sound production, i.e. singing not in the chest register, but in the third low register (oscillations of other parts of the sound apparatus), which are called octavist basses (“octave”). Here the lower register of the low bass is used to the maximum - up to G, less often E, very rarely even up to the counter octave (Zlatopolsky). Usually this voice is classical music they do not use it and do not sing in it below the major octave.

Some famous bass lines in operas

Operas in Russian

• Susanin (“Life for the Tsar” by M. I. Glinka)
• Ruslan, Farlaf, Svetozar (“Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. I. Glinka)
• Melnik (“Mermaid” by A. S. Dargomyzhsky)
• Quasimodo (Esmeralda by A. S. Dargomyzhsky)
• Leporello (“The Stone Guest” by A. S. Dargomyzhsky)
• Boris Godunov, Pimen, Varlaam (“Boris Godunov” by M. P. Mussorgsky)
• Ivan Khovansky, Dosifey (“Khovanshchina” by M. P. Mussorgsky)
• Vladimir Galitsky, Konchak (“Prince Igor” by A.P. Borodin)
• Varangian guest, Sea king(“Sadko” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Frost (“The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Tsar Saltan (“The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Sobakin, Skuratov (“ The Tsar's Bride"N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Holofernes (“Judith” by A. N. Serov)
• Prince Gudal (“Demon” by A. G. Rubinstein)
• Gremin (Eugene Onegin by P.I. Tchaikovsky)
• Kochubey (Mazepa by P. I. Tchaikovsky)
• King René (Iolanta by P. I. Tchaikovsky)
• Surin, Narumov (“ Queen of Spades"P.I. Tchaikovsky)
• Old Gypsy (Aleko by S. V. Rachmaninov)
• Kutuzov (“War and Peace” by S. S. Prokofiev)
• King of Clubs, Magician Cheliy, Cook, Farfarello (“Love for Three Oranges” by S. S. Prokofiev)

Operas in other languages

• Basilio (The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini)
• Bartolo (The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini; bass buffo)
• Don Magnifico, Alidoro (Cinderella by G. Rossini)
• Don Profondo, Lord Sidney, Baron Trombonoc, Don Alvaro, Don Prudenzio (“Journey to Reims” by G. Rossini)
• Mustafa (“Italian in Algiers” by G. Rossini)
• Douglas, Bertram ("The Virgin of the Lake" by G. Rossini)
• Walter Fürst, Melchthal, Gesler (“William Tell” by G. Rossini)
• The Governor (Count Ory by G. Rossini)
• Assur, Oroi (“Semiramis” by G. Rossini)
• Tsambri (“Cyrus in Babylon” by G. Rossini)
• Elmiro (Othello by G. Rossini)
• Moses, Pharaoh (“Moses in Egypt” by G. Rossini)
• Bruschino (“Signior Bruschino” by G. Rossini)
• Bartolo (“The Marriage of Figaro” by W. A. ​​Mozart)
• Leporello, Commander, Masetto (Don Giovanni by W. A. ​​Mozart)
• Sarastro (The Magic Flute by W. A. ​​Mozart)
• Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. ​​Mozart; high bass)
• Osmin (“The Abduction from the Seraglio” by W. A. ​​Mozart)
• Uberto (“The Maid-Mistress” by D. B. Pergolesi)
• Henry VIII, Rochefort (Anne Boleyn by G. Donizetti)
• Dulcamara (Elisir of Love by G. Donizetti)
• Raymond (Lucia di Lammermoor by G. Donizetti)
• Oroveso (Norma by V. Bellini)
• Mephistopheles (Faust by C. F. Gounod; high bass)
• Lorenzo, Count Capulet (Romeo and Juliet by C. F. Gounod)
• Zúñiga (Carmen by J. Bizet)
• Nilakanta ("Lakme" by L. Delibes)
• Abemelech (“Samson and Delilah” by C. Saint-Saëns)
• Lindorff, Coppelius, Dappertutto, Doctor Miracle (The Tales of Hoffmann by J. Offenbach; baritone, high bass)
• Kuno, Caspar, Hermit (“Free Shooter” by K. M. Weber)
• Mephistopheles (“Mephistopheles” by A. Boito)
• Attila, Leone (“Attila” by G. Verdi)
• Ramfis, Pharaoh (Aida by G. Verdi)
• Philip II, Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlos by G. Verdi)
• Tom, Samuel (Un ballo in maschera by G. Verdi)
• Banquo (Macbeth by G. Verdi)
• Zachariah (Nabucco by G. Verdi)
• Sparafucile, Count Ceprano (Rigoletto by G. Verdi)
• Ferrando (Il Trovatore by G. Verdi)
• Marquis Calatrava (“Force of Destiny” by G. Verdi)
• Marquis d'Aubigny, Doctor Grenville (La Traviata by G. Verdi)
• Alvise (La Gioconda by A. Ponchielli)
• Wotan, Donner, Fasolt, Fafner (Das Rheingold by R. Wagner)
• Hunding (Walkyrie by R. Wagner)
• Wotan, Alberich, Fafner (Siegfried by R. Wagner)
• Gunther, Hagen, Alberich (“Death of the Gods” by R. Wagner)
• Prince of Bouillon, Quino (“Adriana Lecouvreur” by F. Cilea)
• Fleville, Rocher, Fouquier-Tinville (“André Chénier” by W. Giordano)
• Stromminger, Pastor (“Walli” by A. Catalani)
• Collin, Benois, Alcindor (La Bohème by G. Puccini)
• Bonza (Madama Butterfly by G. Puccini)
• Timur (Turandot by G. Puccini)
• Doctor (Wozzeck by A. Berg)
• Porgy (Porgy and Bess by J. Gershwin, bass-baritone)
• The Genius of Cold (“King Arthur” by H. Purcell)
• Karas, Ibrahim-Ali (“Cossack beyond the Danube” by S. S. Gulak-Artemovsky)
• Taras Bulba (“Taras Bulba” by N. V. Lysenko)
• Makogonenko (“Natalka Poltavka” by N.V. Lysenko)
• Moses (“Moses” by M. Skorik)
• Yaroslav the Wise, Sylvester, Svechkogas, Ludomir, Stemir (“Yaroslav the Wise” by G. Mayboroda)

Parts in operettas

• Pluto, Bacchus (“Orpheus in Hell” by J. Offenbach)
• Calchas (The Beautiful Helen by J. Offenbach)
• General Boom (“The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein” by J. Offenbach)
• Theater director (“Mademoiselle Nitouche” by F. Herve)
• Frank (" Bat"I. Strauss)
• Bartolomeo Delacqua (Night in Venice by J. Strauss)
• Koloman Zupan (“The Gypsy Baron” by J. Strauss)
• Booms, Janos (“Light Horse” by F. von Suppe)
• Würmchen (“The Bird Seller” by K. Zeller)
• First Minister, Master of Ceremonies (“Tsarevich” F. Lehar)
• Manuel Biffi, Lieutenant Antonio, Professor Martini (“Guditta” F. Legare)
• Ferry, Ronsdorf, Prince Leopold (“Queen of the Csardas (Silva)” by I. Kalman)
• Karl Stefan Lienberg (“Maritsa” I. Kalman)
• Circus director Stanislavsky (“Circus Princess” I. Kalman)
• Louis-Philippe (La Bayadère by I. Calment)
• Count Kutaisov (“Servant” by N. Strelnikov)

see also

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Notes

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Excerpt characterizing Bass

In the evening of the same day, there was a lively conversation between the squadron officers at Denisov’s apartment.
“And I’m telling you, Rostov, that you need to apologize to the regimental commander,” said, turning to the crimson, excited Rostov, a tall captain of staff, with graying hair, a huge mustache and large features wrinkled face.
Staff captain Kirsten was demoted to soldier twice for matters of honor and served twice.
– I won’t allow anyone to tell me that I’m lying! - Rostov screamed. “He told me I was lying, and I told him he was lying.” It will remain so. He can assign me to duty every day and put me under arrest, but no one will force me to apologize, because if he, as a regimental commander, considers himself unworthy of giving me satisfaction, then...
- Just wait, father; “Listen to me,” the captain interrupted the headquarters in his bass voice, calmly smoothing out his long mustache. - In front of other officers, you tell the regimental commander that the officer stole...
“It’s not my fault that the conversation started in front of other officers.” Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken in front of them, but I’m not a diplomat. Then I joined the hussars, I thought that there was no need for subtleties, but he told me that I was lying... so let him give me satisfaction...
- This is all good, no one thinks that you are a coward, but that’s not the point. Ask Denisov, does this look like something for a cadet to demand satisfaction from the regimental commander?
Denisov, biting his mustache, listened to the conversation with a gloomy look, apparently not wanting to engage in it. When asked by the captain's staff, he shook his head negatively.
“You tell the regimental commander about this dirty trick in front of the officers,” the captain continued. - Bogdanych (the regimental commander was called Bogdanych) besieged you.
- He didn’t besiege him, but said that I was telling a lie.
- Well, yes, and you said something stupid to him, and you need to apologize.
- Never! - Rostov shouted.
“I didn’t think this from you,” the captain said seriously and sternly. “You don’t want to apologize, but you, father, not only before him, but before the entire regiment, before all of us, you are completely to blame.” Here's how: if only you had thought and consulted on how to deal with this matter, otherwise you would have drunk right in front of the officers. What should the regimental commander do now? Should the officer be put on trial and the entire regiment be soiled? Because of one scoundrel, the whole regiment is disgraced? So, what do you think? But in our opinion, not so. And Bogdanich is great, he told you that you are telling lies. It’s unpleasant, but what can you do, father, they attacked you yourself. And now, as they want to hush up the matter, because of some kind of fanaticism you don’t want to apologize, but want to tell everything. You are offended that you are on duty, but why should you apologize to an old and honest officer! No matter what Bogdanich is, he’s still an honest and brave old colonel, it’s such a shame for you; Is it okay for you to dirty the regiment? – The captain’s voice began to tremble. - You, father, have been in the regiment for a week; today here, tomorrow transferred to adjutants somewhere; you don’t care what they say: “there are thieves among the Pavlograd officers!” But we care. So, what, Denisov? Not all the same?

Singing voices have their own classification, which is diverse. Differences in classification systems can be based on a variety of factors: the strength of the voice, the degree of virtuosity and clarity of performance, etc. However, experts note the need for all the capabilities of the performer’s voice to have a powerful foundation, which is the support of singing.

Quite often, the classification is based on the performer’s voice range and gender. However, these two criteria also provide grounds for formulating a large number of varieties of classification. By identifying a certain group of voices, professionals clarify the presence of narrower groups within it.

Bass - low male voice

A group of male voices called Bass is united in a classification based on the sound of a very low range of voice, for which the characteristic features are called: breadth, “darkness,” richness of timbre formed by the chest resonator.

When touching on the issue of bass range, experts have mixed conclusions. However, the traditional classical idea of ​​the position occupied by the bass on stave is what is united by the FA framework of the major and first octave.

Bass tone

In accordance with the quality of the sound, basses are considered in three groups:

High bass, also called bass baritone or cantante: a voice that is characterized by a high sounding working range with the framework of the note G of the major and first octave; the maximum similarity to the timbre of a baritone is felt in the upper tessitura; The timbre of this type of voice, in comparison with other basses, is characterized by kindness and radiance;

Central or dramatic bass: characterized by maximum expression of authority, menace, wisdom and firmness of the bass timbre;

The bass is low, also called profundo or octavist.

Each subgroup has its own characteristics. For example, a feature of the dramatic bass can be called the singer’s inability to play the notes F and G of the first octave. However, the range of MI notes of the major and first octave is confident. Associated with the ease of sound of the range on the chest resonator. The percentage of use of the head resonator decreases as the sound of the voice decreases.

We'll talk about bass profundo below. In the meantime, it is worth noting that opera roles with fairly representative characters are created for basses, among whom one can find representatives of royal, princely, boyar and other families, sages, generals and other characters who are characterized by masculinity and confidence. All this can be heard in the performer’s voice, which, according to experts, always inspires confidence among listeners.

Another remarkable fact is evidence that in Italy they recognize Russia as the primacy of a state rich in beautiful bass sounds. And Italy itself is famous as the birthplace of excellent tenor voices.

Bass profundo

Returning to this type of bass, it is worth noting that the translation of the word with Italian roots sounds like “deep”. The owner of such a voice is recognized as unique. The difference between this type of male voice and others lies in the extremely low tessitura of the sound. Experts note the possibility of going beyond human conceivable capabilities.

The exclusivity that the bass profundo exhibits is recorded in all aspects of vocal art: in timbre and range, in physiological structure and resonance, and other parameters.

The timbre is deep, but quantitatively, within the framework of low sound, it is limited in overtones, that is, without excluding attractiveness, it is characterized by a lack of timbre saturation. Bass profundo can almost never be heard in solo parts. A rare exception is the church choir. The octavist bass can often be heard in choirs, but its sound is minimal and is required to highlight the volume of the timbre.

Another use of the bass profundo is to double the root note of chords in major and minor triads. When the sound of the timbres of regular and octavist basses, occurring in choral bass parts, merges, the latter acquire the character of massiveness and monumentality. This technique is important in terms of its impact on the listener, who will certainly develop feelings of anxiety and association with the sound of the alarm bell.

Dwelling on the issue of range for the profundo bass, it is worth noting that its framework can be the note FA of the counter octave and DO of the first octave.

When considering the resonance factor for bass profundo, professionals point to the peculiarity of the process in which only the larynx and chest resonator are involved. The structure of the ligaments (long) and their characteristics (dense, elastic) exclude the possibility of using a head resonator in this case.

Bass is the lowest male singing voice. The range of the bass is from F of the major octave to F (G) of the first. True, the range of the central bass and bass profundo can reach lower notes. The brightest note of the high bass is C of the first octave, the working middle is B flat of the large octave - D of the first octave. The bass is a very expressive and rich voice, but unfortunately there are very few singers with such a voice, and few operatic parts have been written for the bass. The range is divided into high (bass cantato), middle (central) bass and low (bass profundo). Based on the nature of the sound, they can be distinguished as baritone bass, characteristic bass or comic bass (bass buffo).

High Bass – this is a melodious bass, timbrally it is the lightest and bright voice. The sound is similar to a baritone, especially in the upper tessitura. Its operating range is from G of the major octave to G of the first.

Center Bass – This is a bass that has a wider range. It is characterized by a solid, sonorous and menacing timbre. The working middle of such voices is the G of a large octave - up to the first octave. The entire range of such a voice sounds good only in the chest resonator; in the head resonator, the bass greatly loses its timbre coloring.

Low bass, bass profundo – Another name for this extremely rare male voice is bass octavist. Vocalists with these voice characteristics can sing the lowest notes (F-G counter octave). It even seems that the human voice cannot produce such sounds. Bass profundo often performs parts in opera or church choirs. The low, deep sound, reminiscent of rumble or seething, is mesmerizing. This phenomenon, according to critics and vocal connoisseurs, can only be found in Russia, they are called “ Russian miracle”, awarding such a voice the title of a unique natural phenomenon.

Baritone bass— This is a voice that has features of both a bass and a baritone. Has a good top and bottom, but no profunda notes. Bass-baritones often have a very rich timbre and powerful sound, and are capable of singing the baritone repertoire.

Bass buffo— this O Usually the bass buffo performs supporting roles. Often these are comic parties or parties of old people. The owner of such a voice is primarily required to have acting skills, and they may not have any singing features or beauty of timbre at all. In the opera seria of the 18th century, basses were rarely used, and recognition came to them only with the advent of opera buffa, where basses were given a significant place.

By its nature, the bass singing voice is less common than other male voices; it often does not appear immediately, and for a long time a singer may consider himself a baritone, but as a result of practice over time, the baritone can develop into a bass. The fact is that the signs by which this or that voice is determined may be blurred or not yet developed in beginners. The only exceptions can be voices that are natural. Exercises for the bass voice are the same as for other singing voices, only in their own tessitura. So if you have a bass, then you are a member of a very rare singing voice.

On February 13, 1873, 140 years ago, Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, the great Russian opera singer, was born.

High bass - this is how the voice of the singer, who could also sing as a baritone, was characterized in professional language. But he truly became the tall and tragic bass of a turning point. The son of simple peasants, he did not receive any special education: neither musical nor acting, even his general education was minimal (three years of primary school in the provincial city of Kazan), but this nugget rose to the top of performing opera art, became the most cultured person of its time. All great conductors and directors reckoned with him. Despite the low quality of the recordings of that time, Chaliapin continued to have a huge influence on the entire Russian art world. In his declining years, the late poet Viktor Fedorovich Bokov made an astonishing confession in an interview with Literaturnaya Gazeta: “I learned to write poetry from Chaliapin. I walked with a backpack containing ten records of the singer. I believe that all my dramatic and Russian character came from Chaliapin...”

“We shouldn’t exaggerate, but we shouldn’t understate it either,” recalls his comrade Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, “he still spent a fair amount of himself... Once we were rushing with him in a reckless car through winter night Moscow from “Prague” to “Strelna”: The frost is severe, the reckless driver is rushing at full speed, and he sits at his full height, with his fur coat open, talks and laughs at the top of his lungs, smokes so that sparks fly in the wind. I couldn’t stand it and shouted:

What are you doing to yourself! Shut up, smell yourself and throw away the cigarette!

“You’re smart, Vanya,” he answered in a sweet voice, “but you’re worrying in vain: my brother, my life is special, Russian, it can withstand everything.”

Yes, Fedora lived through everything. Chaliapin's childhood was poor and hungry: from the age of 10 he was an apprentice to a shoemaker, then a turner, and worked as a scribe and loader. WITH musical literacy met while participating in church choirs. However, the singer’s autobiography is not worth retelling, especially since he himself wrote two books about himself. As a child, Fyodor received a religious upbringing from his parents, which he wrote about in the book “Pages from My Life.” In the summer of 1922, the singer and his family left Russia “for treatment, rest and tour” - with this wording he was given long vacation. Permission to go on long tours was a hidden form of expulsion from the country famous artist, which increasingly resisted the established regime.

When the singer settled in Paris and began to give grandiose tours, he had the idea to give a large amount money to help the Russian unemployed and donate it through the priest Father George, although, according to his contemporaries, he loved money and often repeated: “Only birds sing for free.” So, when Father George’s report on the distribution of this donation from the singer appeared in a Parisian newspaper, people in Moscow were outraged that the singer had entrusted the distribution of money to the priest. In those years in the USSR, the anti-religious campaign through the efforts of foreigners who fought against God intensified.

The proletarian poet V. Mayakovsky reacted immediately: he writes the poem “Mr. People’s Artist,” where he castigates the singer for “throwing 5,000 francs into the bottom of the priest’s hat.” Mayakovsky himself, without a twinge of conscience, took such fees for his campaigns that he brought Lilechka Brik not only fashionable fur coats, but also a latest model Ford, without sharing with any of his compatriots.

By the way, during the First World War, the already recognized first bass of the world quite often gave free concerts in favor of wounded compatriots. After the revolution, which he greeted with enthusiasm, he returned to Mariinskii Opera House, which, having ceased to be imperial, was experiencing a crisis, had lost its former audience, and was also subject to attacks from Proletkult members who demanded that the building and all the theatrical props be transferred to amateur workers’ circles. Chaliapin actually became artistic director theater, made - the only one - huge collections, supported others, went to Moscow, met with Lenin, achieved the creation of an association academic theaters with the preservation of property and rations.

Becoming the first People's Artist of the USSR, how he became the first soloist imperial theaters immediately from the peasants, Chaliapin continued his foreign tours, and again fees began to pour in, fabulous after the famine of Petrograd. Before leaving for France forever, he performed at Christmas in the Butyrka prison “for those in trouble.” Perhaps in memory of Mamontov’s benefactor, whom he never visited in prison, where he ended up after bankruptcy. And in April 1922, he sang farewell to Boris Godunov in Petrograd and a few days later, as we said, he left forever, which resulted in the deprivation of his title people's artist USSR in 1927. Ten years later, doctors found him incurable disease, and in early April 1938, the Russian genius died of leukemia. He was buried in France, but in October 1984, according to the last will of the singer, who wanted to be buried in his homeland, his ashes were transferred to the cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent.

The Russian Cultural Foundation has a sluggish commission on the heritage of Fyodor Chaliapin, and there is a house museum on the Garden Ring, next to the US Embassy. Famous writer and television journalist Alexander Artsibashev, who is a confidant of Fyodor Chaliapin’s children in Russia, conducted a private investigation and presented its results in the documentary story “Chaliapin’s Diamonds.” But, of course, the largest diamond in the tarnished crown of Russian culture is Fedor Chaliapin himself, which means “Gift of God”!

Alexander Alexandrovich MOSKALEV