The history of the parsley doll. Lesson summary “Cheerful Parsley”

Initially, puppets at performances “acted out” fairy-tale scenes, the main characters of which were gods; later biblical stories became popular.

In the Middle Ages, each buffoon artist had his own “tame” hero - a scoffer-tooth, making obscene and evil jokes about those in power. What is the demand for the doll?

The buffoon owners and traveling actors dressed the jokers in a red cap corresponding to their title and rank and gave their jesters sonorous, bright names. The first Italian Parsley was called Pulcinella, which means "cockerel".

Italian Pulcinella

Parsley's French cousin was called Polichinelle

In Germany Casper or Hanswurst

Funny EnglishmanMr Punch

In Turkey - Karagöz, in Spain - Don Cristobal. Russian Petrushka - a ruddy joker, a participant in fair scenes, a character in Russian folk puppet shows, a glove puppet wearing a red shirt, canvas pants and a cap with a tassel.

Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” described “Comedy with Petrushka” as follows:

Comedy with Petrushka,

With a goat and a drummer

And not with a simple barrel organ,

And with real music

They looked here.

Comedy is not wise

However, not stupid either

Khozhalu quarterly

Not in the eyebrow, but straight in the eye!

For more than three centuries, Russian puppeteers have given preference to Parsley in a red cap, with a big nose, and a shrill voice. Jesters have always been considered in Rus' a special caste, which was allowed to tell the truth, dressing it in a witty and sparkling joke.

PETRUSHKA, “the nickname of a farce doll, a Russian jester, amusement maker, a wit in a red caftan and a red cap; The whole clownish, puppet den is also called Petrushka” (V.I. Dal).

The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, has not been reliably clarified. The first written mention of puppet theater in Russia dates back to 1609. The most famous doll of that time was Petrushka. It was first seen in Russia by the German writer, traveler and diplomat Adam Olearius. This happened almost 400 years ago! In 1730, the newspaper St. Petersburg Vedomosti first published an article about the puppet theater and its main character.

Many descriptions of these street screen performances have been preserved. IN late XIX centuries, parsley makers were usually paired with organ grinders. From morning until late evening, puppeteers walked from place to place, repeating the story of Petrushka's adventures many times a day - it was not long, and the entire performance lasted 20-30 minutes. The actor carried a folding screen and a bundle or chest with dolls on his shoulder, and the musician carried a heavy, up to thirty kilograms, barrel organ.

Russian puppeteers used marionettes (puppet theater on strings) and glove puppets-Parsley (in Russia, only men “drove” Petrushka). The set and order of scenes varied slightly, but the basic core of the comedy remained unchanged. Petrushka greeted the audience, introduced himself and started a conversation with the musician. The organ grinder from time to time became Petrushka's partner: entering into a conversation with him, he either admonished him, then warned him of danger, or suggested what to do. These dialogues were also determined by a very important technical reason: Parsley’s speech was not always intelligible enough because of the peep, and the organ grinder, conducting the dialogue, repeated Parsley’s phrases, thus helping the audience understand the meaning of his words. The fact is that Parsley speaks in a special voice using a special instrument - a peep or “talker”. Anyone who has ever blown into a blade of grass held between their palms, producing either a squeak or a “crow”, can understand the principle of its operation. So the squeaker is designed in exactly the same way, only instead of a blade of grass there is a strip of fabric, and instead of palms there are metal plates. The parsley presses the squeak with its tongue to the upper palate, when exhaling, the tissue vibrates (like vocal cords), and that’s the sound! Before mid-19th centuries in Russia, Parsley did not yet have its current name. Most often he was then called “Petr Ivanovich Ukusov”, “Samovarov”, “Vanka Ra-ta-tu-y”.

Petrushka was portrayed as a stupid character, but behind this stupidity lay everyday cunning. He is a mocker, sometimes a rude man, he is pugnacious and cocky. In the person of Petrushka, the people ridiculed their superiors and masters - their hypocrisy, arrogance, passion for wine and delicacies, disdain for to the common people. Maxim Gorky, characterizing the image of Petrushka, wrote the following: “... a figure was created... known to all peoples... This is the invincible hero of the folk puppet comedy, he defeats everyone and everything: the police, the priests, even the devil and death, himself. zho remains immortal. In a crude and naive image, the working people embodied themselves and their belief that in the end, it is they who will overcome everything and everyone.”

With the advent of the 20th century, “The Comedy about Petrushka” begins to quickly collapse. The reason for this was the strict control of the authorities, which reached the point of direct persecution and bans. Petrushka's situation worsened even more when the first World War. Famine and devastation engulfed Russia; the people had no time for entertainment, and Petrushka catastrophically quickly lost its viewers. To earn a living, puppeteers are increasingly beginning to perform their comedy in front of “well-bred” children’s audiences. They are invited to children's parties, New Year trees; in the summer they go to the dachas. Naturally, under such conditions, the text and action of many scenes inevitably changed. Petrushka was becoming almost a good boy. Now he was waving a club and simply scattering his enemies, talking politely. Common speech disappeared, and with it the individuality of the hooligan-baffler, to whom both old and young flocked. The tradition of folk puppet theater was interrupted in the 20th century.

This is interesting

The prototype of the fair doll Petrushka is a real historical figure - the favorite jester of Anna Ioannovna, the Russian Empress from 1730 to 1740. That jester's name was Pietro Mira Pedrillo, he was the son of an Italian sculptor. Pedrillo came to St. Petersburg to the court of the Empress as a musician, performing the role of buffa and playing the violin. Early in his career he had an incident with courtiers. Count Biron, the empress's favorite, invited the young musician to try himself as a court jester.

Pietro Pedrillo with this sonorous surname, natural wit and brilliant mind, was able to do a dizzying career at the court of Anna Ioannovna. He was her constant card partner, generously rewarded and treated kindly by her. The jester left Russia as a very wealthy man after the death of the Empress. His palace nicknames were varied - “Adamka”, “Antonio”, “Petrushka”. It was the last name that was given to the puppet joker of all the fairs and booths of that time. Thus, the Italian court jester became the “father” of the Russian doll, which forever remained a part of the national flavor.

And Petrushka’s appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, exaggerated facial features, the face itself (carved from wood) is treated with a special plant liquid, which makes it look darker; large almond-shaped eyes and a huge nose with a hump, completely white eyeballs and a dark iris, due to which Parsley’s eyes appear black. He inherited Parsley's appearance from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being negative character, Petrushka constantly stretches her lips in a grin. He has four fingers on his hands (a possible symbol that Petrushka is not a person, but some character from another world).

This is what Petrushka remembers in his book “The Life of an Artist” (Memoirs, volume 2) Alexander Benois: “In fact, the first performances that I enjoyed were the performances of Petrushka.

In any case, I remember Petrushka at the dacha, when we still lived in the Cavalier Houses. Already from afar you can hear a piercing squeal, laughter and some words - all this pronounced by the Petrushechnik through a special machine, which he placed behind his cheek (the same sound can be reproduced if you close both nostrils with your finger). The motley calico screens are quickly set up, the “musician” places his barrel organ on the folding trestle, the nasal, plaintive sounds it makes are tuned to a special mood... And then a tiny and very ugly man appears above the screens. He has a huge nose, and on his head is a pointed hat with a red top. He is unusually agile and nimble, his hands are tiny, but he gestures very expressively with them, and he deftly threw his thin legs over the side of the screen. Immediately Petrushka teases the organ grinder with stupid and impudent questions....

Petrushka is courting the terribly ugly Akulina Petrovna, he proposes to her, she agrees, and both take a kind of wedding walk, holding each other tightly by the hand. But a rival appears - this is a brave, mustachioed policeman, and Akulina apparently gives him preference. Parsley, in a rage, beats the peace officer, for which he ends up as a soldier. But soldier’s teaching and discipline are not given to him, he continues to commit outrages and, horror of horrors, kills his non-commissioned officer. Here comes an unexpected interlude. For no apparent reason, two black araps, dressed in bright costumes, emerge. Each of them has a stick in their hands, which they deftly throw up, throw to each other and, finally, loudly beat each other on the wooden heads with it. The interlude is over. Parsley is on the screen again. He has become even more fidgety, even more active, he enters into daring altercations with the organ grinder, squeals, giggles, but the fatal outcome immediately follows. Suddenly, a figurine gathered into a furry ball appears next to Parsley. Parsley is extremely interested in her. He nasally asks the musician what it is, the musician replies: “it’s a lamb.” Parsley is delighted, strokes the “learned, soaked” lamb and sits astride it. The “lamb” obediently makes two or three rounds with its rider along the side of the screen, but then suddenly throws it off, straightens up and, horror of horrors, it is not a lamb at all, but the devil himself. Horned, covered in black hair, with a hooked nose and a long red tongue sticking out of his toothy mouth. The devil butts Petrushka and mercilessly tosses him, so that his arms and legs dangle in all directions, and then drags him to the underworld. Three more times, Petrushka’s pitiful body flies up from some depths, high, high, and then only his dying cry is heard and an “eerie” silence sets in...”

Origin of the doll

The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, has not been reliably clarified. Although in Russia Parsley has been known since the 17th century. Russian puppeteers used marionettes (string puppet theater) and parsleys (glove puppets). Until the 19th century, preference was given to Parsley, by the end of the century - to marionettes, as parsley makers united with organ grinders.

Petrushka’s appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, exaggerated facial features, and the face itself (carved from wood) is treated with a special plant liquid, which makes it look darker; large almond-shaped eyes and a huge nose with a hump, completely white eyeballs and a dark iris, due to which Parsley’s eyes appear black. He inherited Parsley's appearance from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being a negative character, Petrushka constantly stretches his lips in a grin. He has four fingers on his hands (a possible symbol that Petrushka is not a person, but some character from another world).

A typical misconception is to revere Petrushka as an extremely ancient and primordially Russian hero, based on his archetypal character traits, which originated in the depths of human ideas about themselves. Parsley is younger relative much older: Italian Pulcinella, French Polichinelle, English Punch, Turkish Karagöz, German Hanswurst and Kasperle, Spanish Don Cristobal and others - despite the fact that they are all theatrical puppets and are controlled using threads. The only analogue of Petrushka in terms of driving technique is the Guignol glove doll, which appeared in Lyon in early XIX century.

The famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky, characterizing the image of Petrushka, wrote the following: “... a figure was created... known to all peoples..... This is the invincible hero of the folk puppet comedy, he defeats everyone and everything: the police, priests, even the devil and death, himself remains immortal. In a crude and naive image, the working people embodied themselves and their belief that in the end, it is they who will overcome everything and everyone.”

Description of the theater

The parsley screen consisted of three frames, fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground and hid the puppeteer. The barrel organ gathered the audience, and behind the screen the actor began to communicate with the audience through a peep (whistle). Later, with laughter and reprise, he ran out himself, in a red cap and with a long nose. The organ grinder sometimes became Petrushka's partner: because of the squeak, speech was not always intelligible, and he repeated Petrushka's phrases and conducted a dialogue. The comedy with Petrushka was played out at fairs and booths.

In Russia, only men “drove” Petrushka. To make the voice louder and squeakier (this was necessary both for audibility at fair performances and for the special character of the character), they used a special squeak inserted into the larynx. Petrushka's speech had to be “piercing” and very fast.

Doll image

Until the middle of the 19th century in Russia, Parsley did not yet have its current name. Most often he was then called “Ivan Ratyutu” or “Ivan Ratatouille” (which gives away the French roots of the doll). There is a version about the origin of the nickname Parsley from Ukrainian word“command” (save). The current name came to Petrushka after appearing among his many everyday scenes miniature “Petrushka and the policeman”, in which, during numerous attacks, the policeman says to Parsley: “You don’t even have a passport!”, to which Parsley proudly replies: “Yes! According to my passport, I am Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov!”

From some memoirs and diaries of the 1840s it follows that Petrushka was called Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov. The famous Russian puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov called Petrushka Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov (the story “The Four Brothers”) or Vanka Ratatouille.

Subjects

There were main plots: Parsley's treatment, soldier training, the scene with the bride, buying a horse and testing it. The stories were passed from actor to actor, by word of mouth. No character in the Russian theater had the popularity equal to Petrushka.

According to a common but unproven version, plays with the participation of Petrushka were still part of the repertoire of buffoons and consisted of humorous skits and dialogues. Each scene depicted a fight between Petrushka and one character or another (fights were carried out using fists, sticks, etc.).

Usually the performance began with the following plot: Petrushka decides to buy a horse, the musician calls the gypsy horse dealer. Parsley examines the horse for a long time and bargains with the gypsy for a long time. Then Petrushka gets tired of the bargaining, and instead of money, he beats the gypsy on the back for a long time, after which he runs away. Petrushka tries to mount the horse, but it throws him off to the laughter of the audience. This could continue until people laughed it off. Finally the horse runs away, leaving Petrushka lying dead. The doctor comes and asks Petrushka about his illnesses. It turns out that everything hurts. A fight ensues between the Doctor and Petrushka, at the end of which Petrushka hits the enemy hard on the head with a baton. “What kind of doctor are you,” shouted Petrushka, “if you ask where it hurts? Why did you study? You should know where it hurts!” The quarterly appears. - “Why did you kill the doctor?” He answers: “Because he doesn’t know his science well.” After the interrogation, Petrushka hits the policeman on the head with a club and kills him. A growling dog comes running. Parsley unsuccessfully asks for help from the audience and the musician, after which he flirts with the dog, promising to feed it cat meat. The dog grabs him by the nose and drags him away, and Petrushka shouts: “Oh, my little head with its cap and brush is gone!” The music stops, signaling the end of the performance.

If the audience liked it, then they did not let the actors go, applauded, threw money, demanding a continuation. Then they played a small scene “Petrushka’s Wedding”. A bride is brought to Parsley, he examined her the way a horse is examined. He likes the bride, he doesn’t want to wait for the wedding and begins to beg her to “sacrifice herself.” From the scene where the bride “sacrifices herself,” the women left and took their children with them. According to some information, she used great success another scene in which a clergyman was present. It was not included in any of the recorded texts; most likely, it was removed by censorship. There were scenes in which Petrushka did not participate. It was dancing and juggling with balls and sticks.

Parsley defeated all opponents except one - Death. In the last, final scene, Death took Petrushka with him. However, since Petrushka was used in a farce theater, it is natural that the performance was shown several times and in different places. Thus, Petrushka, who “died” for one circle of viewers, “resurrected” for another. This gives researchers reason to draw parallels between the image of Parsley and many different pagan gods, endlessly dying and resurrecting.

Here is what Alexander Benois remembers about Petrushka:

“In fact, the first performances that I enjoyed were the performances of Petrushka.

In any case, I remember Petrushka at the dacha, when we still lived in the Cavalier Houses. Already from afar a piercing squeal, laughter and some words can be heard - all this is spoken Parsley through a special machine, which he placed behind his cheek (the same sound can be reproduced if you press both nostrils with your finger). The colorful chintz screens are quickly set up, the “musician” places his organ-organ on the folding trestle, the nasal, plaintive sounds it makes are tuned to a special mood... And then a tiny and very ugly man appears above the screens. He has a huge nose, and on his head is a pointed hat with a red top. He is unusually agile and nimble, his hands are tiny, but he gestures very expressively with them, and he deftly threw his thin legs over the side of the screen. Immediately Petrushka teases the organ grinder with stupid and impudent questions...

Petrushka is courting the terribly ugly Akulina Petrovna, he proposes to her, she agrees, and both take a kind of wedding walk, holding each other tightly by the hand. But a rival appears - he is a brave, mustachioed policeman, and Akulina apparently gives him preference. Parsley, in a rage, beats the peace officer, for which he ends up as a soldier. But soldier’s teaching and discipline are not given to him, he continues to commit outrages and, horror of horrors, kills his non-commissioned officer. Here comes an unexpected interlude. For no apparent reason, two black araps, dressed in bright costumes, emerge. Each of them has a stick in their hands, which they deftly throw up, throw to each other and, finally, loudly beat each other on the wooden heads with it. The interlude is over. Parsley is on the screen again. He has become even more fidgety, even more active, he enters into daring altercations with the organ grinder, squeals, giggles, but the fatal outcome immediately follows. Suddenly, a figurine gathered into a furry ball appears next to Parsley. Parsley is extremely interested in her. He nasally asks the musician what it is, the musician replies: “It’s a lamb.” Parsley is delighted, strokes the “learned, soaked” lamb and sits astride it. The “lamb” obediently makes two or three rounds with its rider along the side of the screen, but then suddenly throws it off, straightens up and, horror of horrors, it is not a lamb at all, but the devil himself. Horned, covered in black hair, with a hooked nose and a long red tongue sticking out of his toothy mouth. The devil butts Petrushka and mercilessly tosses him, so that his arms and legs dangle in all directions, and then drags him to the underworld. Three more times, Petrushka’s pitiful body flies up from some depths, high, high, and then only his dying cry is heard and an “eerie” silence sets in...”

Life of an Artist. Memories. Volume 2. Alexandre Benois

In the 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century, “The Comedy about Petrushka” begins to collapse. Parsley growers began to appear at children's parties and New Year trees, the text of the scenes changed, losing its sharpness. Parsley stopped killing. He swung his club and scattered his enemies. He spoke politely, and the “wedding” changed, turning into a dance with the bride. The rude, common speech disappeared, and with it the individuality of the hooligan-joker, to whom both old and young came running.

Literature

• O. Tsekhnovitser. History of folk puppet theater in Asia and Europe
• Parsley. Street theater. [M., 1918]
• Simonovich-Efimova N. Ya. Notes of a parsley plant. M. - L., 1925
• Goldovsky B.P. Dolls. Encyclopedia. - M.: Time, 2004
• Smirnova N.I. Soviet Puppet Theater 1918-1932. M., 1963

Sources

Links

• Parsley is not a simple toy. Petr Petrovich Uksusov // klopp.ru

see also

• Pedrillo is one of the likely prototypes of Parsley the character.
• Petrushka (theater)

The ProDetki editors love to visit cultural places and discover new heroes and characters. For example, we became interested in the hero Petrushka in the puppet world.

The Petrushka Theater is a unique performance whose history goes back to the 17th century. At first it was a popular entertainment for ordinary people, and then it gained popularity among high society.

Doll Parsley

Parsley is a printed doll dressed in pants and a red shirt, distinctive feature This character had a pointed cap and a huge red nose.

History of the Petrushka Theater

The Petrushka Theater is one of the oldest entertainments in Rus', which has survived to this day and has not lost its relevance. . Many perceive it as a folk creation, but in reality its prototypes Russian folk theater Parsley has in many countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye.

The first appearance of the Petrushka Theater in Rus' was recorded back in the 17th century, but it gained its main popularity only in the 19th century. Despite the fact that there were several types of puppet theater in Rus', Petrushka's performances were the most popular.

Character Parsley

It is not surprising that Petrushka is the main character of the puppet theater, which is named after him. Let's take a closer look at what it is. As you can see from the history of the creation of the theater, it came to Russian lands from other countries, therefore Russian Petrushka has collected many in his appearance distinctive features different nationalities . For example, his head and hands were incredibly large, and his eyes were almond-shaped, his skin color was dark, and his nose had a large hump. Thanks to all this, he was very similar to his Italian prototype - Pulcinella.

Parsley Although he put his main character at the head of the presentation, he did not limit himself to this. For example, Petrushka’s constant partner in the plot was a bear, with whom he acted out the main scenes .

Russian theater Petrushka and its plots

Based on stories theatrical performance There were always banal and philistine themes of that time: soldier's service, treatment, acquisition of a horse and its testing, as well as Petrushka's dating and wedding.

All the scenes had their own order and were shown strictly one after another:

— The first scene was always based on Petrushka’s purchase of a horse. He bargained with a gypsy salesman, who did not want to give in, then Petrushka got tired of it, for which he hit the merchant. This was the end of the first performance.

— The second scene was a demonstration of how Petrushka climbs onto a horse, but it does not want to obey him and throws off the main character, and then leaves after the gypsy.

— In the third scene, as at the beginning of the performance, Petrushka is not distinguished by a calm disposition, and, having visited the doctor, beats him because the doctor finds many ailments in the main character.

— The last scene is also not complete without fights. When the policeman appears to find out why Petrushka killed the doctor, main character without thinking twice, he does the same with the quarterly. But justice is personified by the dog, which barks and growls at the main character, and then, not succumbing to any cajoling and begging of Petrushka, who grabbed him by the nose, drags him away from the impromptu stage.

This is where the show ends. It is interesting that the duration of the performance depends on how interesting the scenes are played out, because it lasts as long as there are spectators on the street who deign to pay attention to it.

Russian folk theater Petrushka is not limited to just four main scenes in its performance . When there are a lot of onlookers on the streets and the public is ready to watch as much as they want - watch puppet show, the story continues with others interesting stories. One of them is “Parsley’s Wedding”. The script for this performance was so rude and frivolous that parents did not allow their children to watch such a scene.

In all performances, Petrushka acted as a rogue, a swindler and a rude man. Nand his facewas depicteddeven not a sweet smile, as many may think, but a rude grin.

Street theater Petrushka

Traditional Petrushka - puppet theater one actor, the scene of which was always street fairs and shopping areas . The very first performances were shown without a screen, since the only actor-puppeteer simply wore a special skirt with a hoop on his belt. By lifting this ring, the puppeteer disappeared from the view of the audience, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the performance. At the same time, he could calmly move and work with both hands to control two characters at once.

Already at the beginning of the 19th century, such a costume for an actor was replaced by a screen , a prototype of the one in use today. It was installed directly on the ground, hiding the puppeteer and all his props.

Only men were puppeteers, but in order to give their voices additional squeakiness, a specialized squeaker was used. It was inserted directly into the larynx. This gave the puppeteer the opportunity to speak louder.

Contemporary Petrushka Theater

Thanks to many artists who make every effort to preserve the traditions of puppet theater, we have the opportunity to enjoy interesting performances today. Nowadays, of course, these are not only nomadic fair performances, but also street puppeteers.

Most often, Petrushka’s performances can be seen in children’s puppet theaters, for example, “Firebird”, “Albatross”, “Fairytale” and many others.

People's Theater Petrushka on this moment is an opportunity to introduce children and adults to history, as well as to instill in the younger generation a love and interest in literature.

Master class on handicrafts: Glove doll Parsley using papier-mâché technique

Progress of the lesson

V. Berestov “The Hand is an Artist.”
The hand turns
Either into a kitten or into a puppy.
So that the hand becomes an artist
You need very, very little:
Special gloves,
Intelligence, talent - and everything is in order.
During our master class you will get acquainted with the techniques of creating theatrical puppet From scrap materials, make a glove puppet with your own hands, guess which one:
My beautiful cap
Pushed dashingly to the side.
I'm a funny toy
And my name is... (Petrushka)
Well, of course, Petrushka.
The story of Parsley.
It was with Petrushka that the puppet theater in Rus' began its existence. The first puppet theater was born a long time ago, back in Ancient Rome. The main character of his performances was the cheerful, cheerful Pulcinella. Folk puppet heroes who knew how to express feelings ordinary people, appeared in other countries. In France, Polichinelle became the favorite of the audience, and in England - Punch, in Turkey - Karagöz, and in Germany - Hanswurst.

In terms of character, courage, audacity, and mockery, they are all relatives of our Parsley. What men and working people could not, did not dare to say out loud, dolls shouted loudly in squares and fairs. What will you do for Petrushka? Performances by traveling puppeteers were prohibited. The wooden stages and screens were removed. But, the next day, Petrushkin’s screen appeared in the neighboring village and the doll again boldly and boldly, loudly, expressed the secret thoughts of the assembled spectators.
Petrushka's appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, and exaggerated facial features. Big eyes and a huge hooked nose, Parsley got it from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being a negative character, Parsley constantly stretches his lips in a grin.
You and I will make a kind, cheerful Parsley. The doll consists of two parts: the head and the body (gloves, which is why the dolls are called glove dolls).
We will make the head from papier-mâché. Papier-mâché, translated from French, means “chewed paper” - it is an easily moldable mass obtained from fibrous materials (paper, cardboard), usually with the addition of adhesives.
Tools and materials required for work:

Encyclopedic YouTube

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✪ Parsley. Public lesson. Part one.

✪ Nestor Makhno - Parsley of the Russian Revolution

✪ GLOVE DOLL. Monture from Julia.

Subtitles

Origin of the doll

The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, has not been reliably clarified. Although in Russia Parsley has been known since the 17th century. Russian puppeteers used marionettes (string puppet theater) and parsleys (glove puppets). Until the 19th century, preference was given to Parsley, by the end of the century - to marionettes, as parsley makers united with organ grinders.

Petrushka’s appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, exaggerated facial features, and the face itself (carved from wood) is treated with a special plant liquid, which makes it look darker; large almond-shaped eyes and a huge nose with a hump, completely white eyeballs and a dark iris, due to which Parsley’s eyes appear black. He inherited Parsley's appearance from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being a negative character, Petrushka constantly stretches his lips in a grin. He has four fingers on his hands (a possible symbol that Petrushka is not a person, but some character from another world).

A typical misconception is to revere Petrushka as an extremely ancient and primordially Russian hero, based on his archetypal character traits, which originated in the depths of human ideas about themselves. Parsley is the younger relative of the older ones: Neapolitan Pulcinella, French Polichinelle, English Punch, Turkish Karagöz, German Hanswurst and Kasperle, Spanish Don Cristobal and others - despite the fact that they are all theatrical puppets and are controlled using threads. The only analogue of Petrushka in terms of driving technique is the Guignol glove doll, which appeared in Lyon at the beginning of the 19th century.

According to a widespread but unproven version, plays with the participation of Petrushka were still part of the repertoire of buffoons and consisted of humorous skits and dialogues. Each scene depicted a fight between Petrushka and one character or another (fights were carried out using fists, sticks, etc.).

Usually the performance began with the following plot: Petrushka decides to buy a horse, the musician calls the gypsy horse dealer. Parsley examines the horse for a long time and bargains with the gypsy for a long time. Then Petrushka gets tired of the bargaining, and instead of money, he beats the gypsy on the back for a long time, after which he runs away. Petrushka tries to mount the horse, but it throws him off to the laughter of the audience. This could continue until people laughed it off. Finally the horse runs away, leaving Petrushka lying dead. The doctor comes and asks Petrushka about his illnesses. It turns out that everything hurts. A fight ensues between the Doctor and Petrushka, at the end of which Petrushka hits the enemy hard on the head with a baton. “What kind of doctor are you,” shouted Petrushka, “if you ask where it hurts? Why did you study? You should know where it hurts!” The quarterly appears. - “Why did you kill the doctor?” He answers: “Because he doesn’t know his science well.” After the interrogation, Petrushka hits the policeman on the head with a club and kills him. A growling dog comes running. Parsley unsuccessfully asks for help from the audience and the musician, after which he flirts with the dog, promising to feed it cat meat. The dog grabs him by the nose and drags him away, and Petrushka shouts: “Oh, my little head with its cap and brush is gone!” The music stops, signaling the end of the performance.

If the audience liked it, then they did not let the actors go, applauded, threw money, demanding a continuation. Then they played a small scene “Petrushka’s Wedding”. A bride is brought to Parsley, he examined her the way a horse is examined. He likes the bride, he doesn’t want to wait for the wedding and begins to beg her to “sacrifice herself.” From the scene where the bride “sacrifices herself,” the women left and took their children with them. According to some reports, another skit in which a clergyman was present was a great success. It was not included in any of the recorded texts; most likely, it was removed by censorship. There were scenes in which Petrushka did not participate. It was dancing and juggling with balls and sticks.

Parsley defeated all opponents except one - Death. In the last, final scene, Death took Petrushka with him. However, since Petrushka was used in a farce theater, it is natural that the performance was shown several times and in different places. Thus, Petrushka, who “died” for one circle of viewers, “resurrected” for another. This gives researchers reason to draw parallels between the image of Parsley and many different pagan gods who endlessly died and were resurrected.

Here is what Alexander Benois remembers about Petrushka:

In fact, the first performances that I enjoyed were the performances of Petrushka.

In any case, I remember Petrushka at the dacha, when we still lived in the Cavalier Houses. Already from afar a piercing squeal, laughter and some words can be heard - all this is spoken Parsley through a special machine, which he placed behind his cheek (the same sound can be reproduced if you press both nostrils with your finger). The motley chintz screens are quickly set up, the “musician” places his barrel organ on the folding trestle, the nasal, plaintive sounds it makes are tuned to a special mood... And then a tiny and very ugly man appears above the screens. He has a huge nose, and on his head is a pointed hat with a red top. He is unusually agile and nimble, his hands are tiny, but he gestures very expressively with them, and he deftly threw his thin legs over the side of the screen. Petrushka immediately teases the organ grinder with stupid and impudent questions...

Petrushka is courting the terribly ugly Akulina Petrovna, he proposes to her, she agrees, and both take a kind of wedding walk, holding each other tightly by the hand. But a rival appears - he is a brave, mustachioed policeman, and Akulina apparently gives him preference. Parsley, in a rage, beats the peace officer, for which he ends up as a soldier. But soldier’s teaching and discipline are not given to him, he continues to commit outrages and, horror of horrors, kills his non-commissioned officer. Here comes an unexpected interlude. For no apparent reason, two black araps, dressed in bright costumes, emerge. Each of them has a stick in their hands, which they deftly throw up, throw to each other and, finally, loudly beat each other on the wooden heads with it. The interlude is over. Parsley is on the screen again. He has become even more fidgety, even more active, he enters into daring altercations with the organ grinder, squeals, giggles, but the fatal outcome immediately follows. Suddenly, a figurine gathered into a furry ball appears next to Parsley. Parsley is extremely interested in her. He nasally asks the musician what it is, the musician replies: “It’s a lamb.” Parsley is delighted, strokes the “learned, soaked” lamb and sits astride it. The “lamb” obediently makes two or three rounds with its rider along the side of the screen, but then suddenly throws it off, straightens up and, horror of horrors, it is not a lamb at all, but the devil himself. Horned, covered in black hair, with a hooked nose and a long red tongue sticking out of his toothy mouth. The devil butts Petrushka and mercilessly tosses him, so that his arms and legs dangle in all directions, and then drags him to the underworld. Three more times, Petrushka’s pitiful body flies up from some depths, high, high, and then only his dying cry is heard and a “terrible” silence sets in...

Life of an Artist. Memories. Volume 2. Alexandre Benois

In the 20th and 21st centuries

At the beginning of the 20th century, “The Comedy about Petrushka” begins to collapse. Parsley plants began to appear at children's parties and New Year trees, the text of the scenes changed, losing its sharpness. Parsley stopped killing. He swung his club and scattered his enemies. He spoke politely, and the “wedding” changed, turning into a dance with the bride. The rude, common speech disappeared, and with it the individuality of the hooligan-joker, to whom both old and young came running.

Certain elements of the traditional “Comedy about Petrushka” (in particular, free “paradise” verse) were used by S. Ya. Marshak in the play for children's theater"Parsley the Foreigner" (1927).

Nowadays, Anatoly Arkhipov is one of the last parsley makers in Russia, who perfectly knows the secrets of the ancient folk show. He is the creator family theater"Petrushkina Sloboda" in the town of Mytishchi near Moscow.

But still, folk character Parsley also finds a place in the modern context. In 2014, a group of authors from the Moscow Theater of Poets interpreted Petrushka’s sharp character in their own way, endowing him with the gift of poetic prophecy. This is how the Poet-Petrushka was born.

Today he has become an iconic figure on the NTV channel, where he regularly enjoys increasing popularity among the audience.

(See, in particular, the program “International Sawmill”. Rubric “Poet-Petrushka”)

see also

• Pedrillo is one of the probable prototypes of Parsley the character.
• Guignol - glove-type fair theater puppet
• Parsley at war - performance
• Petrushka (theater) - modern Moscow theater
• Nastya, Nastenka - fairy tale

Notes

Literature

• Tsekhnovitser O. History of folk puppet theater in Asia and Europe // Petrushka Theater - M. - L.: "Gosizdat" 1927
• Parsley. Street theater. - M., 1918
• Simonovich-Efimova N. Ya. Notes of a parsley plant. - M. - L., 1925
• Goldovsky B. P. Dolls. Encyclopedia. - M.: Time, 2004
• Smirnova N. I. Soviet puppet theater 1918-1932. - M., 1963

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Parsley is not a simple toy.