The area of dramatic folk art of the Slavs is vast.
Russian folk drama and folk theater art in general are a most interesting and significant phenomenon of national culture. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, dramatic games and performances formed an organic part of festive folk life, be it village gatherings, religious schools, soldier and factory barracks, or fair booths. Collectors of our days have discovered original theatrical “hearths” in the Yaroslavl and Gorky regions, Russian villages of Tataria, on Vyatka and Kama, in Siberia and the Urals
Folk drama is a natural outgrowth of folklore tradition. It compressed the creative experience accumulated by dozens of generations of the broadest strata of the people.
In later times, this experience was enriched by borrowings from professional and popular literature and democratic theater.
Folk actors for the most part were not professionals, they were a special kind of amateurs, experts in folk tradition, which was inherited from father to son, from grandfather to grandson, from generation to generation of village youth of pre-conscription age. A man would come home from work or a trade and bring back to his native village his favorite play, memorized by heart or copied into a notebook. Even if at first he was just an extra in it - a warrior or a robber, but he knew everything by heart. And now a group of young people gathers and, in a secluded place, adopts the “trick” and learns the role. And at Christmas time there is a “premiere”.
First of all, the confinement of folk ideas was traditional. Everywhere they settled down for Christmastide and Maslenitsa. These two short theatrical “seasons” contained a very rich program. Ancient ritual actions in late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, already perceived as entertainment and, moreover, mischief, were performed by mummers.
The Yuletide and Maslenitsa games of mummers are accompanied by small satirical plays “The Master”, “The Imaginary Master”, “Mavrukh”, “Pakhomushka”. They became a “bridge” from small dramatic forms to the big ones. The popularity of comic dialogues between master and headman, master and servant was so great that they were invariably included in many dramas.
A special role is played in folk drama by songs performed by the heroes at critical moments for them or by the choir - a commentator on the events taking place. Songs were required at the beginning and end of the performance. The song repertoire of folk dramas consists mainly of original songs of the 18th-19th centuries, popular in all strata of society. These are the soldiers’ songs “The White Russian Tsar Rode”, “Malbrouk left on a campaign”, “Praise, praise to you, hero”, and romances “I walked in the meadows in the evening”, “I’m heading off into the desert”, “What’s clouded, the clear dawn " and many others.
Drama heroes
Freedom-loving chieftain, robber, brave warrior, rebellious royal son Adolf.
The “robber” drama is especially loved by the people for its atmosphere of romantic freedom, in which it was possible to exist outside the social hierarchy of society, take revenge on offenders, and restore justice. However, the drama did not avoid dark collisions: the constant feeling of danger, the restlessness of the robbers, their “rejection” were fraught with cruelty.
The most popular of the “robber” dramas are “Tsar Maximilian” and “The Boat”.
"Tsar Maximilian":
The basis of the play is the conflict between the king and his son Adolf, who abandoned the pagan gods and believes in Jesus Christ. The king orders his son to be imprisoned, then shackled and starved. Adolf remains adamant, and his father orders his execution. The executioner also kills himself (“I chop him and destroy myself”). In parallel, another line develops: the gigantic knight threatens the king, demands an “enemy,” the king calls Anika the warrior, who defeats the knight. At the end of the play, Death appears, she does not give the king a reprieve and hits him on the neck with his scythe. The struggle for faith was interpreted as steadfastness in convictions, the ability to resist a tyrant.
"Boat":
The “Boat” is based on a plot about the voyage of robbers led by an ataman along the Volga River, their subsequent molestation at a “farmstead” or an attack on a landowner’s estate. Subsequently, the plot developed: a scene appeared in a bandit camp, a scene of the arrival of a stranger who is accepted into the gang, a scene of a girl being captured by robbers, her refusal to marry the ataman, etc. In the description of the ataman of the robbers, the hero of the drama “The Boat,” the folklore legendary traits of invulnerability are “I blow away small bullets with my spirit (i.e., breath”).
Distinctive feature folk drama are the weekend monologues of her characters. They were often repeated and easily remembered by listeners. The hero had to tell who he was, where he came from, why he came, what he was going to (could) do. The performances were performed without a stage, curtain, wings, props and props - indispensable components of a professional theater. The action took place in the hut, among the people; The actors not participating in the scene stood in a semicircle, coming forward as needed and introducing themselves to the audience. There were no interruptions in the performance. The conventions of time and space are the brightest feature of folk theatrical performance. It required the active co-creation of the audience, who had to imagine, guided by the words of the characters, the place of events.
04. Folk drama. The dramatic elements listed above: ritual agricultural and family peasant actions, round dance games, types of buffoon creativity, church services, school spiritual theater with its interludes, nativity scenes, raeshnik sayings, a booth and the Petrushka theater - all this together provided the necessary dramatic material for the creation of Russian D.N. in the proper sense. Repertoire of Russian D. science. small: only a few plays in terms of plot. But we must take into account the improvised nature of D. science, leading to a large number variations of the same piece. The most famous Russian legend, “Tsar Maximilian,” is registered in more than two hundred versions, often significantly diverging from each other.
Origin "Tsar Maximilian" has not yet been clarified. Some researchers, e.g. V.V. Kallash, assumed that this play is a dramatic alteration of the life of the martyr Nikita, the son of the persecutor of Christians Maximilian, who subjected Nikita to torture for his confession Christian faith. Others (P. O. Morozov and Academician A. I. Sobolevsky), based on foreign names in the play (Maximilian, Adolf, Brambeul or Brambeus, Venus, Mars), it is assumed that this D. n. dates back to some school drama first half of the XVIII century, in turn based on some translated story of the late 17th, early 18th centuries. But from these possible prototypes, a story and a school drama, “The Comedy about Tsar Maximilian and his son Adolf” should have retained, in any case, only very little - maybe only scenes where the pagan king demands from his Christian son the worship of “idol gods” " The rest of the content is filled with scenes borrowed apparently from some interludes (one has already been established - “About Anika the Warrior and his struggle with death”), episodes from the nativity scene, Petrushka, as well as from other folk plays related to “Tsar Maximilian”: “Boats”, “Master”, etc. Moreover, the text of “Tsar Maximilian” is filled with excerpts from folk songs and romances, as well as distorted quotes, folk 559 alterations of poems by Pushkin, Lermontov and other poets. As you can see, the improvisational principle is used very widely in the play. In its original form, in early XVIII century, the play “Tsar Maximilian” could be perceived with political acuteness: in it (these are the assumptions of Shcheglov, Vinogradov, etc.) contemporaries could see a satire on the attitude of Peter the Great, who married a Lutheran and fought against many traditions of the church, to Tsarevich Alexei (according to the play Tsar Maximilian marries the “idol goddess”).
The second most widespread Russian folk drama goes by different names: "Boat", “Boat”, “Gang of Robbers”, “Ataman”, one of the more complicated options is “Mashenka”. In its basic scheme, this play is very close to the traditional beginning of several robber songs, often dedicated to the name of Stepan Razin: a boat is described floating down the river (Volga, Kama) with robbers sitting in it and an ataman standing in the middle of the boat. The content of the play is as follows: the ataman asks the captain what is visible in the distance. IN different options the drama is complicated by introductory episodes, e.g. borrowings from the third folk play “The Imaginary Master”, or “The Naked Master”. The last play is based on a popular folk anecdote about a master and a headman, who informs the landowner that everything is fine with him, “only... mummy died, the house burned down, the cattle died,” etc. The play “Barin” is a parody a scene of the master's court and the master's purchase of a horse, bull and people. Apparently the play originated among the landowners. In the play “The Horse”, or “The Rider and the Farrier”, although in a very confused form of dialogue between the rider (originally the master) and the farrier, the relationship to the landowners and various authorities is also parodically depicted. The play “Mavrukh,” representing a folk adaptation of the song “Malbrouk is about to go on a campaign,” contains a satire on the church funeral of the deceased and on the life of the clergy. Recorded in 1926 in Zaonezhye by a scientific expedition of the State Institute of Art History, the play “Pakhomushka”, despite all its external rudeness, is very interesting as a parody of traditional peasant wedding ceremonies and for a church wedding ( cm. book "Peasant Art of the North", ed. State inst. History of Arts, Leningrad, 1927).
In terms of his composition and style, D. n. can be characterized the following features: the construction of each play is determined by a very faintly outlined plot core (this core is even clearer than others in “Tsar Maximilian,” where at least the intrigue of the struggle between father and son is given). In "The Lifeboat", or "The Boat", the predetermined requirements of the plot are limited only to the motive of the robbers' trip in the boat 560 and meetings along the way with the captain, with old people, etc. In “The Master” only the motive of the master’s comic purchase of various objects and people is given. In "Horse" the plot is a meeting between a horseman and a rider. In “The Imaginary Master” there is a meeting between the master and the headman, the latter’s comic report on the state of the estate. Consequently, the dramatic interest of the plays is caused not by the complex development and internal interweaving of the action, but either by the rapid change of scenes strung one on another (in “Tsar Maximilian”), or simply by the comic dialogue (in “The Master” and in “The Imaginary Master”). The comedy of the dialogue is based on a few, very simple techniques. One of the favorite techniques is the so-called. oxymorons, built on the combination in one or several phrases of contradictory concepts or images, which can create a comic impression of absurdity: “I skillfully heal: from the dead I draw blood to the sword, the healthy are brought to me, the weak are taken away from me” (“Tsar Maximilian” ") or: “All of us, good fellows, were wet, so that not a single thread was left wet, but all were dry” (“Boat”). “The Imaginary Master” is almost entirely built on oxymorons. An even more external technique of comedy is also often encountered - metathesis, i.e. changing words in places in one or more phrases, resulting in “the lady is beating”, “the horse is dying”, etc. (“The Imaginary Master”). The technique of playing with homonyms (that is, words that sound the same, but have different meanings) and synonyms (close in meaning, but different from each other in form) is also widespread. Often the play with homonyms is intensified and facilitated by the motive of the deafness of one of characters. At the last appointment, for example. The entire scene with two old gravediggers in “Tsar Maximilian” is based entirely on: “Vaska the old man, go to the Tsar. - To which mower? “Not to the mower, but to the king,” etc. The technique of implementing metaphors is also used (understanding them in the literal sense): “Is this a colonel? - Raise it higher. “Isn’t that the one who walks on the roof?” (“Tsar Maximilian”). These simple techniques of comedy contrast extremely with the pompous and florid speech of a number of characters, and the resulting grotesque impression is not always recognized as such by the participants and spectators of the D.N. In the speeches of Tsar Maximilian one can hear echoes of church and official clerical speech. As for the direction of satire in Russian literature, its arrows ch. arr. are directed, as in Russian folklore generally, to two social groups: on landowners and the clergy (cf. “The Master”, “The Imaginary Master”, “The Boat”, where the landowners are affected, and “Mavrukh”, where the priests are shown). In some versions of “Tsar Maximilian” and other plays, the officers are occasionally affected and the merchants are comparatively rarely mentioned, which, again, corresponds specific gravity 561 these characters in general satirical folklore - in fairy tales and songs. Observations of ethnographer collectors (Onchukov, Vinogradov and many others), as well as analysis of the content and style of scientific research. lead us to assume that these plays, which perhaps arose initially among schoolchildren, became most widespread among soldiers and part of the peasantry, who were separated from the village thanks to latrine trades, especially since the conditions of barracks or artel life, implying accumulation in one place a large number of familyless people, naturally contributed to the creation of peculiar theater groups. The plays learned in the city or at the factory were spread throughout the villages, usually included in the number of Christmas entertainments, involuntarily absorbing the dramatic elements of traditional ritual folklore.
In conclusion, it is impossible not to note quite numerous experiments in transferring forms of D. n. (in particular “Tsar Maximilian”) on school scene (cm. eg book by M. A. Rybnikova “Tsar Maximilian”). IN last decades, especially during the years of the revolution, many traditional forms D.N. supplanted by new spectacles: club and other public theatrical scenes and ch. arr. cinema, which, with technical improvements, eclipsed the puppet theater, the booth, and the paradise. However, in many more places for some social strata traditional forms of D. n. could be used for propaganda, political and educational purposes. But relatively few practical attempts have been made in this direction (compare, for example, the persistent work of the Moscow “puppeteer” artists Efimovs). The fundamental possibility of the Soviet puppet theater, as far as we know, is not disputed.
04. Russian folklore (folk) dramaturgy. Russian folklore drama is characterized by a stable plot outline, a kind of script, which was supplemented with new episodes. These inserts reflected contemporary events, often changing general meaning script. IN in a certain sense Russian folk drama resembles a palimpsest ( ancient manuscript, based on the cleared text of which a new one was written), in it, behind the more modern meanings there are whole layers of early events. This is clearly visible in the most famous Russian folklore dramas - Boat and Tsar Maximilian. The history of their existence can be traced back to no earlier than the 18th century. However, in the construction of the Boat, archaic, pro-theatrical, ritual roots are clearly visible: the abundance of song material clearly demonstrates the choric beginning of this plot. The plot of Tsar Maximilian is interpreted even more interestingly. There is an opinion that the plot of this drama (the conflict between the despot-tsar and his son) initially reflected the relationship between Peter I and Tsarevich Alexei, and was later supplemented storyline Volga robbers and tyrant-fighting motives. However, the plot is based on more early events, associated with the Christianization of Rus' - in the most common lists of drama, the conflict between Tsar Maximilian and Tsarevich Adolf arises due to issues of faith. This allows us to assume that Russian folk drama is older than is commonly believed and dates back to pagan times.
The most common subjects of folklore drama theater, known in many lists, are the Boat, Tsar Maximilian and the Imaginary Master, while the last of them was played not only as a separate scene, but was also included integral part in the so-called "great folk dramas".
Boat combines a cycle of plays with a “robber” theme. This group includes not only the plots of The Boat, but also other dramas: Band of Robbers, The Boat, The Black Raven. In different versions there are different correlations of folklore and literary elements (from the dramatization of the song “Down Mother on the Volga” to popular robber stories, for example, The Black Hump, or The Bloody Star, Ataman Fra-Diavolo, etc.). Naturally, we're talking about about later (starting from the 18th century) versions of the Boat, which reflected the campaigns of Stepan Razin and Ermak. At the center of any version of the cycle is the image of the people's leader, the stern and brave chieftain. Many motifs of the Boat were later used in the dramaturgy of A. Pushkin, A. Ostrovsky, A. K. Tolstoy. The reverse process was also underway: excerpts and quotes from popular literary works, especially known from popular prints, entered the folklore drama and became entrenched in it. The rebellious pathos of the Boat led to the repeated ban on its showings.
Tsar Maximilian also existed in many versions, in some of them the religious conflict between Maximilian and Adolf was replaced by a social one. This version was formed under the influence of the Boat: here Adolf goes to the Volga and becomes the chieftain of the robbers. In one version, the conflict between the king and his son occurs on family and everyday grounds - because of Adolf’s refusal to marry the bride chosen by his father. In this version, the emphasis is shifted to the farcical, farcical nature of the plot.
The main thing in this play is the originality of its language, the scope and color of the Russian character, they push the content into the background. I think the main thing here is not what it’s about, but how they say it. As a young director, I was infinitely pleased by this remark: “There are no sets, no backstage, no prompter, or any stage devices at all.” I'm being sarcastic, of course, but it struck me as remarkable. Indeed, the time of this work and even its understanding are far from us, and in my time it is completely incomprehensible to me how to make a performance out of nothing (although it seems to me that this can be organically included in the Maslenitsa script, as a prologue to fist fights). And yet, despite the fact that I understand the gulf between me and this work, I am touched by its spontaneity. After reading it, the phrase “Wow!” remains in my mind! A?! This is necessary!!!”, because the play ends in a fight! And for some reason good feeling which each of us experienced in childhood at the first contact with folk art...
Ataman. Esaul!
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly!
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
I'll tell you to roll a hundred,
Your Esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul. What do you order, mighty Ataman?
Ataman. We'll hang out here,
Let's go down the Mother Volga for a walk.
Build me an inert boat instantly!
Esaul. Ready, Ataman:
Rowers in places
Oars on the sides!
Everything is in perfect working order.
At this time, all the robbers sit on the floor, forming between themselves an empty space (boat), in which Ataman and Esaul walk.
Ataman (addressing Esaul) Well done! Got it soon! (Addressing the rowers.) Pray to God, guys! Fuck off.
Volga open spaces and songs, the mere thought of this inspires me, because I know what the Volga is like, you can go down to it, feel the spirit and character with which it filled its cities. Then it seems natural that the Ataman should stomp his foot every time and pronounce the same text. Is it because this play itself is more like a song...
Comments:
First published. in the book: Sipovsky V.V. Historical Reader on the History of Russian Literature, vol. 1, no. 1, 5th ed. St. Petersburg, 1911, p. 239-242. See also: Berkov P. N. Russian folk drama of the 17th-20th centuries: Texts of plays and descriptions of performances / Ed., intro. Art. and comment. P. N. Berkova. – M., 1953, p. 143-149.
Down the Mother Volga - song unknown author XVIII-early XIX century.
Among the dense forests is a song version of F. B. Miller’s poem “The Burial of the Robber (from Freiligrat).”
There were two of us - my brother and I - the monologue was based on a fragment of A. S. Pushkin’s poem “The Robber Brothers”.
Hey mustache! Here's the mustache! Ataman's mustache! - a daring or robber song, the hero of which is considered to be the robber Ivan Us, who acted in the 17th century in the Voronezh province.
The attachment:
Characters:
Ataman, a menacing appearance, in a red shirt, a black jacket, a black hat, with a gun and a saber, with pistols in his belt; the jacket and hat are richly decorated with gold paper
Esaul, dressed almost the same as Ataman; silver paper jewelry
Robbers, dressed in red shirts, on their heads fur hats with badges made of multi-colored paper, various weapons in his belt.
Unknown(aka Bezobrazov), dressed in a soldier's uniform, with a gun in his hands and a dagger in his belt.
Rich landowner an elderly man, sometimes gray-haired, in shoes, a jacket or robe, a bowler hat on his head, and a pipe with a long stem in his hands.
The action takes place on the wide expanse of Mother Volga, on a light boat, the last scene on the shore, in the house of a rich landowner. There are no scenery, no backstage, no prompter, or any stage equipment at all.
Everyone participating in the performance enters a predetermined hut while singing a song. The most commonly performed is the following:
Let me, let me, master,
Enter the new town!
Chorus: Oh viburnum, oh raspberry!
Black currant!
Black currant!
Enter the new mountain,
Walk along the hill,
Walk along the hill,
Say the word!
In your house, master,
Is there any extra log?
If there is an extra log,
Let's knock him out!
At the end of the song, Esaul comes forward and, turning to the owner, says: “Would you like, owner, to watch the performance?” The owner usually replies: “You are welcome!”, “Welcome!” or something like that.
All participants in the performance go out to the middle of the hut and form a circle, in the middle of which Ataman and Esaul stand opposite each other.
Ataman
(He stomps his feet and screams menacingly.)
Esaul (He stomps his foot in the same way and shouts back.)
Ataman
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
Esaul
Here I am in front of you
Like a leaf before the grass!
What do you order, Ataman?
Ataman
Something is boring... Sing me my favorite song.
Esaul
I'm listening, Ataman!
He begins to sing a song and the choir joins in.
The beginning of each line sings Esaul.
Oh, you, my mountains, mountains.
Vorobievskie Mountains!
You’re okay, oh yes, the mountains,
They didn't argue
You just gave birth to mountains,
White-flammable stone!
Runs from under a pebble
The river is fast... etc.
The chieftain, while singing a song, walks back and forth in deep thought with his arms crossed on his chest. At the end of the song he stops, stomps his feet and screams.
Ataman
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly!
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
I'll tell you to roll a hundred,
Your esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul
What do you order, mighty Ataman?
Ataman
Let's go down the Mother Volga for a walk
Go to the ataman's cabin,
Look in all directions:
Esaul takes the cardboard tube and looks around.
Ataman
(Screams.)
Look carefully, tell me quickly!
Esaul
I look, I look and I see!
Ataman
Tell me what you see?
Esaul
I see: there is a deck on the water!
Ataman
(As if I didn’t hear.)
What the hell kind of governor!
Whether there are a hundred or two hundred of them -
I know them and I'm not afraid
And if I get hot,
I'll get even closer to them!
Well done Esaul!
Take my suspicious pipe
Go to the ataman's cabin,
Look at all four sides
Are there any stumps, roots, small places?
So that our boat doesn't run aground!
Be careful, tell me quickly!
Esaul again begins to look around the surroundings. At this time, a song can be heard singing from afar:
Among the dense forests
The robbers are coming...
Ataman
(Angrily stomping and screaming.)
Who is it in my protected forests walking
And sings songs so loudly?
Take it and bring it here immediately!
Esaul
(Jumps out of the boat, but immediately returns.)
A daring alien is walking in your protected forests
And he sings daring songs,
But you can't take it:
Threatens to kill with a gun!
Ataman
You are not a captain, but a woman,
Your guts are weak!
Take as many Cossacks as you want,
Bring the daring alien!
Esaul takes several people and jumps out of the boat with them.
Esaul and the robbers return and bring with them a bound Stranger.
Ataman
(Grozno.)
Who are you?
Stranger
Sergeant Major Ivan Pyatakov!
Ataman
How dare you walk in my protected forests
And sing daring songs?
Stranger
I don't know anyone
Wherever I want, I walk there
And I sing daring songs!
Ataman
Tell us, whose tribe are you?
Stranger
I don’t know my family and tribe,
And recently I’ve been going for a walk…
There were two of us - my brother and me.
Fed and nourished by someone else's family;
Life was not sweet,
And envy took us;
I'm tired of the bitter lot,
I wanted to take a walk at will;
My brother and I took a sharp knife
And they set out on a dangerous trade:
Will the moon rise among the heavens,
We are from the underground - into the dark forest,
Let's hide and sit
And we all look at the road:
Whoever walks along the road -
We beat everyone.
We take everything for ourselves!
Otherwise, in the dead of night
Let's lay down a daring three,
We are approaching the tavern,
We drink and eat everything for nothing...
But the good fellows didn’t walk for long,
We were soon caught
And together with his brother the blacksmiths forged,
And the guards took him to prison,
I lived there, but my brother couldn’t:
He soon fell ill
And he didn’t recognize me
And he recognized everything as some old man;
My brother soon died, I buried him,
And he killed the sentry,
He ran into the dense forest himself,
Under the cover of heaven;
Wandered through thickets and slums
And I came across you;
If you want, I will serve you,
I won’t let anyone off the hook!
Ataman
(Addressing Esaul.)
Write it down! This will be our first warrior.
Esaul
I’m listening, mighty Ataman!
(Addressing the Stranger.)
What is your name?
Stranger
Write - Bezobrazov!
The chieftain again orders Esaul to take the telescope and see if there is any danger.
Esaul
(Declares.)
Ataman
(As if I didn’t hear.)
What the hell
These are worms in the mountains,
There are devils in the water
There are bitches in the forest,
In the cities there are judge hooks,
They want to catch us
Yes, seat them in the prisons,
Only I'm not afraid of them,
And I’ll get closer to them myself!
Look better,
Tell me quickly
Otherwise I’ll tell you to roll in a hundred times -
Your esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul
(Looking down the pipe again.)
I look, I look and I see!
Ataman
What do you see?
Esaul
I see a large village on the shore!
Ataman
It would have been like this a long time ago, otherwise our belly gave out a long time ago!
(Addressing the rowers.)
Turn it on, guys!
All the robbers
(The chorus picks up and sings the song cheerfully.)
Turn it up guys
To the steep bank, etc. until the end.
The boat approaches the shore. Ataman orders Esaul to find out who lives in this village.
Esaul
(Shouts to the public.)
Hey, semi-respectable ones, who lives in this village?
Someone from the audience responds: “Rich landowner!”
Ataman
(Sends Esaul to the Rich Landowner to find out.)
Is he happy for us?
Dear guests?
Esaul
(He gets out of the boat and, approaching one of the participants in the performance, asks.)
Is the owner at home? Who lives here?
landowner
Rich landowner.
Esaul
We need you!
Are you happy with us?
Dear guests!
landowner
Esaul
How glad are you?
landowner
Damn it!
Esaul
How how? Repeat!
Like dear friends.
Esaul
Well, that's it!
Esaul returns back and reports everything to Ataman. The chieftain tells the robbers to go visit the Rich Landowner. The gang gets up and circles the hut several times, singing a “rolling” song: “Hey mustache! Here's the mustache! Ataman's mustache! Having finished the song, the gang approaches the Rich Landowner. The Ataman and the Landowner repeat the dialogue with Esaul almost literally.
Ataman
Do you have money?
landowner
Ataman
You're lying, is there?
landowner
I'm telling you - no!
Ataman
(Addressing the gang, he shouts.)
Hey, well done, burn the rich landowner!
There is a dump and the show ends.
Characters:
Barin, in a red shirt and jacket; straw epaulets on the shoulders; on the head there is a straw hat with cut out paper figures; in his hands is a cane decorated with paper figures. The gentleman has a big belly and his jacket is not buttoned.
He's wearing a cap, an overcoat on his shoulders, a shoulder strap in his hands, and an ordinary hat on his head.
Panya, kumachnik - red sundress, white shirt and white apron, double-row silk belt; on the head there is a “bandage” with ribbons, in the hands there is a “root” - a fan and a scarf.
A horse, a man, with a tail made of straw.
Amazing people: half a dozen or seven boys, twelve years old; faces covered in soot.
The bull doesn’t dress especially, but slips it out of the fofants.
Askers, usually Fofans from the public.
In Tamitsa, the players who play “Barin” are usually taken from different “quarters” of the village (the village is divided into four “ends” that have special names): Barin, for example, from Zarechye, Tax Taxer even from the Upper Reaches, Panyu, let’s say, from Serechye, Horse, let's say from Nizu. This is done so that no end of the village is offended.
The game begins like this: the players approach the house where, for example, a party is taking place. They open the door, and the horse is the first to run into the hut and whip the audience with a prod; everyone in the hut stands on benches, some climb onto the floors, and thus the hut becomes free for action. The whole company enters the hut behind the Horse and goes singing to the front corner; A lantern is carried in front of them. In the front corner, the Master stands facing the people, next to him is Panya on one hand, and the Tax Taxer on the other. People and Fofans (mummers) from the street come in behind the players and stand all over the hut.
Viceroy, viceroy,
Good fellows,
Red girls
Hello!
V s e (answer). Hello, hello, Mr. Master, hello!
B a r i n. Master, hostess,
Viceroy, viceroy,
Good fellows,
Red girls
Do you have any requests between you?
In s e. Yes, yes.
B a r i n. Come, come!
One of the Fofans comes up, pretending to be a petitioner.
P r o s i t e l . Mister master, accept my request.
B a r i n. Who are you?
Petitioner (called fictitious name, - the name of some guy in the village). Vladimir Voronin.
B a r i n. What are you asking for?
P r o s i t e l . To Paraskovya I ask: in the summer Parashka loves me, and in the winter another guy loves Vasily.
B a r i n. Come here, Paraskovya. Why do you love two people at once?
Paraskovya is also the real name of some girl in the village. Instead, one of the Fofans comes up to the Barin’s call and begins to argue and swear with the petitioner. They say whatever they want; whoever swears stronger and wittier is the one greater success has with the public. The Barin and the Farmer consult out loud which of those on trial is guilty and who should be punished: the guy or the girl; For example, a girl is found guilty. The master says: “Come on, Paraskovya, lean against your back!” Paraskovya obeys the court's decision and turns her back. The farmer punishes her with a whip. After the first petitioner, another appears and puts out some other request about the neighbor, about the wife, and so on. The basis for the requests is usually some fact that actually exists in the village, which, of course, is exaggerated, brought to the point of ridiculousness, to the point of absurdity, and thus the trial is a satire on local life and morals, sometimes very evil, sometimes cruel. When there are no more petitioners and all requests have been considered, court decisions have been made and sentences have been executed, the sale of the horse begins.
B a r i n. Kupchinushka, do you have a horse to sell?
O t k u p s h i k. Yes, yes.
They bring the Horse. The master leads the Horse around the hut, watches him run, looks him in the teeth, pokes him in the sides, makes him jump over a stick and decides to buy him.
B a r i n. How much do you want for a horse?
O t k u p s h i k. One hundred rubles in money,
Forty magpies
Salty.........
Forty anbars
Ice cream cockroaches,
Arshin of butter,
Sour milk three skeins,
Michalka Tamitsyna nose,
Our Kozharikha's tail.
B a r i n. I’ll find a hundred rubles in my pocket,
And forty forty
Salty.....
Forty anbars
Dry cockroaches
Will you, laymen?
In s e. We will exact, we will exact.
The master gives the money and takes the Horse.
B a r i n. Well, merchant, don’t you have a bull to sell for meat?
O t k u p s h i k. Like no, there is, there is.
B a r i n. How much do you want for a bull?
O t k u p s h i k. One hundred rubles in money.
Forty magpies
Salty.....
Forty anbars
Dry cockroaches...
As before, bargaining continues until the end. When the bargaining is over, the Bull - a man in an inside-out fur coat and with a jar on his head - is brought in, and the Master hits him on the head with a log, the jar breaks, the Bull falls; the Fofans attack him and crush his sides; release blood.
B a r i n. And what, merchant, don’t you have any Amazing people to sell?
O t k u p s h i k. Yes, yes. Hey, Amazing people, come out!
Amazing people jump out, make faces, dance, spit in all directions, then leave.
B a r i n. Hey, kid, give me some scarlet vodka.
One of the Fofans goes and carries a bottle of water. They start singing the song “In the Pockets,” and Barin and Panya walk through the hut several times, arm in arm. Leaving the hut for another party, they say goodbye.
B a r i n. Master, hostess,
Viceroy, viceroy,
Good fellows,
Red girls
Farewell!
V s. Goodbye. Farewell!
The whole company leaves for another party, of which three or four go around in the evening.
