Е-mail: dartmarina@mail.ru
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2, Kakhovskogo side-str., Saint Petersburg, 196084, Russian Federation
Post-Graduate student, Institute of Music, Theatre and Choreography, Russian State Pedagogical
University named after A. I. Hertsen
This paper deals with so called “skomorokh’s” folk songs appearing at Middle Volga. Performers themselves have distinguished them as a separate genre. “Skomorokhs” in Old Russia have been wandering “Saltimbanco” minstrels. Comic epics performed by them has been studied rather thoroughly, but a special kind of dancing comic songs, related with “skomorokhs” by authentic performers, has never been concerned in Russian folklore studies. The author states, that the origin of this kind of songs is related with minstrel heritage. “Skomorokhs” songs have been absorbed by dance tunes and this article is aimed to highlight this almost forgotten genre in its local peculiarity. Area of appearance and recording is restricted to Nizhniy Novgorod region and adjacent territories due to presumable merciful attitude of the regional authorities. It is demonstrated by different sources, including cadastre, census and customhouse books. Group of 97 texts is revealed and analyzed by the author from different collections of recordings, paying special attention to recordings, conducted by A. Karpov in Arzamas county. The author concerns “skomorokhs” songs as a regionally specified inner type of the dance song genre. Plots of “skomorokh’s” songs are compared with those of “rapid” dance songs.
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