FW: Russian Guitar Festival, October 14-17, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids
Golz, Sabine I
sabine-golz at UIOWA.EDU
Sat Oct 9 15:23:15 UTC 2010
Hi Mark,
this Oleg writing from Sabine's account. For more info see my page www.semistrunka.com
You outline two viable options, but... the tuning of the Russian guitar is completely different from either of them. It's tuned from bass to treble:
DGBdgbd', or what is often called "open G tuning."
Predictably, many Russian tunes are actually in minor, and it may come across as a great surprise that the tuning is the way it is. Let me just say a couple additional words about it, although to approach it in depth would require many pages.
1. At the end of the 18th century, there were French and Italian guitarists in Russia's two capitals, playing the European variety of the instrument -- the "normal" guitar -- that at the time was 5-string, Adgbe'.
2. There were also Polish and Czech musicians who used the so-called "English guitar," or a wire-strung, pear-shaped cittern always tuned to a major chord (C, A, or G).
3. The Russian guitar was apparently developed as a hybrid, already on the Russian soil. The first publications had recognizably Czech or Polish names on them, such as the recently-rediscovered Sonata for violin and seven-string guitar by Joseph Kamensky (1799).
4. Gradually, the instrument was becoming more and more Russian, both in terms of its vast repertoire and the place in the culture.
5. All the major Soviet bards of the 60s and 70s (Galich, Okudzhava, Vysotsky) played the Russian seven-string guitar.
I hope this gives you some useful info.
Most sincerely,
Oleg Timofeyev
__________________________________________
Associate Professor Sabine I. Gölz
Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature
The University of Iowa
________________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Mark Kingdom [k2kingdom at GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2010 6:49 AM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] FW: Russian Guitar Festival, October 14-17, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids
Hi Sabine,
Do you know the tuning of the 7 strings, offhand?
Is it the standard six-string, with a low B added,
as is so popular in hard rock music?
Or do they use the High A?
Thanks! (And wish I could attend!)
Mark
On Fri, Oct 8, 2010 at 11:01 PM, Golz, Sabine I <sabine-golz at uiowa.edu>wrote:
> Dear SEELANGS list members --
>
> I hope some of you may find the information below interesting!
>
> Below, please find the program for the 5th annual Russian Guitar Festival
> in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. The festival is part of our effort to revive
> the Russian 7-string guitar tradition, which is deeply rooted in Russian
> culture. References can be found in Pushkin's poems, Tolstoy's novels, and
> you will see one in just about every Soviet film ever made. Our Iowa
> festival is the only annual event solely dedicated to the семиструнная
> гитара!
>
> You can find more information about our non-profit organization at
> www.iarmac.org.
>
> If you would like more information, please write directly to the Artistic
> Director, Oleg Timofeyev (otimofeyev at gmail.com).
>
> Sincerely,
> Sabine Gölz
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Sabine at iarmac.org [Sabine at iarmac.org]
> Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 2:45 PM
> To: otimofeyev at gmail.com
> Subject: Russian Guitar Festival, October 14-17, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids
>
> Dear Friends of the Russian Guitar!
>
> In late May or early June this year, you may have looked around and
> wondered what happened to our annual Russian Guitar Festival, which usually
> takes place at that time. The answer is: it was moved to the fall, because
> in May and June, our Artistic Director, Oleg Timofeyev, was still in Ukraine
> on his recent Fulbright grant.
>
> But now Oleg is back, and this year’s RUSSIAN GUITAR FESTIVAL will take
> place NEXT WEEK, THURSDAY, OCT. 14 – SUNDAY, OCT. 17. As every year, we make
> an effort to represent some of the many styles and faces of the Russian
> guitar: as a classical instrument in contemporary and early music, as a
> folk instrument, and as an instrument to accompany singing. We hope you'll
> join us for another series of high-quality concerts of great music you won’t
> easily hear anywhere else!
>
> Please see below for the concert schedule. Please spread the word, forward
> this message to your friends and anyone who will be interested! We look
> forward to seeing you there!
>
> Sabine I. Gölz
> Executive Director
> International Academy of Russian Music, Arts and Culture
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> IARGUS 2010
> 5th Annual Russian Guitar Festival
>
> October 14 – 17, 2010, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids
>
> Concert Schedule
>
> Thursday, October 14: IOWA CITY
> 7:00 p.m. OLD AND NEW JEWISH MUSIC
> The Timofeyev Ensemble (Iowa City), Duo Controverso (Chicago), Vadim
> Kolpakov, John Schneiderman
> Hillel House, Iowa City, 122 East Market Street, Iowa City
>
> As every year, we will again bring you a concert of Jewish music, a
> favorite with our audiences. This year, the Timofeyev Ensemble
> (NataliaTimofeeva and Oleg Timofeyev, Iowa City) will be joined by the
> celebrated Chicago-based Duo Controverso (Kurt Bjorling, clarinet, Annette
> Bjorling, harp), who are of the top klezmer musicians in this country. The
> concert will also feature Vadim Kolpakov, virtuoso in the style of Russian
> Gypsy guitar, who has many fans in Iowa City, and John Schneiderman on the
> bass guitar.
>
> Friday, October 15: IOWA CITY
> 7:00 p.m. CHAMBER MUSIC WITH RUSSIAN GUITARS
> Jeffrey Cohan, (Eight-Keyed Flute), Christine Rutledge (Viola), John
> Schneiderman (Russian Seven-String Guitar), Kristin Thelander (Natural
> Horn), Oleg Timofeyev (Russian Seven-String Guitar)
> Congregational Church, 30 North Clinton Street, Iowa City
>
> This concert is designed to put the Russian guitar in the context of the
> 19th-century chamber music. It will present a variety of ensembles ranging
> from two Russian guitars (a sonata by Lvov from ca. 1800), a trio with flute
> and natural horn, to compositions with guitar, flute, and viola. In this
> concert, Oleg Timofeyev and John Schneiderman will be joined by two
> distinguished faculty members at the University of Iowa School of Music,
> Christine Rutledge and Kristin Thelander, and by world-famous Seattle-based
> historical flutist Jeffrey Cohan.
>
> Saturday, October 16: CEDAR RAPIDS
> 2:30 p.m. THE SPIRIT OF THE RUSSIAN GUITAR
> The Czar’s Guitars, the Russian Guitar Quartet, Jeffrey Cohan, Vadim
> Kolpakov
> Cedar Valley Bible Church, 3636 Cottage Grove Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids
>
> 6:15 p.m. RECEPTION at the Unity Center, Cedar Rapids
> 7:30 p.m. KALEIDOSCOPE OF 7-STRING GUITAR MUSIC
> The Czar’s Guitars, The Russian Guitar Quartet, Jeffrey Cohan, Vadim
> Kolpakov
> **Admission reception & concert: Adults $17, Students & Seniors $15
> **Admission concert only: Adults $12, Students and seniors $10
> Unity Center, 3791 Blairs Ferry Road NE, Cedar Rapids
>
> The two concerts in Cedar Rapids will present different selections of
> Russian Guitar Music. As a special treat, they will bring the inaugural
> performance of the newly formed RUSSIAN GUITAR QUARTET! The idea of a
> quartet of Russian seven-string guitars of different sizes is not new: we
> know that such quartets existed in the 19th and early 20th century. However,
> no music for them survives. The idea to revive this unique and versatile
> type of guitar ensemble started in 2007. This year, in a new formation of
> players, we are proud to present a program of the best Russian classics
> (Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui) in unique arrangements for four Russian
> guitars. The Russian Guitar Quartet consists of Oleg Timofeyev (Iowa City),
> John Schneiderman (Irvine, CA), Dan Caraway (Dubuque, IA), and Hideki Yamaya
> (Portland, OR).
>
> Sunday, October 17: IOWA CITY
> 3:00 p.m. BAROQUE MUSIC AND THE ORIGINS OF THE RUSSIAN GUITAR
> Jeffrey Cohan (Baroque flute), John Schneiderman (lute, Baroque
> guitar, Russian 7-string guitar), Oleg Timofeyev (viola da gamba, Russian
> 7-string guitar), Hideki Yamaya (classical mandolin, theorbo)
> Congregational Church, 30 North Clinton Street, Iowa City
>
> The Russian guitar was born at a moment in music history when the sound of
> the lute or Baroque guitar was not yet forgotten. In this concert we will
> place the central instrument of our festival in the historic context from
> which it emerged. We are fortunate to have a great selection of plucked
> instrument players. In addition, this concert will also feature the Baroque
> flute virtuoso Jeffrey Cohan.
>
> 7:00 p.m. GALA CONCERT.
> The Czar’s Guitars, Russian Guitar Quartet, and Jeffrey Cohan, and others.
> Congregational Church, 30 North Clinton Street, Iowa City
>
> A favorite with our audiences, the concluding gala concert features
> selections and highlights from the whole festival program. In addition, we
> will be joined by the Crescendo children’s choir.
>
> Admission:
> Unless noted otherwise, admission is
> $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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