And now I offer you, my dear readers, the children’s cycle “Spillkins” by S. Maykapar in the form of a fairy tale. Samuil Moiseevich Maikapar: biography Project implementation stages

The name of the composer is widely known in Russia and abroad

children and youth. Thanks to artistic merit, understanding

child psychology and taking into account the characteristics of children gaming machine, plays

Maikapara have firmly entered the repertoire of young pianists. Kids love these

bright, figurative works. We can say with confidence that there is no

one young musician who had not played or heard performed

comrades of some play by Maikapara.

1867 in the city of Kherson. Children's and teenage years associated with seaside

southern city - Taganrog.

Prominent place in cultural life The city was occupied by home music playing.

Just as they played music in the Chekhov family, they spent a lot of time

music and in the Maikapara family. Samuel's mother played the piano well

Moiseevich, who studied in her youth in Odessa. Played the piano by three

sisters, the fourth learned to play the violin.

Taganrog was considered a musical city. Because the School of Music V

Taganrog was opened only in 1885, then, until that time, study

music was available only from private teachers. Teaching children to play

some musical instrument was almost obligatory in every

intelligent Taganrog family. Father Maykapara has had enough

a wealthy person to give children not only secondary, but also higher education

education.

Samuel studied at the same gymnasium, which he graduated from eight years earlier

great Russian writer A.P. Chekhov. In 1885 Maykapar graduated

gymnasium with a silver medal.

Gymnasium of A.P. Chekhov and S.M. Maikapara today.

.
Already at this time, music became his true passion and purpose in life.

Quite early, Maikapar decided to become a musician. And for that matter

his parents and, of course, his first teacher played a positive role

music, Italian Gaetano Molla. Maykapar characterized him as

talented, temperamental and hardworking musician who taught him

understand and love music.

Maykapar was seven years old when he began learning to play the piano.

Musical ability he inherited from his mother, and his love of music from

father, who, although he did not play any of the musical instruments, But

I was always ready to listen to music and felt it deeply. Systematic

piano lessons, playing in an ensemble, visiting chamber music and other

The concerts cultivated the taste of Maikapara, introduced them to the musical

literature. By the age of fifteen he already knew the main works

symphonic and chamber music, having outplayed a lot of four hands with my sister

Symphonies and quartets. He played almost all of Beethoven's sonatas and quite fluently

read from sight. At this time, Maikapar was considered the best accompanist in

Taganrog and performed not only with local amateurs, but also with visitors

professional musicians.

For getting higher education Maykapar went to St. Petersburg, where

was the oldest conservatory in the country, enjoying enormous

the greatest musicians who taught there. To continue the general

education, he intended to go to university.

Maykapar, as a graduate of the gymnasium with a medal, is allowed to enter the university

It was provided. He chose the Faculty of Law, as it did not require

students spend a lot of time on systematic studies. It's time

was necessary for Maikapar, because if he entered the conservatory

I had to practice playing the piano every day and a lot. The young man was

admitted to the junior year conditionally, for one year, since his technical

the preparation left much to be desired.

Samuil Moiseevich entered the class of senior teacher V. Demyansky,

who over the course of two years corrected his hand placement defects, taught

work carefully on piece of music, moved significantly

Technique. Having successfully passed the technical exam to advance to the senior year

conservatory, Maikapar moved to the class of the Italian pianist Veniamin

Cesi, who had just been invited as a professor to the St. Petersburg

conservatory.

For four years Maikapar studied with Chesi, with the help of which he

managed to get acquainted thoroughly piano music Bach, Handel and

Other ancient masters. After working at the conservatory for four years, Cesi

He became seriously ill and left for his homeland in Italy.

Weiss, a student of Liszt. Weiss's teaching was chaotic and

the absence of any system. Maykapar was more considered his student than

worked with him. Maikapar prepared for the final exam on his own,

because shortly before the exam I fell ill. He played the program well and was

appointed to speak at the conservatory act, which was awarded to the best of

graduated.

When Maikapar passed the last of the auxiliary musical

theoretical subjects, A. Rubinstein was present at the exam.

Having familiarized himself with Maykapar's experience in composing music, he advised him

start studying composition theory. That's how Maikapar ended up in class

Professor N. Solovyov, having come to the end of the conservatory not only as

pianist, but also as a composer.

The years Maikapar spent at the conservatory turned out to be very

important due to the environment in which he found himself. While on duty

director of the conservatory, A. Rubinstein took to heart not only

interests of the institution, but also the fate of each student. Forever remembered

Maykapar and Rubinstein's bright performances on the stage.

A.G. Rubinstein.

St. Petersburg Conservatory.

He graduated from Maykapar University two years earlier than the Conservatory. He

tried to practice law for a short time, but soon became convinced that

It is impossible to combine music studies with law. But while studying in

University, Maikapar acquired a certain breadth of views,

disciplined his thinking, learned to argue and express clearly

your thoughts. This allowed him to subsequently go beyond the narrow

musical specialization and become an outstanding scientist in

field of music.

Even after receiving a conservatory education, Maikapar was not

pleased with the results achieved. He, being critical of his

pianistic abilities, goes to Vienna to study with the famous

Theodore Leschetizky (1830-1915). This outstanding teacher educated more than

thousands of pianists, many of whom have successfully performed at concerts

scenes throughout almost the entire 20th century. Among them are Anna Esipova, Vasily

Safonov, Arthur Schnabel.

Theodore Leshetizky

Maikapar was characterized by perseverance, which forced him, when he got down to business,

delve into the smallest details until the issue is fully studied.

Such exceptional conscientiousness was demonstrated by Maikapar in all

areas. A. Rubinstein, who heard Maikapara several times at student

concerts, turned to him with a proposal: “It’s enough for you to study! You’ve already

now a ready pianist. Let's have concerts, and the stage will teach you what it doesn't

no professor in the world can teach." However, only after seven years

After this conversation, Maikapar decided to come out with an independent

concert, which he gave in Berlin, immediately after finishing classes with

Leshetitsky.

perform in concerts as often as possible. With great care Maykapar

preparing for performances, thinking about concert programs, regardless of

whether it is a solo performance, playing in an ensemble or in a charity

concert. Own works he includes them with great

with caution and in minimal quantities.

Thinking through the development of my pianism, listening to the playing of other musicians,

his large appears in print research "Ear for music,

its meaning, nature, features and method proper development". This

Maikapar’s work showed himself to be an outstanding scientist, musician,

not only a player, but also a theoretical thinker. Special attention was

completely dependent on the outside. He pointed out: “The more we work

over the clear distinct perception of external impressions, the richer they are

colors and more varied in character, the inner hearing will be...

receive more and more material for your development and enrichment.”

Maikapar takes an active part in the

Moscow "Scientific and Musical Circle", led first by S. Taneyev, and

later professor of physiology A. Samoilov. The members of the circle were

prominent Moscow musicians and scientists interested in music.

Maikapar became the secretary of the circle and organizer of all reports.

Maikapar had to come to meetings of the circle from Tver, where in 1901

year he opened his own music school. It lasted three

of the year. For so much short term, naturally, Maikapar could not see

significant results of their pedagogical work, however, classes with

children led Maykapar to the idea of creating numerous children's plays

for piano, which received a favorable response in the press. From the number

the works of Maikapar, created in pre-revolutionary times, are of great interest

present piano miniatures: "12 album sheets", "Theater

puppets" of seven numbers. However, the real triumph of Maykapar as

composer for children are "Spillkins" - a cycle of plays created after

revolution.

The difficulty of conducting scientific work in the field of music in Russia was one of

the reasons that prompted Maykapar to go abroad again. Berlin in that

At one time it was a center that attracted the largest musicians in Europe.

Maikapar chose Leipzig, rather than Berlin, as his main place of residence.

which was of interest to him as a center of scientific musical thought.

While in these two cities, Maikapar attended concerts, studied literature,

met composers, musicologists and performers. His own

concert performances took place in small halls. Big success fell out

for his performance with his wife, Sofia Maikapar. Her colorful soprano

received great praise.

Sofia Maikapar (1883-1956)

Maykapar conceives the creation teaching aid, in which, based on

scientific data, the most important issues of teaching the game in

piano. As if in continuation of the published book about musical ear,

individual parts should have headings: “Rhythm”, “Technique”, “Reading with

sheet", "Pedalization", "Public performance", etc. This work was

Maykaparom started, lasted for many years, much has already been done, but

not completely completed. The problem turned out to be too difficult to solve

by one person, taking into account exceptional integrity

Living abroad, Maikapar does not lose touch with Russia. He lived here

relatives, he came here to relax in the summer. In 1910, when he

was in Berlin, he received the following letter from the director of St.

St. Petersburg Conservatory A. Glazunov:

"Dear Samuil Moiseevich! I would like to inform you that on

You as candidates for piano teachers, both lower and higher

course. The Council has authorized me to notify you about this. Elections must

take place in the very near future and the result of the elections, which,

I hope it will be favorable, I will notify you by telegram. Sincerely

respect and devotion to A. Glazunov."

The prospect of teaching at the conservatory, where he himself studied,

seemed seductive to Maikapar. St. Petersburg Conservatory

enjoyed a reputation as one of the best musical educational institutions V

world. For the pedagogical work of Maikapara, the situation at the conservatory

things were going very well. Piano department of the conservatory

was headed by A. Esipova, a student of Leshetitsky. She enjoyed

glory.

Anna Nikolaevna Esipova (1851-1914)

When the question arose at the conservatory about inviting a new teacher

piano class, then Maikapara’s candidacy did not excite anyone

objections. He was a student of the St. Petersburg Conservatory,

belonged to the Leshetitsky school, gave concerts and taught pedagogical

work abroad. In addition, he also had a university education,

which is not so common among professional musicians. Famous

What mattered was that he had graduated from the conservatory with two

specialties and has already made a name for himself as a composer and author

valuable musical theoretical book on musical ear.

Soon Maykapar received a telegram informing him about

favorable outcome of running for the Conservatory's Arts Council.

He has already started studying in the fall. Having started working as a teacher,

two years later he was approved as a senior teacher, and in 1915 he became

professor of special piano class.

For almost twenty years Maikapar conducted pedagogical work in St. Petersburg -

Leningrad Conservatory, at the same time performed in concerts, composed

music and studied scientific work. His concert performances

mainly in the Small Hall of the Conservatory they were attracted by culture

execution. Most significant performing achievement

Maykapara held a cycle of seven concerts in 1925, in which

he performed all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Performance that

Maikapar always loved, remained for him the basis of all other types

activities - composition, pedagogy, scientific work.

During his work at the Leningrad Conservatory, Maikapar released

over forty pianists. In his own pedagogical work, Maikapar was

a follower of Leshetitsky's school, however, did not remain an imitator

techniques of his teacher, and all his life he was a seeking teacher.

As a scientist and public figure showed himself especially active

Maykapar in his twenties. He took part in reforming educational

plans for the conservatory, participated in the work of various commissions, spoke with

methodological reports at meetings of the piano faculty. In these

years, his work “Scientific organization of labor as applied to

work of a performing musician." In 1927, the book "The Meaning of

Beethoven's creativity for our time" with a long preface

A.V. Lunacharsky

At the end of the twenties, a difficult situation arose at the conservatory, in

connections with the struggle of various schools and directions within the piano

faculty. All this required Maykapar to strain his strength. He started

get sick. Having brought the last students to graduation, Samuil Yakovlevich in 1929

left his job at the conservatory. He gave his remaining strength to music

creativity and literary works.

He almost completed the work "Creativity and Work of Musical

performer based on experience and in the light of science." Maykapar's work

remained in the manuscript, but his thoughts on the technique of working on musical

the work was reflected in the lectures that he gave in the spring of 1935 in

Home artistic education children in Leningrad. The lectures were called

“How to play the piano” and were intended for school-age children.

In the same 1935, Maikapar wrote the article “Children’s instrumental

ensemble and its importance in the system of music education.”

In 1934, a competition was organized in Leningrad young talents, V

which involved child musicians aged seven to sixteen

years. Maykapar was on the jury of the competition. More than half

the performers played his piano pieces. In the resolution

show and promotion of artistic education of children in connection with

competition of young talents, which has a huge cultural significance, And

approve the decision of the competition committee on bonuses

Maikapara S.M."

IN last years life, in addition to composing pieces for instrumental

ensemble and the remaining unfinished cycle of light preludes and fugues for

piano, Maikapar continued to pay much attention to methodological

work. Having spent his entire life at the piano and desk, Maikapar did not

the light of his book "Years of Study". He was buried on the Literary Bridges

Volkov cemetery in Leningrad.

The complete collection of Maykapara's published works can be contained in one

volume. Although their number is very large (over 200 titles), most

of these are piano miniatures that fit on one or two pages.

Maikapar's works were published in Germany, Austria, England, France,

America, but it does not follow from this that during the author’s lifetime they used

widespread distribution. In the beginning, when Maykapar was not known as

composer, his first works (romances and piano pieces) were

printed abroad in small editions and, as was then customary, at the expense

recognition, they were produced in quantities that no longer met demand.

multiple reprints.

Writing music for children is a very necessary, honorable, but not easy task. "Yes,

many, many conditions for education are needed children's writer, - pointed out

Belinsky, - we need a gracious, loving, meek, childlike soul

simple-minded; elevated mind, educated, view of the subject

enlightened, and not only a living imagination, but also a living poetic

a fantasy capable of presenting everything in animated, rainbow images.” These

the words can be attributed to an even greater extent to the children's composer.

(The basis for this work was an article on the website of the St. Petersburg Karaite Society)

18 December 1867 - 08 May 1938

famous pianist and composer, teacher at the Petrograd Conservatory, music writer

A multi-talented musician, Maikapar was known as the author of a number of piano pieces for children and youth. In particular, his cycle of piano miniatures “Spillkins”, his romances and “Musical Ear” (Moscow, 1900) gained great popularity.

Biography

Soon after his birth, Samuil Maikapara's family moved from Kherson to Taganrog. Here he entered the Taganrog gymnasium. He began studying music at the age of 6 (lessons with G. Moll).

In 1885 he moved to St. Petersburg and entered the conservatory, where he studied as a pianist with Beniamino Cesi, Vladimir Demyansky and I. Weiss, as well as in the composition class of Nikolai Solovyov. At the same time, he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University (graduated in 1891).

After graduating from the conservatory in 1893, until 1898 he improved as a pianist under the direction of Theodor Leschetizky, and gave concerts in Berlin, Leipzig, St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities.

From 1898 to 1901 he performed in concerts with Leopold Auer and Ivan Grzhimali. In 1901 he founded a music school in Tver. From 1903 to 1910, living mainly in Moscow, he studied concert activities, regularly gave concerts in Germany.

He took an active part (secretary) in the work of the Moscow scientific and musical circle led by S. I. Taneyev. From 1910 to 1930 he taught piano at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He initiated the performance of Beethoven's cycle of 32 sonatas in concerts (for the first time in 1927).

Many composers write music that is listened to with equal enthusiasm by both adults and children. But there are composers who devoted all their creativity to creating only children's music, and one that children could not only listen to, but also perform themselves.

Today we will get acquainted with the music of one of these children's composers, who lived more than 100 years ago. His name was Samuil Moiseevich Maikapar.

Samuil Moiseevich Maikapar born in the city of Kherson in 1867. In the family, besides him, there were 4 sisters and they all studied music. Samuel inherited his musical abilities from his mother, who played the piano very well. He started playing music at the age of 5. At the age of 11, he began to compose music himself and started a notebook in which he wrote down all his works. The family decided that Samuil would become a lawyer, but he abandoned this career and entered the conservatory, which he successfully completed.

In 1901, Maykapar moved to the city of Tver, where he opened his own music school. Then the idea came to him to write children's works that the children themselves could perform.

The composer’s various small pieces for small, just beginning performers can be called miniatures. They, like photographs in an album, are combined into cycles. We will introduce you to one of these cycles today. It's called "Spillikins".

Listen to the sound of this word. How affectionate and musical it is. What does it mean? Once upon a time, a long time ago, this was the favorite game of children. Very small toy things - spillikins - spilled out onto the table in a pile. Most often these were cups, jugs, ladles and other kitchen items carved from wood. ladders, hats, sticks and so on.The spillikins had to be taken out with a small hook, one by one, without moving the others.

Maikapar's little plays are reminiscent of those very spillikins from ancient game. Let's get acquainted with this music. What can you find among the Maikapara spillikins?

First of all, these are children's musical portraits.

Here is a little shepherdess.. On a clear sunny day, he went out into a summer flowering meadow near a river. In order not to be bored with tending his flock, he cut himself a reed and made a pipe out of it. (A pipe is a small pipe)

A bright, joyful tune rang over the meadows. In the middle of the piece, the melody became more reminiscent of a shepherdess' dance, and then his pipe began to play again. And now, after listening to the next miniature, we will see little commander . He is very militant, courageous and courageous. In a clear voice, he gives orders energetically. We don't know who they are intended for - toy soldiers

, soft toys or child friends. But the music convinces us that any order from such a commander will be carried out.

In the next piece, the music is very sad, quiet, plaintive. Listening to it, you want to feel sorry for someone, sympathize, cry. It seems that the child is complaining about his difficult life, about his sad fate. This miniature was named by Samuel Maikapar - “Orphan”

Alan Huckleberry, piano

IMTA Level C3

Trifles: 26 Short Pieces for Piano, Library of Russian Soviet Music, 1977 These are absolutely different portraits

, unlike each other, were presented to us by the composer. In each of them one can discern not an adult, but a child. And the music told us about each one in its own way. We now turn our attention to musical landscapes. What is "landscape"? These are pictures of nature:“Clouds are floating”, “Spring”, “Autumn”, “On the skating rink”.

The musical landscapes of Maykapar are dedicated to the four seasons.

In Maikapara’s “Spillies” there is no such play called “Summer”, but at this time of year it is easily recognizable in some miniatures. For example, “In the kindergarten.” Listening to it, you vividly imagine a warm summer day, a children's playground, a shady garden. Let's listen."Moth" ...That's what Maykapar called this work. A moth is much smaller than a butterfly, it does not have such large wings, so it is not so elegant and graceful. But it is light and fast. After listening to this work, it was as if we saw a moth flying from one flower to another.

I think everyone saw it, how the water flows into the river in a large, powerful stream. Especially in the spring. Have you seen it? In the play"Stormy Flow" Maykapar drew this picture.

Now we have to amazing trip to the world of fairy tales . Fairy tales are always something mysterious, amazingly beautiful, unusual. Sometimes we make up fairy tales ourselves, sometimes we see them in our dreams. Samuil Moiseevich came up with little fairy-tale plays, such as: “A Fleeting Vision”, “Fairy Tale”, “Legend”…

Who among us doesn't love dancing? We like children's and youth, modern and ballroom dancing. We enjoy watching ballet, but this is also a dance. Dancing is very exciting, enjoyable and nice activity. Samuil Moiseevich Maykapar wrote many dances. This Polkas, gavottes, minuets, waltzes.Waltz is a smooth ballroom dance that is more than 200 years old. Word"Waltz" translated means "to spin, to spin." This dance is dominated by whirling graceful movements.

Maykapar "Polka"

Spanish Katya, 6 years, 10 months. ( Report concert Children's Music School Gaza)

A multi-talented musician, Maikapar was known as the author of a number of piano pieces for children and youth. In particular, his cycle of piano miniatures gained great popularity “ Spillilets."

Spills, cycle of plays for children, op.28 (1900)

1. In kindergarten
2. Orphan
3. Shepherd
4. Autumn
5. Waltz
6. Anxious moment
7. Polka
8. A fleeting vision
9. Little commander
10. Fairy tale
11. Minuet
12. Moth
13.Music box
14.March
15.Lullaby
16.Song of the sailors
17.Legend
18.Prelude and Fughetta
19. Echo in the mountains
20.Gavotte
21.In the spring
22. Seven-league boots
23.At the skating rink (Toccatina)
24.Clouds are floating
25.Romance
26.Horseman in the forest (Ballad)

Performs Anna Wang (14 year old)Anna Wang, 14 years old(Recorded on May 9, 2010 in Vancouver, BC, Canada)

And now I suggest to you, my dear readers, baby cycle"Spillkins" by S. Maikapara in the form of a fairy tale

(based on the fairy tale by G. Kamennaya)

One day, while cleaning out the attic, Natasha’s mother found an old doll with a peeling nose in a dusty dress. She didn't have shoes on her feet. Natasha glued chestnut pigtails on the doll, sewed a new chintz dress and small oilcloth shoes. But, although she now had shoes on her feet, the doll was called Sandal. The girl saw her like this for the first time. Natasha really loved the sandal. Every day in the morning she took her out for a walk in the garden. The puppy Sharik always played with them. And what kind of games did they play!

And in the evening, tired of playing, the doll powerlessly lowered her rag hands, bowed her head on Natasha’s shoulder. Then the girl put Sandalfoot in a wooden crib, covered her with a blanket, and sang a lullaby.

Barefoot liked this life. But one day, for her birthday, dad gave Natasha a new doll. She was so beautiful! In a pink transparent dress with lush frills, on her feet are patent leather shoes with buckles, and on her head is a hat with ribbons like a water lily flower. The beautiful doll was named Lyalya. She sat on the sofa, among embroidered pillows, and did not talk to anyone. Of course, the doll was very imaginative. When other toys began to play, she arrogantly declared: “Quiet up, I have a headache!” The toys were offended and stopped paying attention to the troublemaker.

But Natasha really liked Lyalya. In the morning she took the elegant doll in her arms, tenderly pressed her to her and spun around the room with it.

And the more affectionate Natasha was with Lyalya, the sadder and sadder Barefoot became. She did not have such a beautiful dress, hat, and she could not open and close her eyes. The sandal was crying more and more often, huddled in a corner. “Why are you whining,” Lyalya once told her. If I were you, I would have left here long ago. So I’ll go ahead and complain to Natasha, and they’ll throw you into the attic again.” Out of resentment, Barefoot cried even harder and decided to go far into the forest and stay there. She didn’t say anything to anyone, jumped out of the window and ran further and further from her house. The forest was dark and scary.

When the dawn was already turning red over the trees, Barefoot went out to the edge of the forest. She looked around and saw the master Silkworm on a branch, and on the tree trunk a fluffy Squirrel with a nut in her tenacious paws. The sandal shared her grief with the forest inhabitants. The animals consulted and decided to help the doll - to make her as beautiful as Lyalya. Silkworm sewed her a beautiful dress, and Squirrel gave her two nut shells instead of shoes. The Heron also brought a gift - it was a lily hat. Sandal's dream came true: she became as elegant as the Lyalya doll. The little animals frolicked around the doll, calling her to play, but she was afraid to stain her dress. And the animals ran away.

Everyone in the forest was busy with their own business. The silkworm was winding its cocoons into thread. The squirrel was storing nuts for the winter. The sandal became sad. She didn’t know what to do, and she wasn’t used to idleness. She remembered the house, Natasha, toys. “I didn’t even imagine that I would be so sad without you,” thought Barefoot. Why would I do this? Nice dress, if Natasha doesn’t see him? I'm an ungrateful doll. They took me out of the dusty attic, took care of me, and I ran away from them into the forest." The sandal ran straight through the thorny bushes. The grass became thicker and taller. Suddenly the wind blew, lightning flashed, large drops of rain fell on the leaves. All the animals hid into the burrows, and Sandalfoot was left alone.

And the rain kept pouring and pouring. A lily hat got caught on a branch, the wind tore off her dress, and streams of water washed her shoes off her feet. Spattered with mud, shivering from the cold, Sandalfoot finally saw a familiar roof. But just before the house she slipped and fell. She woke up from Sharik’s loud barking. It was he, her faithful comrade, who spent the whole day when the loss was discovered, he could not find a place for himself and went on a search. Sharik happily licked Sandalfoot on the cheek and brought her home. Natasha was very happy. Even Lyalya smiled at Barefoot. And how happy all the other toys were! The doll was cleaned and dressed in a washed cotton dress. And in the evening, all the toys had a real ball in honor of Sandal, and Natasha danced with her, as before.

Sandalfoot was happy again. Only now did she fully understand that friends are more valuable than shiny outfits.

. Soon after birth the family Samuila Maykapar moved from Kherson to Taganrog. Here he entered the Taganrog gymnasium. He began studying music at the age of 6 (lessons with G. Moll).

From 1898 to 1901 he performed in concerts with Leopold Auer and Ivan Grzhimali. In 1901 he founded a music school in Tver. From 1903 to 1910, living mainly in Moscow, he was engaged in concert activities and regularly gave concerts in Germany.

NGMBOUDOD Children's Music School named after. Nefteyugansk.

METHODOLOGICAL REPORT

"WITH. Maikapar and his piano cycle “Spillkins”

Compiled by:

teacher

piano department

S. Maykapar and his piano cycles.

Cycle "Spillkins"

S. Maikapar was born in Kherson in 1867, his childhood years were spent in Taganrog, then Maikapar entered the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1891 and at the same time at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied in two specialties: composition and piano. After graduating from the conservatory and on the advice of Anton Rubinstein, Maikapar goes to Vienna to improve with the famous pianist Professor Theodor Leschetizky. From 1903 to 1910 Maykapar lived in Germany. He gives a lot of concerts, composes, and is engaged in scientific activities. In 1910, Maykapar received an invitation from A. Glazunov to teach at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1930, Maikapar left the conservatory and devoted himself entirely to creative work– composition, performance, scientific works. Maykapar died on May 8, 1938.

The complete collection of Maikapara can be contained in one volume. Although their number is very large (over 200 titles), most of them are piano miniatures that fit on one or two pages. Maykapar's plays were published in Germany, Austria, England, France, and America. The catalog of Maikapara's works contains piano pieces, romances and works for chamber ensemble.

Maykapar began composing at the age of 14-15 and continued throughout his life. And it was in the field of children's music that the name of S. Maikapara became widely known in the country. He found musical images and intonations close to a child; through his pieces for beginners, he teaches children to love music, opening up wide possibilities for them own creativity and the road to knowledge beautiful art sounds.

In vain would we look for bright stylistic features. Their value does not lie in any unique individual features of melody, harmony, etc., but in the combination of all elements, each of which may not be so significant. Clear sense of purpose, spontaneity of expression, combined with great performance and pedagogical experience, helped Maikapar become one of the founders of Russian children's piano literature. He developed a comprehensive system for the development of piano technology. Its cycles piano works, addressed to young pianists, are built according to a very specific plan, covering one or another section of piano technique or type of pianistic difficulty. At the same time, the principle “from simple to complex” is strictly observed. According to this plan, a cycle of 12 wrist preludes op-14, two octave intermezzo op-13, staccato preludes op-31 was created. The tasks in the collection of ensemble pieces “First Steps Op-29 in Piano for 4 Hands are strictly sequentially complicated. A clear pedagogical plan is visible in the famous “spillie” cycle (it is associated with familiarizing the student with all 24 tonalities).

If we take Maykapar’s work in the field of small forms as a whole, then Grieg turns out to be closest to him in form, and partly in spirit. When composing children's plays, Maikapar proceeded from the belief that the general requirements of small artists are the same “as those of adult performers; this is a requirement for imagery, colorfulness, then simplicity and artlessness of compositions. I gave this site the best powers of my creativity.”

Qualities that are characteristic of Maykapar as a “children’s” composer: vitality and imagery of content (lack of artificiality, pretentiousness, far-fetchedness), sincerity and emotionality, simplicity and laconicism, completeness of form, organic connection with the instrument.

This is how Maykapar distributed the plays according to their content:

Nature pictures:“in the morning” op.15 No.1, “in the evening”, “night”, “autumn”, “echo in the mountains”, “spring”, “clouds are floating” op.23 No.24, “by the sea at night”, “in the fog” ", "dewdrops", "quiet morning", "stormy stream", " Starlight Night» Op.33 No.19.

Onomatopoeic plays:“pipe”, “in the forge”, “musical clown” op.16 No. 6, “at war”, “ music Box", "teamwork", "cavalry is coming", "Aeolian harp" op.33.

Figurative plays:“lullaby” op.8, “Italian serenade” op.8, “mermaid”, “clown dance” op.21, “catching butterflies”, “in the kindergarten”, “orphan”, “shepherdess”, “fleeting vision”, “Moth”, “Lullaby”, “Sailors’ Song”, “Seven-League Boots”, “On the Skating Rink”, “Horseman in the Forest”, “Butterfly” Op. 33 No. 8.

Plays of moods and feelings:“sad mood”, “complaint” op.15, “dream” op.16, “in separation”, “memory”, “troubadour song”, “anxious moment”, “funeral march”, “meditation”, “ long road", "calling song", "elegy" op.33, " fun game"Op.33, "dramatic passage."

Dancing:“gavotte” op.6, “tarantella”, “waltz”, “minuet” op.16, “polka”, “mazurka” op.33.

Narrative music:“fairy tale” op.3, “romance”, “dialogue” op.15, “stepdaughter and stepmother” op.21, “lullabies” op.24 from No. 1-6, “legend”, “scary story”, “ a sailor's story" op.33.

Music titles: “children’s play”, “prelude and fugetta”, “operetta”, “melody” op.8, “leaf from the album”, “nocturne” op.8, “scherzino” op.8, “petite rondo”, “prelude” "Op. 16, "Variations on a Russian Theme", "Fugetta" Op. 8, "Sonata" Op. 27, etc.

The vast majority of Maykapar's piano pieces are programmatic works, this is explained by the desire to awaken the imagination of children with the help of their characteristic names, that is, by associative comparison of sound images with phenomena and emotions that are well known to children. Maikapar specified the content of the plays; he realized the special need to create children's plays for beginners, which was done with exceptional success in the “spillie” cycle.

"Spillkins."

The cycle of piano pieces for children by S. Maikapar “Spillkins” is one of the classical works pedagogical repertoire and stands on a par with such collections as “ music notebook Anna Magdalene Bach" , " children's album", "album for youth" by F. Schumann. Created in 1925-1926, the cycle “Spillies” enjoys constant love among both young musicians and their teachers. The plays in the collection are distinguished by everything that is characteristic of true masterpieces - regardless of whether it is a monumental work or a miniature - inspiration, ideal harmony of form, perfect finishing of details. Nowadays, few people know what spillikins are. This was once a very popular game among children: a handful of chopped straws are placed in a pile on the table; The players pull them out, alternating one at a time without shaking the heap. “Spillkins” is a suite that includes piano pieces of various contents. It consists of six notebooks of four plays each (the last notebook has 6 plays). It is interesting to compare this collection with cycles, like “H. T.K. Bach, “Spillkins” plays in all 24 keys. However constructive principle the construction of the “spillie” is somewhat different: Series I (notebook 1 and 2) from C to 3 sharps; in series II (notebook 3 and 4) from C major to 3 flats; Notebooks 5 and 6 cover pieces in keys with 4,5,6 signs. Thus, despite the fact that there are 24 keys in total, and 26 plays, because the keys C and A minor as the starting points of movement to the sharp and flat sides are repeated twice. Realizing how important imagery is for little musicians, Maikapar took the search for the brightest possible titles for plays very seriously; These were not always the first play titles that came to mind. So, in the original version, “anxious moment” was called “worry”, “moth” - “elf”, “legend” - “dreams”, “spring” - “baby”. Instead of a “gavotte,” the play “ Moonlight", although the music of this piece does not provide grounds for such an illusion. Some plays appeared, as the drafts indicate, immediately in finished form, while others were subject to revision and revision. It didn’t take long for the “little commander” to appear. First, “continuous work” was born. She was the melodic seed for the “little commander”. “The f-moll miniature is now “seven-league boots” - according to original plan had a completely different musical idea.

The themes of Maykapar's plays are always very expressive. They are characterized by a bright, memorable melody, usually of short length. The “song of the sailors” is energetic, the strumming in the “shepherdess” is technical. Each play is unique. Its name is not a randomly pasted label, but a definition of content that gives the opportunity to expand creative imagination young performer. The merit of the plays lies in the thematic material itself and less in its development. He resorts to contrasting comparisons, and if they are not needed, then he diversifies the repeated phrases by changing the harmonic background, the figure of the accompaniment, and changing the register. The harmonies in the pieces are extremely simple.

Very often Maykapar resorts to polyphony if at the beginning of his creative path he used the techniques of polyphonic writing rather intuitively, then later came to the conviction that polyphony is a necessary condition creating an authentic piano piece.

Maikapar did not forget about the small size of a child's hand. Nowhere in his children's plays do we find octaves played with one hand or chords played in a wide arrangement. The octave doublings encountered in his work are always performed with two hands. Wide use of piano registers, associated with sweeping, complete freedom of movement of the hand and even the body, within the entire range of the instrument. Maikapar very often and skillfully resorts to this technique. Already the direct use of one or another register gives a corresponding artistic effect (high register - “moth”, “dewdrops”; medium melodious “romance”, “meditation”; low “funeral march”, etc.). Moving any passage, phrase, or even a separate chord from one register to another within one piece gives a different coloring to the sound. By combining transfer with pauses, maintaining the duration of the sound, subtle changes in strokes, dynamic shades, etc. Maikapar achieves amplification semantic meaning separate “pieces”, emphasizes changes in mood, etc. The use of registration in his plays is one of the most effective techniques piano expressiveness. His plays are always accompanied by a clear indication of the tempo of the performance, often supported by the designation of a metronome. The composer gave tempo instructions great importance, correctly considering that they give an idea not only of the speed of movement, but also of its nature. Strokes, dynamic shades and other notations appeared inextricably linked with the musical text. Recording on paper musical notation, the composer simultaneously embodied the performance concept, ensuring the accuracy of its implementation. The only thing left for the performer of Maikapara's plays is to follow his instructions. In this case, they will contribute to the artistry of the performance to the maximum extent. Maykapar always indicates legato and staccato (light and heavy), portamento, signs of extension above a note, accents, etc. The placed leagues accurately indicate the beginning and end of the phrase, and dynamic designations indicate signs of acceleration and deceleration of movement (using Italian terminology) always placed exactly where they should begin and end. It is impossible not to note the peculiarities of the designation of the fingerings put down by Maikapar in his plays, giving it and the correct attitude towards it great importance. Maikapar adhered to exceptional precision in the designation of pedaling, considering it an effective means of artistic performance. The use of the pedal in his pieces is very diverse and it is always justified artistic purposes. Unfortunately. Even teachers do not pay enough attention to the issues and designations of pedaling in Maykapar's plays and do not give them the importance that the composer gave them.

I would like to draw special attention to the fact that the collection “spillies” is a cycle of plays of different characters, i.e. it has artistic value as a whole. And although, of course, it is difficult to expect its fulfillment young musicians in its entirety, just as Bach’s cycles of inventions and symphonies are rarely performed in their entirety, the KhTK, according to the original plan, was conceived as a single work. Everyone can easily be convinced of this if they understand the design features of the cycle (tonal plan) and play the pieces one after another: the appearance of each next one sounds like a surprise, and not a dissonance with the previous one. It is quite obvious that only a great master could create a harmonious suite of 26 pieces.

Writing music for children is a very necessary, honorable, but not easy task. Belinsky wrote “we need a gracious, loving, meek, melodic, simple-minded soul; an elevated, educated mind, a lively imagination, a living poetic fantasy, capable of imagining everything in animated, rainbow images.”

Literature.

1. Samuel Maikapar and his piano cycles. "Classics" 2009

2. Portraits of pianists. D. Rabinovich. M., 1963

3. The initial period of learning to play the piano. , 1989