Suggestions for a Russian theme to write variations on...

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

Hey everybody

This time I'm looking for suggestions of Russian themes, preferably folk themes and not too complex.

You see, I plan on composing some variations on such a theme and dedicating them to a dear friend of mine. She is Russian and has helped me out of some tight spots with some really hard-to-obtain scores I needed rather urgently, and more than once; so I'd really like to repay the favor, but I still don't know really well what theme might do the trick.

By 'not too complex', I mean anything that is not more difficult than, say, the theme chosen by Lyapunov for his own 'Variations on a Russian theme', a theme I'd love to write variations on, too, but after listening to and playing Lyapunov's I feel mine would just be rubbish next to them. ^^

Cheers for all suggestions that might arrive!
Very best,
M.W.

[visitor]

really depends if you are after pure 'russian' as russia today, or soviet/soveit region since there is such a variety of territory not russia today that share history.

if you want iconic and lots of inspiration, Kalinka.  Kabalevsky weaved it into his 3rd piano sonata and 3rd piano concerto.

you can also broaded your scope and look at  music of the balkan regions. Estonia has a significant folk music tradition. and for exotic, look at georgian folk music as well.  if you really want to dig, look into the 'stan' countries. ie kyrgystan, dagestan, turkmanistan, etc. etc.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Slightly frivolous suggestion, but Tetris?? (I did this, with each variation in the style of a different composer.)

The slow middle theme from Islamey?

Rachmaninov's Vocalise?

[outin]

Something we used to sing as kids...in Finnish of course

[mjames]

Something we used to sing as kids...in Finnish of course

WHAAT? SCANDINAVIANS NORDICS APPRECIATING RUSSIAN CULTURE??

 

HERETICS!

[kawai_cs]

 A popular Russian folk song - Katiusza:

[ansgarpiano]

Guess the theme from Tchaikowky´s 1st piano concerto could be an option too?

[briansaddleback]

A popular Russian folk song - Katiusza:

Sorry, i closed out of it 6 seconds into it. Anything better?

[kawai_cs]

Sorry, i closed out of it 6 seconds into it. Anything better?

Haha, ok, maybe you like this one better. Just scroll to 0.36

[outin]

WHAAT? SCANDINAVIANS NORDICS APPRECIATING RUSSIAN CULTURE??

 

HERETICS!

I was a kid in the seventies and we were best friends with the Soviet Union...Our economy was highly dependant of selling them stuff 

And generally the melancholy style of Russian folk music fits us very well. Finns are quite different to the other Nordic folks in this respect. We love in minor keys and depressing stories 

[opus90]

The Nightangale. (Aliabiev.)

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

Sorry for the late reply,

Cheers for all the suggestions!

You know, visitor, I'd never listened to 'Kalinka' before; it's certainly a very good choice! As for broadening the scope of my search, I have, in fact, considered using themes that are not Russian, strictly speaking, like Elena Nazirova's '8 Children pieces' and Chebotaryan's preludes (and I have dug quite a bit into music from the Balkans and the Caucasus) but I think I'd really prefer a 'pure' Russian theme for this.

'Katyusha' and Lyadov's 'Prelude Op.40 No.3' also seem like good picks! As for the Tetris theme suggestion, ronde_des_sylphes, well, yes, I guess it might appear somewhat frivolous ^^, but then again, unless I'm mistaken, it's based on a traditional Russian folk song, 'Коробейники', right? So it could also do the trick...uh, as long as I don't use Sonya Belousova's arrangement, which isn't quite as simple as what I'm looking for.

The Tchaikovsky suggestions is also interesting, ansgarpiano, but I'm not so sure about it, mostly because I'd have to simplify it and that would almost certainly rob it of a lot of its charm. I'd rather choose a theme that is already more or less simple right from the start.

Shouldn't have closed that vid only after listening to its first 6 secs, brian; those 6 might not be all that amazing, but it gets really good after that. 

And generally the melancholy style of Russian folk music fits us very well. Finns are quite different to the other Nordic folks in this respect. We love in minor keys and depressing stories 

Interesting to know, outin! You know, a girl once told me the same about Hungarians and Romanians some years ago. I dunno if it still applies. (?)

Again, cheers for all the suggestions; I still don't settle on a theme (though, like I said, I've already got my eye on some of the ones offered so far), so any further suggestions are still welcome.

Very best,
M.W.

[georgey]

Volga Boatmen.  Sorry, I've been dying to suggest this.  Good luck!

[mjames]

Preludes are usually good because they're so short and simple.

...just examples! Scriabin wrote like 70 of them.

[chopinlover01]

Rachmaninoff; Italian Polka. Granted, that piece is really just a giant theme and variations anyways, so you DO have something to "prove yourself" against.

[visitor]

i've always been fascinated by ethnomusicology and did a fair amount of background research in prep for a recital i did in music school where i closed w/ some Bartok and when researching biographical info for Mikuli and his works (he preceded Bartok and laid some groundwork into that field of study before it was even a filed. His ambiguos origins also intrigue, so many countries claim him, though he was likely more from a Ukraine or Armenian, therefore more Soviet than not, province that anything else).

I scanned one of these Doinas a while back and can furnish it, but listen to these too as they can give you an idea of how  to texture and adapt the source material

this site has is a gold mine of wonderful original recordings of Siberian folk songs of the Seto, similar to exactly what Bartok would have done in the Roumanian country side early on w/ the first gen recording devices.

https://www.folklore.ee/pubte/eraamat/siberilaulud/setu/en/laulud.php

you can access some rare recordings of these tunes and their names down at the bottom w/ links to the audio archive.

for example  , this is lovely, Kalina Malina
https://www.folklore.ee/pubte/eraamat/siberilaulud/setu/en/02_23_laul.php

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

Thanks so much for the latest suggestions, too!

Ha!! You know, georgey, I was waiting for the moment when someone would suggest the "Volga boatmen".  I do like it, but I'm afraid it just didn't convince me enough to actually write variations on it.

You know, mjames, I might just settle on one of Scriabin's preludes; those two examples you uploaded are so delightful! If memory serves well, I've already got all of them, or almost; it would certainly be a good opportunity to revisit them. Hell, the starting theme from his ninth piano sonata is also very tempting.

As for the Rachmaninoff polka, now that's one I hadn't considered, chopinlover, mostly for the reason you already mentioned in your post. Right now I'm looking for something rather short and simple. And since that is so relative, let's say, again, something like the theme used by Lyapunov for his Variations on a Russian theme. 

That site is just amazing, visitor! I had never even heard about those Seto folk songs!  Languages are, alongside music, one of my greatest loves, and so anything related to them is always welcome...well, almost anything .
And those doinas! I would appreciate it enormously if you could share your scan of that doina; the ones you uploaded were completely unknown to me and simply wondrous. It reminded me a lot of some of those obscure pieces that, when listening to them for the first time, make you think: why on earth isn't this known by every pianist in the globe?? Dejan Despić's 'Nocturne' and Hirai's 'Variations on Koojoo no tsuki' come to mind.
Ah well, even Bach was forgotten for a while, wasn't he?

Would you happen to know where those doinas you uploaded might be obtained?

Cheers,
M.W.

[visitor]

Thanks so much for the latest suggestions, too!

Ha!! You know, georgey, I was waiting for the moment when someone would suggest the "Volga boatmen".  I do like it, but I'm afraid it just didn't convince me enough to actually write variations on it.

You know, mjames, I might just settle on one of Scriabin's preludes; those two examples you uploaded are so delightful! If memory serves well, I've already got all of them, or almost; it would certainly be a good opportunity to revisit them. Hell, the starting theme from his ninth piano sonata is also very tempting.

As for the Rachmaninoff polka, now that's one I hadn't considered, chopinlover, mostly for the reason you already mentioned in your post. Right now I'm looking for something rather short and simple. And since that is so relative, let's say, again, something like the theme used by Lyapunov for his Variations on a Russian theme. 

That site is just amazing, visitor! I had never even heard about those Seto folk songs!  Languages are, alongside music, one of my greatest loves, and so anything related to them is always welcome...well, almost anything .
And those doinas! I would appreciate it enormously if you could share your scan of that doina; the ones you uploaded were completely unknown to me and simply wondrous. It reminded me a lot of some of those obscure pieces that, when listening to them for the first time, make you think: why on earth isn't this known by every pianist in the globe?? Dejan Despić's 'Nocturne' and Hirai's 'Variations on Koojoo no tsuki' come to mind.
Ah well, even Bach was forgotten for a while, wasn't he?

Would you happen to know where those doinas you uploaded might be obtained?

Cheers,
M.W.

glad to run across another aficionado of this sort. the field is fascinating.  Mikuli's scores are exceedingly rare and i have only come across one, by chance actually, in the wild so i scanned it. I don't know how to find the other Doinas but i will send you the one i have. pm me an email, i lost yours i had it in there when we talked about that Rachmaninoff piano concerto no 3 solo transcriptions I have....

[opus43]

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

Cheers for that amazing list of vids, opus43!
I have pretty much chosen the theme I'll write those variations on, but I'll definitely check all those pieces you shared, perhaps I like one of those themes even better.

By the by, that "Ехал казак за Дунай" theme is the same one on which von Weber wrote his Op.40 variations, right? Only there it appears as "Schöne Minka"...