Memory. Fedor Chaliapin

February 13 (1), 1873, opera singer Fedor Chaliapin was born

Personal business

Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin (1873 - 1938) was born in Kazan in a poor family of a former peasant from the village of Syrtsovo Vyatka province Ivan Yakovlevich Chaliapin, who worked as a scribe. He went to work early: he was a student of a shoemaker, a woodcarker, a cocker with papers, a joiner, a turner. At nine, he began to sing in the church choir. He received primary education at the Vedernikova private school, then studied at the fourth parish school, and at the sixth elementary school, which he graduated in 1885.

From the age of twelve, Fedor Chaliapin began to participate in the performances of the theatrical troupe of Vasily Serebryakov in Kazan as a statist. On March 29, 1890 he first performed at the opera: he performed the Party of Zaretsky in the opera P.I. Tchaikovsky “Eugene Onegin” in the production of Kazan Society of stage art lovers. Then he sang as part of the chorus of the Operetnaya Entreprise Serebryakov, and in the fall of the same year he moved to Ufa and entered the choir of Opeetta Semyon Semenov-Samara.

Chaliapin's debut, as an opera singer, took place on December 18, 1890. He sang the batch of Stanislav Monyushko "Galka" on the stage of the city theater in Ufa, replacing another actor. “Apparently, in the modest role of the chorist, I managed to show my natural musicality and good voice means. When one day one of the troupe baritones suddenly, on the eve of the performance, for some reason refused the role of Stolnik in the opera Monyushko Galki, and there was no one to replace it in the troupe, the entrepreneur Semenov-Samarsky turned to me-did not agree to sing this party. Despite my extreme shyness, I agreed. It was too seductive: the first serious role in life. I quickly learned the party and performed. ” After that, Semenov-Samarsky added five rubles to the salary of Chaliapin and began to entrust him with other roles. Until the end of the season, Fedor Chaliapin sang Fernando in Trubadur and an unknown in the “Askoldova Grave”.

When the season ended, Chaliapin joined the vagabond troupe of George Derkach who arrived in Ufa. Having traveled to the city of the Urals and the Volga region, the troupe went to Central Asia, then to Baku. Here in 1892, Chaliapin joined the opera troupe of Lassal, but managed to perform only in a few performances, since the troupe broke up. Left without money, Chaliapin reached Tiflis and interrupted here for some time by random earnings. Then he got a scribe in the Office of the Transcaucasian Railway. Soon, the famous singing teacher Dmitry Usatov, a former opera singer in the city, became interested in them. Feeling talent in the young man, he undertook to teach him for free. He also arranged Chaliapin in the Tiflis opera Viktor Ludwigov-Formatti and Vladimir Lyubimov. Also, Usatov fed dinners for free of charge, teaching good manners at the same time at the table. Subsequently, Chaliapin called Usatov his only teacher and kept the warmest memories of him all his life.

The next year, having collected enough money, Chaliapin went to look for happiness to Moscow. He failed to get to the Bolshoi Theater, as he suggested at first, but he was taken to the opera troupe, which was recruited for the Arkady Petersburg Theater in the new village. Chaliapin went to the capital. Two months later, the Arkady theater burned out. Chaliapin did not want to leave St. Petersburg and joined the partnership of the opera singers of the Panaevsky Theater. Soon, the metropolitan theaters began to celebrate Chaliapin's talent. In early 1895, the Directorate of the Mariinsky Theater became interested in them. After listening in February, a contract was concluded for three years.

In Mariinka, Chaliapin first performed on the second roles. Only at the end of the season, in April 1896, replacing the sick bass, Chaliapin attracted attention to the performance of the Melnik party in Rusalka. Huge success and favorable press reviews immediately made Chaliapin famous. In the summer, he received an invitation to go to Nizhny Novgorod to speak during the Nizhny Novgorod Fair in the private opera troupe of Savva Mamontov.

In the fall, Mamontov sent Chaliapin a proposal to abandon the official stage and go to his opera, which then began performances in Moscow. Chaliapin was offered a year -round salary of 600 rubles per month (three times more than he received in Mariinka), in addition, Mamontov paid a penalty of 3,600 rubles. Chaliapin's debut in Moscow took place at the end of September 1896. He performed the party of Susanin. A few days later he sang a party of Mephistopheles in Faust. Two months later, his name was already on the lips of all Moscow theateraries. But genuine glory came to Chaliapin at the end of the year, when Mamontov set the “pskovite” by Rimsky-Korsakov, and Chaliapin first performed in the party of Ivan the Terrible. Season 1897-1898 was awarded the new successes of Chaliapin, which performed the party of Dosifay in the "Khovanschina" of the Mussorgsky and Varangian guest in the "Sadko" Rimsky-Korsakov. In the next season, its popularity was backed up by the brilliant performance of the role of Olofern in Yudifi and Salieri in Mozart and Salieri. Chaliapin was especially famous as Boris Godunov in the opera of the same name by Mussorgsky. In the summer of 1898, Fedor Chaliapin married the Italian ballerina Iola Tarnagi.

In the fall of 1899. Chaliapin signed a three -year contract with the Big Theater, which pledged to pay him 9,000 rubles in the first year, 10,000 in the second, and 11,000 in the third. In 1901, the Chaliapin Party of Mephistopheles in the Boyto’s opera of the same name sang in the Milan Theater of La Skala, the famous Enriko Caruso sang in this performance, and Arthuro dilated it in this performance. Tuscanini.

Since 1904, Chaliapin regularly toured in many countries of the world. In 1904-in Rome, in 1905-in Monte Carlo, in 1907-in Berlin, in 1908-in New York and Paris, in 1913-1914-in London. During the First World War, Chaliapin opened two lasarers for wounded soldiers at his own expense, often performed at charitable concerts. Until 1917, Chaliapin had a rather impressive state, but after the revolution he was almost ruined, as he invested money in securities and shares, which after the revolution turned into no one’s useless waste paper.

After 1917, Chaliapin was engaged in the reconstruction of former imperial theaters, and was an elected member of the Directorate of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters. In 1918, he led the artistic part of the Mariinsky Theater. In the same 1918, he was the first of the artists of art was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Republic. Since 1922, he went on a long tour abroad. By this time, Fedor Chaliapin went out with his first wife Jola and married Maria Valentinovna Eluchen. Together with Chaliapin in Paris, his children from his first marriage settled - Boris, Fedor, Tatyana and Lydia, as well as his children from his second wife - Marina, Martha and Dassia. For several years, Chaliapin spoke in many countries of the world, including England, America and Canada, as well as in China, Japan and in the Hawaiian Islands. He responded with a polite refusal to multiple persistent invitations from Soviet Russia, sent by the People's Commissariat of People's Commissariat. These negotiations stretched for many years. On August 24, 1927, by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, Chaliapin was deprived of the title of People's Artist.

In 1929, Chaliapin lived in Rome, there he last met with his longtime friend Maxim Gorky, who was not able to persuade the singer to return to his homeland. And in 1930, Gorky wrote a sharp letter in which he spoke about the singer in an offensive tone. Chaliapin then said bitterly that "he lost his best friend." Since 1930, Fedor Ivanovich began performing in the Russian Opera troupe, whose performances were enormous. The triumphal success in Paris was opera performances with the participation of Chaliapin: “Boris Godunov” by M. Mussorgsky, “Prince Igor” A. Borodin and “Mermaid” by A. Dargomyzhsky.

In the spring of 1937, Lukemia was discovered at Chaliapin. Fedor Chaliapin died in Paris on April 12, 1938.

What is famous

Fedor Chaliapin - the world famous singer (tall bass or bass baritone), whose voice was distinguished by the unique beauty of Temra, sounded velvety and powerfully. He performed both in operas and with a concert vocal repertoire. The dramatic talent brought special fame to Chaliapin. The opera artist, according to Chaliapin, should demonstrate not only excellent vocal data, but also acting. His gestures on the stage were honed and expressive. Chaliapin paid special attention to makeup and costume. In total, the singer’s repertoire had about 70 games and about 400 songs and romances. In the 1920s-1930s, Chaliapin made approximately 300 gram recordings.

What you need to know about

In March 1927, the Paris newspaper Renaissance published gratitude to Archpriest George Spassky Fedor Chaliapin for the donation of five thousand francs in favor of emigrant children. After that, in the USSR, the newspaper Vserabis wrote: “Why not put a limit to the mockery and impudence of the USSR of this“ retinue of his Majesty People’s Artist of the Republic ”.” The Presidium of the Central Committee of Arts of Arts petitioned for the deprivation of Chaliapin the title of People's Artist of the Republic.

Chaliapin performed on June 23 in the newspaper Renaissance with explanation: “I love the field flower, bird, apple tree, river, forest, music, good picture and I myself try to sing the best as possible. If my unfortunate homeland is destined to wage a political struggle for its existence, then there, in Russia itself, there are people who are called up for this. I'm not fit for this. Meanwhile, they want to impose on me by all means so that I am engaged in this policy ... I ask all my compatriots - monarchists, socialists, communists and anarchists, once and give me the opportunity to do the opportunity to do the case that I am really suitable for me. I donated money in favor of refugee children. After all, if this is a crime, then I was a criminal and when I sang in favor of the socialist revolutionaries under the imperial regime, and under the Bolsheviks in Butyrskaya prison in favor of counter-revolutionaries there. ”

Direct speech

On the opera scene, Chaliapin exceeded the enormous gift and veracity of all his opera predecessors and gave a number of figures, characters and scenes, with which no others can compare ... In this diversity, in comprehending new aspects of character and soul, no one has previously noticed and not reproduced, no one can surpass it.

Vladimir Stasov

The innovation of Chaliapin in the field of dramatic truth of opera art had a strong influence on the Italian theater ... The dramatic art of the great Russian artist left a deep and enduring trace not only in the field of Russian operas by Italian singers, but in general throughout the style of their vocal-sculptural interpretation, including Verdi's works ...

Italian conductor and composer Gianandrea Havadzeni

... From the fact of the existence of Chaliapin, a lot of comforting can be brought out. And the absence of diplomas and all kinds of conditional qualifications, and the strange fate of Chaliapin with a wonderful transition from the darkness of the Vyatka abandoned village to the top of glory will only give an unnecessary reason for joy and pride: it means that a person is strong. So - the living God is strong in man.

Leonid Andreev

Chaliapin loved his family and spared nothing for her. And the family was considerable - ten children. He worked for the family. Three times he earned his condition. For the first time in tsarist Russia - all this remained there after his departure. The second time - abroad. Having traveled the whole world, receiving great fees, it was almost at the target.

-Another year or two I will quit! - He told me ...

He kept all his almost his money abroad in American papers. His condition was huge. But one fine day, very memorable for many, there was a collapse. This was the famous Black Friday on the New York Exchange. On this day, many of the millionaires became poor. Almost everything was lost and Chaliapin. I had to draw a condition to provide a fortune to provide a family.

Alexander Vertinsky

10 facts about Fedor Chaliapin

• Fifteen-year-old Fedor Chaliapin tried to enter the choir of one of the Kazan theaters, but he sang very badly at the audition due to a mutation of his voice. Instead of him, they took the “19-year-old lanky guy with a dull,” Alexei Peshkov, who, however, was soon expelled, since he had no vote at all.
• During the revolution, the house of Chaliapin was often subjected to unexpected night searches. They searched for values ​​to confiscate. Once silver spoons and forks were confiscated, as well as two hundred bottles of French wine. Chaliapin then complained to Zinoviev: “I understand - a revolution. And, in essence, I am not against searches, but is it possible to search me at a convenient time for me, from eight to nine, for example? ”
• Chaliapin was engaged in painting, graphics, sculpture. Many of his drawings have been preserved, including self -portraits.
• Chaliapin was skeptical of the Stanislavsky system, claiming that “according to the system” you can play roulette, and on the stage it is impossible.
• In 1930, Chaliapin visited Uruguay, where the first championship in the World Cup was held in history.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the factory "A. I. Abrikosov and Sons ”released small chocolates in wrappers decorated with photographs of Chaliapin in the roles of Ivan Susanin and Boris Godunov. The factory of the city of Landrin in an insert attached to chocolate products, in addition to the photo portrait of the singer, reproduced seven plots from opera performances with the participation of the artist. Caramel with the image of Chaliapin on the wrapper was released by the Bolshevik confectionery factory in the early 1920s. In the first years of Soviet power, cigarettes dedicated to Chaliapin appeared in Rostov-on-Don. The box was decorated with the image of the singer, this image with the name of the artist was printed on each of the 25 cigarettes in the box.
• Chaliapin left in 1922 abroad on the steamer "Oberburghmister Haken", which soon went down in history as a "philosophical ship." In the book for autographs of famous passengers on this ship there was a drawing of Chaliapin, where he portrayed himself naked, from the back, crossing the sea.
• Chaliapin starred in the movie twice. For the first time in 1915, he played in the silent film "Ivan the Terrible." In 1933 - in the sound picture "Don Quixote".
• On June 10, 1991, the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR abolished the decision on the deprivation of Chaliapin the title of People's Artist.
• Chaliapin’s desire to be buried in his homeland was realized only on October 29, 1984, when his ashes was reburied in the Novodevichy cemetery.

Materials about Fedor Chaliapin

Article about Fedor Chaliapin on Russian Wikipedia

Chaliapin F. I. “Mask and Soul. My forty years in theaters "