Harmonium in the history of Siberian organ culture of the 19th - first quarter of the 20th centuries

The author refers to the problem of appearance and developing of organ culture in Siberia in the 19th - first quarter of the 20th centuries. The author describes Siberian organ culture as a multidimensional and multicomponent phenomenon, the essence of which is disclosed in the interaction between traditions of material production, composing, performing, and educational activities. Reed organ, which is better known in Russia as a harmonium, should be also considered as an instrumental component of organ culture, along with the pipe organ. Being much cheaper, more unpretentious and easy to maintain alternative to the pipe organ, harmonium took over its functions in Siberia. Due to various circumstances such as distance, lack of organ-builders and proper industry and service, inability to purchase an expensive pipe organ, the use of the latter was extremely difficult or impossible. During the 19th - early 20th centuries the tendency was not only to the numerical growing of harmoniums, but also to the emergence of more complicated models, as close to the characteristics of the pipe organ as possible. By the early twentieth century virtually every Catholic and Lutheran church from the Urals to the Far East had a harmonium. In addition, the harmonium was widespread in daily life of Siberian residents: at homes of intellectuals and in educational institutions. Facilities of the harmonium enabled the attainment of playing excellence of the organ, pedal technique, art of register combinations. The spreading of the harmonium contributed to the development of a wide interest in the organ sound, polyphonic culture and organ music. The author concludes that the harmonium was of tremendous importance to the process of appearance and development of organ culture in prerevolutionary Siberia, both in its confessional and secular forms. Organ instrumental toolkit based on the harmonium had become the basis on which fundamental elements of this culture were formed. These elements include organ performance. Having been originally associated with the holy liturgy of Catholics and Lutherans, organ performance gradually went beyond the confessional sphere, became a part of the secular instrumental performance. This, in turn, contributed to the increasing of performers' number. Along with organists on the service in Western Christian churche , the range of organ performers included local "intelligentsia" representatives (for example, in Tomsk: A. Auerbach, LA Maksimov, etc.). The second component is associated with the foundation of organ education in Siberia. First harmonium classes were opened in the early twentieth century in music schools in Blagoveshchensk and Tomsk, then organ classes - in higher music schools in Tomsk and Irkutsk. The developing Siberian organ culture also included organ composer's creativity (compositions of V.Ya. Shebalin). To sum it up, organ culture in Siberia became a natural part of the regional culture. Originally nurtured outside of Siberia it gradually came to independence and its own infrastructure began to develop in its way.

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