Music, Education, and Society: Teaching and learning music and "civilization" in Late Imperial Russia

Lynn Sargeant

My project analyzes the transformation of cultural life that accompanied broader social, political, and economic changes in Russian society after 1861. I explore the social context for the exponential growth of musical life in an effort to explain the meanings attached to “culture” and “being cultured.” Although critics promoted music as an extension of Russian national identity, ordinary Russians used music for a wide variety of purposes. I approach sites of music teaching and learning as public stages on which competing social groups contested for legitimacy within the cultural public sphere. I place developments in Russian music education within a rigorous comparative framework that includes not only Western Europe but also North America. Little historical research on music education has been conducted in any national context, thus it is crucial that work on Russian music education not overestimate its uniqueness. Russian music has labored under an enormously powerful master narrative for more than a century. This narrative emphasizes nationalism as the key factor in Russian musical culture. Because it fits both Russian and Western stereotypes, this narrative has dominated not only the popular imagination but also scholarly research. By challenging the traditional narrative, I have unearthed a richer, more dynamic arena of cultural activity. Of particular note is the rapid development of both specialized, institutionalized music education and music teaching in the primary and secondary schools. The conservatory, one of the most important new institutions of the nineteenth century, made its first Russian appearance in St. Petersburg in 1862. A second conservatory opened in Moscow in 1866. These new institutions changed the face of music education, at least for the elites and the emerging middle classes. The “lower orders” also participated energetically in musical life. Singing classes became an increasingly common feature of village and urban schools. Many workers enthusiastically participated in informal music instruction through factory bands and choruses. Peasants learned to sing and read music by participating in choirs sponsored by the Temperance society. In the winter and spring, social organizations sponsored inexpensive concert with an accessible repertoire as a means of pubic enlightenment. The number of private music schools grew exponentially after the 1890s, as former conservatory students, primarily women, sought respectable and secure livelihoods. These and other educational-enlightenment activities present a rich tapestry of Russian musical life and an extraordinary opportunity for research on the significance of music education in society.

About Lynn Sargeant

Lynn Sargeant received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in December 2001. A specialist in late Imperial Russian social and cultural history, Dr. Sargeant is particularly interested in the development of both school music and specialized music education in Russia, Europe, and North America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. A trained musician, with a degree in music education from the University of Minnesota and teaching experience at both the middle and high school level, Dr. Sargeant tries to look past the surface of musical life – famous composers and performers – to understand the significance of music and, especially, music education, in the lives of ordinary individuals. Because of her own “provincial” upbringing (Dr. Sargeant is a native of North Dakota), she is particularly interested in cultural education in the Russian provinces. Her research this year will take her not only to Moscow and St. Petersburg, the capital cities of Russia, but also to Tomsk, in central Siberia, Kazan, in the republic of Tatarstan, and Kharkiv, Odesa, and Poltava, Ukraine.