Practical Music Making in the Context of the Educational Process of the Musical Classes of the Imperial Russian Musical Society in the South of Russia

The article examines the activities of the Musical Classes of the Rostov and Novocherkassk Sections of the Imperial Russian Musical Society (IRMS) from the perspective of the role of practical music-making in acquiring knowledge of the art of music. The statistics of the student concerts is brought in, the consistency in their organization is marked, on the basis of which the conclusion is arrived at that the main particular feature of the Musical Classes affiliated with the IRMS was the practical orientation of the instruction. Various forms of music-making are examined: solo performances, as well as those as part of ensembles and symphony orchestras. The repertoires of the student concerts were comprised predominantly of works by the composers of the Classical-Romantic period. The program of the student chamber ensemble morning and evening concerts were distinguished by the diversity of their programing, their cognitive constituent, as a rule, was connected with a panorama of names, genres and forms. The programs of the student orchestral concerts are perceived to have been more organic in their constituency. They were also frequently comprised according to the principle of contrast. Of great significance were the student opera productions. As the result of active work of the Opera Classes of the IRMS, the students mastered in a practical way large strata of Western European and Russian opera classics. In the general educational process a significant role was also played by the “adult” concerts, especially in such formats as monographic and historical concerts, as well as concert-lectures. Keywords: musical education, the musical life of Rostov, the musical life of Novocherkassk, student concerts.