Musical Chisinau. History Pages (1812-1918)

The article subjects to observation some coordinates of Chisinau’s musical life over the course of about a hundred years after the annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire. The sources that served as documentary support for achieving this goal are: historical, literary, and scientific writings, sketches, notes, travel memoirs of some people, passing through our lands, testimonies little known or more difficult to reach the reader. From the synthesis of the most eloquent data and information, inserted in the reference sources, we try to outline a general picture of music in the administrative center of Moldavia on the left bank of the Prut during the years 1812- 1918. The view, resulting from the reconstruction of the musical landscape in the researched urban environment, offers a rich palette of events. Following the chronology of the presence of music in society, we highlight its main forms of expression, including folk music, music of boyar salons (fashionable), religious music, military music, concert activities, musical-theatrical performances. Through the prism of the musical components recorded within the specified time interval, we identify different styles, influences, artistic tastes, as well as the share of music in the urban society. We also draw attention to the social functions that music fulfilled in the Chisinau cultural environment at that time. The undertaken radiography leads us to the finding that European music is beginning to gain more and more ground for assertion in the cultural life of Chisinau with a wider openness to Western civilization and the assimilation of new artistic forms of manifestation.