The article analyses the history and practice of music education in the Kursk Mariinsky women’s gymnasium, which at the beginning of the 20th century became one of the centres of the artistic life of the provincial centre. The three main stages in the formation of the system of female gymnasium education in Kursk are studied both from the perspective of introducing gymnasium girls to musical culture, and in the aspect of identifying the foundations and the process of forming the musical traditions of the educational institution— the predecessor of the modern Kursk State University. A historiographic analysis leads to the conclusion that the information about the musical upbringing and education of pupils of the Mariinsky gymnasium in Kursk is insignificant. Hence, the purpose of the study is to collect, systematize and analyse the main aspects of the musical training of the pupils of the Kursk Mariinsky women’s gymnasium. As a result of the research, three historical stages of musical training in the gymnasium were identified. The first stage is the formation of the spiritual and religious traditions of the women’s first-class pedagogical school (since 1861), the Kursk women’s gymnasium (since 1870), and the Mariinsky gymnasium (since its inclusion in the Department of Institutions of Empress Maria, since 1871). The second is the creation of a system of additional musical education for schoolgirls, which was the result of the arrival of A.M. Abaza in Kursk and the opening of Kursk music classes by him (since 1882). The activity of the outstanding musician led not only to the active professional training of performers on academic instruments and guitar, but also to the growth of vocal and choral skills in the city. It is also significant that the direction of the choirs was carried out by him on a gratuitous basis. The third period is the result of the traditions of the previous stages; it brought musical education and enlightenment to a new level with the acquisition of a new Mariinsky gymnasium building with an assembly hall, which today, already as the hall of the Kursk State University, is recognized as the best in the region in terms of acoustics for academic vocalists, which contributes to the preservation and strengthening of the traditions of the past in our day.
Read full abstract