И.Хандошкин: “Вниз по матушке, по Волге“.

“Вниз по матушке, по Волге“ (Хандошкин). В исполнении ансамбля “Солисты Екатерины Великой“. “Down the river Volga“ (by Ivan Khandoshkin), ensemble “Soloists of Katherine the Great“ Иван Евстафьевич Хандошкин — (1747—1804), русский скрипач-виртуоз, композитор и педагог. Основоположник русской скрипичной школы. Первый в России виртуоз игры на скрипке. При жизни пользовался популярностью в широких кругах российского общества. Часто называем “русским Паганини“. Ivan Khandoshkin (1747—1804), Russian violin player, the first Russian violin virtuoso, composer and pedagogue. Founder of Russian violin school. Often called “Russian Paganini“. From Wiki: “Ivan Yevstafyevich Khandoshkin (Russian: Иван Евстафьевич Хандошкин) (1747 29 or 30 March 1804) was a Russian violinist and composer. He has been described as “the finest Russian violinist of the eighteenth century“.[1] He studied under Tito Porta with other Italian influences being Domenico dallOglio and Pietro Peri. He was a musician at the Russian court from 1765, of which he later became kapellmeister, and he taught violin at the Academy of Fine Arts. He and Potyomkin founded a music academy in Yekaterinoslav in 1785, but this endeavor failed, and Khandoshkin returned to St. Petersburg in 1789.[1] Ivan was born as a serf but eventually achieved freedom through his music in the court of Tsar Peter III. As it turns out Tsar Peter was quite a music fan. When his wife, Catherine, forcefully overtook the throne he said that all he wanted was his mistress, his negro, his dog, and his violin. Ivan remained as the court musician. His most notable works are six violin sonatas and several pieces based on folk songs. He is famous for being one of, if not the first, musical folklorist of the western world. His devotion to writing Russian folk songs can probably be attributed to his background. His music (primarily for the violin) is comparable to music by his contemporaries such as Giuseppe Tartini’s student, Antonio Lolli (whose stunts on the violin preceded Paganini), Gaetano Pugnani, Ludwig Spohr, and many others“.