Folklore and Literary Traditions in the Comic Opera by Catherine the Great
Julia Sagaidak
Houkom
Although Catherine the Great's plays attracted academic research,
her opera
komi&chachek;eskaja—Fevei,
Novgorodskoj bogatyr&soft; Boeslaevi&chachek;,
Xrabroj i smeloj vitjaz&soft; Axridei&chachek; (Ivan
Carevi&chachek;), and Gorebogatyr&soft;
Kosometovi&chachek;,—remain largely undiscussed, and in
Simon Karlinsky's Russian Drama from Its Beginning to the Age of
Pu&shachek;kin (1985) they are only mentioned. They were
written and beautifully staged in St. Petersburg and Carskoe Selo in
1786–89 with the pivotal participation of Catherine's secretary
M. V. Xrapovickij.
This analysis will draw from all four works and focus on
Xrabroj i smeloj vitjaz&soft; Axridei&chachek; (Ivan
Carevi&chachek;) and Gorebogatyr&soft;
Kosometovi&chachek;. I will discuss the two sources of the
text, namely the folklore tradition (including the genres of the epic,
tale, and song), which constitutes their core and the influence of
eighteenth-century poetry and drama (e.g. Vasilij Tred&soft;jakovskij
and Aleksandr Sumarokov). The question of co-authorship in Catherine's
plays will also be addressed.
Catherine's comic operas were the
first attempts to create literary tales/epics and stage them at
imperial theaters. Their influence on literary tradition (e.g. Gavrila
Der&zhachek;avin, Ivan Krylov, etc.) and the development of performing
arts in Russia should not be underestimated.