UDC 784
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202401079
Authors
Elena Yu. Sharma,
Institute of Contemporary Art, Mosсow, 121309, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article highlights the performing art of one of the leading Russian chamber singers of
the first half of the twentieth century, Olga Nikolaevna Butomo-Nazvanova (1888–1960).
The most fruitful period of her work falls on 1918–1928, an important stage in the formation
of chamber vocal art in Russia. And it was Olga Nikolaevna who played one of the key roles
in this process. This is confirmed by all her creative activity and the resonance in the press.
B. L. Yavorsky was a long-term iconic accompanist and like-minded person for O. N. Butomo-
Nazvanova (they performed together for more than ten years), this put their artistic union on
a par with the leading chamber ensembles of that time, which became a kind of symbol of the
era. Among them are Dukhovskaya–Bikhter, Dolivo–Mirzoeva, Lodiy–Golubovskaya, Dorliak–
Richter, partly Koshitz–Rakhmaninov, and others.
It is all the more surprising that the singer’s creative legacy has not yet attracted the proper
attention of the scientific community. Meanwhile, “filling in” such gaps in the history of
the genre’s formation allows not only to make a more detailed picture of the time, but also
to get an objective view of the era as a whole, especially when it comes to such significant
figures in the development of Russian chamber vocal art as O. N. Butomo-Nazvanova.
Keywords
Olga Butomo-Nazvanova, Boleslav Yavorsky, chamber singing, accompanist, chamber ensemble, chamber vocal art
