Voskoboinikova V. P.G. Chesnokov’s creative activity within the context of Orthodox Christian music culture of the late XІX – 1st half of the XX cent.

This dissertation is dedicated to creative activity of P.G. Chesnokov within the context of Orthodox Christian music culture of the late XIX - 1st half of the XX century. P.G. Chesnokov (1877–1944) is one of the most prominent sacred composers of the Silver age, who has summarized the achievements of thousand years of the Orthodox choral tradition development.The understanding of P. Chesnokov’s art is impossible without understanding of the hermeneutic meaning of Christian symbols that can be found all through his texts, acts and structure of divine services and through musical aspects as well. Particular attention has been paid to the research of liturgy genres of the Orthodox Christian musical tradition, Night-lon Vigil in particular, highlighting its hermeneutical meaning and discovering features of the author’s interpretation of canonical genres in historical aspect. The artistic personality of P. Chesnokov has been examined in the historical and cultural context of the late XIX - 1st half of XX century, his role as the significant individual of the Silver age has been denoted. The loyalty to the Orthodox Christian cultural tradition has become a moral imperative of sorts for the private and artistic life of the composer. This is why the research of the prominent role of P. Chesnokov as a keeper of cultural traditions of sacred Orthodox musical art is an important task for the modern musicology.