Original article 
Author: Anastasia S. Voitseshko
Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, St. Petersburg, Russia, nastazziy@ mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2276-8902
Abstract
During the years of Alexander Nikolayevich Serov's stay in Simferopol (1845–1848), the musician is evolving into a creative personality involved in active theatrical, teaching and composing activities, developing from a gifted amateur to a true professional. The Department of Manuscripts of the Scientific Musical Library of the St. Petersburg Conservatory keeps Serov's family correspondence, testifying to his aesthetic principles and attitude to the musical life of Simferopol society. Thanks to the documents, one can trace evolution judgments and tastes of the personality that was soon going to gain fame for his work in the critical and composing fields. The future brilliant music writer is already visible in the first lines of each letter, and his detailed and at the same time transparent manner of presenting his thoughts. An exceptional aesthetic flair was also manifested in Serov's artistic talent — his special view of the world is captured in pencil sketches in notebooks that have survived to this day. A huge body of knowledge, all-round creative talent allowed Serov to attract attention of the public already at the stage of development, while serving in Simferopol. This article is devoted to publication of one extremely interesting letter, in which the image of the future composer appears in a typically romantic role of a traveler.
Keywords: Alexander Serov, letters, “Traveler’s Album”, Manuscripts Department of the Scientific Music Library of the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, Simferopol, Bakhchysarai
For citation: Voitseshko A. S. “Traveler’s Album” by Alexander Serov. Opera musicologica. 2022. Vol. 14, no. 2. Р. 116–131. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.26156/OM.2022.14.2.005.
The article was submitted 11.10.2021; approved after reviewing 26.10.2021; accepted for publication 15.03.2022.
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