Taruskin’s Defining Russia Musically

In this essay, the author

• Analyzes how taruskin's book defining russia musically reminisces about the late establishment of what is known as russia, historically and culturally.
• Opines that peter the great wanted to make his court and military german like and the arts italian. the first conservatory in russia was founded in 1862 by the russian pianist and composer anton rubinstein
• Opines that we must wait until tchaikovsky (1840-1890) to witness the first professional musician who earned his living only practising music composition, not even as a performer or virtuoso.

• Analyzes how taruskin's book defining russia musically reminisces about the late establishment of what is known as russia, historically and culturally.
• Opines that peter the great wanted to make his court and military german like and the arts italian. the first conservatory in russia was founded in 1862 by the russian pianist and composer anton rubinstein
• Opines that we must wait until tchaikovsky (1840-1890) to witness the first professional musician who earned his living only practising music composition, not even as a performer or virtuoso.
• Narrates how vladimir stasov wrote an article, mr. balakirev's slavic concert, reporting on a concert given in moscow by the most famous composers, all russians.
• Opines that the name mighty handful was ridiculed by their opponents the rusian musical society, the academic circles in the conservatory and mainly by aleksandr serov.
• Opines that nationalism started in europe found a bid echo in this part of the world. the rise of pride of oneself and the revival in arts, literature and science is being overstressed.
• Explains that the oriental theme is strongly vivid in the five's works, even if the music was not programmatic.
• Analyzes how borodin wrote his masterpiece in the steppes of central asia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of aleksander ii's reign in 1880.
• Analyzes how the composer's approach to the "natives" of the east is similar to imperial europe and its dogmas on the orient theme.
• Analyzes taruskin's suggestion that prince igor opera and borodin should be considered in the same manner.
• Analyzes how taruskin adds an example for the affirmation: "we go with trust in god for our faith, our russia, and our people," in the spirit of the tsar aleksander ii.
• Explains that borodin has an asian blood in his veins, as he was the illegitimate son of prince luka stepanovich gedianov and his mistress avdot'ya konstantinovna antonova.
• Analyzes how in the orchestral work "in the steppes of central asia" the tunes are meant to be meeting not confronting or struggling. there is no superiority in "slavic" milady, nor an exotic non absorbent "eastern" one there.
• Analyzes how balakirev's orient style was the easiest way to assert a distinct, non-european identity.
• Analyzes how prince igor's conflict with konchak the khan is more of a chevalier attitude between the two of them.
• Opines that the libretto was written by borodin himself, which is rare in the musical practice. most contemporaries see this opera as a celebration of the russian triumph over the polovtsian.
• Explains that the 19th century was the pick of romanticism and the rise of the nationality in music and consciousness in europe.
• Analyzes how tardy growth and tardier professionalisation, remote provenience, social marginalise, the means of its promotion, even the exotic language and alphabet have always tainted russian art music with an air of alterity.
• Describes tchaikovsky's ineradicable presence in the concert hall, or diaghilev ignited craze that lunched stravinsky spectacular career.
• Opines that in the world of russian music there has been a great tendency to celebrate or magnify "differences" in compensation for an inferiority complex that was the inevitable product of its history.
• Opines that even tchaikovsky could complain about the insulting tone of condescension with which they address russian musician in central europe.
• Explains that the european tendency to orientalise russian culture is countered by a russian tendency towards occidentalism and emulate european’s.
• Analyzes how edward saeed focuses on the western relationship towards the middle east. the crusade was in 1069, when the western armed forces clashed with the east.
• Describes how the two camps, tired of fighting, decided to organize a battle between children. one of the muslim boys threw his rival to the ground and seized him by the throat.
• Explains that napoleon bonaparte landed in alexandria egypt in 1798 and the frenj defeated the locals like puppets.
• Analyzes how the saeed's story of orientalism began. the main underlying target of the campaign was to understand the east in order to rule it.
• Describes how soldiers cut the throats of men and women, the old and the young, christians and turks — father and son on top of the other, a daughter being raped on the cadaver of her mother.
• Opines that napoleon soldiers were famous for their cruelty even in europe, but here far away they felt isolated and more free to release their demons.
• Explains that napoleon returned to france in 1799 to become the first consul and later in the 1812 he will attempt to invade russia.
• Explains that unlike egypt and syria where the english and the ottomans turned the french, the russians felt that they defeated napoleon because they were better than the rest of the world.
• Analyzes how perry nodelman argues that the children's literature is written under the same conditions as edward saeed.
• Analyzes how orientalism is a corporate institution for dealing with it, and how adults write literature for children.
• Explains lacan's theory of the gaze implying the right of a person to observe and interpret. he who can fix others in his gaze, and define who they are, has authority over them.
• Explains that the west keeps craving to fit the world in his predesigned catalogue. when the english scholars set upon themselves to write the history of indian philosophy after the colonisation of the subcontinent, they stumbled upon a different perspective towards thought and philosophy.
• Opines that there is no chronological tablets for ideas nor thinkers rather a continues discussions and reflections and annotation.
• Opines that the russians are different, they will never be fully europeans, the west whispers in the end of the day.
• Explains that western music was one of the oriental problems in the undeveloped countries.
• Explains that bourgeoisie orientology diametrically opposes the civilisation of salt called west with those of the east slanderously declaring that asian peoples are racially inferior, primordially backward, incapable of determining their own fates.
• Compares the russians with the oriental problems that the east has with their identity, history, and culture in spivak's book "can the subaltern speak?"
• Narrates how bush introduced then-russian president putin to his scottish terrier, barney, on a visit to the u.s. presidential retreat, camp david.
• Cites reuters' "putin to bush: my dog is bigger than yours."