Artistic Aspects of Russian Music Publishing in the Second Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century: M.P. Belaieff, Leipzig

Abstract

The article continues the research devoted to the domestic music publishing in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The M.P. Belaieff, Leipzig company, which is widely known in Russia and abroad, was founded 140 years ago in 1885. The main areas of its activity were the support and popularisation of the music by Russian composers, which was reflected in the company’s repertoire policy and artistic approach to the design of printed materials. The distinguishing feature of all Belaieff published copies is the highest for that time quality of its manufactured products and talented work of its artists, which became a clear example of deep penetration into the figurative structure of the work, its content and symbolism. The repertoire of expressive means used by the publisher includes a large number of diverse ornaments, vignettes and patterns, landscape and genre compositions, as well as floral designs and abstractions, which were of direct interest to a wide consumer audience. Although many Russian publishers of that era actively collaborated with established and successful artists, M.P. Belaieff did not adhere to such a strategy. The covers of his sheet music were mainly produced by little-known and even amateur artists, including Alexander Antipov, Pyotr Buck and, as an exception, Fyodor Rerberg, whose popularity at the turn of the century acquired a significant professional and creative scale. A characteristic feature of many frontispieces is a lack of information about the artistic personnel who participated in the preparation for the publication of a number of compositions. The topic covered in this paper is intended to expand and supplement information about the domestic music publishing industry and its individual semantic aspects.

Keywords: domestic music publishing, “M.P. Belaieff, Leipzig”, national idea, design artists, Alexander Antipov, Pyotr Buck, Fyodor Rerberg