Abstract: The article is devoted to the problem of precedentiality in the texts of fiction, provides a definition of the term 'precedent text' and describes this phenomenon in the modern Russian language. The author of the article also touches upon precedent names as a type of precedent texts. Different types of precedent names are studied based on the case study of Anton Chekhov's short story "The Headman (A Sketch) ". Many realities of Moscow life of the end of the XIX century, which themselves repersent precedent names of those times, were reflected in the works of Anton Chekhov. The method of linguostylistic analysis of texts is used in this research. There a wide range of precedent names which can be found in the works of Anton Chekhov. According to the author, by analyzing one of the short stories of Anton Chekhov it is possible to identify several types of precedent names that are most typical for the creative work of this writer. The novelty of this research is caused by the fact that precedentiality in the prose of Anton Chekhov was not addressed previously by researchers in the field of language, culture and literature. In particular, precedent names are a special yet understudied aspect of the creative work of a great Russia's classical author Anton Chekhov. For example, in the short story 'The Headman (A Sketch) one can observe the following types of precedent names: last names of famous persons who were Chekhov's contemporaries such as lawyers, scientists, composers, and etc., geographical names and eloquent expressions. 

Keywords: precedentiality, precedent text, precedent name, Yu. Karaulov, eloquent expression, chrestomathy, text, cultural fact, Moscow

Abstract: The subject of the research is the interpretation of the mechanism for interpreting the author's content in directing. Particular attention is paid to the exact distinction between "art" and "life". The author specifies the fundamental differences between these two concepts and expressed the idea of inadmissibility of "copyism" on stage. It is shown that "art"  is a special type of "the mounted object" that is based on a number of concepts emerging in the unity of ideas. It is emphasized that idea is the organizing structural principle of an artificial object, the author also shows in detail how and by what means a 'physical object' turns into 'artificial'. It is emphasized that the author's intent is the "first-level" interpretation of life, and directing is the "second-level" interpretation of life.  The article provides a thorough theoretical analysis, which allows to highlight certain aspects, features, aspects and operations of the mechanism of interpretation. In addition, the author studies examines literature on the theory of drama and opera directing (a small part of which is shown in the list of references) with a detailed note-taking and citation. Analysis of a large body of classical theoretical literature on the theory of the active analysis of the play, as well as modern materials of the periodical press allows to establish that over the past thirty years nothing substantial has been done in the sphere of directing theory. The academic community has not created any new concepts, neither has it clarified a specific active analysis of the play or director's script. In particular,  the mechanism of the director's interpretation of the author's dramatic material, the way of its functioning in the production of the play have never been fully described or revealed. This gives rise to a huge number of loose interpretations in directing practice and leads not only to the distortion of the original intent of a playwright or composer, but also allows the filmmakers create their works with a very significant distortions of the raw material, as well as to use the play or director's script only as a pretext for their own, very arbitrary, "avant-garde", i.e. unfettered imagination. 

Keywords: interpretation, directing of opera, opera, active analysis, action, theory of directing, directing, theatre, avant-garde, structure

Abstract: The research subject is the features of the formation of a unique mental and socio-cultural concept of the Russian North. The research object is the Russian North concept as a specific code of the Russian cultural memory. The article is based on the use of a combination of methods: system, historical typological, cultural-historical, social-cultural, ethnic-cultural analysis, semiotics and art criticism. The empirical base of the research is 34 architectural-ethnographic expeditions during which 368 settlements of the Arkhangelsk, Vologda regions and Karelia were studied. The source of research includes archival materials and museum collections of Arkhangelsk, Petrozavodsk, Vologda, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In accordance with the objectives, "the Russian" (European) North" concept structure is considered as well as its territorial, ethno-cultural boundaries in the context of the historical formation and settlement of the lands north of the Russian ethnos. The research also covers the northern ecumene where a special type of mentality was developed based on Orthodox religion and the monastic area, "the Northern (Russian) Thebaid" was created. According to the author, the basis of the "Russian North" cultural code was the absence of serfdom and the Mongol-Tatar yoke, the spread of the Old Belief and long-term preservation of traditions of zemsky self-government. The study indicates the formation of a special ethnic group called “Pomors”. They have developed invaluable experience of survival and economic activities in the Arctic extreme conditions, free trade with the European countries and the presence of pidgin. This allows to make the following assumption: the Russian North people were more citizens of the world, than servile citizens of the Russian Empire. The result of the study and conclusion is that in the last two centuries the Russian North has become a stable word combination characterizing the component of the Russian mentality and the concept reflecting the ideas that are important for the Russian culture. The Russian North has played an outstanding role in the becoming of the national consciousness and takes one of the major places on the Russian cultural map. 

Keywords: pidgin, Russian North, Russia, cultural code, mentality, Orthodoxy, Pomors, people of the world, Old Belief, Russian (Northern) Thebaid

Abstract: The article features attitudes to technology which were typical for ancient culture. It is shown that though the ancient civilization laid the foundation of many innovations in science, art and other areas of human life, technological progress was not encouraged and the level of technological development did not differ from previous ancient civilisations. In her research Popkova analyzes why famous ancient innovations were not used and thus were forgotten. The author also studies worldview principles of the ancient culture related to technology and explaining the reasons of insufficient attention to technological development and implementation of innovations. The basic methods of research used by the author include problematization, analogy, methodological schematization, rationalisation and articulation of implicit representations. The author considers the basic provisions and sayings of ancient philosophers on technology. Based on the example of ancient views on the person and his place in the Universe, the author of the article demonstrates the incompatiblity of the worldview dominating in that period with active technical transformation of natural processes . The reason why the ancient genius passed by the technical progress was the divination of the Universe and the natural order of things, as well as viewing human as the particle of the Universe but not an independent creature. Dependence of human life on universal laws which was the main principle of the ancient worldview, did not approve attempts to change natural processes and focused on perfection of the private world of human instead of external conditions of his life. The practical importance of such research is caused by the fact that the author searches new ways for modern mankind to overcome the crisis of the industrial civilisation. New world outlook principles, change in the attitude of people to themselves and to the world should precede practical implementation of harmless methods of economic management (which is hindered by the inertia of industrial hedonistic rationality). 

Keywords: cosmos, world view, ancient times, crisis, technology, culture, civilization, modern age, human, rationality

Abstract: The subject of the research is the factors that conditioned the development of the sociology of culture. The object of the research is the concepts and definitions of culture in social studies and cultural anthropology. The author examines such aspects of the topic as overcoming disciplinary differences, special attention to the sociocultural dynamics, transfer from the subject-object interpretation of the sociocultural reality towards intersubjective one and refusal of substantialism in culture and society. Special attention is paid to the development of the contemporary sociology of culture as a response to the cognitive paradigm shift. Analysis of the contents of the concept (definition) of culture in social studies and anthropology and dynamic analysis of the changes of the matter of social studies as a result of changes in the definition of culture are analyzed. The main contribution of the research is the statement of the demand for the modern variant of the sciology of culture. The author's contribution to the topic is the analysis of the factors that determine the development of the contemporary sociology of culture. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author views the topic in terms of the cognitive paradigm shift and as part of social studies.   

Keywords: culture, cultural anthropology, Marxism, positivism, cognitive paradigm, post-modernity, rationalism, structuralism, structural functionalism, phenomenological sociology

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of the Theatre of the Absurd as the cultural and artistic phenomenon of the 1950s-1970s. The researcher analyzes the phenomenon from the point of view of universality and uniqueness. Belousova describes the prerequisites for absurd drama that existed in that period such as the crisis of culture and consciousness in the post-war period, orientation at the total denial of overall rules of physical and social life and alogical 'distortion' of the essential universals of human existence. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the tragic characteristics of absurd existence in art and philosophy and destruction of a hero in paradoxical antiplays. Following the principles of the philosophical and cultural research, the author of the article applies the activity approach to culture which requires to view the methods of confirmation of the idea of uniqueness and spheres where the unique was opposed to the universal as well as results of such opposition expressed, in our case, in the realities of artistic culture. The main contribution of the research is the author's statement about the total disharmony between essential man's aspirations and the absence of 'response' from the reality. According to the author, that was the source of the absurd phenomenon. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author defines the antinomy of the philosophy of the absurd as the collision of its two dimensions, nigilistic and existential. However, existential absurdity cannot stop nihilistic tendendies of denial univeral forms of existence such as reason, morals, order and necessity. 

Keywords: Theatre of the Absurd, antiplay, philosophy of the absurd, destruction of the hero, uniqueness, universality, loss of meaning, nihilistic absurdity, existential absurdity, alogism

Abstract: In her article Kaminskaya touches upon potentials of amateur performances in the process of actualization of traditional folklore. The researcher describes activities of amateur talent groups from the point of view of their orientation at folklore culture and traditional folklore as an important element. The author also analyzes possibilities of amateur performances to actualize traditional folklore. The author demonstrates that as part of the amateur talent group activities, actualization of traditional folklore requires special training in the spheres of folklore culture, amateur performances and contemporary culture in general. By using the method of exemplification, the author demonstrates different variants of amateur groups' appealing to folklore based on actual examples. The comparative descriptive method has also allowed the author to examine orientation of amateur talent groups at different elements of folklore culture. As a result of the analysis, the author makes a conclusion that amateur talent groups demonstrate stable patterns of appealing to folklore traditions such as performance of folklore in its authentic variant and artistic transformation, inclusion of folklore in a wider stage play, creation of works in the 'folklore' style and a wide demonstration as part of creative activities. 

Keywords: traditional folklore, folklore culture, artistic culture, amateur performances, orientation at folklore, amateur talent groups, festivals, contests, concert performances, folklore ritual actions

Abstract: The subject of the research is the screen sound as a component of audiovisal image in Japanese cinematograph. The author of the article discovers some capabilities and other features of audio information that influence the process of formation of artistic time continuum of a screen piece. The fact that the sound has a temporal characteristic in cinematograph and appears in the real-time environment of a recipient makes it possible to search for global dependencies between screen sound as a phenomenon and aspect of time in a sound image. Being part of Japanese aesthetic system, modern Japanese cinematograph has its peculiarities which allows to examine these factors thoroughly. The present research is based on the phenomenological approach to sound as the phenomenon of cinematograph reality as well as concepts of traditional Japanese aesthetics. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author develops the system of dependencies between properties of a comprehensive sound solution of a piece of screen in terms of its connection with the chronotope. The given system of dependencies 'sound - artistic time continuum' has a universal nature and reveals new opportunities for audio expressivity in cinematograph. 

Keywords: Japanese, contemporary, chronotope, time, artistic, sound, screen, cinematograph, phonography, aesthetics

Abstract: One of the themes discussed by Rozin in his article is the possibility for the synthesis of art and science. Discussing this topic, the author creates the discourse that combines scientific and art genres. Relying on modern philosophical, semiotic, psychological and biological researches, Rozin establishes the concept of 'cosmogual' in a form of a novel. In his novel cosmoguals are aliens who feed on mental energy of humans and have long been guiding human development and evolution. The first part describes how the author of the novel Mark Vadimov has learnt about cosmoguals from the Black Communicant and what comogualies are. Victor Zun, Vadimov's friend who died tragically, also appears in the story. The first part of the article is ended with the commentary of Rozin regarding the reality and existence of cosmoguals. Quite obviously, the discourse made by Rozin is quite unusual. It involved both rational (philosophical and scientific) considerations and fictional methods such as scientific facts and fantasy. The author's methodology and creative work are what brings together all these diversified elements. As a result, Rozin has managed to touch upon a few important issues such as the synthesis of scientific and artistic thinking, reality and existence of fictional phenomena (in fact all phenomena, even very real, were originally thought up by someoine), explanations of human evolution. In addition, Rozin has actually created a scientific and artistic discourse that allows to discuss these problems. 

Keywords: cosmoguals, evolution, reality, mental energy, novel, science, art, discourse, transfer, universe

Abstract: The subject of the research is the scenic painting of Martiros Saryan. Saryan's theatrical art is viewed by the researcher in terms of cultural and artistic events of the 1920s when Saryan worked in Rostov-on-Don. The documents that are left from those times demonstrate the active social activity of the artist and his work for the Theatre Workshop which performances were seen by Nikolay Gumilev, Viktor Khlebnikov, Vsevolod Meyerhold and others. During the Yerevan period of Saryan's creative work (after 1921) the emphasis is made on his creating the curtains for the First Yerevan State Theatre. During Paris period Saryan's works demonstrate the beginning of changes in his style of easel painting. Later those changes would be reflected in his late scenic painting. In the course of studying the creative work of Martiros Saryan the author fo the article has used the art history methods, mostly plastic and comparative analysis of his works. Special attention is paid top the analysis of the curtains created for the First Yerevan State Theatre. Special contribution made by the author fo the article to the studies of Saryan's artwork is his thorough research of documentaries on artistic life of Russia and Armenia of the 1920s. Asaturov provides a broad description of the cultural environment in which the first Saryan's works were created including the life of intelligentsia, art community, literary and theatrical environment where Saryan's style of scenic painting was developed. The novelty of the research is, first of all, caused by the fact that the researcher studies the life of the art community in Rostov-on-Don in the 1920s and the role of Martiros Saryan in that community. Special focus is made on the interaction between Russian intelligentsia and Armenian community living in Nakhichevan-on-Don which has been scarcely studied before. 

Keywords: portrait, Armenia, Paris, Martiros Saryan, theatrical scenery, theatre workshop, landscape, Armenian artists, Tbilisi, Yerevan

Abstract: The subject of the present research article is the differences between the readymade practice in Marcel Duchamp's creative work and appropriation art. At the present time all researches of appropriation art touch only upon similarities between these two artistic practices. The author of the present article describes differences as well. These differences include: prerequisites for readymade and expansion of appropriation art; importance of the actualization of mass culture images for art through textual field; importance of aesthetica categories for artists and their creative work; and different positions of an artist with regard to his/her creative work. In the course of her research Schetinina has conducted the comparative analysis of similar phenomena in the art of the XXth century which allows to demonstrate their similarities and differences. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author demonstrates peculiarities of appropriation as an independent phenomenon in terms of the development of American art of that period. The author describes the following peculiarities of appropriation art that make it different from Marcel Duchamp's readymade: the influence of post-modernist discourse viewing the art of modernism as the object of criticism on the expansion of appropriation art; work with conventions and cliches of culture, mass culture and advertising; creation of works which cannot be fully interpreted either from the linguistic or aesthetic points of view; and typical out-of-subject position of an artist. 

Keywords: appropriation, American art, borrowing, context, Marcel Duchamp, mass culture, culture of the XXth century, readymade, contemporary art, quotation

Abstract: The author of the article discusses the purpose and means of musical-theoretical analysis and the possibility to reveal the beauty or the aesthetic value of a music piece. The first part of the article provides a brief insight into ancient philosophy to identify the differences between science and art, their purpose and methods. In Aristotelian philosophy science and art are the steps towards the truth. According to Plato, human can become the creator himself and imitate 'the eternal ideas realized in creation' by creating images of things. In the second part of the article, being based on Yu. Kholopov’s concept of musical analysis and interpretation of artistic value given by T. Cherednichenko, the author argues that the purpose of the analysis is to reveal laws of musical matter structuring, to build a model of the music work and to make a hypothesis about the initial ideas embodied by the composer. According to the author, analysis can not show the beauty of a music piece, and its value can only be partly justified. However,  analysis can give the access to the perception of Eidos impressed in musical work through enabling a better understanding of the music piece's structure. The value of analysis also depends on a researcher's ability to select an adequte method and strategy of analysis. 

Keywords: science and art, art history, analysis, model, axiology, eidos and logos, Plato, Aristotle, Aleksey Losev

Abstract: The present article is devoted to harpsichord concerts of Francaix, Carter and Górecki which were held in Europe and America in the 50s - 80s of the XXth century and were a great example of the main trends of the harpsichord repertoire of the second half of the XXth century. The second half of the XXth century was marked by the expansion of genres and styles for harpsichord which had come back to music at the turn of the XIXth - XXth centuries as part of neoclassicism and be an important part of the music life by the middle of the last century. The genre of harpsichord concert which used to be the leading trend in harpsichord repertoire of the 20s - 30s, faded into insignificance and was replaced by ensembles and recital plays allowing the composers to reveal new potential of harpsichord. However, the genre of concert is still attractive for composers which reflects the general tendency of the contemporary harpsichord style of the second half of the century from neoclassicism of the 20s - 30s, in particular, the two trends, towards avant-garde and the union of academic and popular intonations. The author of the article describes how the aforesaid harpsichord concerts were created as well as their structure, peculiarities of a harpsichord party and its interaction with orchestra instruments. As the main conclusion of the article, the author underlines the popularity of the concert genre among composers of Europe and America when creating plays for harpsichord in the XXth century including the second half of the XXth century. This allows to state with full confidence that the concert genre is one of the most representative genres of contemporary harpsichord repertoire. 

Keywords: contemporary harpsichord, harpsichord music pieces, neoclassicism, harpsichord, contemporary harpsichord repertoire, harpsichord concert, concert for harpsichord, concert genre, contemporary music, avant-guard

Abstract: The present article is devoted to the creative work of one of the most famous Belgium musicians Henri Vieuxtemps whose unique gift for music came in full force in his compositions and performing art. Despite the important role of Henri Vieuxtemps' activities in the development of violin music, his achievements in the sphere of concert genre are still not recognized the way they should be. In this regard, the author of the present article decides to make Henri Vieuxtemps' violin concerts as the object of the research. The subject of the resaerch is the peculiarities of the musical language of his violin which was based on the synthesis of virtuosity and symphony in the concert genre. The present article is aimed at defining inventive features of Henri Vieuxtemps in the genre of violin concert, which are being viewed from the point of view of style, form making and principles of 'symphonization' of musical dramatic composition. The research is based on the complex theoretical approach combining historical and stylistic, comparative musicological and genre methods of analysis. For the first time in the academic literature the author of the present article gives evaluation of Henri Vieuxtemps' innovations in the sphere of violin concert in terms of principles of symphonic development. It is proved that the principles of musical development used by the composer demonstrate his attribution to the lyrical dramatic (monological) type of symphonism, which become apparent at the level of his dramatic composition and expressive means. The author of the article concludes that the main peculiarity of Henri Vieuxtemps' musical thinking is his creation of lyrical epic images of the romantic nature. As a result of the research, the author describes Henri Vieuxtemps' unique interpretation of thegenre of violin concert through synthesizing virtuosity and romanticism with dynamics of symphonic development. 

Keywords: violin concert, Vieuxtemps, principles of symphonization, symphonic development, monological type of symphonism, romanticism, virtuosity, stylistic synthesizing, music style, concert cycle

Abstract: The research topic is the history of the theoretical department of the Central Children's Music School of Saratov which will celebrate the 100th anniversary in December 2016. The author of the article describes the post-revolutionary, prewar, postwar and modern stages of the school's development. The author also introduces the founders and leading teachers of the school's theoretical department from the very beginning of the school's foundation. The author touches upon various activities of the members of the theoretical department such as solfeggio, choir, theatricalization and lessons for children. The history of the school's development and impressions of the most important events in the school's life is reconstructed based on literary sources and memories of students who have studied at the music school in different years. The main research method used by the author is the diachronic method allowing to view activities and aspects of music education performed by the Central Children's Music School of Saratov in chronological order. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author has collected and summarized scientific and historical materials on the foundation and development of the theoretical department of the Central Children's Music School of Saratov. The author of the article has described the major milestones in the historical development of the department as well as activity of distinguished teachers who established the tradition of professional excellence in teaching the theory of music.  

Keywords: teaching innovation, concert activity, music education, anniversary, Saratov, music school, theatricalization, famous graduates