Barcarol - is it a folk genre, or is it still professional?

From time immemorial, in each separate people, their traditions developed, which concerned not only everyday life, but also various branches of art. Of course, Italy has a huge cultural heritage and its famous region Venice. On the expanses of this city, which stretches in the water area of the bay and numerous rivers, a new vocal-instrumental genre - barcarole was born. This is a kind of song gondolier, which, according to legend, he always sings, while performing his duty.

A bit of history

Since the moment when Venice only grew on the waters, and numerous boats began to run between the houses, a new profession appeared in the city - the gondolier. A person who rode tourists and locals on his little boat for entertainment or business, always humming some typically Italian melody, which was soon called "barcarol". It could be songs like with words that most often conveyed the whole essence of the life of such people, as well as simply melodies that were sung on one of the vowel sounds. In any case, the listeners were always pleased to listen to the gondolier, and gradually their popular, unwritten creativity acquired official status. By the beginning of the 18th century, almost everything in the world knew about what a barcarole was.

The most unusual song of the Romantic era

In the 18th century, the songs of the Venetian gondoliers began to appear on the pages of musical dictionaries. By the 19th century, every professional musician or composer knew exactly what barcarol was. The definition was drawn up in those years, and in the same form it has reached to our days. Musical dictionaries say that this musical genre is folk, which is of Venetian origin. Characterized by lyrical character, sentimentality and melodiousness. It is also characteristic that barcarol is a song that has a not quite standard rhythm - 6/8 or 12/8. According to professionals, such a musical size reminds listeners of rocking on the waves. He is the most measured and at the same time allows the singer to freely feel at performance.

Song gondoliers in the works of great composers

The flourishing of this musical genre fell on the peak of the Romantic era - in the 19th century. In this period, their masterpieces were created by such famous people as Schubert, Chopin, Grieg, Ian Gall, Mendelssohn, Weber and Rossini. Among our brilliant fellow countrymen who also created within the framework of this musical style, it is worth mentioning Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. They, as you can hear from their works, knew for sure that the barcarol - this is one of the most romantic, tender and touching plays. And losing their creations now, you can listen to every note, enjoying the beauty and uniqueness of the arpeggios and chords.

Listen and enjoy

We figured out what barcarol is from a professional point of view. Now we offer a list of the most famous works that will allow you to hear and understand how this genre sounds on an illustrative example. Simpler in execution and at the same time incredibly beautiful is the barcarole of Peter Tchaikovsky, which is included in the cycle "Seasons, July". Another song of the boatman, which was written specially for the piano, is the creation of Frederic Chopin - op. 60. For this key-string instrument also wrote their barcaroles Rachmaninoff, Bartok, Foret and many other geniuses. But in the performance of ensembles and even a symphony orchestra you can hear the barbarol of Glinka, which is called "The Blue Eyes". For choirs, Franz Schubert wrote his unique barcarol "Gondolier".